Preparations begin for new Cedar Rapids amphitheater

Workers got an early start Wednesday on the new outdoor amphitheater in Cedar Rapids. But actual construction work is still months away.

Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation and Forestry crews cut down trees and dug up stumps on the site along the west bank of the Cedar River. The actual grading work won't start until June. And the levee portion of the amphitheater project is only in the design phase at the present time.

But forestry crews may be busier later, so they got a jump on their part of the project Wednesday. The nearly $9-million dollar project will combine entertainment with flood protection.

Forestry workers planned to cut approximately 20 trees to prepare for levee grading. Parks and Recreation staffers will eventually remove sidewalks, trolley tracks and tree stumps.