West Park amphitheater plan would need parking, funding, council OK
Saturday’s Enchanted Pumpkin Festival drew hundreds of people to downtown Kewanee, and drew praise from City Council members at Monday’s meeting.
But the organizers of the festival have something much larger in mind.
Jeanna Moore, one of the members of the festival committee and the wife of Mayor Gary Moore, told the council that the committee has the goal of building an amphitheater in West Park.
The amphitheater would be one of two major additions to the West Park-Liberty Park site. Moore declined to say what the second improvement is, but in the past, city officials and Kewanee Park District officials have discussed the idea of building a splash pad at the north end of the park.
That area, known as Liberty Park, is maintained by the park district. It was once the site of a children’s wading pool.
Moore said she was seeking the council’s permission to proceed with the amphitheater project. While the council didn’t act on the matter at Monday’s meeting, council members expressed support for the idea.In recent years, Galva and Cambridge have raised money to build bandstands in their parks, and Mrs. Moore said, “We thought that this (West Park) would be one of the most beautiful places in the city” to put an amphitheater.
The amphitheater, along with parking facilities, will be an expensive project. Moore said the committee’s goal will be to raise $100,000.
The pumpkin festival was the first fundraiser, and she said a “larger fundraiser” is in the works. Donations will also be sought from people and businesses in the community.
“Hopefully, it won’t take us more than a year” to raise the money and start construction, Moore said.She said committee members will have to speak with people who live next to the park about concerns they may have about parking, noise and so on. She also noted that during the Hog Days flea market in the park, it can be difficult for residents to get out of their driveways because of heavy traffic and parked vehicles.She said the committee will make every effort to construct the amphitheater and parking areas without removing any trees from the park.
And there is one more aspect of the park’s development Moore said she would like to see, although it’s not part of the current plans: Resurrecting the fountain in the center of the park.
This article originally appeared on Star Courier: West Park amphitheater plan would need parking, funding, council OK
