WASHINGTON, Ill. – Leaders in Washington are considering a use for a piece of property it has owned for more than a decade.
The city owns 223 acres of property in the area of Nofsinger and U.S. Route 24. Mayor Gary Manier says it was purchased in August of 2013 to help slow residential and create new opportunities for development in Washington.
A new proposal being discussed would build an amphitheater on the property. It’s being funded by a $12 million gift from 1971 Washington Community High School graduate Jim Hengst.
Manier tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” the amphitheater would honor his late wife, Dee, who passed away in 2021.
“They attended a lot of concerts, bottle of wine and sitting on the grass and enjoying concerts, and this is something he just wants to give back, and what a gift,” Manier said.
Manier says more than 5,000 seats are planned for the amphitheater; 2,000 permanent, 400 under a canopy, and 3,000 lawn seats.
Manier says he envisions a wide range of shows for the venue.
“Concertwise, I’m a big REO, Styx, and Chicago guy that played for us after the tornado, acts like that,” Manier said. “A lot of hopefully Christian gospel type music, you could see some drama plays and things there, the Harlem Festival Orchestra I think would be interested.”
Manier believes the amphitheater could also be a central hub for Good Neighbor Days in early June each year.
More discussions on the proposal are scheduled to take place within the city council next month. Manier says the city would have to build new roads and sewer and water lines to the amphitheater, at an estimated cost of $3.5 million. The city would need to discuss ways to fund that work.
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