Weeds grow through the cracks of the concrete stage at the 111-year-old, unkempt bandshell in Acacia Park.

The deteriorating structure is rarely used these days, said Colorado Springs businessman Trevor Dierdorff, except for when someone places a Bluetooth speaker on it during a farmer’s market or a transient lies down to rest.

But that won’t be its future, as the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs’ plans announced Friday take shape.

Dierdorff, president of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, the largest service club in southern Colorado, told the group’s 120 members at a meeting on Friday that the organization is about to go big.

It’s undertaking an initiative to renovate the bandshell in a way that “respects the historical characteristics while improving its functionality, to bring it up to what a modern amphitheater would have,” he said.

The structure won’t be returned to its original 1914 state but will follow historical preservation guidelines, according to Dierdorff.

“We’re going to do right by the bandshell,” he said.

The project is in the early stages of development but has gained support from Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and the city of Colorado Springs’ Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department.

“Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services greatly appreciates the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs’ potential interest in a project to rehabilitate and activate the bandshell at Acacia Park,” director Britt Haley said in a statement. “We view this project as a benefit to downtown, which will bring positive uses to this facility, which may also discourage vagrancy and vandalism.”

When completed next year, the refurbished bandshell will provide a central stage for concerts, public events and community celebrations, according to the Rotary Club.

But first, members will have to gain large-scale buy-in from the community and raise an estimated $500,000 for the work, Dierdorff said.

Upgrades will include an exterior facelift along with improving the electrical system for stage lighting and sound.

“The bandshell has had multiple iterations – they took out the stairs in the 1990s and put in a flower bed that has no flowers,” Dierdorff said. “Bricks have been replaced over the years, but they don’t match. It’s been several decades since its last iteration.”

A fundraising campaign will seek contributions from private donations, corporate partnerships and community support. Purchasing personalized paver bricks is also a consideration.

An architect is working on a proposed design, Dierdorff said, adding that there are many details to sort out.

Also, the city will have to sign off on the plan as it moves through the approval process.

“A revitalized Acacia Park bandshell would be an example of a type of cultural amenity that academic research links to city growth, prosperity and the attraction of skilled knowledge workers,” Bill Craighead, program director of the Economic Forum at the University of Colorado campus in Colorado Springs, said in a statement.

“Live performance venues, especially in vibrant downtown areas, have a proven positive relationship with population growth and the rise of high-tech and creative industries,” he said.

The idea developed during a Rotary board retreat in July, when members discussed how such a project would enable the group to serve the city through historic preservation, economic development and community engagement.

“I pointed out that there are thousands of Rotary parks around the world, and that despite our club being around since 1916, we’d never done anything like that,” Dierdorff said.

He mentioned the Rotary bandshell and amphitheater in Salida’s Riverside Park as an example of what could be done locally.

“We also want to put sustainability in place, so we’re exploring how to keep it in use 100 days out of the year and who could handle bookings for it,” Dierdorff said. “We’re not just going to fix the structure; we’re going to make it accessible for our community.”

Among their service work, volunteers with the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs orchestrate an annual art auction of metal butterflies painted by local artists to raise money for Colorado Springs School District 11’s science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics programs.

At Friday’s meeting, the club presented a $50,000 check to The Salvation Army’s local corps to help reopen more rooms at its shelter for homeless families that have been closed due to a budget shortfall.

The organization’s slogan is “Unite For Good,” which Dierdorff said refers to people working together “for purpose, not preference.”

The bandshell project is envisioned to “unify people in the community around music and the arts,” he said, “so that hopefully our gift to the community is not just as an economic driver but also as a driver of the community.”

Information about the organization is at csrotary.org.