The problems with the Portsmouth amphitheater come as Roanoke is launching a study of the feasibility of a similarly sized amphitheater along Reserve Avenue.

The Portsmouth and Roanoke markets differ in population, competing attractions and many other factors, but some of the same concerns about whether a city-owned amphitheater would be worth the taxpayer investment have surfaced here. The riverside amphitheater proposal became a political issue in last week's elections, and is likely to continue to be one as the new mayor and council members take their seats in July.

Roanoke's city government last month announced a contract with a Charlottesville-based company to conduct the feasibility study on the Reserve Avenue site where Victory Stadium once stood.

The city has agreed to pay Red Light Management up to $120,000 for the study, which is expected to take up to 12 weeks to complete. The contract was executed April 16, and the work is expected to begin in the middle of this month, according to Assistant City Manager Brian Townsend. That would mean the study should be completed by the middle to end of August, he said.

The city's contract with Red Light specifies a three-step process, with city council approval required between each step. The first two steps are assessing feasibility of the site and designing an amphitheater. The city council would then have to decide whether to build the amphitheater, and would take public comments before doing so, according to an April 11 news release.

The city would seek bids for the construction of the amphitheater separately, if the project gets that far.

If built, the third step of the contract would kick in and Red Light Management would operate the amphitheater.

The riverside amphitheater proposal was a priority of the "For the City" political ticket of Alfred Dowe, Gwen Mason and David Trinkle that won three council seats in May 2006.

In June 2007, the city council voted 4-2 -- with the For the City trio and Mayor Nelson Harris in the majority -- to direct the staff to issue a request for proposals to build and operate an amphitheater on the site. The request was issued July 3 with a deadline to respond in September. Five firms made proposals, and after months of negotiations and several closed-door discussions by the city council, the city announced a deal with Red Light Management on April 11.

After the scandal-induced resignation of Dowe in February, that For the City bloc now consists of two members, David Trinkle and Gwen Mason. Their ally, Harris, is leaving council June 30 after losing last week's election. That means the feasibility study should be coming back to a council that also includes new Councilman Alvin Nash, Mayor-elect David Bowers, council members-elect Anita Price and Court Rosen, and re-elected Councilman Sherman Lea. The terms of Bowers, Price, Rosen and Lea begin July 1.

Bowers campaigned against the riverside amphitheater, instead calling for an amphitheater to be built in Elmwood Park, closer to downtown, to boost businesses there. Lea was one of two votes against the riverside proposal in June. Price has characterized it as a distraction that took time and energy away from more important priorities such as the school system. Rosen didn't list an amphitheater as one of his top priorities during the campaign, but did sound supportive of the idea at times, though he wanted more information about the details. Nash hasn't taken a position on the proposal.

Staff writer Mason Adams contributed to this report.