In order to move ahead with his plan to build an outdoor amphitheater at the Erie Canal Village, JGK Associates CEO Jerry Stucchi told the Rome Common Council they need to nix any existing deed restrictions that would stop construction and figure out how much the city is willing to pay to clean up the old, dilapidated buildings on the site.
There was no official project presentation to the council — that is tentatively scheduled for the next meeting, on April 24 — and there was no official legislation regarding the project. Instead, JGK Associates, the leading facilitator of the project, used the public comment portion of the meeting to discuss their ideas for the property and push back against some public backlash they have received in regards to preserving the historic nature of the Erie Canal Village.
The Rome Historical Society has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the former Erie Canal Village seeking to demolish a dilapidated structure on the property and to remove all restrictions to the land owned by RHS, among other demands.