BY SETH POWERS, Staff Writer
COVENTRY, VT - While countless "phans" worldwide anxiously await the announcement of the band Phish\'s summer tour dates, so too waits one small community here in the Northeast Kingdom.
There are just over 1,000 residents in Coventry who may play host to Phish and their legions of fans at the Newport State Airport this summer.
Phish, arguably Vermont\'s finest and largest musical export, has expressed interest in securing the Orleans County location for a concert this summer.
Those wanting to know the fate of the concert won\'t be in suspense for long.
The details necessary to get the concert off the ground should be ironed out in the next couple of weeks, said Dave Werlin, of the Townsend, Mass.-based Great Northeast Productions, which organizes the concerts.
"We are moving forward and are optimistic about it," Werlin said of the Coventry location.
Aug. 14 and 15, among other dates, he said, have been listed specifically as possibilities for the event.
Great Northeast Productions is seeking a permit from the Federal Aviation Administration to close the airport for the duration of the concert and a public assemblies permit from the Department of Public Safety, which is the permit for large gatherings. Though a verbal permit from the FAA has reportedly been granted, the company is waiting for a written agreement, Werlin said.
The public safety permit is still under review.
Lt. Thomas Hanlon of the state police barracks in Derby said the review process will take between 10 and 15 days.
"Our concerns are strictly public safety," he said, noting the process will include meetings with area boards of selectmen and estimates of the cost to the department for extra law enforcement.
Should the concert occur, the production company would pay for the increased police costs, said Hanlon.
The Coventry concert would be the first Vermont tour stop for Phish since they played at the Sugarbush Summer Stage in 1995.
"If it happens, it will certainly have a monumental impact on the area," Hanlon said.
That\'s something everyone seems to agree on. "I think it\'s a win-win situation and a wonderful thing for the community," Werlin said, noting the potential economic benefit to the area.
State officials have estimated the concert could bring between $10 million and $30 million to the area.
Coventry Selectman Mike Marcotte agreed the concert would be a boon for the area but added there will always be detractors.
Whatever is decided will have to be done shortly because neighboring farmers will need to place their corn orders soon, if they are going to seed their land in time, Marcotte said.
If the concert does happen, the farmland would get a sabbatical and the fields would be seeded with grass, Werlin said.
Werlin admitted the company is looking at other venues, including Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, where the band has played three festival concerts in the past.
Werlin said the Coventry location is more attractive than Limestone, because the secondary roads in the area provide better access to the site.
The company is also interested in the Coventry location as it is one of the few Vermont sites that could support a Phish concert and has some infrastructure in place because of the airport, said Werlin.
"We are hopeful that all the necessary permits will be granted," said Werlin. "And that we will be able to create a memorable experience for the fans, the band and the county."
Staff writer Andrew McGregor contributed to this report.