The Bryant City Council and potentially, Bryant residents, will soon decide whether or not the city will be home to the state’s next entertainment venue.
On October 3, Mayor Chris Treat signed a memorandum of purchase and sale agreement with the property owners, Danny and Donna Anderson, of 33 acres on Alcoa Road. The deal is contingent upon the formal approval of the Bryant City Council and voter approval of the re-issuance of bonds for an outdoor entertainment venue that will hold 5,000 to 9,000 people. The city would purchase the property for around $4.7 million. If the Bryant City Council and voters approve, the city will reissue the bonds that paid for Bishop Park to fund the construction of the outdoor entertainment venue that would bring numerous concerts to Bryant each year. Treat says he hopes to have the council vote on the matter in December, and bring it to the voters in a special election on May 13.
“The City of Bryant needed something. I called it an apex project,” said Shane Knight, President and CEO of the Bryant Chamber of Commerce. “They needed something to hang their hat on. The school has been phenomenal for the community, but a school can only take a community so far.”
Treat says the city is currently looking for a management company with experience in the entertainment industry to run the venue.
“The City of Bryant will look to secure a management company that has the expertise and connections within the entertainment industry that will produce an entertainment lineup year and year out that maximizes this facility and put the City of Bryant in the strongest position to benefit financially,” said Treat. “Over the past 25 or so years, outdoor entertainment venues, also known as amphitheaters, have become an enormously popular venue for major artists to perform, they are much less expensive than the brick and mortar and provide a more accessible space and relaxed experience for the public. In Arkansas, we have the Walmart AMP in Rogers as a shining example, given it’s major record of success and popularity for Northwest Arkansas. Being a main artery city (located off of Interstate 30) we have in mind the same type of successful experience for Central and South Arkansas.
We will be assembling a design team and will be providing more details to the public before the end of the year.”
The Walmart AMP in Rogers has featured major artists like Lana Del Rey, Chappel Roan, the Pixies, Sturgill Simpson and more in 2024 alone.
The full version of this story is available in the October 11 edition of The Saline Courier.
