On a cold and drizzly weekend, let us think of summer days on the Volunteer Park lawn, enjoying music and maybe a cup of wine. That stage where the music is coming from? The plan to create a new amphitheater in Volunteer Park is moving steadily forward from dream to reality.

“Volunteer Park Trust is continuing to look for opportunities for support for the Amphitheater Project, including applying for a Major Projects Challenge Fund grant,” the group’s Jeff Crandall tells CHS. “In doing so, we are seeking letters of support from community organizations for the project. We have been working with public officials on obtaining funding support from city and state funding sources. And in order to make the fundraising more manageable, we’ve been working with ORA Architects on a design review to seek cost savings from the original estimate.”

Crandall says the group is hoping to pare down the planned new amphitheater stage and bandshell by about $1 million with a target to spend about $3 million to create the new park asset. The project could relocate the amphitheater as well as add a roof, handrails for accessibility and updated bathrooms. Unlike the fight over the $54 million expansion of the Seattle Asian Art Museum within the park which finally broke ground earlier this year, the community reception to the amphitheater redesign has been mostly positive.

The Volunteer Park Trust continues to seek community support, however, to help seal the deal. The group says it already has a broad roster of organizations who have signed on to support the project including:

• Allied Arts Foundation
• Associated Recreation Council
• Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce
• Capitol Hill Community Council
• Denny Triangle Neighborhood Association
• Fremont Arts Council
• Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks
• Georgetown Community Council
• Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA)
• Othello Park Alliance
• Queen Anne Community Council
• Rainier Beach Community Club
• Seattle Parks Foundation
• South Park Neighborhood Association

As for the money, with the effort to bring costs down around 25%, the group has also made progress identifying potential funding including what they say is “a commitment from Seattle Parks and Recreation for public funds in the $700,000-800,000 range” and work with Sen. Jamie Pedersen “to identify $250,000-$500,000 in state funds.”

The Volunteer Park Trust has also warmed up its fundraising skills with some smaller projects in recent months including new lights and new lily pond fencing.

“With its broad lawns, historic buildings, central location, and ample parking,” the group writes about the project, “Volunteer Park is a city-wide destination for gatherings, concerts, rallies, and celebrations.”

The Trust is also touting the planned stage as Seattle’s only outdoor venue “with proper flooring to accommodate dance and meet actor union requirements for stage surfaces.” But if that’s not enough to sway you on a rainy Sunday, consider this. The new amphitheater will also “be the only outdoor performance space in Seattle,” the group claims, “with a roof for protection during inclement weather.”

You can learn more at volunteerparktrust.org.

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