© Benjamin Derveaux

The construction of Carrollton’s amphitheater located on Bradley Street should be done by the end of March.

A lot of people may have wondered what was going on with the construction on Bradley Street for the past few months. Located behind The Irish Pub will soon stand Carrollton’s brand new amphitheater and the city’s future site of entertainment.

Among many goals, City Hall constructed this project in hopes of boosting Carrollton’s downtown economy.

“The presence of the amphitheater around Adamson Square will bring more people to this area,” said city manager, Casey E. Coleman. “It is definitely going to be a good thing for the city’s economy.”

The edifice might indeed attract more people around the square, which can be quiet at times, and will draw more customers to local businesses. But what is precisely the purpose of the amphitheatre?

“There will be formal and informal events,” said Coleman. “The amphitheater will hose different types of events such as concerts, plays, family-oriented movies among other things.” Although most of the events will be free, there will also be some paid events in order to finance the amphitheater’s expenses. According to Coleman, the first event that the amphitheater will be a part of is the Carrollton Mayfest. The amphitheater will probably provide as the venue for the live entertainment. The musical events that take place in the middle of the square will be moved a little further down the street, which will make the circulation of the people in the area more efficient. This will leave more room for food and art in the square, enlarge the size of the festival, and bring new activities to it.

“People are really excited about the amphitheater and keep asking me when it is due,” said Coleman. “So far, we have reached 85 percent of the construction.” The project started last summer with the demolition of the building behind The Irish Pub. Although the City of Carrollton bought the property in order to store records, the building has not been in use for years now. A few problems that were linked to the soil delayed the demolition for months, but the construction eventually started last summer.

“The construction of the amphitheater is supposed to be done by March 1,” said Michael Attenborough from Hedley Construction. “But I am not sure we are going to be on time. I would rather think that it is going to be done by the middle or end of March.”

Once finished, the amphitheater that overall cost was about one million dollars to the city will be able to welcome around 500 people.

“There are no seats, so people will bring their own or a blanket. This is going to be a fun place for everybody to come,” said Attenborough. “And I can assure you one thing. It is going to be pretty.”