Port Authority to own Levitt Pavilion land

The Dayton-Montgomery County Port Authority will take over ownership of land where a planned new downtown entertainment venue, the Levitt Pavilion, is expected to be built.

Port Authority trustees on Monday voted unanimously to take over the Dayton-owned property, hoping the move will make development there easier.

Under the arrangement, the Port Authority will own the land set aside for the pavilion at Dave Hall Plaza downtown, leasing it back to the city of Dayton and arranging some kind of operating agreement with the Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Dayton, a group of local supporters and fundraisers for the project.

“We’ll get ownership, and we’ll be protected from liability,” said Jerry Brunswick, executive director of the Port Authority.

Earlier, just one contractor bid on the project and wanted $3 million more than the estimated building budget for the pavilion.

The project was rebid and four companies submitted bids ranging from $5.8 million to over $6.9 million.

“Contractors are obviously spooked by something in the plan because they are bidding so much higher than what the architects have estimated,” said Brad Evers, general counsel for the Port Authority.

The planned outdoor music amphitheater will be built on South Main Street near the Crowne Plaza Dayton and was projected to cost about $5 million.