By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer
About $500M has been invested in the Twin Cities on new or expanded businesses

LEWISTON – The business boom in Lewiston-Auburn has garnered the cities and their growth council an award from the Maine Development Foundation.

Next Friday, the foundation will give its Champions for Economic Development award to city leaders and the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council.

Their collaboration “has led to tremendous benefits for your residents and businesses in improved services, reduced costs, and economic vibrancy and creativity,” wrote Laurie Lachance, the foundation’s president, in a letter to the winners.

“We celebrate you, your unparalleled efforts and your contribution to the economic vitality of Maine,” wrote Lachance, who served as Maine’s state economist for 11 years before taking the foundation post.

The award, which will be presented at a foundation’s annual dinner in Augusta, was celebrated Thursday on both sides of the Androscoggin.

In Lewiston, City Administrator Jim Bennett highlighted recent investment in both cities. Including such projects as the Hilton Garden Inn and the Wal-Mart distribution center, about $500 million has been spent on new projects or expansions of existing businesses.

Mayor Lionel Guay regarded the award as one more sign that the cities’ work is being noticed.

“We’re a community that is open for business,'” Guay said in a prepared statement.

Auburn Mayor Normand Guay regarded the attention as only the start.

The foundation gives two such champion awards each year, one for the public sector and one to private businesses. This year’s private-sector winner is L.L. Bean.

The foundation was created by the state in 1978 as a private, nonprofit corporation aimed at promoting Maine’s economy.