This is the first makeover for the weathered canopy at the 14-year-old concert venue.
Hamilton Director of Resident Services Adam Helms, who oversees RiversEdge, said officials had to wait for steel to arrive. Crews are about a week into a six-week timeline to get the steel structure in place, and it will then take about another six to 10 weeks to finish the concrete work and install the roof membrane and sheet metal on top.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
“The target has always been May 1, so we got to hustle to get it done by then,” he said.
The project should be complete before the start of the 2025 concert series at RiversEdge. Helms said officials are still a few weeks out from finalizing the 20- to 25-show season. He said they’re behind in booking bands “because we didn’t know what the construction timeline was quite looking like.”
Every year, the goal is to get the schedule out by March 1, if not a few days sooner. This year, it could be mid-March. Most of the concerts will be free, but some will have a paid admission. Concertgoers can look forward to some of the same big concert events, like the Big River Get Down, Whimmydiddle and Jared’s Jam, even though dates have not yet been finalized.
There was a plan to install a fence around the facility, but Helms said that part of the plan isn’t likely now after some negative reactions by supporters and past concertgoers.
There was discussion of a Phase 2 for the project, but it was not funded, according to past Journal-News reporting. Helms said for now, there won’t be a second phase in the redevelopment of RiversEdge.
With a larger venue, bigger names can eventually be booked, which can draw bigger crowds, said Helms. That means Hamilton’s investment into RiversEdge can have a larger economic impact to the city, according to city data. Tens of thousands of people visit the concert venue every spring and summer, and in recent years, the estimated economic impact on the city has exceeded $1 million.
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