CHESAPEAKE -- Old whitewashed wooden electrical boxes scattered throughout Chesapeake City Park need major safety repairs, the city's Parks and Recreation Department has told City Council members.
The Chesapeake Jubilee takes place at the park each May.
"It was the type of thing we really thought needed to be fixed before the next large event," said Berkley Gibbs, past chairman of the Chesapeake Jubilee.
Jubilee officials asked the city to inspect the boxes, which provide electricity to vendors.
There are 48 electrical boxes all over the park.
Some are metal but many were made of wood about 20 years ago by Jubilee volunteers.
"They were supposed to be temporary," said David Carter, director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
The department inspected them and found a number of electrical safety concerns.
Carter wants to use $62,000 out of a special revenue fund for emergency repairs, including installing new code-compliant metal boxes, replacing breakers, and bonding all of the existing metal boxes to keep them electrically neutral.
Carter says the upgrades will be finished in time for the Chesapeake Jubilee, scheduled for May 20-23.
The boxes pose no harm now because the electricity is shut off.
