LEWISTON — Another round of vandalism at Kennedy Park’s historic bandstand has forced the city to close the structure again until it can be repaired.

Police issued summons to two Lewiston men just after 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, after responding to reports of vandalism at the gazebo, according to Police Lt. Mark Cornelio.

“Some witnesses gave us the descriptions of two people, we located two who matched their descriptions and we issued summonses to them,” Cornelio said.

The two men, whose names were not released by police, face misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and are scheduled to be in court on Dec. 7.

Lewiston Finance Director Heather Hunter said it’s the most recent example of vandals kicking out the composite plastic spindles in the railing that ring the bandstand.

Not only were spindles kicked out, but the lower railing was cracked in places.

“The place(s) where they attach to the railing are kind of a weak point,” Hunter said. “I am going to be meeting with the Historic Preservation Committee to throw out some ideas and see what our options for repairing it are.”

Hunter said she does not know how long the gazebo would be closed and when repairs could be made.

The gazebo has become a nightly hangout for people to drink since it reopened this summer. Before reopening, it had been closed off for six years.

The city shut down the bandstand and fenced it off in 2010 because of safety concerns — damage to the concrete floor, erosion on the brick supports, 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 gazebo is 3 feet shorter and connected to the nearby sidewalk with a gently sloping ramp.

Renovations cost more than $156,600, including donated money and a $75,000 federal block grant set aside by the City Council.

Volunteers rededicated the structure in October 2015, but concerns about lead on the roof and difficulty refinishing it kept it closed until this summer.

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