LEWISTON — Designs for a new riverside amphitheater could hinge on how much permanent seating the terraces around the central stage have.

Lewiston city councilors Tuesday were split in their support of permanent performance seating for a planned Simard-Payne Memorial Park amphitheater.

The current idea is to provide a harder surface at the river’s edge. The amphitheater would be built above that, using the park’s natural terrain to create seating around the stage.

Plans so far have called for a small stage with a simple covering such as an awning or a tent. It would be surrounded by terraced rows of grass, using the site’s natural terrain. The stage would face away from the river, with spectators able to look past the stage to the river and Auburn’s river walk.

Councilors discussed the concepts at a Tuesday night workshop meeting.

Councilor Mark Cayer said he favored more permanent seating, whether it was granite benches or something less formal.

“If we are doing this on the cheap just to get it done, we are doing it the wrong way,” Cayer said. “I would rather take two years or three years to have an amphitheater the community could be proud of, rather than just getting it in.”

Councilor Nate Libby argued for less structured seating and a more flexible facility.

“I would ask people to keep an open mind,” Libby said. “Maybe if it’s not everything you want at this point it does not preclude us from making changes in future. I’m interested in hearing from folks who would like to see this project go forward in the spring.”

Councilor Donald D’Auteuil agreed.

“There is absolutely no reason we can’t do something more later,” D’Auteuil said. “Maybe later on, we may have to move things around a bit to add permanent seating.”

City Planner David Hediger said he’ll take those suggestions to designers, with plans to present a design site plan to the Lewiston Planning Board on Dec. 8.

City crews have already redesigned the park’s southeast entrance, widening the pedestrian bridge across the canal and extending the park out across Cedar Street to the edge of Lincoln Street.

It’s part of a vision spelled out in the 2012 Riverfront Island Master plan adopted by the city last year. It recommended changes to the park to make it a bigger community asset.

This next phase would do more to the park itself. It includes improving access to the Androscoggin River, building overlooks and electrical outlets along the western and northern edges of the park. The city has set aside $250,000 in the capital plan to do that work. Hediger said the current plan is to build the amphitheater, river access and the other improvements next spring.

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