Gainesboro awarded a construction bid and is moving forward with plans to transform a historic site into a downtown amphitheater and community gathering space.
Alderman Tom Goetz said the property was deeded to the town with the specific requirement that it be developed into an amphitheater named after Daniel Maynard, the donor’s son. Valerie Goetz, president and co-founder of the Roaring River Cultural Alliance, said the project is being funded through the Tennessee Arts Commission Specialty License Plate Program and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“It is the home of the original Roxy Theater that was here in Gainesboro,” Valerie Goetz said. “And it burned down several years ago and so, upon its destruction, the property owners decided to give the property to the city.”
Tom Goetz said the town received two sealed bids. ASA was awarded the project. Goetz said two other major projects are underway on the same block of Main, requiring periodic street closures during the utility addition phase.
The new facility, often referred to as the “Pocket Park,” is situated directly across from a historic hotel currently undergoing renovation.
“Ideally, I would like to see it completed by the holidays coming up,” Valerie Goetz said. “I would love to have it available for when we do our tree lighting ceremony so that we could have the middle school and the high school choral groups perform, have the band perform, and just an area where people could just join together and start caroling and lifting up music.”
Valerie Goetz said the amphitheater will provide a permanent stage for the town, eliminating the need to bring in mobile stages for festivals. The venue is expected to host a variety of programming, including spontaneous music, art exhibitions, drama productions, and school performances.
“Well currently, each time we have a festival, a mobile stage has to be brought in,” Valerie Goetz said. “This would give us a permanent stage. One that can be used freely at any time without that encumbrance of having a mobile stage and getting it set up and having to take up road space and close off roads and things like that. It gives us the perfect outdoor venue for entertainment.”
Tom Goetz said the project is currently operating with a $91,000 grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. The town utilized a combined design and build bid process to maintain momentum and ensure the project stays within the established budget.
“We have the dream of what we want it to look like, and you’re partnering up with a firm that’s going to help you see that dream come true,” Tom Goetz said. “And, when it’s finished and what we’re calling Phase One for lack of something else to call it, it’ll be, functional, usable, but it’ll be even bigger as the years go on.”
Tom Goetz said the construction will focus on low-maintenance materials, such as concrete and stone, to minimize long-term costs for the town. While the town has not yet established formal rental or scheduling policies, officials said the primary goal is to create a central hub for the community.
“I’d like to see it be a gathering place that builds community,” Valerie Goetz said.
Tom Goetz said the amphitheater is part of a broader wave of development in Gainesboro, including a new Twin Lakes facility and the upcoming hotel opening.
