The city council hired a contractor Tuesday to complete the third phase of the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater on the Island.
But Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears had “just one question” before the unanimous vote.
“When they finish this, we’re going to be able to use it, right?” he asked.
“That’s the plan,” replied Kevin Stafford, city engineer and North Mississippi manager for Neel-Schaffer, the firm that designed the outdoor venue.
Burks-Mordecai Builders Inc. won the contract, with a low bid of close to $2.38 million, beating out three other companies with bids ranging from $2.55-to-$2.91 million. It also beat the city’s $3 million estimate for the phase.
The work will involve concrete, landscaping, fencing and gating, bathrooms, concessions and installing lower-bowl hard seating in what will become a 3,500-capacity venue. It will not address additional parking or “anything outside the facility,” Stafford said.
Burks-Mordecai’s bid was based on a 300-calendar day contract, longer than the city’s preferred 270 days. Stafford said work should begin within the next 30 days, which pushes completion to late March 2027.
“We think for the savings there, it’s worth moving forward with a contract of 300 days,” Stafford told the council during its meeting in the Municipal Complex.
Burks-Mordecai’s crews won’t have far to travel to work.
“Our office is on the Island, and it’s right down from this job site,” said Jordan Mordecai, company president. “ … I wanted to have the job. It doesn’t get any closer to your backyard.
“Once we finish, I’m looking forward to attending events there,” he added.
Lowndes County donated five acres to the city on the Island in 2015 to house the amphitheater. Since 2017, the city has spent $3.85 million on the amphitheater, all from legislative appropriations.
Those funds built the stage, underground infrastructure, bathrooms behind the stage and a front entry wall.
Also, in 2017, the city purchased an acre lot near the amphitheater intended to provide venue parking.
But the venue hasn’t held its first show.
After the project remained virtually stagnant for nearly a decade, the city and Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau pitched in $1 million toward its completion this fiscal year, to go along with a $1 million legislative appropriation the city secured in 2024.
While construction work ensues, Stafford said the next step is requesting proposals from private companies that can operate the facility and book shows.
Stafford said Live Nation, which the city has long floated as interested in that gig, is “still at the table” helping the city craft the venue but has suggested other companies more suitable to run the amphitheater once it opens.
“They said, ‘We will be in this facility’ but it may be as a one-off,” Stafford told The Dispatch after the council meeting. “They may say, ‘We’re going to do five shows a year there, but we’re not going to run the facility.’”
Another issue is how the city will spend its extra cash on hand toward enhancing the facility. Stafford said after considering “soft costs,” there should be roughly $170,000 for anything from bolstering parking to adding vendor points of sale locations inside the amphitheater. A stakeholder group for the amphitheater is discussing those priorities to present to the council later, he said.
For now, Stafford encouraged the council to relish getting to this point.
“They say good things come to those who wait, right?” he said.
Mayor Stephen Jones was happy to oblige.
“I’m happy about … moving forward and being the one to get it finished,” Jones told The Dispatch after the meeting.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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