City christens amphitheater with season’s first outdoor concert; More events, amenities planned in coming years

by Jacqueline Mitchell

Rain held off long enough for Broadview Heights to unveil the newest addition to its city campus, as the community gathered for an outdoor concert on May 30 featuring local band Brent Kirby & His Luck.

The city designed its new amphitheater to be a gathering space for residents to enjoy the arts and celebrate community.

Broadview Heights Mayor Sam Alai said the project has been in the works for 3 1/2 years, beginning with the Broadview Heights Community Foundation’s Taste of Broadview Heights annual fundraiser.

The mayor said that since the city hosts so many community events on its campus, including Home Days on the Green, a Memorial Day ceremony and Nights in the Heights summer concert series, city officials envisioned a permanent space atop the Village Green to host them. Previously, Home Days entertainers played underneath tents, and Nights in the Heights performers set up under a pavilion. The amphitheater provides a venue for all of these events and more, Alai said.

The community foundation pledged $25,000 toward the project, and last year Economic Development Director Kristina Sorensen secured a $50,000 grant from Cuyahoga County. Alai said the total cost will fall between $125,000 and $130,000, with some electrical work still to be completed.

The city also set aside money from its campus improvement project, which included the renovation of the Leo H. Bender Community Center. Alai said “a very small portion” was used for the amphitheater.

Once all of the pieces came together, it took a month to install the structure, Alai said, complimenting the “great synergy” between the contractor that designed the shell, Enwood Structures of Raleigh, N.C., and the city’s service and engineering departments. Once the shell was ready, city employees planted grass and sod and installed concrete and walkways.

“It’s up and running now; we just want to add some more amenities,” Alai said. “We’re good with what we have, but we want to do another phase, maybe next year at some point.”

The city hopes to add features such as a dance floor, a storage facility, restrooms and a place to sell beverages, he said.

“I think the best thing is acoustically, the sound is just wonderful,” Alai said.

Moving forward, he said the city envisions using the space for outdoor yoga, movie nights, different types of concerts, such as polka bands and high school garage bands, and possibly the farmer’s market.

“We’re starting out slowly, but I think next year we’ll really ramp it all up,” he said. “… It’s a place to go now. It’s a gathering place for family and friends. I just drove by today, and there were about 15-20 kids playing on it. … It’s just another great space that makes this a great city.”

Featured image photo caption: Community members sit back and listen to Brent Kirby & His Luck perform at the grand opening concert at the city’s new amphitheater. Photo by Jay Kossman