The Cornelia City Commission has given the green light to a partnership that will see the city’s upcoming amphitheater named after and sponsored by internet provider Kinetic by Windstream.
In a unanimous vote during the Tuesday, July 1 meeting, commissioners approved the naming rights agreement, solidifying what city officials and company representatives see as a mutually beneficial collaboration.
Under the deal, the venue will be officially named the Kinetic Amphitheater. The agreement includes a five-year sponsorship at $30,000 per year, totaling $150,000 over the life of the contract. The contract would be re-evaluated after its expiration.
Nicole Payne, the company’s senior regional marketing consultant, applauded the project at the commission workshop meeting. “This is what I love most: getting local, being in our communities and giving back to the communities that we serve,” she said.
City Commissioner Don Bagwell thanked Payne on behalf of Kinetic for their “symbiotic relationship.”
“It’s just dumb not to use the resources we have locally, and we’re lucky to have you guys here,” he said.
Kinetic will exclusively provide Wi-Fi throughout the amphitheater, including internet access for event organizers, performers, and back office operations. Attendees will be able to connect to free Wi-Fi by logging in through a splash page that promotes Kinetic services and collects email addresses for the company’s marketing campaigns.
Kinetic’s branding will be prominently featured on-site, including semi-permanent signage with a QR code linking to GoKinetic.com. Construction signage will also carry the company’s logo during the development phase.
In addition to infrastructure and sponsorship, the company will have a visible role during events. Kinetic will be allowed to host booths, engage with attendees, and promote services at each event. They will also have the exclusive right to raffle off concert tickets on their Facebook page for up to eight concerts per year.
Cornelia native Audrey Davenport spoke against the amphitheater development during the meeting’s public forum.
“The decision to place the amphitheater next to an active industrial rail line, and near a historically Black neighborhood, has raised serious safety, environmental and quality of life concerns,” she said.
The music festival held at the future amphitheater location on May 17 made these concerns “painfully visible.” Davenport said she and other residents near the event felt embers from the festival’s fireworks, deeming it unsafe while children were reportedly playing at a nearby basketball court.
“The fact that you didn’t consider us in that decision – would you consider this evidence that you don’t give a bleep about my neighborhood,” she said.
Davenport also raised concerns that the smell from the event’s nearby portable toilets reached into her home. Mayor John Borrow agreed later in the meeting to move the location of the toilets away from her residence for future events.
A grand opening celebration, to be hosted by Kinetic, will serve as the official launch of the new amphitheater. According to City Manager Donald Anderson, construction on the amphitheater is set to begin next year.
