Daggatt

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — FW3 Entertainment and the city of Walla Walla have not given up on a plan to attract national concert tours despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Steve Miller Band, ZZ Top and other music acts were lined up to play at “Range Amphitheater,” the new temporary outdoor concert venue at the city-owned Veterans Memorial Golf Course’s driving range.

The city is considering renovations and contracts that would allow for concerts once Gov. Jay Inslee gives the OK for larger live music events again.

“We have not written off the season. We are marching forward as if we’re going to do shows,” Scott Daggatt told the city council at a work session last week.

Daggatt and his business partner, Ken Deans, have been working with the city since the end of 2019.

A music industry professional, Daggatt has worked with recording artists John Denver and Neil Diamond, and concert tour management for Eric Clapton, The Moody Blues and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was president and chief operating officer of 10th Street Entertainment, managing the Bee Gees, Blondie, Duran Duran, Cranberries and others.

The city paid W3 Entertainment $150,000 to write a comprehensive plan. The plan identified Veterans Memorial Golf Course driving range as the perfect spot for a venue to host eight to 10 outdoor concerts of nationally recognized bands.

“This site is ideal. It’s very close to downtown. You can actually walk from this site into downtown or vice versa,” City Manager Nabiel Shawa said. “It is out there overlooking the wheat fields and the mountains, so the music is projected out there over farmland. It’s not like we’re blasting music into a highly developed residential area.”

The driving range would accommodate at least 5,000 people.

Daggatt said they are pushing to do four shows in August and September.

The city council will vote on March 10 whether to remove Early-Repass Golf LLC driving range from the lease and instead lease the land to W3 Entertainment for the concert venue.

W3 Entertainment would lease it for roughly two years with the opportunity to renew at $1 per year, the same amount Early-Repass Golf pays.

The council will also consider a 5% ticket tax ordinance to create income for the city’s general fund, Shawa said.

A year with an eight-concert series could earn the city $83,200 or more.

W3 Entertainment would improve the driving range to provide the amount of power needed for concert sound and lighting, and replace netting, fencing and gates.

The company will ask the city to set aside 35% of the collected ticket tax for a rebate of up to $100,000 to pay for the improvements to the city property.

W3 Entertainment and Early-Repass Golf LLC are working together to enter into an agreement that would allow for the use of the driving range when it’s not holding concerts, which will be the vast majority of the time, Shawa said.