LEWISTON — City administration unveiled an initial outlook for next year’s Capital Improvement Plan, with a wish list of projects totaling roughly $33 million.
The five-year plan includes several projects that have received partial funding over several years, including environmental cleanup at Bates Mill No. 5 and a citywide revaluation. Both projects have yet to begin.
The plan is a road map of major capital investments, required by charter, that is approved annually by the City Council. The plan, which also funds infrastructure spending such as Public Works vehicles and road and sidewalk maintenance, must be adopted by March 1, but individual projects won’t ultimately be funded until the fiscal 2024 budget is approved in June.
Officials got a first look at next year’s plan Tuesday during a joint workshop among the City Council, Planning Board and Finance Committee. The projects range from a $4 million replacement of the Main Street fire station, to $50,000 toward a new public art fund.
In the months ahead, officials will whittle down the proposed expenditures to limit the amount of new debt Lewiston will bond for the projects. City Administrator Heather Hunter said that as proposed, the total amount to be bonded would be roughly $24 million, but the local cap on new debt is just over $7 million, leaving officials with tough decisions.
Included in the plan are economic development projects like $1.6 million toward the Bates Mill No. 5 work, as well as $160,000 toward the city’s share of a sculpture installation of Muhammad Ali at the mill complex.
Hunter said the sculpture has been paid for through a private donation, but the city funding will pay for a plaza and landscaping around the sculpture, which is scheduled for installation this summer.
The Bates Mill cleanup funding has previously been deferred and is only a part of a $5 million project that officials have sought to fund with federal Brownfield grants. The City Council approved a final, five-year agreement with developer Tom Platz for the redevelopment of the historic mill in 2021, but the environmental cleanup is considered a key stepping stone.
The funding included toward a citywide revaluation, at $128,000, would be only the third installment of five. Hunter said city staff has heard from contractors that the funds already approved “will not be sufficient to start the project,” and the city will soon host a council workshop to decide how to move forward.
Lewiston has not conducted a full revaluation since 1988, and the city values homes at about 76% of their full market value. The need for a revaluation has come up during budget talks the past two years, as officials seek solutions to the city’s high property tax rate.
Other projects include $1.6 million toward Lewiston Armory upgrades, and $2.3 million toward the design and construction of a new fueling station for Lewiston Public Works. School capital projects include several roof replacements — $600,000 for Montello; $1.1 million for McMahon, and $1 million for Lewiston High School.
According to Hunter, the city has $207 million in total debt, $39 million of which is associated with new school construction, paid for by the state. She said roughly $12 million from the city’s fund balance, or “rainy day fund,” could also be used to fund capital items or other one-time expenditures.
The first public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan will be held Feb. 7, after which the council will receive officials’ recommendations from the Planning Board and Finance Committee. The council is scheduled to adopt the plan Feb. 21.
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