WALLINGFORD, CT (CelebrityAccess) — Live Nation has dropped its efforts to get the State of Connecticut to pay for a portion of the cost of soundproofing part of the Oakdale Theater, allowing it to be used for smaller events.
According to the New Haven Register, Jim Koplik. president of Live Nation Connecticut and Upstate New York said the promoter was dropping its push for a state grant due to the current financial difficulties the state is facing.
However, Koplik maintained that asking the state for a grant to upgrade the venue was appropriate.
“The Oakdale Theatre is unique in that it does not receive continuing State subsidies,” Koplik told The Register. “Other venues obtain generous subsidies for both capital expenditure and even funds to defray operating costs. I served several years as a member of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and participated in awarding many such sizeable grants to venues throughout the State.”
State Rep. Mary Mushinsky told The Register that the current political climate in Hartford made Live Nation's bid for the grant unlikely, noting that the company is still seeking an exemption for the Oakdale from state admissions taxes, which the company claims is necessary to make the venue competitive in the market.
“The way things are in the current legislative session, I think they probably felt only one of them would be passed,” Mushinsky told The Register. – Staff Writers
