A plan to use a charitable gift from the Hengst Foundation to develop an $11 million amphitheater along the Illinois River in Peoria has gained enthusiastic support from city leaders.
“Our river and our riverfront is one of our greatest assets here in Peoria, and this donation from the Hengst family only enhances our river and the riverfront,” said Mayor Rita Ali. “It takes it, really, to another level.”
During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Peoria City Council unanimously accepted a letter of intent from the foundation for a restricted donation of up to $11 million for a public-partnership on the amphitheater project.
“This is really, as we envision it to be, the very first phase in this project,” said City Manager Patrick Urich. “What we would like to do is continue to work towards a formal donation agreement that would be more binding in terms of what we would do.”
The proposed Dee Hengst Amphitheater, named in honor of foundation founder Jim Hengst’s late wife, would have a capacity of 5,000, through a combination of removable seats and lawn seating space.
It would be developed on a piece of city-owned land situated between the Murray Baker Bridge and the Peoria RiverPlex. Urich says it fits in with the city’s Riverfront Master Plan adopted two years ago.
“In the non-binding section of the agreement, it does clarify that the Hengst Foundation has objectives and purposes that are consistent with what we do on the riverfront, that they promote the arts by wanting to create a performing arts center or an amphitheater, and that they're looking to elevate the quality of life of residents in and around Central Illinois,” said Urich.
As part of the proposal, a $1 fee would be applied to every event ticket that would be returned to the foundation for its charitable mission.
“What we've talked about, at least initially, is that that would be for educational scholarships for students in the Tri-County area,” said Urich.
The outdoor performance venue site would include the riverside band shell, festival grounds, concessions areas, a multipurpose lot, support facilities and additional infrastructure. Urich noted the seating would need to be temporary and removable because the site is in the river’s flood plain.
In response to a question from council member Bernice Gordon-Young about possible competition or conflict with the Peoria Civic Center in attracting performances, Urich said the venues would be “complementary.” Ali added that Civic Center general manager Rik Edgar “is very hopeful” the amphitheater comes to fruition.
Along similar lines, Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill said the riverfront amphitheater would not be detrimental to the performance area in Glen Oak Park.
“It is not feasible for us to think that Glen Oak Park could host a 5,000-person concert because of the density of the that neighborhood and the size of that bowl,” she said. “So this actually fills a really important gap in that inventory and opportunity for us to bring different kinds of acts to the community.”
Urich also pointed out that the park district currently oversees riverfront maintenance and operations, and that is expected to continue with the amphitheater.
The Hengst Foundation’s shift to a Peoria amphitheater comes after it abandoned plans for a similar venue in Washington.
“We went about 2½ years trying to do it in Washington, and unfortunately it didn't work out,” former Washington mayor Gary Manier said, speaking on behalf of the Hengst Foundation. “But anyway, this is a great opportunity, and he [Jim Hengst] just wants to leave something for the Peoria region.”
Council member Zach Oyler said he was eager to see Peoria fill the void when the Washington effort collapsed.
“When this opportunity, I saw get terminated in Washington, the city manager and I were having a discussion and I said, ‘We need to go see what it takes to get it here.’ So I'm very hopeful that we will be able to work that out,” said Oyler.
The location prompted some questions from the nonprofit Friends of Riverfront Park, who previously presented city leaders with a series of questions regarding project transparency, land use, and construction costs.
“We want to emphasize that Riverfront Park is a lovely green space located on the north side of the downtown riverfront area, and we just couldn't find it acceptable if any kind of plan were to disrupt or interfere with the area known as Riverfront Park,” said Kathy McNeil, adding that they only ask that their concerns be taken into consideration and that the project “sounds pretty exciting.”
CSO storage tank
The council also approved a $2.7 million contract with HR Green for design work on a 6.4 million gallon storage tank as part of the long-range combined sewer overflow project [CSO].
The need for a storage tank was brought to the council’s attention during a special policy session in July, when staff alerted members to a $200 million increase in the cost of the federally mandated, multi-year project to address wastewater flowing into the Illinois River.
“The direction we’re taking toward the consent decree and how we will meet it, I would say, is not necessarily a departure, but a turn away from green and going offline with storage,” said Public Works Director Rick Powers.
The agreement represents 5% of the estimated $60 million cost to construct the storage tank. Funding is included in the city’s budget for years 5-8 of the long-term CSO project.
The item passed unanimously with no additional council discussion.
In other business
Finance director Kyle Cratty presented his unaudited monthly financial report through July 31, showing revenue 1.7% ahead of year-to-date budget projections and expenses 1.9% below what was anticipated.
“The overall good news with the report is that revenues are going in the direction that we want them to go, and expenses are also going in the direction we want to go,” said Cratty. “So those trends are our good sign in terms of where we will end the fiscal year.”
Items approved as part of the consent agenda include:
- a $375,000 contract with Davey Resource Group for the “Smart Tree” inventory and risk assessment;
- extending master service agreements with 21 engineering consultant firms through the end of 2026;
- vacating a 1,420 square foot alley between two Missouri Avenue parcels in the Maple Ridge addition; and
- a series of appointments and reappointments to various city boards, commissions and committees.
Proclamations at the beginning of the meeting recognized National Preparedness Month, Peoria Reads!, National Senior Center Month, and National Co-Responder and Crisis Responder Week.
