Lewiston’s Choice Neighborhood Initiative will be the subject of an “Investing in a Neighborhood & Transforming Our City” forum, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at the Lewiston Public Library – Callahan Hall, 200 Lisbon St.
The free event will focus on a $30 million Choice Implementation Grant from the Department of Housing & Urban Development, awarded in May 2021 to the Lewiston Housing Authority and the City of Lewiston — the smallest city to ever receive this funding, according to a news release from the city of Lewiston.
Mayor Carl Sheline notes, “The Choice Neighborhood grant is a game changer for downtown Lewiston and our entire city. The impact of this investment is transformational for a city our size.”
Panelists participating in the forum include Chris Kilmurry, executive director of Lewiston Housing and lead grantee of the Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant; Catherine Elliott, senior development officer at Avesta Housing and development partner to Lewiston Housing; and Misty Parker, Lewiston’s assistant director of Economic & Community Development, co-grantee of the Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant.
The Choice Initiative will partially fund 185 new, safe, energy-efficient, mixed-income apartments that Lewiston people can afford to call home. These developments will be a catalyst for new investment throughout the neighborhood and beyond downtown. Parker said, “The Choice Initiative isn’t just about housing; it will invest in people and the neighborhood, sparking continued economic growth of the city.”
Prior to the forum, a walking tour of the future housing sites will be offered; the tour will depart at 4:30 p.m. from the front of the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St.
This forum is part of a monthly community forum series hosted by Lewiston’s Mayoral Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Development. The committee was established in January for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Lewiston City Council on the challenges and opportunities for economic development in Lewiston.
For more information, call Dottie Perham-Whittier, community relations coordinator, at 207-513-3000, ext. 3205.
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