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Council committee backs $1,000,635 agreement with Akron Civic Theater to program Lock 3
Summary
Committee approved an emergency ordinance authorizing an agreement with Community Hall Foundation Inc., doing business as Akron Civic Theater, to provide programming at Lock 3 and neighborhood concert series; staff described a modest increase from last year and plans to book national acts as part of a pilot revenue model.
The Planning Committee voted to authorize the mayor or his designee to enter into an agreement with Community Hall Foundation Inc., d/b/a Akron Civic Theater, to provide professional services for programming at Lock 3 and neighborhood parks this summer.
A staff presenter (identified in the transcript as Susie Grama Moore) told the committee the proposed agreement totals $1,000,635 and reflected a small increase from last year—s allocation; she said approximately $1,000,500 would fund Lock 3 programming and a modest amount was for recreation programming. She said the increase is tied to booking a mix of national acts and a pilot revenue-generation model intended to offset costs.
The presenter listed headline acts and festivals planned for Lock 3, including Dave Hollister (June 28), Tyler Booth with Chris Jansen (July 24), The Wailers with Emoja Nation (July 25), Priscilla Block (July 31), Jeffrey Osborne with Will Downing (Aug. 16) and a Rubber City Jazz Festival partnership on Sept. 6. She said up to seven national acts may be included and that organizers are still finalizing two additional national acts.
Committee members asked about bringing repeat acts and ticket pricing. President Somerville and others said they hoped to see new national names alongside returning favorites. Staff said reserved-seat pricing would be comparable to Civic Theater shows and that some lawn admission options would remain free for the community in certain cases. Linda Mobian asked whether there was a high-end budget cap for national acts; staff responded the highest single-act guarantee being considered was $125,000 and that higher-priced talent would likely be cost-prohibitive.
Members placed the measure on consent and approved it by voice vote. Funding for the agreement was identified in committee discussion as coming from JED funds.
