A sign designating the Al Smith Stage hangs on the event tent at Southwood Park Wednesday. Parkersburg City Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said the daughter of the late Smith, a former Parkersburg mayor, gave her blessing for the tent to be moved. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council narrowly voted to move a tent covering the stage in Southwood Park to a new location, although two former council members offered to organize concerts at the park this summer.

During the public forum at Tuesday’s council meeting, former Councilwoman Nancy Wilcox asked members to vote against a resolution authorizing the relocation of the event tent to the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau’s welcome center at 113 Ann St. She said she was willing to organize entertainment there from June to September at no cost to the city other than emptying the trash receptacles.

“There’s no reason to move that out of there,” Wilcox said.

Summer concerts at Southwood began in 2013. Artsbridge took over running them in 2017, but stopped in 2019, with the organization citing low attendance, Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said.

Wilcox said it took a little time for the concerts to build an audience, but at one point they were drawing 300 people.

Members of Parkersburg City Council listen during the public forum at Tuesday’s council meeting at the Municipal Building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

Parkersburg resident Dan Stevens said he supported moving the tent.

“Nobody wants to sit there because of the heat and the direct sunlight,” he said of the stage area at Southwood.

Stevens said he understood an amphitheater was planned for the park.

Sharon Lynch, another former council member, said she likes the amphitheater idea but wants the tent and stage to remain in place while it’s being built.

“Until then, Nancy and I want to do Music in the Park in Southwood,” she said.

Parkersburg City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday to authorize moving the event tent in Southwood Park, shown here Wednesday, to the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau welcome center downtown. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

An amendment proposed by Councilman Zak Huffman to leave the tent in place for a year failed in a 5-4 vote, with Councilwomen Wendy Tuck and Cathy Dailey and Councilman Chris Rexroad joining him in voting for it.

The original resolution passed by the same tally.

Wilcox and Lynch both pointed out that the tent had been donated to the city by the family of the late Mayor Al Smith. Kuhl said Smith’s daughter had given her blessing to move the tent.

Another resolution dealing with Southwood Park that drew comments in the public forum would establish the boundaries of a bird sanctuary across Belmont Road from the pond.

Parkersburg resident Brian Hayden said the city had already been declared a bird sanctuary years ago and called the resolution “superfluous and gratuitous.”

“I am aghast at the lack of competence in bringing this bill before the council,” he said.

Parkersburg resident Ellisha Seabolt questioned the focus on a bird sanctuary “when we have human beings sleeping under our bridges.”

During discussion of the resolution, Dailey asked if it was redundant because of the previous sanctuary legislation. Mayor Tom Joyce said the primary goal was to have something on the books saying nothing could be built there to facilitate stormwater drainage in the area.

Kuhl said some people have mentioned concerns about feral cats in the area of the stage. She said she’s been working with the people who feed the cats on a plan to safely remove them.

The bird sanctuary resolution passed unanimously.

Another unanimous vote authorized transferring $150,000 in Community Development Block Grant money originally designated to support construction of a new community health center to the residential assisted demolition program. Coplin Health Systems informed city officials the project has been put on hold for 2025.

An ordinance expanding the Public Outdoor Designated Area to year-round passed 8-1 on first reading, with Councilman Roger Brown opposed. The PODA, where people can purchase alcohol in marked, recyclable cups from participating businesses and carry them between businesses between Third and Ninth and One-Half streets in downtown Parkersburg, is currently in effect from April 1 to Oct. 31.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.