East Lyme — A bandshell for outdoor concerts, theater, and forums could stand at McCook Point Park in Niantic as early as this fall.

The Niantic Rotary Club, Niantic Lions Club, East Lyme Public Trust Foundation, and the town are collaborating on an initiative to install a wooden bandshell with a cement stage in the park.

"It's the next natural step for the betterment and enjoyment of our parks," said First Selectman Mark Nickerson.

He said the bandstand will be a nice place for summer music and performances, and maybe also Shakespeare in the Park, concerts by the U.S. Coast Guard Band, and public forums. 

Parks and Recreation Director David Putnam said the bandshell will be placed at the bottom of a slightly sloping hill in the park, near Hole-in-the-Wall Beach. The slope of the hill will act as a natural amphitheater where people can set up lawn chairs and blankets.

The Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the plans at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall.

The proposed bandshell structure would be roughly 22 feet tall at its highest point, according to plans filed at Town Hall. The roof would be about 42 feet wide in front and about 20 feet wide in the back.

Each of the three organizations will contribute $20,000, while the town's capital improvement project calls for $15,000 for the project, said Nickerson. He said they are aiming to have the bandstand built by early fall.

"I think it's very unique within the town to have the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation, the Rotary, and the Lions all combine to help finance what is going to be a huge attraction at McCook Point Park," said John Hoye, vice president of the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation. "Everybody has just worked together to see this thing happen."  

Hoye said all the groups had good working relationships with each other, and he praised the town and Putnam's work on the project.

Esther Williams, who served on the committee overseeing the project, remembers going to concerts at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, and she thought Niantic had the perfect venue for concerts. She said the bandshell will be angled so sound will go toward the water, rather than the town.

Williams, past president of the Rotary and former town clerk, called the project a "win-win" and said the Rotary, along with the other groups, are thrilled to be involved.

"I just think it is a fantastic idea," said Williams. "With what we did with the boardwalk and Main Street in Niantic, with all the improvements we did in this town, this will be the icing on the cake."

Jim Moos, president of the Niantic Lions Club, said the venue will offer accessibility and parking near the beaches for early evening events. He said the organizations have budgeted for the funds.

"We did have the money to allocate, and we all feel strongly that this is something that would benefit the town," said Moos, noting that the concerts would draw people to East Lyme and that other communities, like Old Saybrook, hold outdoor concerts.

The East Lyme Public Trust Foundation had recommended reaching out to other organizations to help sponsor the project, after Putnam shared in 2014 a "wish list" of future projects that included the bandstand, according to a history of the project provided by Joe Legg, president of the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation.

After Hoye, the vice president of the East Lyme Public Trust Foundation, met with representatives of the Lions Club and spoke at a Rotary Club meeting, Putnam formed a committee consisting of representatives from Parks and Recreation and the three organizations to oversee the plans, according to the history.

Putnam said McCook Point Park will be a beautiful location for the Parks and Recreation Department's summer concert series, which is currently held at McCook's Beach, and the bandshell will open up possibilities for additional summer programs.

"It's just going to be a great amenity to the park," said Putnam. "It's going to be awesome."

k.drelich@theday.com