Jeannette seeking donors so fees for nonprofits to use Clay Avenue amphitheater can be waived

Jeannette is seeking $6,000 in sponsorships this year in an effort to waive fees for nonprofits to use its Clay Avenue amphitheater.

Chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy said the city has already received about $2,500 in donations from the Jeannette Initiative, Jeannette Business Association and an individual.

“If it’s successful, it’s something we’d like to do to assist nonprofits in the city,” he said.

The amphitheater is regularly used by church and local groups for events that include Food Truck Thursdays, band performances, back-to-school giveaways and a celebration after a community cleanup day. The nonprofit hourly fee plus $30 for electricity would be waived if the sponsorship drive is successful.

Other events not hosted by nonprofits are charged $75 per hour plus electricity. Any group, including nonprofits, having an event there will be required to have it approved by council and pay a $100 street closure fee.

The amphitheater, at Clay Avenue and Fifth Street, was completed in 2020 by Westmoreland County Community Action through Jeannette’s Neighborhood Partnership Program. It was named the Elliott Group Amphitheater after a global company headquartered in town.

The lot once was home to a vacant three-story building that was destroyed by fire in 2016. The city acquired the property after the fire and partial collapse left the building unsafe.

Anyone interested in making a contribution to the sponsorship can contact Keedy at 724-537-4000 ext. 17. Contributions can be sent to city hall at 110 S. Second St., Jeannette, Pa 15644 to Keedy’s attention.