This is in response to the July 14 article “Grand Trunk station cafe proposal gets city help.”

The city of Lewiston and the railroad are going to spend $370,800 to turn the Grand Trunk depot into a rail-themed cafe? These are grants, not loans. They do not have to be paid back. A local woman (unidentified) will invest an additional $230,000 for a total investment of $600,000, for a rail-themed cafe on Lincoln Street. I think there are a number of questions that need to be answered:

Why would the city do this project?

How many full-time jobs would the project create?

What is the background of the woman and what experience does she have to run a cafe?

Does she have the $230,000 to invest, or will the city loan her the money using the improved building as collateral?

If the woman has $230,000 to invest, why would she invest it in a cafe on Lincoln Street? What kind of return on investment can she expect from a cafe?

Where does the railroad get the $200,000 to improve the Grand Trunk building?

As a local accountant, I question the economic value of the project. There are many local small businesses that are struggling and could use a grant to pay employees, etc., to stay in business. The $370,000 in grants could be spent helping existing businesses, rather than a new venture whose long-term viability is questionable.

I wonder what local businesses think about the city’s investment in the project.

John O’Malley, Lewiston