AIKEN --- It took two years of planning and six months of construction, but the new band shell and pavilion at Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch is finished -- just in time for the summer concert series.

The 2,500-square-foot Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage replaces a 21-year-old structure that was torn down in September.

"Basically, what we had there before was very functional," said Glenn Parker, the director of parks and recreation for the city. "We just felt it was an appropriate time with the local option sales tax to give the people a little something we weren't able to in the past."

The new facility will provide such amenities as a larger stage, men's and women's dressing rooms, climate-controlled storage and a permanent area for sound technicians to monitor the concerts.

"The biggest thing we've done is to upgrade the restrooms for the public so they could have access without having to walk onto the stage," Mr. Parker said.

One of the key components of the new pavilion provides the performers some relief from the heat of summer.

"There's always been a problem -- because concerts are May through August -- with heat on the stage. Because of the way the stage sits, we get a lot of the afternoon sun," Mr. Parker said. "We've created a vent system in the building that can pull air across the stage and provide the performers with a little bit of a breeze during the concerts."

The project was a joint effort of the city and the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch.

Mr. Parker said Friends of Hopelands members were "closely tied with our architect as to what components they wanted in the stage," which ties in with the rest of Hopelands Gardens, particularly the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. The project cost about $470,000.

The city committed $200,000 to the project through the local option sales tax. The Friends of Hopelands generated the remaining money through fundraising efforts, the Iselin Foundation and the Gregg Graniteville Foundation.

Average attendance at the Hopelands Gardens' Monday night summer series is about 800.

Monday night's concert, featuring the Aiken Community Band, will be the first of the summer. It will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a dedication ceremony.

Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.