An operating agreement for the proposed Harbor Yard Amphitheater and request for a public hearing on the joint venture between concert promoter Live Nation and SportsCenter of Connecticut entrepreneur Howard Saffan is scheduled for referral to the Contracts Committee Monday night at City Hall, 45 Lyon Terrace. Council agenda here.
Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration is under a tight timeline for approval with the current group of 20 council members. A new legislative body, with a number of new faces, will be seated the first week of December following the Nov. 7 general election.
For the full council to approve the agreement it must be voted out of committee in time for the next regularly scheduled meeting the eve of the election Nov. 5, or in lieu of that a special meeting later that month.
In August, Live Nation concert promoter Jim Koplik and Saffan announced a partnership to transform the Ballpark at Harbor Yard into a $15 million weatherproof boutique amphitheater seating upwards of 8,000 for a six-month annual season projected to start spring of 2019.
This is another pie in the sky loser. You wait and see how many cops are called to these concerts. Its funny the bluefish went down south and they built them a stadium. I cant wait until the shit hits the fan
I saw that group (Shit Hits the Fan) they stink!
Joe Ganim would like to hudtle this one along, whiz it through a few committees for ruber stamp approval. It would be nice if a couple CC members said “Wait a minute, not so fast…” The people of the city of Bridgeport have been hosed by the puppets on the City Council too many times in the past. Hope is not a valid strategy here.
Derek, you said find two CC that will stop the residents from getting hosed? One question, what two hasn’t either held the hose or turned on the water.
Jimfox, funny, funny, funny.
Donald,
I din’t know. There has to be a ram among the sheep. I’ll be there Monday night.
I think that the CC meeting will be a waste of time. It’s a done deal.
There is no doubt whatsoever that Ganim/Testa and Company will push this through before December 1st. Another Ganim/Testa/puppet CC transaction.
Ohhh..great. Now i need to make a decision to go to the CC meeting or go to a meeting with the State Representative that represents the area in which I live.I think I will go the State rep meeting because the puppet CC council will pass the “so-called amphitheater plan.”
I understand the sentiment of taking this slow and making sure this is a good fit for the city regardless of what Joe says.But let’s say this deal isn’t in our best interest?,now what?..We are left with a building that needs massive renovations,no tenant,and no future.What we will have is another Kennedy Stadium,the high schools will use it.Is that the alternative that is best for the city?.By chasing the Bluefish out,Joe has put us over a barrel imo.
The baseball stadium still has possibilities. An MLB farm team could be brought in. This would not bring as much bacon as an amphitheater. It would be more consistent though. A farm team subsidized by the Yankees or the Mets. That would have major league financial investment and promotional muscle.
But oh noooooooo, that necessitates a large dollar investment from one or more sources. The Democratic Party machine in Bridgeport wants something for nothing: “We don’t want much, just a few suitcases full of cash, preferably American Dollars. You can leave your hat on… “
What’s the rush.
Phil,Joe thinks he will be governor,he needs development here,and he needs it quick!
Yeah, Joe want to turn Bridgeport into a gambling and entertainment mecca. Not the entire city you understand, just the waterfront. He’s okay with the drugs and crime and violence everywhere else.
Let’s not forget prostitution, where there’s casinos and gambling there will be drugs and prostitution.
Time is tight for the City Council to vote on giving up their authority over tax breaks for developers. A committee approved the matter, sending it to the full committee for a vote. Scott Burns and Katy Bukovsky expressed concern that the CC would be giving up too much. I have to agree. Stay tuned.
For several generations the city of Bridgeport has given away the farm to corporate interests in the name of “progress” and job creation. Now the corporations are gone and so are the jobs. The abandoned factories remain along with the industrial chemicals and contaminated soil. None of these abandoned factories can be adequately taxed because of the abatements awarded in yrars past. Motorists travelling on I-95 see them staining the skyline, broken windows framed by generations of graffiti.
What a view.