The future of the Lewiston Maineiacs’ franchise, its viability as a small-market Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team in the greater Lewiston-Auburn area and, ultimately, whether the team remains a tenant of the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in the long term, depends on the community.

That’s the message the Maineiacs’ brass stressed this week as they announced plans to remain in Lewiston. In addition, team officials said, the team itself has a few things to shore up, as well, including its communication to, and involvement with, the surrounding communities

“We’re making that commitment today,” Lewiston head coach Don MacAdam said, “but we’re making that commitment based on us doing a great job from our side, and this becoming a community-based team.

“As we all know, any one of us could lose our job next month.”

We just don’t know. Economic times will dictate that for a lot of us. But we don’t foresee that at all. We see our three-year plan as being aggressive. It’s going to mean a whole lot of work from all of us up here.”

“We want to help you, too,” Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert replied during the team’s news conference Tuesday.

“Thank you for your support, and we’ll hold you to that,” MacAdam shot back with a smile. This is one of the reasons we’re so confident. We know the people in this community are really passionate about hockey and about the Maineiacs. If that weren’t the case, why even bother trying?”

MacAdam said one of the team’s major initiatives will be reconnecting with the community at large, using not only the telephone, but extensive personal contact, right down to the players themselves.

“If I had to pick one thing, it would be getting more engaged in the community,” MacAdam said. “We need to get our players out in the community more. We’ve talked with (Colisee owner) Jim (Cain) about getting more involved with the local minor hockey community.”

MacAdam also mentioned visits to area hospitals and churches, youth groups and other major organizations.

On the monetary side of things, the Maineiacs’ staff met Thursday with Colisee owner Jim Cain to lay the foundation for that piece of the partnership going forward.

“We can say that the price of a ticket won’t be going up,” MacAdam said Thursday. “And season ticket-holders are going to get a lot more for their ticket. I think they’ll be pleased with what we have to offer.”

The meeting also started to lay the ground work for combining forces among Colisee and Maineiacs’ employees.

MacAdam also said that even though the team and the people who support it are at the forefront of the team’s plans, the fact remains the team itself is still a business.

“What we have now is nine years remaining on the lease,” MacAdam said. “What we want to do at this point … we want to make sure we have a business plan in place that will allow us to be a viable economic business. We have to run this like a business. We’re in the sports-entertainment world, of course, but it still has to be a business, and we have to make a profit to stay in business.”