The authors of a study commissioned to look at how the amphitheater at the Reach Museum could be better used is recommending as much as $5 million in improvements. 

The Arts Center Task Force has spent the past several months conducting the study on behalf of the Richland Public Facilities District, or RPFD. The district’s board received the final report during its Aug. 20 meeting, though its members did not take any action on its recommendations, said executive director Davin Diaz in an email to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. 

Improvements include construction of a dedicated building for performers; concessions and restrooms for patrons; pedestrian and accessibility enhancements; and professional lighting, audio and production systems.  

Combined with better operational planning and promotion, the study concludes the amphitheater could more than double its $40,000 annual rental revenue and make even more money through presented performances and events. 

“A consistent theme emerged throughout the evaluation: The primary barriers to expanded use are functional rather than market driven,” according to the report. 

The RPFD has focused its attention for the past year on re-establishing the Reach as a cultural destination for the region. Several current RPFD board members are also past board members for Arts Center Task Force, which has worked for decades to establish a dedicated performing arts facility in the Tri-Cities. 

“This is about making informed decisions and maximizing what we already have,” said Steve Wiley, RPFD’s president and former board member of the task force, in a statement, when the study was announced. “We want to ensure any future investment reflects community priorities and long-term sustainability.”  

The Arts Center Task Force sought voter approval of a local sales tax in February 2025 to fund the construction of a performing arts center near the Reach and its amphitheater in Columbia Park West. Voters rejected that effort, with more than 60% voting against it. 

RPFD’s new study relied on input from stakeholders such as local performing arts organizations, event producers, current facility users and others in the community, as well as a study of comparable performing arts venues in other communities and market research. 

It lauded the amphitheater’s natural setting on the west end of Columbia Park but “several infrastructure limitations currently restrict its ability to fully realize” its potential.  

The lack of performer support spaces, such as dressing rooms and green rooms, limit the sophistication of performances it can currently support. The facility could also accommodate more than the current 500 guests it currently has capacity for, though dedicated restrooms, concessions and similar spaces are needed, as are accessibility improvements. 

All told, those improvements would cost an estimated $3.63 million. That doesn’t include another $430,000 for event production systems. Other potential related projects, such as installation of a permanent roof over the stage, parking enhancements and audience comfort amenities, such as shaded seating, could raise the price tag by another $1 million. 

The report does not identify any potential funding sources. Diaz said the board is waiting until later this fall for the completion of a related feasibility study assessing the Reach’s under-utilized lower level by Bearing Architecture LLC. 

“Our focus will shift to community engagement this fall to better understand community priorities and help guide future investments,” Diaz said in an email. “The feedback gathered through this process will help inform the RPFD’s next steps, including identifying and aligning funding sources with specific projects.”