A downtown museum would make the Twin Cities a desirable destination point for tourists and scientists.

There is a pot of gold at the end of Lewiston-Auburn’s rainbow. But here is the catch: you’ve got to build the pot.

The pot isn’t cheap and takes some courage, but the gold it will bring into the L-A community will pay for itself many times over.

I believe building L-A’s image is great. But I wonder if an expensive branding campaign – “L-A – It’s Happening Here” – is putting the cart before the horse.

“It” is not here yet. L-A needs to build that pot. Then we need to tell people it’s here, but not before.

The message the growth council and chamber wants to sell L-A with is not going to do much: “a centrally located, urban area in Maine with a strong heritage in manufacturing, now diversifying its economic base to include technically advanced industry and professional, service-based business, health care and education facilities.”

Yawn.

Something more is needed. So what is this pot at the end of the rainbow?

It’s a major museum: the Maine Museum of Science and Outdoor Life.

What is the gold? Tourism. More precisely, it is tourism in Maine’s lucrative outdoor recreation market, the L.L. Bean market.

The possibilities are easy to imagine.

With the only IMAX theater north of Boston, L-A would become a regional attraction, pulling visitors across New England. With free, noncommercial educational programs and exhibits on Maine’s outdoor life, L-A will become an international destination.

Look at what the Tennessee Aquarium with its IMAX theater did for the dying mill town of Chattanooga. Such endeavors take vision and courage – the kind of vision and courage that once built L-A’s industrial economy.

If citizens of Lewiston and Auburn want to secure the cities’ future, build this museum. Build it before one of Maine’s other cities capitalizes on this golden, untapped museum market.

Just because this advice is free, it doesn’t come from Portland or has any strings attached, doesn’t mean that it lacks validity.

I’ve worked as a curator in the museum field in Maine for several years, mostly at the Maine State Museum. The history market is saturated. While tourists can never get enough art, art museums are expensive to build and maintain. Science museums are also expensive, but Maine does not have a great one – yet.

When we exhibit gurus sit around the campfire and whisper about what would really pack the tourists in, major outdoor life changing exhibits emerge.

How about “Fly Fishing: Past, Present, Future,” “Maine Camping: Lessons from History,” “Maine Guns and Sporting,” “Sleds, Skies and Snowshoes: Maine’s Winter Wonderland,” “Maine Snowmobiles,” “Birds of Maine.” These are just a few topics off the top of my head.

L-A’s geography is perfect. Start marketing L-A as the new gateway to Maine’s great outdoors and watch an increasing share of Maine’s 44 million yearly visitors bring gold to L-A’s pot.

Outlet stores could fill the downtown at a fraction of Freeport’s costs. Families and school children will flock to Maine’s newest major nonprofit museum to discover how to enjoy Maine’s outdoors, all without the commercialized setting and sales pressures.

Can you see those property taxes falling?

Now, here is the best part: L-A does not have to foot the entire bill.

As a nonprofit organization, international, federal, state and private educational granting agencies will provide tremendous financial support, not only to get it started but year after year. Wouldn’t you like to see the mayor on the phone with National Geographic, City Council members giving tours to the National Science Foundation, Gov. Baldacci promoting the state’s next great tourist attraction?

Remember, tourism is Maine’s number one employer. Tourists go to nice places. Nice places attract industry and jobs and lifelong, tax-paying residents.

Douglas Hawes of Poland, an economic development and museum consultant, has worked as a curator at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Maine State Museum.