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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 23, 2004 Dean Combs of Adroit Construction uses a concrete finishing machine on a slab that will become a rest room building next to the new amphitheater at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Amphitheater project gets under way Even with $300,000 more to raise, director of the county fairgrounds says ‘can’t’ isn’t in his vocabulary By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT � Crews are pouring concrete this week in the first major construction phase of a 5,900-seat amphitheater at the Jackson County Expo. Steve Lawrence, president of Adroit Construction, said the $3 million venue was beginning to take shape from its giant mound of dirt. "We’re moving ahead with the pouring of the concession buildings and platform stage and footings for the site retaining wall," said Lawrence. "All the foundation work for the amphitheater is going in at this time and all the underground utilities are being put in as well." Advertisement Planning for the project began in 2000 with completion initially slated for May 2002. Community concerns and meetings between Jackson County and Central Point officials added more than a year to the schedule as engineers addressed traffic issues and sound control. The amphitheater originally was estimated to cost $2.85 million when planning began in 2000, but inflation has pushed the project to a little more than $3 million, said fairgrounds director Chris Borovansky. Borovansky said a completion date will depend on weather, contractors and a final fund-raising effort of $300,000. "We are unsure at this point exactly what our final completion date is going to be," he said. "The first phase by LTM is done. Shaping of the actual amphitheater was completed as of January. "Now we’ve got big-time equipment and stuff rolled out, concrete is going in � full-phase construction began three weeks ago. We’ll need to have a much more firm date on construction completion before starting to book acts, but we’re optimistically hoping to see completion by late summer." Borovansky said the project would take as long as it needed to. "We’ve got this one chance to get it right so we’re making sure that we’re going to get a first-class facility out here," he said. Once built, the venue is expected to enable the fairgrounds to become self-sufficient, Borovansky said. "This is a brand-new revenue stream for us. We can only maximize existing revenue so much," he said. Fund-raising for the project was jump-started in fall 2000 with a $500,000 title sponsorship by Lithia Motors and gained momentum in March 2003 with a contribution of $225,000 by Radio Medford on behalf of the Nathanson Family Foundation. Small businesses and community members continued to send in small donations to show their support for the project, said Borovansky. "We have about $300,000 left to raise and we’re still working closely with the (fairgrounds) foundation," he said. And what happens if the foundation can’t raise the money? "We’re very confident we’re going to raise the money," Borovansky said. "‘Can’t’ is not an option. It’s not in my vocabulary. We just flat out will raise it. There is no ‘can’t.’ " Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities