Changes at Freedom Hill quiet noise, boost lineup

Upgrades intended to address complaints; Palace deal may bring bigger-name acts.

By Jim Lynch / The Detroit News







What's next?



• Work will continue on Freedom Hill's roof, which is expected to be completed in early June.

• If all goes well, the concert season could start the first week in June. But right now, the season is expected to begin in the second week of that month.

• Construction on Metro Parkway near Freedom Hill likely will continue through the summer until October. Comment on this story
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STERLING HEIGHTS -- When the summer season starts at Freedom Hill theater less than two months from now, concertgoers will walk into a drastically different facility.

It will be hard to miss some of the changes, which include a new sound wall and the mammoth roof that will cover the pavilion seating area -- both aimed at resolving neighbors' ongoing complaints about noise.

But one of the key changes at Freedom Hill, announced last week, should be virtually invisible to ticket-holders. Hillside Productions, which operates the theater, has entered into a partnership with regional promoter Palace Sports & Entertainment that will put some additional muscle behind efforts to make the venue a major attraction.

"It should translate into a much higher quality of outdoor entertainment for Macomb County concertgoers," said Hank Riberas, Hillside's spokesman. "It should also translate into a much stronger opportunity for long-term success."

Some residents worry the physical changes won't do much to lessen the noise. Hillside was involved in a long-running legal battle with Sterling Heights involving the theater's impact on the neighborhood. In March 2004, a judge ordered the city to pay $31 million for hindering Hillside's progress. As part of that settlement, Hillside was required to implement sound-dampening measures.

"I doubt it will do much," said Arlene Carr, who lives near the park. "Basically, I think the roof was put in just for their customers to keep their heads dry."

Operationally, Palace Sports & Entertainment will handle the theater's marketing and booking duties while Hillside Productions will focus on operations.

Freedom Hill now finds itself in the stable of venues represented by Palace -- a group that includes some of the most recognized theater and arenas in Metro Detroit. Along with the Palace of Auburn Hills, home to the Detroit Pistons, the company also promotes the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston and the Meadowbrook Music Festival in Rochester.

Tom Wilson, president of Palace Sports & Entertainment, said the partnership with Hillside could benefit area residents with better acts and, possibly, lower ticket prices.

The addition of the new roof should also provide a boon for Freedom Hill, particularly in the area of advance ticket sales.

A guaranteed roof overhead makes some concertgoers more confident in ordering ahead of time, since they don't have to worry about weather, according to Wilson.

Work on the roof continued this week, and Riberas said the project is roughly one week ahead of schedule thanks to good weather. The start of the concert season had been pushed back to the second week of June, but that date could be moved up.

Once the roof work is complete, the hill beyond the fixed seating will be rebuilt. That area was torn up to accommodate the crane used to place the roof. The final part of the preparation process will be the construction of a sound wall at the rear of the concert area to reduce noise in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The upcoming concert season may be memorable for another reason. Last month, county road crews began work to widen Metro Parkway to three lanes in each direction as it runs through Sterling Heights. For the entire summer, there will be closures in the area right near the theater.

"I'm sure there will be some traffic delays because we're taking the road down to one lane in each direction," said Bob Hoepfner, the Macomb County highway engineer.



You can reach Jim Lynch at (586) 468-0520 or .

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On the positive side..look at all those Jobs he provided!! I'm sure that wasn't his aim tho.

Hopefully the improvements make a significant difference for the isses the residents in the area had.

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"With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
If there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself

Where is my mind"

-pixies

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IHeartLP those jobs were created with the taxpayers 31 million dollars from the lawsuit. just think of all those city library coffee shops that could of been built.

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...That's funny Sinkhole!

On a more serious note, I am no fan of Duchane, and see that he is a nefarious individual that will probably never rehabilitate from his ways. But, who was responsible for this person in the first place? Who allowed him the freedom and flexibility to put the city in such a predicament? Are the citizens paying attention now?

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[QUOTE= But, who was responsible for this person in the first place? Who allowed him the freedom and flexibility to put the city in such a predicament? Are the citizens paying attention now?[/QUOTE]

NO .

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