State officials and organizers of the Three Rivers Regatta and Three Rivers Arts Festival appeared to make headway yesterday in resolving concerns over guidelines being developed in conjunction with a $35 million renovation of Point State Park.

Arts festival and regatta officials feared that restrictions on setup and take-down times, how long a stage can stay up, and use of tractor-trailers and heavy equipment in the park could exclude the events from their long-standing venue. They also had concerns about the impact of a refundable $25,000 security deposit and higher fees.

After meeting with state and Riverlife Task Force officials for two hours yesterday, representatives for both events said they were encouraged by the dialogue.

"I'm more optimistic that we will be able to do something at Point State Park," arts festival Executive Director Elizabeth Reiss said. "I am optimistic that they are listening and want to accommodate that use in the park."

John W. Norbeck, director of state parks for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the intent is to keep the arts festival, regatta and the city's other big event, the Dollar Bank Jamboree, in the park.

He said the state is willing to "grandfather" the three events so they can continue to be held in the park at their customary times during the summer.

Without such an accommodation, either the arts festival, which usually runs the first three weeks in June, or the regatta, which typically starts around July 4, would not have been able to use the park without a schedule change. That's because the new guidelines called for a minimum of four weeks between big events, including setup and take-down times.

The state, Mr. Norbeck said, also is willing to waive the security deposit in recognition of the economic impact and the value of big events like the arts festival and regatta, which now sponsors the city's annual July 4 fireworks show as part of its festivities.

"They're our partners. They've been here for a long time," he said. "You don't charge your partners for something like that."

Robert Petrilli, president and board chairman of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta Inc., said such concessions were encouraging.

"I heard some real good points today," he said. "Those are major concerns for any event producer."

Not all the issues were resolved yesterday. There are still concerns about the ability to get tractor-trailers and heavy equipment into the park. A ban could affect the installation of pavilions, sculptures and scaffolding. Sponsors also have used tractor-trailers in the past for promotional purposes.

Mr. Norbeck said the state will explore ways to accommodate the groups and the equipment without damaging the park or new bluestone pathways. It also will consult officials from other large venues like New York's Central Park for advice in staging big events.

It is planning regular meetings with key people to try to work out concerns.

For 2008, the city side of Point State Park is expected to be available for the regatta, while construction continues on the river side.

Ms. Reiss said the arts festival isn't counting on using the park in June because of variables involving the completion of construction.

Mr. Petrilli said the regatta will decide within the next few weeks what it will do next year and whether the park will be part of those plans. That ultimately will depend, for both 2008 and future years, on whether it's economically feasible given whatever restrictions remain.

But he left no doubt that the regatta wants to stay in the park.

"When you sit there on the lawn with 70,000 people with the fireworks right above the fountain, it's a view that's priceless, in my opinion," he said.

Because of the renovation work, the arts festival and regatta were forced out of the park last summer. The jamboree wasn't held.

First Published: November 1, 2007, 4:00 a.m.