Woodstock Continues Towards Amphitheater

Woodstock continues its progress towards City Park expansion to include the new Woodstock Amphitheater. According to the Cherokee Tribune, the Woodstock City Council got a first glimpse at the projected $2.2 million project. It is anticipated that the Council will approve and go forward with the Clark Patterson Lee design.{[}]{[}]According a Clark Patterson Lee spokesman, the design incorporates the same historic cotton mill style of architecture as in the Woodstock Downtown development. Highlights of the design are a lawn area for picnics and lawn chairs, a terraced seating section, a concession plaza with restrooms, wheelchair accessible entrances and exits and a permanent bandstand with a cover.The amphitheater will host the Woodstock Summer Concert Series with a capacity of between 3,000 and 4,000 – and should give the city the flexibility to host other events and festivals.{[}]{[}]Woodstock City Manager Jeff Moon anticipates soliciting proposals for construction as the next step with a contractor selected in the fall and construction to begin in November. Funding for the work will be paid for with a bond issued by the city and the bond will be repaid by a local option sales tax beginning next summer. Woodstock Parks and Recreation Director Preston Pooser speculates that eventually operation of the park will pay for itself through corporate sponsorships and naming and pouring rights.