The new roof over the Phoenix Plaza Amphitheater in Pontiac is similar in material to the one covering the nearby Silverdome - but with a circus-tent theme.

The 38,000-square-foot roof, made of Teflon-coated fiberglass, is strong, lightweight, rated to withstand 90-mile-per hour winds, and was the material of choice to keep some 3,000 seated patrons dry at the new amphitheater. The new roof is expected to allow Phoenix Plaza to bring in major acts after being used in recent years in conjunction with free events like the Dream Cruise.

"You don't see these kinds of roofs very often, but I've been putting them up around the country for the last 10 years," said Lyle Konz, an iron worker out of Denver and site superintendent for Graboplan, the company in charge of erecting the support beams and roof. "On every job, the weather is always the big question mark. You can't have snow, rain, ice or high winds when you're putting these up."

The project began six months ago. The tensile membrane roof was fabricated in Hungary and installed in two sections over the pavilion by iron workers and operating engineers.

The advantages of the teflon-coated roof: it's strong, lasts a long time, goes up relatively quickly, lets in natural light in and requires a minimal amount of support columns. The cost, Konz said, is similar to that of a traditionally framed roof structure.

The major disadvantage: sustained high winds could have torn the roof apart during the three-week period when the roof was being put into place, but not finally secured with steel cables. If the roof does tear, Konz said individual panels can be cut out and replaced on site.

The $11 million amphitheater will also have new dressing rooms, a new sound system and lighting. According to the Oakland Press, budgetary constraints have put a hold on the installation of the permanent seats. A lawn area at the back of the venue will hold another 3,000 patrons.

The $11 million amphitheater and plaza renovations were part of a $22 million project that also repaired the nearby parking structure and added five staircases around the venue for ease and safety in entering and exiting. It also features new dressing rooms and modern sound, electrical and lighting facilities.

The Press said festival concert events at the Phoenix Plaza such as the Dream Cruise and the Arts, Beats and Eats festival will likely remain free at the plaza. But city officials expect major concerts to generate revenue in ticket sales and the Downtown Development Authority is soliciting bids now for a professional firm to operate the amphitheater for this season.

A TEFLON-COATED roof, similar to the cover over the Pontiac Silverdome, will keep patrons dry at a new outdoor concert venue, the Phoenix Center. The seats have yet to be installed.

A SUPPORT BEAM connection for the roof above the Pontiac Phoenix Center amphitheatre is welded by Jimmy Nash of Iron Workers Local 25.