PEORIA, Ill – The Peoria City Council has approved a letter of intent for an $11 million donation from the Hengst Foundation toward a 5,000 seat riverfront amphitheater
Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” the focus is on the land between the Murray Baker Bridge and the River Plex.
The city owns the property while the Park District programs and maintains it.
“They’re moving pretty quickly. The City Manager said they would have a formal agreement in the next month to six weeks,” Cahill said. “From there they finalize the design and my understanding is they’ll start construction early next year sometime.”
Construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months, which would place the opening of the amphitheater in 2027.
Cahill said the City owns the property while the Park District, under its current contract with the City, would maintain and program the venue.
There has been some speculation of the future of the CEFCU Center Stage. In fact, Cahill said in the master plan the CEFCU stage goes away. But, not necessarily.
“When you bring in large scale concerts there are secondary stages a lot of times. CEFCU stage offers that opportunity potentially, “ Cahill said. “The space where we run a lot of our concerts just north of the Gateway Building is another potential space for that secondary kind of a stage”
Cahill said the Park District will work with the Peoria Civic Center and local promoters to attract a wide variety of entertainment.
“There will be some nights that we bring in the local acts that we do now that allow us to have smaller crowds and a much more casual experience,” Cahill said. “The beauty of a space like this, if it is done correctly, is its versatility.”
The proposal includes removable seating because the land is considered a flood plain. It also includes concession stands, restrooms, ticket booths and a back of the house staging area for performing acts.
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