City construction crews will begin work this week on a new amphitheater in Kiwanis Park to hold bands and other outdoor events.

The new amphitheater will be larger than the old one currently located in Kiwanis Park, and it will provide seating for 500 people, said Mayor Dan Cougill. Bench seating will be set into the landscaping and the stage will be larger to accommodate bigger acts.

Funding for the project came from Sen. Judy Meyers who gave Charleston $40,000 of Illinois FIRST funds for the project, and another $10,000 came from the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation.

The city is working with technicians to have stage lighting for the amphitheater and are exploring all of the possibilities for the new site.

“We are just going to let our imaginations run wild with it,” Cougill said.

The new amphitheater should be available for use in about another month. The seating may not be finished in its entirety this summer, but it will be ready for the bands to use, he said.

The previous band shelter was in need of being moved because of the construction on the Town Branch Bridge, so the city decided to build a new facility near the pavilion with a new look, Cougill said.

The community band usually plays in the Kiwanis Park Amphitheater, but the new building will be able to accommodate more uses such as have other types of music, drama teams or plays, Cougill said.

“This will make it a very multi-purpose facility,” he said.