Fayette commissioners OK amphitheater agreement
The Fayette County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to enter into a lease/purchase agreement for the former Great Meadows Amphitheater in Wharton Township.
The property includes 6.1 acres and the amphitheater that was constructed in the 1970s. The lease/purchase agreement is between the county and RMZ Holdings Inc. of Uniontown. Fred and Rhonda Zeigler purchased the 121 acres surrounding the amphitheater in late 2008 from Darwin and Jill Herring, who had operated the Woodland Zoo on the property. The parking, water and sewers for the amphitheater are located on the RMZ land.
County solicitor Sheryl Heid said the agreement is for a lease, with an option to purchase, in the amount of $1,500 a month and a purchase price of $210,000. The agreement is for one year, with an option for two more years. Heid said the purchase price does not include mineral rights, which will be retained by the county.
Fred Zeigler said it has been an arduous task for him and his wife, but they appreciate the opportunity to make something out of the site. He added that the amphitheater was a great idea by the late Robert Eberly years ago, but it was premature.
The Zeiglers currently own the Stone House restaurant, which is located near the site. While he wasn’t specific about their plans, Fred Zeigler said they plan to invest time and money to make the site viable and to provide “wonderful things for families.”
Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink explained that she previously voted against pursuing an agreement with the Zeiglers because she thought the county should have sought proposals from the public.
“You don’t know unless you do it. That’s why I said no,” Zimmerlink said.
Zimmerlink added that she is supporting the lease now because it is the best the county could do. She added that the prior board of commissioners did not fail to act on the issue, as some have said.
Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites said in the 16 years he has been in office, twice people had made attempts and failed to make the site viable. He said there hasn’t been a lot of interest.
He said that after the county sold the site to the Herrings, there was a right-of-first refusal attached to it. He said that the commissioners had an opportunity to exercise that right and it was tabled, or no action was taken.
“The action that was taken was we’re not going to do anything,” Vicites said. “We were informed of the time frame and we didn’t follow up. That’s exactly what happened.”
Vicites said the amphitheater site has been a “white elephant” for most of its existence.
“I wanted to see it get done in my tenure and I’m glad it did,” Vicites said.
Commission Chairman Vincent Zapotosky said he wanted to move forward with the agreement.