LEWISTON — Jim Thompson, sitting on a bench in front of Kennedy Park’s iconic bandstand and gazebo, said it’s just a shame.

The gazebo has become a nightly hangout where people drink — which might be fine if it stopped there, he said. But park users have taken to vandalizing the new structure, kicking out the composite plastic spindles in the bandstand’s railing.

He and his friends are usually there each morning, surveying the damage and talking about ways to stop it.

“More lights would be nice,” said Thompson, of New Auburn. “If you put one up inside, that would light it up and the police could see who was inside there. With no light there, the police can drive by, but they can’t tell how many people are up there because it’s so dark.”

It’s one option the city is considering for the newly renovated bandstand, City Administrator Ed Barrett said.

“We are aware of the problem,” Barrett said. “We’re looking at increasing lighting. We are looking at putting a camera up there, too. And there has been some discussion of putting up fencing, but we don’t like that idea.”

Barrett said he first learned of the vandalism last week. City officials are also looking for a more durable material to replace the railings.

“They are a composite material, but we are looking for alternatives,” Barrett said.

The bandstand only opened for public use this summer, after being closed for six years.

The city shut down the original bandstand and fenced it off in 2010 due to safety concerns: damage to the concrete floor of the structure, erosion on the brick supports, and wear on the wooden columns and the wood structure under the roof.

City officials and volunteers worked for five years to renovate and reopen the bandstand on the same spot, before opting for a slightly shorter structure about 20 feet away. The current gazebo is three feet shorter than its predecessor and connected to the nearby sidewalk via a gently sloping ramp. Renovations cost more than $156,600, including donated money and $75,000 in federal block grant money set aside by the Lewiston City Council.

Volunteers rededicated the structure in October, but concerns about lead on the roof and difficulty refinishing it kept it closed until this summer.

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