SPRINGFIELD, IL — Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory said he always sought an amphitheater at the Y Block, just north of the governor’s mansion.
After seeing a number of different development ideas — from retail to housing to a college — through the years, Gregory, whose ward includes the block, said he was glad to see the latest plan.
On July 14, the working committee of the Springfield City Council heard a presentation from Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials about a roughly $4 million development that will include a natural stone amphitheater and a permanent stage.
One of the key agreements to that, the execution of an agreement to donate the Y Block to the State of Illinois, will go to the July 21 debate agenda, alderpersons decided on a voice vote Tuesday.
Gregory admitted it was the crowds the Levitt AMP Springfield Music Series attracted that reinforced the notion of what the Y Block should look like.
“The community has shown us what that space should be, a place to gather all walks of life, having a good time,” he said. “We’ve always known we’ve needed an amphitheater. I’m happy to be at this point, of getting something done. Ultimately, my goal is to do what the people want.”
Addressing the committee of the whole, IDNR deputy director Russell Orrill said the agency’s goal was to create “a welcoming, accessible green space in the heart of downtown Springfield.”
The park’s concept, Orrill said, would include all native Illinois landscaping, shaded seating areas, ADA-accessible walking paths and a natural play space for children.
The centerpiece of the design, he added, was a limestone amphitheater, which would seat 500 people, with additional seating for 1,000 to 1,500 people for a capacity of around 2,000 at the park.
With the stage now slated for the Capitol Avenue end — a reversal of what Levitt AMP concertgoers were used to — engineers would have to address, said Erick Huck, a senior landscape architect for IDNR, a nearly six-foot grade change, which would be accommodated with retaining walls using native stone.
Orrill said there were “internal discussions” about the designation associated with park. If it becomes a “state park,” for instance, Orrill admitted that groups of 20 people or more would have to submit a permit for use of the park.
Orrill foresaw the same programs using the Y Block–Levitt AMP and PrideFest, among others–continuing.
“It’s going to be a public space,” he said.
Neither Orrill nor city of Springfield chief engineer Nate Bottom anticipated problems with remediation, with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency putting finishing touches on its report. That lack of problems could expedite the construction of the park, Huck added.
Orrill said the $4 million appropriated by the state in the FY25 budget has carried over “to get to this point,” with a plan to expend those funds within FY27. Another appropriation request would have to be made, he admitted, if the project goes north of $4 million.
The Capital Development Board project could be completed by 2028 or 2029.
The project, said Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan, could make the space “vibrant for years to come.”
Saying that he would in the end support the project, Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams Jr. admitted “this has created a dilemma for me.
“This city has spent close to $12 million on the block. I’m trying to figure out how we decide somebody somewhere said we’re going to give it away for free. I want my colleagues to consider that, to think about that.”
Williams said one possibility could have been bargaining with the governor’s office about bringing back state jobs to downtown.
Mayor Misty Buscher said she had “no idea” where Williams money figures were coming from and said the city has spent $4.6 million on the block.
Because the state has remote-work options, Buscher said Williams’ assertion was untenable.
Buscher, who attended a number of meetings with other alderpersons at the governor’s mansion concerning the Y Block, felt the deal with the state was “appropriate.”
Gregory said despite any change in ownership, Springfield residents will continue to see the Y Block as “theirs,” especially if the Levitt AMP series and other activities continue.
This season is the first of a three-year renewal with Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation.
“I’m always going to be an advocate for public access on that block, no matter who owns it, whether it’s the city or the state,” Gregory said. “Right now, this is the decision that we’re at and rather than hold up progress, I want to see it go.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IDNR: Y Block ‘a welcoming, accessible green space in heart of downtown’
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
