“We were going to have to replace it anyway, so knowing that we approached City Council, city administration about replacement options,” said Adam Helms, Hamilton’s director of resident services.
As they looked at replacement options, it was agreed they needed a bigger roof to provide coverage for the rain.
RiversEdge is considered one of the Great Places in America, according to the American Planning Association, which named the park constructed in 2013 as one of a dozen places in Ohio on that list.
The larger roof would provide accommodations for touring productions, “not just rock and roll bands, but like the musical ‘Hamilton’ or something wanted to come to town, they would want to rig lights overhead. (The current roof strucutre is) precluding us from essentially bringing better entertainment into town.”
Hamilton City Council approved in December 2022 to borrow $1.7 million to upgrade the RiversEdge roof, and the state granted the city through its capital budget $1 million for the project. RiversEdge brings in thousands of people over the course of a spring and summer In 2023, there were more than 30,000 attendees at the 25 RiversEdge shows with an estimated impact of $1.1 million. Before the 2024 season, the city estimated the total economic impact since 2017 at $6.25 million.
Construction for the roof project is expected to start in October with a completion timeline around May, though all timelines are subject to material availability and weather, Helms said.
The new roof structure would be roughly 45 feet tall with a stage clearance of 40 feet ― the minimum industry standard for touring productions ― and 7,500 feet in area, which is about three times the size of the current canopy roof. At its peak, the canopy is 35 feet.
Funding for RiversEdge is primarily through donations and sponsorships. One of the venue’s biggest expenses is rain insurance, which could cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 and is required for events like this past weekend’s Big River Get Down. The driest part of the stage during a rain storm is behind the on-stage video wall, which is behind the drums, “so it doesn’t do a lot of good at the moment,” Helms said.
He said the hope is the new roof would significantly lower rain insurance costs.
Credit: City of Hamilton/Provided
Credit: City of Hamilton/Provided
“Right now, currently, if we get a small drizzle, it stops the show dead in its tracks,” Helms said.
Helms said they’re still going to explore options on preventing even more rain as the RiversEdge stage is open on all sides. One idea is a drop-down windscreen that would stop most of the rain but allow for wind to pass through, but he said that would be a future decision for the city.
The plans initially called for a permanent decorative fence to be installed around the venue, but the plans are being reconsidered. Fencing alternatives will be considered, possibly better temporary fencing system where sections could be installed into below-grade concrete tubes or structures.
There are plans for a Phase 2, which would call for a building that potentially could be for concessions, a box office and restrooms.
“Once we get the roof built and the concrete improvements made, we’ll circle back,” Helms said. “We’re evaluating all options.”
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