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Funding for amphitheater stalls

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
(Updated 7:09 am)

GREENSBORO — Plans for a spray fountain and miniature golf may go on at Triad Park, but building a $12 million amphitheater is on hold.

Guilford County commissioners will review a request to give $400,000 to Triad Park on Thursday as a part of a regular allotment from the county’s capital project fund, which is kept separate from the county’s regular annual budget.

That money would match the annual contribution from Forsyth County.

Though money comes from the counties, little is going to a proposed 1,500-seat covered amphitheater, despite work by a married couple to get interest there.

“We need a big donor like Time Warner Cable” or some other business, said Shirley Vann, who, with her husband, Tom, has tried for more than nine years to secure money for the project through the group Friends of the Triad Park Amphitheater.

Governments have balked at funding the idea. Support exists in arts groups, Shirley Vann said, but not with any money behind that approval.

Parks directors in Forsyth and Guilford have said that plans will go on for the park, including a concrete pad that could house a trailer that would create a stage for music and other events. Though it’s not quite a full-scale amphitheater with fixed seats, the concrete pad can provide an area for entertainment.

The Vanns see a potential for larger projects with the amphitheater. Shirley Vann said the North Carolina Symphony has agreed to play a concert series there — if the money comes through.

“These times it seems like anytime you turn around, everyone has a wonderful project that they want money for,” said Roger Bardsley, parks planner for Guilford County.

And Bardsley agrees that the amphitheater is a good idea but is unlikely to receive money from the counties.

“That’s our hope, that people will see it as a really good venue out there,” Bardsley said.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Special to the News & Record

Photo Caption: Triad Park

By the numbers

  • $1.2 million: Forsyth County’s contribution to Triad Park through 2011
  • $400,000: Guilford County’s annual contribution to the park
  • $12 million: Estimated cost for a 1,500-seat amphitheater
  • $15,000: Amount Friends of the Triad Park Amphitheater have raised toward the project
  • $50,000: Cost to hire a professional fundraiser for the project

Source: Guilford County, www.triadparkamp.com

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