East Circle to be replaced by amphitheater

A&M-Commerce has announced plans to redevelop The East Circle into an open-air amphitheater.

Currently, few students use The East Circle since the Rayburn Student Center was built, moving the center of campus with it. The idea is to turn that area into something more useful and make the campus more aesthetically pleasing.

"Right now, it's a nice green space, but it could use a little work," Executive Director of Facilities and Support Services David McKenna said. "The amphitheater idea I think is really interesting for that area."

The East Circle has been used for events before, but that required booking the venue long in advance.

"I couldn't tell you how many times we set up the stage for events in that area," McKenna said. "This way there would be a stage already there, and it can serve a spontaneous use. Students can get out there and use the stage and have an area for fans or people to sit and watch."

The most work will be done on the northeast corner of the area. McKenna said

"Several tiers will be developed in there, with a rock face in between each tier and there will be somewhere between and 18 to 20 foot platform area," he said. "So, there's a lot of room for people to sit or bring a chair. There will also be ADA seating on top of the walking mall.

The plan is to have the amphitheater ready for use by the time students return to the campus in Fall 2012.

"We've got some preliminary sketch ideas roughed out. We have to go through pricing mechanisms and get some project estimates, but the idea is to start after commencement and get it done this summer."