Recently, the citizens of Auburn and Lewiston voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposed consolidation of these two historic Maine cities into a single new entity that would have rivaled the city of Portland in population. It is a positive and hopeful sign that the voters have chosen to build on each city’s strengths as they lead Western Maine into the future. Maine’s communities are made stronger only with the input and energy of all their citizens.
Over and over during the campaign, municipal officials from both cities affirmed that there is no competition between them for businesses or jobs, and that growth in one city is always a positive sign for the other.
These two proud cities have a long history in Maine, maintaining their own distinctive “flavors” and personality. The voters on Nov. 8 said that they want to build on that history, not erase it and begin from scratch. The positive and progressive leadership chosen by the voters also affirmed that the cities will embrace new ideas for building better communities.
As the two cities work to rebuild and revitalize their downtowns, the work being done to renovate older structures will require innovative energy-efficient technologies, many of which are being developed here in Maine, and will provide advanced construction skills to the work force.
Not only will local contractors develop skills that are being sought for projects all over Maine, and not only can those contractors support Maine businesses that manufacture these new materials but, by improving the housing stock and reducing energy use, they will make local housing that much more affordable through lower utility expenses. Lewiston and Auburn could become a leading example of sustainable energy consumption in the era of climate change.
Although the two cities are geographically within commuter distance of Portland and could perhaps benefit from new residential development around the I-95 corridor, Auburn and Lewiston are also a gateway to the west and White Mountains and the increasingly popular recreational opportunities that are easily reached within a one- to two-hour drive.
The cities are now connected to Portland and Boston/Logan by eight daily buses from two companies. The region already has well established railroad infrastructure with two major companies providing freight services and there are several proposals for intra-city passenger light rail as well as a rail connection to Portland and points north.
Residents and businesses can easily access the best of Maine and North America, which is a tremendous tool for building and recruiting new companies, as well as local companies recruiting new workers.
However the infrastructure for accessing the rest of the world, especially in rural areas, is still substandard. It is very important that the continued talk of broadband Internet access everywhere in Maine turn into a reality for this region to thrive.
This past November, voters also affirmed that they want to build up Maine’s health care infrastructure by approving a Medicaid expansion, and this will stabilize the position of Central Maine Medical Center as the region’s largest hospital.
A more inclusive health system still requires infrastructure that can reach everyone. Unfortunately, rural areas all over Maine are losing hospitals and Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties are considered “medically underserved,” according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Moving forward, it’s obvious how important it is to encourage CMMC and its affiliates to build a more inclusive and efficient health care infrastructure for the L-A region, as well as all of Western Maine.
In the past two decades, Auburn and Lewiston have been able to build and benefit from being Maine’s most demographically diverse region, whose histories began as safe haven for Franco-American immigrants who worked in the old mills, raised families and built strong communities that persist through today.
Most recently, when refugees began to settle in the region, it was a difficult cultural transition for refugees and locals alike. Now there are many positive stories in the Sun Journal and nationally that the newest residents are excelling in school (including on the soccer field), opening new businesses and investing themselves in their new community.
It is critical to note that these opportunities and achievements are all connected to grassroots efforts toward building better communities — this is not driven only by a few wealthy patrons. Citizen-based efforts are the only effective way to operate and create new community assets such as L/A Arts, multiple theaters, the Emerge Film Festival, the Western Foothills Land Trust, and all of the Franco-American heritage sites.
Lewiston and Auburn will continue to move forward only with additional and sustained support from all of its residents, each contributing a bit of their time and energy to make these two proud cities a better place to live.
Jonathan Fulford is a small business owner who lives in Monroe. He is a candidate for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
Eric Rector lives in Monroe and is a cheese maker and information systems consultant. He is a past president of MOFGA, MOFGA Certification Services and the Maine Cheese Guild.
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