MEMPHIS, Tenn. — More than 17 million dollars over 3 years has been proposed by the Memphis River Parks Partnership to go toward the City of Memphis, specifically the Mud Island Amphitheater and the southern portion of Mud Island.
It was recommended in the most recent budget by Mayor Paul Young.
With its last show in 2018, the Mud Island Amphitheater is in need of some serious TLC. Go inside the amphitheater and you can see cracked concrete, cramped seats and hanging wires where thousands of screaming fans once cheered on countless bands. But this proposed investment could give the facility new life.
Carol Coletta, president and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, which oversees Mus Island Park, is appreciative of the recent request by Memphis mayor Paul Young: $17.6 million in capital funds over 3 years.
"We were delighted when Mayor Paul Young included that request," Coletta said.
The group has been working recently with millions of 'Accelerate Memphis' dollars to improve things you might not be able to see.
"Not sexy, but it’s restrooms, elevators, escalators water, pumps, heat pumps - those kinds of things," Coletta said.
These are all things an operator of the property would find important. But the Mud Island Amphitheater does not have an operator which would control the facility and its events.
Coletta said that by today’s standards, the current amphitheater is likely outdated and too small.
When asked if the current Mud Island Amphitheater could be destroyed and a new amphitheater built in its place, Coletta said that "all possibilities are on the table."