City Council allocates funds for bandshell sound system

Aug 16, 2023

CLINTON — The Clinton City Council has authorized the allocation of fiscal year 2024 Culture and Arts grants funding to a sound system at the Riverview Bandshell as well as to participate in the Quad City Arts Public Sculpture Program.

“I’m going to push the Bandshell project,” Councilmember Gregg Obren, who proposed the resolutions, said. “We’ve been wanting to do that for years and years and just had never had an opportunity like this before.”

Pending a grant award from the Clinton County Development Association, the City Council agreed to provide 25% matching funds for the project in the amount of $12,500.

The proposed $50,000 sound system in total includes the purchase and installation of 12 line array speakers, two manual one-ton chain hoists, a Rolls RM67 mixer, 12 amplifiers, two wired microphones, all audio and network cabling, and several other components, along with $9,250 for installation labor costs.

“Now, you don’t have to say, OK, now where are we going to get sound from, and what’s the sound going to be, who’s going to set it up,” Obren said. “Just flip the switch and it works.”

Riverview Bandshell at 251 Ball Park Drive was originally built in 1985 and renovated in 2014. It currently houses the stage, dressing rooms, and electric lighting, and has been found to be useful for concerts, festivals, celebrations, and other events by various organizations and entities.

“We’re not going to be able to have the Tailgate N’ Tallboys concert there,” Obren said, “but we’re certainly going to be able to have local bands there.”

As explained in the grant application to the CCDA last month, the sound system is designed to clearly project over a majority of the park grounds between the Bandshell and NelsonCorp Field.

All of its electronic equipment will be modified into three lockable metal security racks, one located in each of the two speaker wings for amplifiers and the third located backstage for the main mixer and where microphone adjustments will be able to be made.

The backstage rack will be the point of where the entire system will be powered using a distribution system that prevents damaging voltage spikes.

The speakers will be mounted to the overhead manual chain hoists that allow them to be moved after the wing tower doors are opened and back again for storage before the doors are closed.

A connection point for the ability to play pre-recorded music through the system is to be included as well.

The application addresses a potential increase in cost for the rental and use of the facility through Clinton’s Parks and Recreation Department, but it’s deemed worth the otherwise spent organizational effort to secure a sound system of one’s own.

Quad City Arts Executive Director Kevin Maynard, present at Tuesday’s meeting, spoke on his excitement to bring public sculptures to Clinton’s riverfront.

Quad City Arts facilitates the selection and display of high-quality public sculptures with cities, organizations, and businesses in publicly accessible locations.

Next year, Clinton, along with Rock Island, Moline, Davenport, and Bettendorf, will select the sculptures to be installed in early June for a period of one year. At that point, the sculptures may then be purchased for permanent installation by anyone interested in their ownership or replaced for the next year with new sculptures.

At an estimated cost of $12,500 for 2024-2025 participation, four sculptures are planned to be mounted and installed in Clinton on four-by-four concrete pads prepared by the city’s Public Works department.

“Many of the artists that are doing the work are Iowa artists,” Obren said.

The program offers artists the opportunity to compete for the display of their work at multiple sites. Works are required to be original and appropriate for a pedestrian environment. If leased, the artist receives a stipend of $1,500 for the year duration of the exhibit.

Find more information about Quad City Arts and the Public Sculpture Program online at www.quadcityarts.com.

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