Performances for the people at the new Pedranti Pavilion

On Friday Sept. 12, about 50 people gathered in front of the Milford Community House for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the dedication of the Pedranti Pavilion, a new addition to the historic property in the heart of downtown Milford.

The Pavilion will be a versatile venue, hosting various cultural and educational presentations including music, dance and movie screenings. Behind the stage, there is a multifunctional interior space which will serve as a storage area for equipment as well as a changing room for performers.

The Community House is a private, non-governmental, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and while Commissioner Matt Osterberg is its president, all funding for the Pavilion has come from private sources. Jim Pedranti was the main benefactor. It was Pedranti’s vision and contribution to Milford’s cultural life that was the inspiration for the project.

State Sen. Lisa Baker was able to augment a grant with a $300,000 donation from the State’s Economic Development Office. Wayne Bank made a contribution, as did the Pocono Mountain Visitor’s Bureau which is funding the musical performers. There were donations from others, as well.

“Matt Osterberg was like a dog with a bone trying to hunt down donations,” Baker said.

“Jim’s generous donation is one that shows his deep love and commitment to our town. The Milford Community House is forever grateful,” Osterberg said.

Pedranti, for his part, is the one who is grateful. Having been involved in numerous county projects - like founding the Greater Pike Community Foundation, on the boards of the Pike County Library and Pike Opera - since he moved here in 1970, he said he still wanted to give something back to the community. The Pavilion was the perfect project for a number of reasons: He is a life-long lover of music (having played bass in concert and jazz clubs to help support himself through college) and his son, Richard - who was the pro bono architect for the renovation of the Community House as well as for the Pavilion - is on its board. He wanted his legacy to be a permanent structure for the community, one that will still be contributing to the community for years to come.

The gathering ended with people mulling about. Pedranti’s whole family came up for the occasion, and the sounds of the evening’s band - George Stalter on drums, Rick McCurdy on bass, and Michael Rice on piano - played in the background.

It takes a village to pull off something like this, and one had the sense that the village was right there supporting every aspect of this new project.