COTR to stay in Bridgeport
By Correne Martin
Country on the River organizers have withdrawn their request from the city of Prairie du Chien to relocate to St. Feriole Island in 2017, according to an email the city received Tuesday morning.
For now, the country music festival, owned by Townsquare Live Events, will remain at the Bridgeport property where it’s been since 2012. The request to use the island will no longer be on the city’s Sept. 20 council agenda.
According to Prairie du Chien City Administrator Aaron Kramer, an email sent by Matt LaRose, vice president of Townsquare Live Events, read: “Thank you for all of your hard work on assisting us through the relocation process to St. Feriole Island. At this time, we are going to withdraw our request to relocate on the island.
“The Wisconsin DOT has given us our variance and allowed us to stay at our current site.
“I do encourage you and all members of the council to come out this year and see the event.”
In a statement, Kramer said, “We wish the event organizers the best of luck as they continue to operate at their current site. In addition, on behalf of the mayor and council, I would like to extend a thank you to those who shared their thoughts and concerns with the city at the Sept. 6 council meeting and at other times while this matter was being considered. The input was very valuable.”
The Prairie du Chien Common Council first considered the Country on the River move request at its Aug. 16 meeting.
“We feel the current site doesn’t work for us as it is today. We feel there is plenty of room for music, camping and growth on St. Feriole Island,” Sally Lidinsky, director of Townsquare, told the council at that initial meeting.
Lidinsky explained that the festival brought 8,000 to 10,000 people per day to the Bridgeport grounds in 2016 and around the same amount in 2015. She said there has been an attendance decline in recent years and believes the current site is limited by space.
“The island is a great location. [The move] would put us back on the river,” she commented.
A number of questions ensued, at the meeting and in the public realm, about the request. Most concerned whether the island provided ample space for such a large festival and whether its historic and scenic spaces would be at risk in the midst of Country on the River.
The council moved forward with considerations however, holding a public comment period during the Sept. 6 council meeting and even forming an ad hoc committee of city department heads. That committee held a conference call to address details and questions with Townsquare just last Thursday, Sept. 8. The council intended to make its decision at the Sept. 20 meeting.
Lidinsky responded to questions regarding the easement in Bridgeport Wednesday morning.
“The Wisconsin DOT currently has a scenic easement in place that restricts use of the property extending 350 feet from the center line of Highway 18. The variance that they have granted us removes that restriction,” she explained. “Prior to the 2016 festival, the DOT granted us a variance to use the entire festival grounds for that festival only and let us know that the easement would be enforced starting October 2016. They recently reversed their stance and have granted the variance moving forward.”
She said the DOT granted that variance this week and assured Townsquare it would be allowed for all future Country on the River festivals.
So, for the foreseeable future, Country on the River will remain in Bridgeport.
Lidinsky addressed the rumor that the festival might move to La Crosse, at the August Prairie du Chien Common Council meeting.
“We have no plans at this time to move the festival to La Crosse,” she said.
Phone and email messages for Greg Messling, Wisconsin DOT real estate specialist, regarding reversal of the DOT’s stance, were not returned by press time Wednesday.
