LEWISTON – Area residents will soon get a chance to voice their opinions about restructuring the University of Maine System.

And they won’t have to travel far to do it.

University of Maine System Chancellor Joseph Westphal has agreed to hold a public forum in the Lewiston-Auburn area so local residents can comment on the restructuring plan. Similar meetings have been held at nine sites across the state, but none were offered closer than Portland.

Democratic State Sens. Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston and Neria Douglass of Auburn wrote to Westphal earlier this month asking him to hold one in the Twin Cities.

“One of the reasons we have a campus here is because it’s difficult for people to get to Portland, to get to Augusta,” Rotundo said.

Released in March, Westphal’s reorganization plan calls for merging universities in Fort Kent, Machias and Presque Isle. The University of Maine at Farmington would strengthen its liberal arts niche and get a new name. The University of Southern Maine would take over the University of Maine at Augusta, meaning USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College and the University of Maine at Augusta, which share a Lewiston campus, would merge. The new USM would not grant associate’s degrees.

Westphal has said the reorganization could save the system $15 million a year, once implemented.

But the reorganization has come under fire from some students and alumni. During the nine public forums held this spring, some have complained that Westphal’s plan doesn’t have enough details. Others didn’t like merging schools or phasing out associate degree programs.

Douglass and Rotundo believe area students should also be able to share their opinions with university system officials. But many have not been able to attend meetings held in Farmington, Portland or other towns.

“We know our student population here,” Douglass said. “We know they’ve got commitments to children. They’re juggling a lot, and they don’t have the means to travel.”

Westphal spoke about the reorganization at a Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce breakfast two weeks ago. But a full public forum will include several University System officials, will accommodate a larger audience and will invite greater public participation.

Officials believe a local forum will likely be held in June. No date has been set yet.

Because no forum was originally scheduled in Augusta, either, Westphal has also agreed to hold a meeting in that town. That meeting will be set in June.

Residents can also comment on the reorganization plan by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or writing Elsa Nunez, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, 107 Maine Ave., Bangor, ME 04401

The formal public comment period ends June 30.

[email protected]