LEWISTON – A branch of the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council will become partners in the Central Maine Civic Center, kicking in $300,000 to help the city buy the ice rink.
Jim Bouquet, president of the Lewiston Development Corp., announced that his organization will give the city a $300,000 loan to help purchase the center. The corporation is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that markets, manages and sells properties throughout the city.
The city agreed to take on an estimated $4.7 million in debt to control the center in January in a bid to keep the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team in the city.
The city was scheduled to wrap up the deal on Monday, but moved the closing date back to Friday, according to City Administrator Jim Bennett.
“This was one of the issues that convinced us to wait,” Bennett said. The LDC was interested in working with the city all along, he said.
“But they needed more time to work with their board to come to a final decision,” Bennett said.
The LDC appointed Auburn Mayor Normand Guay, a member of the growth council’s board of directors, as its representative to the Lewiston Urban Civic Center Enterprise LLC. That group will manage the arena for the city.
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