(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade has been meeting with the owner of Ford Amphitheater to discuss the 2024 concert season and any potential changes that need to be made, and has released a letter following the latest meeting on Friday, Oct. 25. Ford Amphitheater owner J.W. Roth met with Mayor Mobolade and City Council President Randy Helms on Friday in the latest effort to continue addressing community concerns regarding the amphitheater. J.W. Roth and VENU provided a presentation detailing all efforts the company has made to help alleviate parking and noise complaints. You can find the entire presentation by clicking the link below. 10/25/24 Ford Amphitheater presentationDownload In addition to releasing the presentation, Mayor Mobolade issued a letter to the community, which you can read in its entirety below: This year, our community welcomed a new and innovative outdoor live music venue to the Polaris Pointe neighborhood – Ford Amphitheater. Ahead of its opening, there were three primary community concerns that the new venue, neighbors and the City were watching closely – parking, traffic and noise.   I’m pleased to report that our shared review of parking and traffic has been overwhelmingly positive. Noise, however, remains an area of concern for some in nearby neighborhoods.  Throughout the amphitheater’s 2024 concert season, the City received numerous comments regarding noise. I want these community members to know that the City has been working closely with VENU and J.W. Roth, the amphitheater’s owner, on this issue. I met personally with Mr. Roth over the course of this year, specifically to address noise complaints. Our most recent meeting was [Friday], October 25.   At [Friday's] meeting, VENU presented a recap of its opening season, which by many accounts, was a resounding success. Data shows the amphitheater is having an overall positive impact economically, with more than 100,000 people attending shows and individuals coming from more than 5,000 zip codes. Local businesses, including hotels and restaurants, are also reporting increased sales related to concert activity.  [On Friday], VENU also shared critical and specific plans to further address sound mitigation. I believe their efforts to improve are genuine, and I am pleased by their data-based approach, use of expert consultants and actionable plan.   The plan focuses on three action areas: physical, electro-acoustic and operational changes. It proposes material changes to the structure of the amphitheater that are significant in both physical size and cost to them. This includes an expansion of the solid surface wall, sound curtains and sound absorption panels. They are also continuing to model and test ideal speaker locations to address low frequency noise, and proposals are being reviewed to reduce decibel limits and earlier end times for non-weekend shows.  We all acknowledge there is a lot of work needed to be done between now and the start of the 2025 concert season this May. VENU will provide a more specific timeline on these steps in the coming weeks.   Also, next week, the City will publish the results of an independent noise study commissioned by City Council President Helms and I to track amphitheater noise from the 2024 season. Further, to ensure neighbors are heard, I am personally committed to a neighborhood meeting before this year ends. More information on that opportunity is forthcoming.   We will continue to work together – the City, VENU and neighbors – to make this a successful endeavor that contributes to our City’s vision to be a safe, economically prosperous, culturally rich, welcoming and vibrant world-class American city on a hill that shines brightly.  We are Colorado Springs.   Onward and upward.  Mayor Yemi Mobolade