LEWISTON — Promoters of a summer Twin Cities country concert have two venues to choose from: City councilors agreed Tuesday to make Simard-Payne Memorial Park an option.
Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau said a new engineering study of the downtown park shows Simard-Payne — formerly Railroad Park — can host up to 12,266 ticketed concert-goers, nearly tripling the 4,300 city officials assumed the area could hold.
“We discovered the calculations we were using were not applicable in this case,” Nadeau said. “There was a part of the code that was more reflective of the use for a concert and that was a game-changer. And once we got that number, we were able to have more discussions with the promoters.”
Promoters Mike Shea and Dean Staffieri plan to bring a “Class A” country performer to Lewiston-Auburn in late July or early August. It would be expected to draw between 7,500 and 14,000 people.
It is sponsored by L/A Harley and radio station 99.9 The Wolf.
The festival is tentatively set for July 25, July 26 or Aug. 1 and 2.
Auburn city councilors have agreed to host the concert in a lot on airport property that is east of the runways and south of Constellation Drive. Parking and staging would be in a second lot north of Constellation Drive.
Auburn councilors approved that plan at their meeting Monday night and they are requiring the promoters to work with police to make sure alcohol stays out of the hands of anyone younger then 21. The promoters would agree to pay a $100 fine for each drinking violation at the event if it stays in Auburn.
Lewiston would charge the developers $15,636 to host the event downtown: $11,742 for police coverage before, during and after the show and the rest for fees to reserve the park and for fire and public works staffing.
Lewiston councilors added $1,200 payable to the Auburn Police Department to cover their costs from the concert.
Shea said the promoters now need to book the act and decide which venue they’ll select. He expects to make a decision within the next few weeks.
Comments are no longer available on this story