On a tour of the Youngstown Amphitheater Monday afternoon, we saw a lot of comments on social media asking how much city money is going into it and why it's not going toward things like fixing roads.

So we posed that tough question to the city.

Excitement and optimism abounded as the press and city leaders got a tour of the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater Monday afternoon.
But not everyone shared those emotions.
On our Facebook page, during a live video of the press conference, many folks posted comments suggesting the city devote more money and resources to filling potholes and keeping the fire department running in light of recent cuts.

"The more opportunities for concerts and people to use this venue, the more capital we can raise in the city of Youngstown and we can then take those pieces and put them back into neighborhoods and into the roads," said Mayor Tito Brown.

City officials tell 21 News the nearly $8.1 million amphitheater project is being funded partly through public-private partnerships.
Here's how the cost breaks down according to our print partner The Vindicator:

  • $4 million will come from a loan the city took out from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (to be paid back over 20 years using community development block grant money).
  • $3 million will come from a donation from the Youngstown Foundation for naming rights.
  • The city will use a few hundred thousand in water and wastewater money for projects directly related to the site.
  • The rest will come from sponsorships to be secured before the facility opens in June.

Mayor Brown said the city has to come up with new ways of generating revenue and that he's confident the amphitheater will be a significant financial shot in the arm.

"You've got to have economic development; you can't ignore that," Brown said. "This is another opportunity for revenue. If you didn't have this, the revenue wouldn't be here."

NOTE: One of our Facebook followers inquired about more than $37,000 the city board of control approved for modifications to buildings at the amphitheater site, and whether taxpayers would pick up the tab.

City law director Jeff Limbian said that according to finance director Kyle Miasek, the board of control approved what's called a ‘change order add and delete’ - an adjustment to stay within budget. Even though the city is not paying for those items, it is still in charge of the monies and the expenditures as a pass-through organization. So when a bill changes and needs to be increased or modified, that has to pass through the board of control.