Arkansas Shed In Limbo

Construction has come to a halt on an $8 million amphitheatre in Siloam Springs, Ark., that was slated to open last July.

The Osage Creek Amphitheatre, which broke ground in November 2010, was expected to feature 5,000 fixed seats and lawn seating for up to 12,000 on a plot of farmland in northwest Arkansas.

But then came design changes and seating capacity modifications.

An engineer working on the project presented plans early last summer to the Benton County Planning Board to scale back the shed to hold 5,000 people total, according to the local City Wire. The redesign also reportedly reduced the number of buildings on the site from nine to five and dropped plans for permanent restrooms.

A Willie Nelson concert scheduled to kick off the shed’s first season was canceled and rumors of financial troubles began to surface.

Sources close to the matter recently told City Wire the county had supported the shed, and even went so far as to pave a road that would lead to the venue for developer Greg Smith.

“He came to us, showed us plans and brought in a civil engineer,” Benton County Judge Bob Clinard said. “It looked like a good project for the county. … Had I known that [Smith] couldn’t get his financing and not complete his project, I may have reconsidered.”

The developer recently met with potential investors, an unnamed source told the paper, adding that Smith’s project is in dire need of a funding injection.

“He is highly leveraged,” the source said.