The Sun Journal editorial Feb. 14 suggested that there are too many disconnected organizations creating plans in Lewiston. Currently, there are two active groups developing plans for Lewiston’s downtown neighborhood – the Downtown Neighborhood Task Force (a municipal committee, charged to create a master plan for the downtown neighborhood) and the Visible Community (a group that organizes downtown residents to improve their neighborhood and get their voices heard at City Hall).

Both groups are in close communication, share some members in common, and inform of each other’s process.

The Visible Community is completing their People’s Downtown Master Plan, which identifies priority issues downtown residents say matter to them most, and organizes residents around these issues in order to implement the solutions.

The DNTF will use the People’s Plan to inform their work as they also seek input and ideas from downtown stakeholders who might not necessarily live there, in addition to information gathered from stakeholders within and outside the community.

By November, the Task Force will complete their plan and will present it to Lewiston city officials for approval. While the Sun Journal did not name the eight organizations it claims are duplicating work, we acknowledge that other organizations have created, or are intending to create, plans for larger parts of the region that may include downtown Lewiston. It should be noted that many of those groups either are no longer working actively or have yet to begin.

Our focus is uniquely tailored to create a more dynamic downtown residential neighborhood. It is our intention that the coordinated work of the Visible Community and the Task Force will inform current redevelopment decisions, as well as contribute to whatever larger planning efforts are undertaken in the future.

Craig Saddlemire, Visible Community and Downtown Neighborhood Task Force

Adillah Muhammad, Downtown Neighborhood Task Force