BANGOR – A new vision for West Market Square was well-received Wednesday by a small but vocal audience who came to City Hall for their first peek at concept plans for the small but key space that has figured heavily into community affairs for decades.

Plans for the small triangle of land, bordered by Main and Broad streets and a row of historic commercial buildings, were drawn up by Steven Ribble, a landscape architect with Ames A/E, a Bangor-based architectural and engineering firm headquartered just up Main Street from the square.

The design concepts were unveiled Wednesday at City Hall, during public meetings at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. To make sure all who want to sit in are able to, two additional meetings are set for Aug. 3 at the same times and place.

“I’m tickled that this process is taking place,” Gerry Palmer, a former city councilor, said after Ribble’s morning presentation. “It should have taken place 10 years ago. … I think this is a fresh vision. This is the heart of the community in many ways.”

About a dozen people attended the morning session, including city employees and media representatives.

Still in the early phases, the overhaul plan calls for new water features and new, more durable finishes and fixtures, many of them to be made from Maine granite quarried from Mosquito Mountain in Frankfort, and black iron, similar to that used for the benches, lamp fixtures and trash cans used in the ongoing redevelopment at Bangor Waterfront.

Besides sketches, drawings and computer-generated images, planners brought along samples of the salt-and-pepper-colored granite the city is eyeing for the project.

Among Palmer’s concerns was that the makeover not be an impediment to public gatherings, including the annual holiday tree lighting that draws thousands to the square.

Ribble said accommodating public gatherings was one of the main directives he was given by the city.

Palmer also wanted to see space for a stage. “It might be a soapbox, if you will,” he said.

If implemented as is, the plan would result in an outdoor room of sorts, with seat walls, plantings and benches serving as walls.

Current activities, including street dances and outdoor dining, will continue to be encouraged, according to Sally Bates, a city development officer and liaison to Bangor Center Corp.

Palmer also noted that the square is “a crossroads of sorts” in that it serves as the “back door” into Bangor Waterfront, home of the American Folk Festival set for next month.

Council Chairman Frank Farrington, who also attended the morning session, added that he would like to see a more defined link to nearby Pickering Square, another larger community gathering spot.

Plans to relocate the “Continuity of Community” sculpture, a shiny modern piece, did not prove controversial during Wednesday’s meeting.

“We have some nice art, but it’s in the wrong place,” Palmer said, referring to the sculpture.

In the design, “The Source,” a cascading fountain, would flow into the “Upper Stream,” a turbulent flow pool, and the “Lower Stream,” a reflecting pool connected to “The Sea,” an at-grade fountain and granite cobble splash area.

White noise from the fountains and vegetative buffers between the streets and the square will help dampen the sounds from passing vehicles, giving the space an intimate feel, Ribble noted.

Ribble said the fountains and pools would be lit at night and that heated pavement might be incorporated as a way to cut down on winter maintenance needs.

Plans that would eventually extend some of the public amenities, such as benches, up Main Street and elsewhere in the city were music to Palmer’s ears.

“I’ve been waiting for that for years,” he said, adding, “While it’s not quite Paris, we’re on our way to getting there.”