Cornelia amphitheater contractor begins construction after bond financing and contract award

In January 2025 the Cornelia City Commission approved the engineer's recommendation for the Amphitheater Park Project and voted 4-0 to award the Phase 1 bid to Higgins Construction for $1,833,489, plus a $200,000 allowance for restrooms.

The project hit a delay in February 2025 from an EPA issue. In May and July 2025 the Commission approved change orders with Higgins Construction to replace cast iron water lines on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Clarkesville Street, at amounts reported as $178,220 and $179,840.

Through the second half of 2025 the city worked on how to pay for the amphitheater itself, meeting to explore funding options and settling on a bond issued through the Urban Redevelopment Agency; the Commission voted 4-0 in September to approve a letter of intent with Raymond James for funding advisory services, with the bond process expected to take about 75 days. Parking on Clarkesville Street was installed and Grant Place and Martin Luther King were paved, and the Hospitality & Tourism Board reviewed the amphitheater design plans in August.

The Commission voted 4-0 on February 10, 2026 to approve a bond resolution authorizing an agreement with the Urban Redevelopment Agency to finance the project, with a bond issuance reported at $4,155,000, and approved the related bond paperwork authorizing the mayor to sign.

Phase 2, construction of the amphitheater, went out for bid in April 2026, and on May 5, 2026 the Commission voted 3-0 to award the construction contract to Charles Black Construction, with amounts reported as $2,779,431 and $3,473,230. By July 2026 the contractor had begun work on the amphitheater's construction.