Can M'weather's pavilion seating really be enclosed for the winter, then opened back up for the summer???
And....how would the place be as a winter destination? Like the long walk from lots through snow, kiosks & concessions, etc.
****************************
from baltimoresun.com:
Pavilion plan may be ready in the fall
Goal of renovations would be to have events year-round
By Sandy Alexander
sun reporter
July 18, 2007
General Growth Properties Inc. expects to present a plan this fall to renovate the Merriweather Post Pavilion, having agreed with the Columbia amphitheater's managers that year-round use would be ideal.
Douglas M. Godine, vice president and general manager of Mid-Atlantic operations for General Growth, which owns Merriweather, said he has been meeting with Seth Hurwitz, co-owner of the amphitheater management firm, for a year and working with an architectural firm in Washington to explore upgrades to Merriweather.
One focus, he said, is to see whether the venue can use its outdoor lawn seats in the summer and be closed off and heated in the winter, allowing for more concerts and more revenue.
"We still don't have an exact figure with regard to construction costs," Godine said. "I'd say in three months we should have something pretty concrete. That's our goal now."
Godine said that part of the planning process will be finalizing a working agreement with I.M.P Productions, Inc., of Bethesda, which runs the pavilion, that will discuss each company's contribution to improvements and outline their roles for the future.
Godine and Hurwitz praised their current relationship and said they foresee working together in the future, but a long-term contract has not been worked out.
The idea of temporarily enclosing the amphitheater in the colder months was brought up a couple of years ago during meetings of a task force appointed by then-County Executive James N. Robey, Godine said.
After the Rouse Co., which was bought by General Growth in 2004, had proposed permanently enclosing the structure to make room for construction on surrounding land, the task force recommended in early 2005 that the county buy the pavilion and make sure it remained open-air.
In April 2005, General Growth announced it would keep the lawn seating at the pavilion and the county backed off its purchase plans.
The company is not seeking to sell Merriweather, Godine said, and permanent enclosure is "not on the table."
Hurwitz, whose company has operated Merriweather since fall 2003, said he is eager to see some action on a long-term contract with General Growth and on renovations to the site.
"We want them to move along," Hurwitz said. "General Growth has made every indication they would like to have us there long term. ... I'm willing to sign up for life. It think it's fantastic."
He said his company would also be willing to invest in improvements, but that he does not know what those will be right now.
"I would love to see Merriweather be a home for year-round concerts," Hurwitz said. "But nobody wants to do anything that isn't 100 percent perfect in terms of making it weatherproof. That is going to require some extensive study."
He said the issue of funding is one that needs to be tackled early in the process, or it is useless to talk about the design.
Without considering plans for year-round use, a county-commissioned report in 2005 said the pavilion needed about $19.5 million in renovations.
Attendance at Merriweather's 20 to 25 summer concerts has been improving each year that I.M.P. has been running the place. Hurwitz said, and the 40-year-old pavilion has been maintaining its reputation in the music industry as a top outdoor concert spot.
"We wouldn't want to make an indoor facility unless it was of the same standard," he said.
County Executive Ken Ulman has been pushing for progress.
"There has been a lot of discussion and a lot of things headed in the right direction," he said. "I would just love to see some action, some movement on that. We need to see the long-term future secured with some investments made."
Ulman said he is open to partnerships between Merriweather and the county that could benefit the venue and serve some public interests, such as continuing to hold high school graduations there and having more public events that appeal to families and senior citizens.
He also supports the idea of winter enclosure.
"The financial study the county commissioned bore out the fact that it's the large concerts that allow Merriweather to generate the revenue," Ulman said. "I am hopeful there could be an indoor/outdoor enclosable venue that offers year-round programming. ... It could be a very versatile venue that offers a lot more programming than it does today."
