"Riverfront Redevelopment" was the topic of Mayor Larry Gilbert's presentation at the 2009 Northeast Session of the Mayors' Institute on City Design in Boston held on October 7-9, 2009.
I was invited to attend the Institute by George Thrush, Director of Northeastern University's School of Architecture, for the privately funded visit with mayoral colleagues and design experts. He joined other mayors from six other northeastern cities. The Institute is sponsored through the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Architectural Foundation, and the United States Conference of Mayors.
The Institute brings mayors together with planners, architects, landscape designers, and other national professionals who explored opportunities in each of the mayor's cities. The roundtable discussions that follow each mayoral presentation offered a rare opportunity for some of the finest designers and development experts in the country to determine how quality design can improve the way a particular city looks and functions.
Mayors who have participated in past Institutes have returned to their communities with a better understanding of design and design processes along with a repertoire of new tools and ideas to tackle complex design issues and solutions.
I brought back some exciting design possibilities to consider in the City's plan for the redevelopment of our riverfront. The riverfront is begging to be turned into a thriving are for moving out city forward.
I have worked to increase citizen involvement in the direction of the city. I advocated for a public forum to get citizen input on the proposal for Casella Waste Systems, Inc. to take over the city's waste facility for a period of 30 years while bringing in out of state waste. As a result of the public outcry at the forum, the Casella proposal was rejected. I believe that the members of our community should be involved in shaping policies that impact them.
Having served on the L-A Together Commission and the L-A Mayors' Joint Services Commission, I was one of the strongest advocates for consolidation of city services that could have resulted in savings of $2.7 million annually while improving services. I will continue to advocate for combining services that result in more efficiencies and improved services.
As mayor I led the successful effort to sell the Colisée. By selling the Colisée, over a half million dollars has been saved by the taxpayers each year. In addition, we now receive $50,000 in tax revenues and fees annually.
Since taking office, I have made the Office of Mayor more accessible to the city’s residents. I have held monthly coffees to give residents a chance to speak directly to the Mayor. I hold regular office hours at city hall and I often meet with members of the business community and other organizations. I make myself accountable to the people “The Mayor’s Corner,” in the Twin City Times and as the host of “Chats with the Mayor,” on Great Falls TV talking about current issues that affect our citizens.
I welcome a willingness on the part of both the mayor and city councilors to work together for the common good of our residents. I am hopeful that the electorate will elect candidates that want to serve with the same enthusiasm as I have had throughout my career and continue to have in my service as mayor. I extend my hand to those who have decided to serve just as I have in the past.
Education must be seen as the place where economic development starts. I am proud that Lewiston Public Schools provide a quality education for all ages, pre-K to Adult Education. We have the good fortune of having excellent educational leaders in the superintendent and Lewiston School Committee. I will continue to support their good work.
As an example, the Lewiston Regional Technical Center provides educational opportunities in the fields of hospitality, engineering, and health sciences. Three very important areas for our community as these programs have excellent placement rates in jobs and higher education for its students.
The Lewiston Adult Education program is much more than a personal enrichment curriculum. It provides job training and retraining, basic education, alternatives for students who find that the traditional structure doesn’t work for them. I also recognize the important role that private education plays in our community.
Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care is a valued program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children by providing educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and their families. I believe that Head Start is a vital link to entering school prepared to learn.
Our post-secondary institutions offer a wide and varied set of opportunities for our city. Andover, L-A College and CMCC allow more students—and of all ages—to take advantage of bettering themselves.
Lewiston has transitioned from an industrial city to a city where creativity blossoms. In Maine, the creative economy accounts for about 7 million dollars in cultural tourism. In Lewiston we are fortunate to host the home of L/A Arts as the local arts agency for the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn.
Ensuring the viability of the arts is a critical key to the economic development of our city and Androscoggin County. This isn’t just about selling a painting or putting on a theatrical production. What it is about is reaching to all sectors to our community as partners. I support the Per Cent for Art program to make public art available such as in our two new recently built schools and our downtown courthouse. It is about exposing the youth to cultural opportunities through artist-in-residence programs. I believe in the partnerships between non-profits and businesses to increase awareness of the arts and bring a variety of artists to our city. We have students from the Lewiston High School Arts Department that have been recognized with prestigious regional and national awards.
We are fortunate to have a professional theatre in Lewiston, a number of art galleries, performers, and other professionals. In addition, L/A Arts has a nationally acclaimed Arts-in-Education program.
Support of the arts will help keep our young people here and further build on our economic success.
All three of my children are engaged in the arts as their livelihood.
I see Lewiston as a renaissance city.
In Lewiston, we have a rich cultural history. Immigrants came to our community seeking a better life, many seeking to escape oppression. Today, Lewiston plays a similar role.
Just as the Androscoggin River was for many of our ancestors the source for jobs and a place for recreation, we have come full-circle and prepare to embrace that relationship once again.
I honor those who have sacrificed to make this city great: from our veterans to the weavers; the farmers and the shoemakers; the artists and the educators; the police and firefighters; the pipe-fitter and carpenter; the volunteer and the CEO; the public servant and the small business owner; the steel worker and day-care provider; the nurse and the student. All, and so many more, have propelled our city where we are today.
It is in our hands to make a future that our children and their grand children deserve.
I see our community engaged in the workings of their government and taking responsibility for its stewardship.
Learning from those that have come before us, such as Dr. Bernard Lown and Ray Geiger, is how we move forward to progress.
I see our community putting the future first and moving on from our petty quarrels.
