I can’t bite my tongue any longer regarding the city’s thought of bringing a Junior Major hockey team to Lewiston. This is the most ridiculous proposal I have heard since the Quebec Nordiques tried to relocate their farm system in the early 1970s.

Unless the Sherbrook Castors bring a fan base with them from Canada, the team, no matter how talented or how marketed simply will not find the financial support or the fan base they need to be successful in Lewiston.

Sorry Roger Theriault. I applaud your dream, but I’m afraid that’s all it’s going to be until Lewiston and Auburn decide to keep up to the rest of the country in developing our most important resource — our children.

We need to pump some money into the recreational and nonprofit organizations like the local sports programs, rebuild these programs and get kids interested in playing sports again. Imagine $2 million allocated for the youth programs in the Twin Cities. The possibilities could be endless.

Being an alumnus of the Junior A and Junior Major circuits in Canada, I would love to see a Junior Major team thrive here. But being an alumnus also gives me the insight to realize that Lewiston-Auburn is not and may never be ready to support such a venture.

Please consider the fact it has been attempted before and failed miserably during a high point in hockey popularity in the Twin Cities, when Class A hockey games often had crowds of 1,500 to 2,000 people. Now people have a hard time paying $5 to see a Class A hockey game. At $13 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $8 for children under 12, most families could not afford to attend. For my family alone it would set me back $70, and that is before we pay homage to the concession stand.

I really hope L/A starts to take a real look at what needs to be done to rebuild our foundations within our communities. Helping to bail out a failing franchise is not in the cities’ best interest.

Perry Morneau, Auburn

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