Dillon Recreation Director Jessie Klehfoth told the Town Council on Tuesday, June 6, that a paid parking program will begin in the amphitheater lot for select shows, costing $50 per vehicle, and could expand in the future if that lot sells out.

“What we’d like to do is try to have everyone prepurchase these in advance,” Klehfoth said. “So we blast this out to anyone whose purchased tickets already to these shows informing them of this premium VIP parking opportunity, which is what it’s going to be branded as.”

The town will pilot the paid parking program during the two back-to-back String Cheese Incident shows in July and during the three sold-out Pretty Light shows in August, Klehfoth said. The pilot program comes in response to some council members suggesting in recent weeks that paid parking could be an additional revenue stream for the town at paid shows.

Mayor Carolyn Skowyra noted that guests at String Cheese Incident concerts in the past have basically “camped” in the amphitheater lot.

“Exactly,” Klehfoth said. “And that’s sort of one of the reasons we chose that one, is to both see if there is business that is an opportunity there — are people willing to pay for that lot? — but also to maybe cut down on some of that camping by turning it into paid parking all day long.”

The paid parking will begin at midnight and continue through the entire day, right up until the show, Klehfoth said. So attendees who pay for parking could show up at 7 a.m. the day of the show if they wanted, she said.

The town will run the paid parking pilot program through Interstate Parking, the company it already works with for paid parking elsewhere in town, Klehfoth said. If paid parking in the amphitheater lot does not sell out online, the town is prepared to staff the lot so that people can pay in cash upon arrival, she said.

Klehfoth told council members at previous meetings that paid parking is a possibility for the amphitheater but the logistics need to be sorted out to determine if it would be viable and profitable.

The Dillon Town Council has mixed goals for the amphitheater, with some members wishing the waterfront-view stage to remain a community venue while others want to transform it into a world-class experience that will draw top acts.

That has made it hard for the recreation department to have firm marching orders on how to move forward with amphitheater improvements, Klehfoth told the council last week, including issues such as paid parking and other VIP perks.

“There are a lot of different opinions within the council,” Klehfoth said. “And so as a staff, it’s really hard for us to understand exactly what direction we should go when there are so many different opinions.”