Bridgeport City Council overwhelmingly approves Harbor Yard pact

The Bridgeport City Council voted 18-2 to approve the contract that will transform the Harbor Yard baseball stadium into a $15 million music amphitheater that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2019.

The venue will be renamed Harbor Yard Amphitheater and converted into a weather-proof facility that will accommodate more than 6,000 seats. The costs for the upgrade will be split between the city and Harbor Yard Amphitheater LLC, a joint venture between the concert promotion company Live Nation and SportsCenter of Connecticut, a Shelton-based attraction owned by Howard Saffan.

However, the city”™s commitment of providing $7.5 million toward the renovation follows a press conference last week when Mayor Joe Ganim complained that the state”™s belatedly approved budget created a $13 million hole in the Bridgeport budget. Ganim has also warned that a measure on today”™s election ballot regarding the funding of the city”™s libraries would create additional financial burdens and could result in a new local tax increase.