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City Shuts Down Met Park Ampitheatre Over Safety Concerns

Ryan Benk
/
WJCT News

Thirty-two years after Jacksonville’s Metropolitan Park opened its amphitheater, the city is closing it down.

As our partner News-4-Jax reports, the popular concert and event venue’s canopy has rotted out, and mayor’s office spokeswoman Marsha Oliver says it’s no longer safe.

“It’s no longer in the structural condition that we feel as though would be safe for citizens,"she told News-4-Jax . "So, we have a recommendation to Council to have that canopy removed.”

But Oliver said that doesn't mean the entire venue will be scrapped. Although the city is still unsure how it’ll renew the stage, it’ll work with event promoters on a plan.

The City Council is also in the process of trying to reimburse concert promoter Danny Wimmer roughly $100 thousand for having to build a temporary stage while the city conducted a safety study.

Ryan Benk is a former WJCT News reporter who joined the station in 2015 after working as a news researcher and reporter for NPR affiliate WFSU in Tallahassee.