AUBURN — Having been selected as a community of similar characteristics, city officials from Lewiston and Auburn recently welcomed 17 delegates from the Danville Regional Foundation of Danville, Va., for a three-day tour. They will explore the economic redevelopment and transition of the Twin Cities from traditional mill community into modern industrial center.

Spearheaded by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Executive Director Bob Thompson connected with representatives from the Danville group to help coordinate and focus on the subject of the visit as the delegation came to learn more about the economic renaissance of the Lewiston-Auburn area firsthand.

The Danville Regional Foundation is tasked with investing and managing a nearly $200 million endowment through the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center. With its regional partners, DRF has made major investments in the revitalization of its service area, consisting of the city of Danville and Pittsylvania County in Virginia and Caswell County in North Carolina.

The three-day event consisted of full days visiting with city officials Auburn and Lewiston, area stakeholders, education representatives, and business owners while touring the downtowns and cultural landmarks of the area.

Highlighting various initiatives and comprehensive planning strategies implemented since the 1960s by city staff, representatives from DRF acknowledged that much of the information they had gathered would be further investigated to create a best practices scenario for additional economic development initiatives in their own community.