Linn County to mull second amphitheater proposal

The Linn County supervisors now have another amphitheater to think about - this one in Marion.

Still a little miffed at Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett for asking them to support a downtown Cedar Rapids amphitheater in a newspaper story, the supervisors heard a presentation Monday about an amphitheater on the north edge of Marion.

The project would likely cost about $1.5 million, and would sit in Lowe Park, just west of 10th Street above Linn Mar Schools. The money would come from state grants, the city of Marion, and maybe Linn County.

An amphitheater there would serve a fast-growing area, and provide easy access from Interstate 380 via County Home Road, said Jill Ackerman, president of the Marion Chamber of Commerce. Marion officials haven't decided yet how big it will be or when they will build it.

“You can always add to them,” Ackerman said. “You can build them with just grass seating initially, and add to them later.”

Ackerman said Marion, which has been designated as an Iowa Great Place, will be competing for Great Places funding each of the next three years. The county, with its more than $500 million in bonding capacity and only $1.2 million in debt, is ripe for partnership on big projects in the metro area.

Supervisor Linda Langston said the supervisors will need more information before they make a decision, including more detailed plans and a breakdown of where the rest of the funding will come from.

“It has to be a part of a broader discussion - all of these things,” Langston said.