LEWISTON — A Community Concepts survey will test the idea that investing in one building can help improve an entire community.
Ten volunteers are going from building to building in a three-block radius around Community Concepts’ new 240 Bates St. office. They’ll rate the building’s exterior appearance on a scale of one to five, then combine the results in a database, according to Joan Churchill, resource development director for Community Concepts.
“This will give us a baseline,” Churchill said. “In three years, we’ll come back and do it again. And hopefully, the conditions will have improved and maybe some of the vacant buildings will have businesses in them.”
Volunteers began their work Aug. 30. Churchill said they plan to complete the visual assessments by Sept. 30.
“The premise is if it’s easier for clients to get accesses to the services they need, better things happen for them and for the community,” Churchill said. “The other thing that’s said is that when buildings are upgraded, neighbors want their buildings to look just as nice. Landlords might notice people moving from buildings that don’t look as good and they’re incentivized to change their properties.”
Community Concepts kicked off its Bates Street renovation work in 2007, replacing the old St. Dominic’s Regional High School building just west of Kennedy Park with a 30-unit senior housing development and an 18,000-square-foot office building. The company relocated its corporate offices to the new office building this summer.
Volunteers are hoping to look at and rate every building in the area, between Adams Avenue in the south and Oak Street in the north and Horton Street in the east and Canal Street in the west.
They’ll pay special attention to paint on the walls and trim, windows, doors, foundations, porches and yards, rating them as a five, or very good condition, or a one if they are in critical shape.
Churchill said in the second phase, volunteers will interview residents to get their opinions about conditions in the neighborhood. Finally, Churchill said Community Concepts plans to survey residents and property owners to gauge their opinion about Lewiston’s downtown.
“Hopefully, it will be a good tool for the community,” she said. “Hopefully, we can help identify gaps or needs in the community and our agency or others can step in and fill that need. We’re hoping this will help marshal resources downtown.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
