Commissioners to seek proposals on amphitheater
After much discussion Thursday, the Fayette County commissioners voted unanimously to seek proposals for the Great Meadows Amphitheater. The vote capped two days of talks between the commissioners about the vacant facility located on Route 40 in Wharton Township.
The discussion started at the commissioners’ agenda meeting Tuesday when Nehls presented a vague proposal that he claimed could make the county a half a million dollars in five years if the commissioners acted immediately.
The other two commissioners declined to have the solicitor view the three-page document, saying instead that a motion to seek proposals for the 130-acre site would be a better route. Nehls said the county could make $60,000 the first year and $120,000 in each of the second through fifth years.
Nehls said Thursday that he didn’t ask the other two commissioners to approve the proposal, noting he only wanted them to place it on the agenda so the solicitor could review it.
“Does anyone in the county follow the procedure of county government?” he asked. “The agenda meeting is to bring things for good discussion.”
Nehls said he initially got a call from a man in Florida about leasing the amphitheater. Pointing out that Commission Chairman Vincent A. Vicites knew about the proposal months before, Nehls said he met with individuals and showed them the site after Vicites declined to move forward. Nehls said when the client chose not to reveal himself, he presented the proposal as an item to put on the agenda.
Nehls said the simple three-page document could have generated a half a million dollars. He said the commissioners previously approved a motion to seek proposals last Oct. 25.
Commissioner Sean M. Cavanagh said he only found out about the proposal on Tuesday and wasn’t prepared to vote on it.
Vicites said he wants to seek proposals to have a consistent approach.
“We need to resolve the long-standing problem of the dormant facility,” he said. Vicites said an extra month will be time well spent. He added that he would like to see the site remain tourism related.
Cavanagh said he doesn’t care what goes in at the site as long as it brings the best return for the county.
In response to Nehls’ comments, Vicites said the commissioners need to find out how much the site is worth. He said they can’t make a decision on leasing or selling without having an appraisal. Saying he never met the person who wants to lease the site, Vicites said he has had four inquiries into the property.
“I think it’s only fair to put it out for open solicitation. We’re the caretakers of this. It’s the public that owns it,” Vicites said.
Vicites said he doesn’t care if the president of the United States presents a proposal two days before a meeting, he won’t vote on it.
“Nobody’s going to rush something down my throat,” he said.
When Vicites said he wants to seek an RFP, request for proposals, Nehls pointed out that Vicites didn’t put out an RFP for an engineer last month.
“In this situation, I want to RFP,” Vicites said. Cavanagh said flexibility is needed to govern.
After the meeting, Nehls said plans are to use the site as a tourism/entertainment venue. He said the potential developer is a local individual who just happened to be in Florida when he first contacted Nehls.
Nehls also said he was upset with a Herald-Standard editorial, criticizing him for not being more forthcoming with details about the proposal.
Nehls said he doesn’t mind sitting back and taking knocks but what he minds is being made to look like an “imbecilic bozo.”
“There are three good guys up here,” Nehls said. “By golly, do things where facts are facts.”
It was the second time in as many meetings that a commissioner spoke out against a Herald-Standard editorial. Cavanagh expressed anger at Tuesday’s meeting about an editorial, concerning a prison issue.