Roanoke Shed A Head Scratcher

The Roanoke, Va., city council chose Coran Capshaw’s Red Light Management to design and manage a proposed 7,000-seat amphitheatre April 11th – but the mayor says it’s not a done deal just yet.

Mayor Nelson Harris called a news conference April 22nd to say his election opponent, David Bowers, and council candidate Brian Wishneff have been providing misleading information about the progress of the amphitheatre.

The council has approved a feasibility study for an amphitheatre, Harris said, but that’s it.

"We have many decisions in front of us, and just simply because you want to get information or explore an idea does not mean that one has committed to the ultimate build-out of that project," Harris said, according to WDBJ-TV.

Bowers and Wishneff said the mayor just wants to divert attention away from another issue – that the council plans to build the amphitheatre on the site of Victory Stadium rather than near the bustling nightlife near Elmwood Park – a site reportedly considered before Red Light’s involvement.

The deal with Red Light was originally expected to be finalized within a week of the April 11th announcement, according to the Roanoke Times.

Red Light has operated the Charlottesville Pavilion, located in Roanoke, since it debuted in 2005.