March 1, 2011 – For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Scheer (scheerjchris@gmail.com) 703-276-9725 or Tricia Freeman at trifree@aol.com
The two-year struggle to save Arlington’s Lubber Run Amphitheatre took a new turn last month with the formation of a nonprofit foundation dedicated to bringing county government and citizens together to return the amphitheatre located near Ballston to an inviting public venue for outdoor entertainment.
The Lubber Run Amphitheatre Foundation, Inc. was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Virginia in January and held its first meeting February 7. It will file for tax-exempt status within the next few months.
The Foundation is an outgrowth of concerns voiced by the Arlington Forest Citizens Association (AFCA) in letters to Arlington County officials and testimony before the Arlington Board last year after the County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department (PRCR) closed the amphitheatre, claiming that the stage is structurally unsafe. AFCA pushed for an explanation of that decision and simultaneously worked with County officials to use previously appropriated funds to support a movie series at the amphitheatre last summer that did not require use of the stage.
County Parks and Recreation contracted for an architectural study of amphitheatre facilities, requesting cost estimates for three options: rebuilding the amphitheatre, repairing it to a minimal standard of use, and removing the facility and returning the site to a natural state. Release of that study was delayed by County concerns over compliance with current building codes, Americans with Disabilities Act provisions and flood plain considerations.
In the meantime, amphitheatre supporters within AFCA and throughout Arlington joined forces as the Lubber Run Amphitheatre Foundation, Inc. to organize a campaign to preserve the unique performance and entertainment venue.
“Formation of this foundation gives citizens throughout Arlington and the DC Metro Area a much stronger voice in our fight to save the Lubber Run Amphitheatre,” said Esther Bowring, a foundation charter member. “We are organizing a board of trustees representing community associations, business and the arts that will have the flexibility and legal credibility to engage Arlington County government in constructive and serious discussions regarding the amphitheatre’s future.”
The foundation is preparing to join other groups which will testify on the amphitheatre’s behalf at a March 22 public hearing on the County’s proposed FY2012 budget before the Arlington County Board. That budget plan, as approved by the County Manager, funds neither maintenance nor performances at the Lubber Run Amphitheatre this summer.
Foundation trustees plan to meet with County officials soon to help develop information to encourage County leaders to make room in the 2012 budget for the amphitheatre.
Free programs at the Lubber Run Amphitheatre have been a staple of Arlington’s cultural life for more 40 years. The Lubber Run Amphitheatre was dedicated on July 19, 1969 with an audience of 800 looking on as County Manager Bert Johnson presented the facility to County Board Chairman Dr. Kenneth Haggerty who accepted it in the name of all residents of Arlington County.
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