‘It’s Not Necessary’: Plymouth Residents Want Say In $350k Amphitheater Proposal

A proposed 80-acre amphitheater that would straddle the boundary between Plymouth Township and the city of Plymouth – helping residents establish where one jurisdiction ends and the other begins – is causing a division of another kind: between local residents.

The 350-seat performing arts amphitheater would cost $350,000, or about $1,000 a seat – money some critics say the city and township can’t afford, the Detroit Free Press reports. Some opponents to the plan worry the development could cost far more.

Supporters say it increases the attractiveness of the community.

“We continue to want to put amenities throughout the area wherever we can,” Plymouth Township Supervisor Richard Reaume said.

Others say it’s an unnecessary duplication of a venue already offered by Kellogg Park, which offers a performing arts venue with a capacity for 2,000 in the heart of downtown Plymouth, two miles away from the proposed amphitheater location.

“I don’t see the need for it...personally for an amphitheater in the township park,” Ruth Goodwell, a Plymouth resident said. “ There are enough facilities within the community and by community I mean the city and township...to hold the types of events they’re talking about holding.”

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• Do you think the amphitheater would be worth the cost?

Some residents are concerned because the county would need to borrow money to build the new amphitheater.

“We need an amphitheater like we need a hole on our head,” said former state Rep. John Stewart, a Plymouth resident. “If it’s not necessary to build something, it’s necessary not to build it.”

The architectural firm of Beckett & Raeder has been hired to design the new amphitheater for $29,800.

“Could the amphitheater be out on hold? Sure,” Reaume said.  “But at this point we’re trying to move forward with all of our park improvements.”

>>> For the full story, go to the Detroit Free Press