By ED RUNYAN

Staff writer

WARREN — To address complaints from concertgoers about portable toilets at the Warren Community Amphitheatre, Sunrise Inn president and concert promoter Ken Haidaris is again asking Warren City Council to encourage officials to install restrooms and make other improvements.

It will be helpful as downtown events such as the Italian American Festival move to the amphitheater area, Haidaris said. Safety Service Director Enzo Cantalamessa on Thursday confirmed that the festival will move from Courthouse Square to the amphitheater next summer.

On Wednesday, Haidaris brought council members a quote from a Norwalk, Ohio, company for a $132,550 prefabricated, permanent restroom building he thinks would fix the problem. It would be brought in on a truck and located at the top of the hill near food vendors. It would have about 20 stalls, air conditioning and be hooked up to sewer and water. Trailer-style restrooms are also a possibility, he said.

“If we are going to bring the facility into the future, we need to do that,” Haidaris said of getting better restrooms. Haidaris is president of Sunrise Entertainment, which books the River Rock at the Amp concert series.

Complaints this summer about the portable toilets that have been used at the amphitheater were “terrible,” Haidaris told council.

“I was there last night and saw a great show,” one attendee wrote in a note Haidaris provided to council members. “The problem was I could smell the Porta Potties from my seat. Had to use one and gagged!!!!”

Haidaris also wants to replace the “ugly snow fencing” at the venue with black, metal fencing. Gates on the fencing will allow the public to still use the amphitheater when shows are not taking place.

Carole Ficeti, president of the Italian American Festival board, referred questions about moving the festival to Cantalamessa, who said the board decided to move it after looking at other alternatives to having it in Courthouse Square.

Cantalamessa said it was originally intended for Warren festivals to be held at the amphitheater, and he thinks the amphitheater is a better location because of the “wear and tear” on Courthouse Park. The Courthouse Square location also requires road closures that are not needed at the amphitheater.

Cantalamessa said he expects the organizers of the African American Achievers Festival to move that event to the amphitheater after they see how well it works for the Italian American Festival.

Haidaris said entertainment promoters want to book shows at the Warren amphitheater, but “it’s hard for them to do them there when there are restrooms and fencing [issues].”

“I think it will make the whole facility more relevant so we can get more use out of it,” Haidaris said of the improvements.

Haidaris also talked about needed repairs to the amphitheater hillside.

“It is degrading quickly,” Haidaris said. “All of the dirt under these handicap walkways are washed out, so the cement is going to collapse,” he said, pointing to an artist rendering of the site. He suggested that drainage needs to be installed.

“I think it’s important to save the structure. Not now but the next year or two, that concrete is going to break,” Haidaris said.

The amphitheater “bandshell” also has some structural issues resulting from not the building not having large enough gutter spouts. It has produced mold on the brick.

“Over a three- to five-year period, the structure could be pretty well damaged,” he said. The leaking water is also getting into one of the dressing rooms, which he fears could cause damage during the freeze-thaw cycle.

Council member Helen Rucker said she wants the improvement ready by the spring, but no legislation has yet been proposed for it. Council President Jim Graham said of the project: “We have to do something. We can ill afford to let this facility fall apart.”