Commissioners poised to approve amphitheater lease
For the second time in less than a year, the Fayette County Commissioners are poised to approve a lease for the dormant Great Meadows Amphitheater property. At Tuesday’s agenda meeting, the commissioners voted to place on Thursday’s agenda a motion to approve leases for the amphitheater and surrounding property with The Woodland Zoo.
Commission chairman Vincent A. Vicites said one lease is for the 6.1 acres that include the 1,500-seat amphitheater and the other lease is for the 121 acres surrounding the amphitheater.
Woodland Zoo owner Darwin “Sonny” Herring plans to relocate the zoo from its current Gibbon Glade Road location to property surrounding the amphitheater. Although Herring plans to purchase the 121 acres soon and the 6.1 acres eventually, leases are needed until legislation is approved to allow the sale of the 121-acre deed-restricted property, which is located on Route 40 in Wharton Township.
In making the motion, Vicites proposed approving the leases pending approval by the county solicitor and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. However, commissioner Ronald M. Nehls objected to including state approval in the motion and Vicites withdrew that portion of the motion.
Vicites said he wants to vote on the leases now instead of waiting another month. “I think we can get it done by week’s end and keep this moving,” he said. Vicites said the leases will have language to protect the taxpayers.
For the amphitheater property, the lease will include a five-year term. Vicites said the cost is $1,000 per month for a portion of the lease and goes up to $2,000 per month partway through the lease.
The lease for the 121 acres is a short-term lease of about six months that can be broken if legislation is approved allowing the sale of the property. For the 121 acres, Herring will pay $10 per acre per month.
Vicites said Herring will be able to get into the facility, move the animals there and carry out his site plan. Herring earlier said that ideally he wants to move the 100 animals and pens in January when the zoo is closed to the public. The zoo closes at the end of November and reopens in March.
Late last year the county entered into a lease with Fayette Films LLC for the dormant amphitheater site but the proposed movie production studio project never came to fruition. Opposition from neighboring Fort Necessity officials among others halted the project as legislation was never introduced to lift the deed restrictions.
This time around, the use fits into the restrictions, but legislation is still needed to approve the sale of the property. Both State Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Dunbar, and State Rep. Larry Roberts, D-South Union, have come out in support of the project and the legislation needed to make the sale happen. Vicites said Fort Necessity officials are not opposed to the zoo proposal.
Herring will pay the average of two appraisals for the 121 acres, or about $190,500. He wants to use the amphitheater in conjunction with the zoo for animal demonstrations. The current makeup of animals includes bobcats, cougars, black bears, reindeer, wolves, coyotes, deer, buffalo, moose, elk and other small North American animals such as groundhogs, skunks, squirrels and rabbits.
Herring plans to expand the number and type of attractions at the zoo and add primates and birds of prey.
In other items, the commissioners voted to place on Thursday’s agenda motions honoring three Fayette County soldiers who recently served in Iraq. The proclamations will honor wounded soldiers Sgt. David Calhoun and PFC Salvatore Ross and fallen soldier Sgt. Eric Hull, who lost his life when the truck he was driving hit a land mine near Baghdad.
The commissioners will also vote Thursday to hire a ferryboat pilot for the Fredericktown Ferry to replace a pilot who resigned. Vicites said additional shifts for the ferryboat will be needed with the opening of the State Correctional Institution at Fayette in Luzerne Township.
The commissioners voted to make a decision on Thursday about allocations for liquid fuels requests for Redstone, Luzerne, Nicholson and Springhill Townships. County manager Warren Hughes said a total of $62,000 is remaining in the liquid fuels fund. Hughes said a previous allocation of $10,000 was given to Springfield Township earlier this year.
The townships requests are as follows: Redstone Township, $20,000 to pave Recreation Drive; Luzerne Township, $1,385.31 for damage due to thunderstorm and flooding; Nicholson Township, $20,000 for damage due to flash flood and Springhill Township, $180,304 for flood damage to bridges and roads.