YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Covelli Centre has come a long way since it first opened in 2006.  Now it appears the Centre has had its best year ever last year.

With five sold-out concerts last year, the Covelli Centre managed to make some money for the city.

In fact, the Centre brought in over 200,000 people to downtown Youngstown in 2016.

Now, city officials hope a proposed amphitheater will bring even more. 

The Covelli Centre generated almost $727,000 in operating surplus and admission taxes for the city last year.

That means for five years straight the Centre made more than the principle and interest the city has to pay each year for the construction cost of the facility.

JAC management operates the Centre and has for eight years.  

Eric Ryan says the Covelli Centre now has a good reputation for a place concert promoters want to do business. "We understand the market and we understand what people want. We've tried so many different things.  We have the history to say that works well and maybe that doesn't work so well," Ryan said.

So far, 2017 has a slow schedule, but Ryan says they expect things to pick up in the summer, though he's not prepared to give any details about any acts who might be coming to town.

He does say, though, he hopes the city uses JAC to manage its new amphitheater which is being built kind of next door.  He says he already has the staff that can work on it.

"We think that the amphitheater project will allow us to compete at a time when we aren't able to compete for shows. People want to be outside in the summer months. Maybe more importantly, it will allow us to do more community-minded things," Ryan said.

Youngstown has a meeting planned for Thursday to discuss the amphitheater project and how it should be funded.