CARMEL, Ind. — Construction on a new winter pavilion in Carmel has some neighbors upset.
The city is planning to replace the amphitheater at Carter Green and start construction on the new pavilion Tuesday, Sept. 7. The pavilion will seat up to 100 people and will be stored during the winter months. The new ground level stage will remain for concerts.
Ron Carter, president of the Carmel Farmers Market, said key people were left in the dark on the project.
"We have 17 volunteers that take each shift here at the farmers market, and they all feel really disrespected," Carter said. "No one cared about the amount of time we put in to make this work for the community."
The amphitheater provides live music for thousands of visitors every summer.
"Families make memories here. Kids love it. They're able to dance or frolic here in the amphitheater" Carter said.
Come Tuesday, that will all change.
"Starting next Sunday, we will not have music for the rest of the season," Carter said, who's worried how this is going to impact the farmers market. "It allows us to have great bands and great performers, but their sound doesn't carry over into the vendors' faces and disrupt their selling."
Some Carmel residents said while they appreciate what the amphitheater brings to the community, they're putting their confidence behind the city's decision.
"I would like to see what they're planning because the amphitheater has been good for the area. It has been enjoyable," said Carmel resident Dan Finney. "I pretty much trust them to build something as good or maybe even better."
In a press release, Nancy Heck, director of Community Relations and Economic Development for the City of Carmel, said the project is needed to keep up with the growing crowds.
"We truly appreciate the gift of Carmel Rotary for the amphitheater, which has been a tradition for many years at Carter Green and served its purpose well," Heck said. "But as the crowd sizes have grown and new events have been added, we felt it was time to bring the stage level up to a point where more people could gather to enjoy musical offerings throughout the year."
But Carter is hoping the city will delay the project and consider a compromise.
"That compromise would be that the performance platform would be a temporary performance platform and be built on supports over the amphitheater, so the amphitheater wouldn't have to go away," Carter said.
The city plans to complete the project by Nov. 20,2021.
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