By Brian Behrman
Sun intern
Milford City Council met Jan. 19 and after years of kicking the idea around, council is applying for funding to build an amphitheater at Riverside Park.
Council approved a resolution to allow the city manager to apply for a Community Development Block Grant from Clermont County for money to build an amphitheater.
The resolution to apply for the grant was approved 5 to 1, with council member Amy Brewer voting against it.
The CDBG program allows the county to help fund projects that improve neighborhoods, community facilities and services and increase economic development, according to Clermont County’s website.
Currently, council only has a concept plan for the amphitheater.
“I feel as though to be applying for grant money to build an amphitheater when we don’t have the consensus from council that we’re looking to build an amphitheater is putting the cart before the horse,” council member Amy Brewer said.
“My issue is neither the public nor the council has agreed on the master plan but we’re already trying to build a piece of the master plan. That’s where my confusion is because what if there’s not a consensus of council to even build an amphitheater,” Mayor Laurie Howland said.
The resolution authorizes the application submission, and there is no guarantee that the city will receive the grant money. The city is applying for a $70,000 grant for the current shelter design.
If the final plans cost more than $70,000 the city will cover the remainder. If council decides not to build anything at Riverside Park then the money will be taken away and be reallocated.
Community members can share their thoughts during a public input session on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. with the regular city council following at 7 p.m. Park office planners will present the current master plan to council.
“We have talked about it forever because there’s not been a consensus on council that we needed an amphitheater or we need to build one,” Howland said.
At the end of the meeting Charles Evans, chair of Milford Parks and Recreation Commission addressed the council and gave his recommendation. He said the grant might not be available next year or that the criteria for the grant may change.
“If we don’t have the money we can’t do anything with it,” Evans said, in response to concerns about applying for a grant this early in the planning process.
He reminded city officials that the parks and recreation committee will finalize plans after the grant is pursued ensuring that plans are not set back. He compared Riverside Park to the development at Memorial Park.
“Last year the grant was authorized by Clermont County, but the bids just went out now advertising for Memorial Park. Its not going to get done until this summer. That’s been a whole year in the process,” Evans said.
There are no definite plans yet about where the amphitheater would go or what it would look like.
Also during the meeting, Brandon Clark and Terry Chastain were sworn in as full-time police officers.
The council approved spending $1,400 on professional work photos of themselves, which will be taken at a Milford photography studio. Council members commented that they spent less money the last time they had photos taken by not having them done in a studio, but they ended up being of such poor quality that they were hardly used.
In addition, Pam Holbrook announced that Price Road is now open again after construction.
Doug Plunkett, of Management Partners, a professional management consulting firm hired by the city to conduct the search for Milford’s new city manager, provided an update on the process.
The search was delayed until the city’s new council members were sworn in at the beginning of the year.
“The position will be advertised in an couple of weeks,” he said.
The council appointed Pam Holbrook as interim city manager in September, after former Milford City Manager Jeff Wright announced his resignation on June 17.
Holbrook has applied for the city manager position, according to Plunkett.
The position comes with an annual salary of $92,000.