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Arts Council event for April 12 pulled; committee discusses stage costs and future plaza programming
Summary
A planned April 12 concert on City Hall Plaza in partnership with the Homewood Arts Council was pulled after the council determined the city's portable stage is not fit to move outdoors; officials discussed renting versus budgeting for a new stage and asked staff to consider cost and future plaza programming.
The Homewood City Special Issues Committee on Feb. 3 accepted a motion to drop a concert permit request for Saturday, April 12, 2025, on City Hall Plaza after the Homewood Arts Council identified problems moving the existing city stage outdoors. Councilor Andrews moved the motion to drop the item and Councilor Smith seconded; the motion passed 4-0.
Councilor Gere reported that while the arts council had worked to reduce event fees so performers and organizers could afford the concert, the city’s existing stage (purchased years earlier) appears too unstable to transport outdoors. Gere said renting an external stage would cost between $1,500 and $2,300. The committee discussed an alternative: moving the performance to the plaza’s edge to avoid transporting the stage.
Committee members and the arts council expressed interest in whether the city wants to host events on City Hall Plaza on an ongoing basis. They asked staff and the mayor to consider either purchasing a new, transportable stage for future programming or including stage planning in next year’s budget.
With the immediate concert item dropped, the arts council and staff will explore the plaza’s event needs, potential one-time rental costs for 2025 and longer-term budgeting for a permanent or portable stage. No further votes or conditions about future purchases were recorded at the meeting.
