PMI To Drop Oshkosh Shed

Facility management company PMI will not renew its contract to run the 7,500-capacity Leach Amphitheatre in Oshkosh, Wis., after its contract expires in November 2008.

PMI president Ken Wachter told the Oshkosh Northwestern the company decided not to continue the arrangement after careful consideration.

"We didn’t have that consistent success or generate profit for the first three years," he told the paper. "As we looked at it under the current agreement, we couldn’t extend and proceed, and to be honest, lose money."

Wachter told the paper that competition from events such as Country USA and EAA AirVenture contributed to the amphitheatre’s losses since its first season in 2005. He also said lower-priced tickets for Leach’s Waterfest concert series may have influenced how much area patrons were willing to pay, the paper said.

Meanwhile, city officials are meeting with two local groups interested in running the Leach Amphitheatre and discussing ways to improve the shed’s income potential.

Concerts at Leach Amphitheatre over the last few years included The Black Crowes, Dierks Bentley, Godsmack, Stone Sour and Lyle Lovett.

PMI also manages Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena, Meyer Theatre, Resch Center and ShopKo Hall, all in Green Bay.