Youngstown amphitheater taking shape

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

With mountains of dirt on the outer perimeter of the property, the roof is being put on the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater stage, and sod could be placed in a few weeks.

The $8.08 million amphitheater is about 80 percent complete and slated to be done in early June, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works.

“It’s coming together pretty quickly,” he said. “We’re getting so much done.”

Additional work in the coming weeks includes finishing the installation of lights, an irrigation system, wiring and signage, as well as putting in benches and concrete posts, Shasho said.

An employee of Brock Builders Inc., the North Lima company serving as the project’s general contractor, said other ongoing work includes landscaping, electric and heating and cooling systems.

The city closed Hazel Street south of Front Street a couple of weeks ago to allow easier access to the amphitheater and riverfront park site without having construction trucks deal with vehicles going in and out of two parking lots that had their entrance ways on Hazel.

Eric Ryan, president of JAC Management Group, which operates the Covelli Centre for the city and will do the same for the amphitheater, said the first events at the new facility will be June 14 and 15.

An announcement will be made next month about national shows that will appear at the amphitheater, and shortly after that the company will provide the facility’s entire schedule for this year, Ryan said.

“We’ll have 15 to 20 events this year at the amphitheater,” he said. “It will be a short season.”

In 2020, Ryan said, “our vision is to do 20 to 25 events at the amphitheater.”

Some will be free or $5-a-ticket events, he said.

Also, work is ongoing at the riverfront park and what is currently referred to as “community alley,” a meeting location under the Market Street bridge, Ryan said. Those locations will be used for community events such as picnics, reunions and other get-togethers.

“We’re very excited to be managing the amphitheater from top to bottom with the same staffing at the Covelli Centre,” he said. “It’s going to be a great thing.”

The amphitheater will have 1,500 seats at the front of the stage – the seats will not be permanent and can be moved – with space for about 3,300 people on what is called “the great lawn” behind those seats, Ryan said.

The city expects to hire a community engagement and inclusion coordinator by next month, said Ryan, who sits on the screening committee. The person will give city residents more of a voice in the use of the amphitheater and riverfront park as well as the Covelli Centre. The job will pay up to $40,000 annually with the money coming from the center/amphitheater budget.

The amphitheater is being built on property that includes the former Wean United site on South Phelps Street. The Wean United building was demolished in 2014.

The city borrowed $4 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the project. The loan will be repaid over 20 years.

Also, the Youngstown Foundation paid $3 million for the naming rights to the amphitheater. The city has said it’s working with sponsors to cover the rest of the project’s cost.