To the Editor:
 
 I was very dismayed to read that Canal Place has downgraded its proposed amphitheater to encompass only a small sidewalk step area near the canal. I am concerned that this reduction will drastically decrease the financial success of this major project.
 
 My dismay was heightened when I read that improvements to the roadway to the proposed Rocky Gap amphitheater was reciprocally fully funded for $1.1 million, while the total cost of the Rocky Gap amphitheater project is now estimated to be about $10 million. I know there are hopes that the Rocky Gap amphitheatre will serve as entertainment for the slot machine gambler audience but isn't this going a bit too far at taxpayer expense? Are folks jealous that an amphitheatre at Canal Place might be more successful than one at Rocky Gap?
 
 I would like to know if anyone has done a comparative economic impact analysis to see which of these two amphitheaters would better serve our community and which better deserves full funding? It would seem to me that a permanent amphitheater at Canal Place would provide a much greater return on the investment for the taxpayers and businesses of this area than a similar, larger, more expensive project isolated at Rocky Gap.
 
 Isn't one of the main purposes of such public projects to provide for an economic stimulus for a depressed area? I would submit that downtown Cumberland is much more in need of economic stimulus than is Rocky Gap with its limited economic opportunities for local merchants.
 
 Consider the variety of festivals and shows which could be hosted by the amphitheater at Canal Place such as Heritage Days, Railfest, Canal Fest, Christopher Columbus Festival, St. Patrick's Day, in addition perhaps to the bi-monthly Sunday Concert in the Park series, etc. Don't you agree that the resultant spin-off for retail trade and accommodations for local merchants would be much greater for an in-town rather than out-of-town amphitheater?
 
 A nice, permanent amphitheater with a band shell at Canal Place would provide a marvelous focus for a variety of tourist attractions while exposing a greater variety of potential outside investors to our community. Don't you think that multiple small festivals (ethnic, heritage, jazz, bluegrass and classical music, beer and wine tastings, historical celebrations, etc.) could target a much broader audience than would a mere few large, expensive concerts at a remote location which requires extensive promotion and logistical complications?
 
 It is well known that if the local population does not patronize community centers they often fall into disuse and disrepair, no matter how grand they are. I would contend that very few local residents will habitually take the hefty trek out to Rocky Gap for amphitheater productions. For recent evidence just look at the lack of patrons at the Rocky Gap beaches now that the Golf Course and Lodge has taken over that park. Look at how badly the annual country-western music festival has fared lately.
 
 Assuming there is a limited source of taxpayer funding for tourism projects, would it not be wiser to invest in projects which would provide a higher rate of return to its citizens than provide for projects that provide only a superficial sense of accomplishment while losing more and more taxpayer money? Is the Rocky Gap amphitheatre just another bonehead idea gone awry?
 
 For the sake of saving our community's future I urge our local politicians to reassess the invisible "Grand Plan" and instead start to make their economic development decisions based on what is best for our community. I submit that a small scale amphitheater at Canal Place makes much more economic and social sense than does a huge one one way out at Rocky Gap no matter which individual politician supports it, even if it is to provide entertainment for a slot machine audience. I believe our citizens and taxpayers deserve economically and socially responsible leadership and urge all of our local, state and federal elected officials to pursue this honorable goal and reject the construction of the Rocky Gap amphitheater.
 
 Sincerely,
 
 
 Frank J. Clark
 Allegany Citizens for Economic Development
 
 03/08/01