Sen. Rotundo celebrates Community Action Grant awarded to Lewiston

AUGUSTA — Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, is pleased to announce that Lewiston was selected to receive a Community Action Grant award from the Community Resilience Partnership. The Partnership, administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs, helps Maine communities transition to clean energy and become more resilient to climate effects, including severe storms and flooding.

Lewiston and Auburn were awarded a combined $175,000 to conduct a joint multi-hazard climate change vulnerability assessment, aiming to improve public safety and infrastructure resilience in the face of extreme weather and other climate impacts. This marks Lewiston’s second award under the Community Resilience Partnership. The first grant supported heat protection efforts, including tree canopy cover expansion and public water fountain installation.

“Communities across Maine are already beginning to feel the impacts of a warmer world, with weather extremes like flooding and drought threatening public health, critical infrastructure and local economies,” said Sen. Rotundo. “I’m very grateful that this state investment will bring Lewiston one meaningful step closer to community resilience, supporting the thoughtful planning we need to ensure our neighbors can proactively adapt and thrive through the challenges ahead.”

The most recent round of grant funding, awarded earlier this month, is the second set this year and seventh overall. It will support projects in 72 communities with $4.7 million in total awards. A complete list of awardees is available through the Maine Office of Community Affairs. The previous round, which was announced in May of this year, supported projects in 76 Maine communities with over $5 million awarded. A complete list of those awardees is available here.

Funding for the grants comes from several sources, including measures passed by the Maine Legislature under Sen. Rotundo’s leadership as Senate chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee:

• The Supplemental Budget that was passed by the Legislature in 2024 to increase community resilience and preparedness in the wake of the December 2023 and January 2024 storms;
• Funds from the biennial budget authorized by the Legislature in 2023; and
• A federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sen. Rotundo is serving her sixth nonconsecutive term in the Maine Senate, representing Lewiston. She serves as Senate chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

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