McNally in No Rush to Build Arena Amphitheater
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Mayor John McNally says he's in no rush to build a new amphitheater near the Covelli Centre, and wants any such project to be developed keeping in mind future projects such as a river walk and other potential complementary projects.
The city is seeking letters of interest for professional architectural and design services for construction for an amphitheater that would serve as a companion structure to the city-owned arena, which opened in 2005. Proponents of the project, including Covelli Center executive director Eric Ryan, say the structure would allow him to book shows during warm-weather months when patrons prefer outdoor events.
According to the request for qualifications posted on the city’s website, the city’s Board of Control, which yesterday approved a three-year extension of its agreement with Ryan and his company, JAC Management Group LLC, to oversee food, beverage and concession sales at the Covelli Centre, is soliciting letters of interest through 4 p.m. Feb. 14 for construction of a 5,000-square-foot public amphitheater on the Covelli Centre grounds. This cost is estimated to be $2 million to $3 million and the city is in process of securing funds for the project.
City Council approved spending $90,000 for architectural and design services last year.
The city is putting together financing for the project, which would be funded in part through the sale of naming rights and potential funds from the state capital budget. Once final funding is determined, the city will determine the scope of the project, said David Bozanich, city finance director.
“We’re still hoping to get this thing done maybe in 2014. So we’re pretty excited about that,” he remarked.
McNally was quick to caution proponents about the project.
“We’re not going to just slap something up just to say we did it,” he remarked. “If we’re going to build some type of amphitheater project, you have to hook that up with discussions about river walks and bike trails and paths along the river. I want to make sure that anything that we do is complementary to what I think are going to be future efforts to develop the river as well. So I’m not in a rush to simply slap up a concrete pad or a brick pad with a stage.”
The city is exploring funding for the project including potential funds being sought in the state capital budget and from naming rights and other partnerships. McNally said he has had discussions with state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-33 Boardman, Ohio Senate minority leader, as well as other members of the legislative delegation to Columbus, regarding the capital funds. Securing funding from the capital budget for the project for downtown is one of top priorities the city has relayed to Schiavoni.
Schiavoni said yesterday he is scheduled to meet Tuesday with state Sen. Scott Oelslager, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, regarding the project. He is seeking funds from the economic development portion of the capital budget because of a study conduct on behalf of the city that showed the potential benefits of the amphitheater, he said. The capital budget should be finalized within the next two to three weeks, he reported.
Bozanich said he hopes to have the project “pretty much defined” by the end of the first quarter. He is optimistic that the project could be completed this year, though there are several variables -- funding, construction and weather -- that have to be taken into account. “It’s a matter of how quick the dominoes fall into place,” he said.
“If it’s ready to go toward the end of summer, we’ll do some smaller things to work out the kinks,” Ryan said. “We would need to know before March or April that it was going to be built at a certain date to do a lot of significant things.” He does not anticipate requiring additional staff for the amphitheater.
Ryan said he is pleased with the extension of the food and beverage contract. His company took over concessions in April 2014.
Under the three-year agreement, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, JAC will receive a concession management fee of 3% of the monthly gross concessions receipts up to $599,999; 5% of gross receipts from $600,000 to $1.2 million; and 6% of the gross receipts of more than $1.2 million.
“We feel that Eric’s doing a good job,” Bozanich said.
Turning the concessions over to his company has proven to be “very lucrative” for the city, Ryan said. “The city will make close to $100,000 more a year” than under the contract with the prior concession operator, he said. “That’s a big number and they we’re happy with it and we’re happy to be running it because it gives us flexibility that we needed,” he said.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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