Absolutely Auburn!

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio are Lauren Caffe, the city's long-range planner; DeCarlo Brown, the city's director of planning; and Sam Peikes, the city's planning coordinator. 

The Comprehensive Plan committee is looking for your feedback on the draft plan and there are several ways to share your thoughts. On October 14 at 6 PM in council chambers, there will be a joint public hearing with the Comprehensive Plan committee and Planning Board. 

You can stop by the Planning department and review a hard copy of plan and share your thoughts with Lauren by emailing her at [email protected]. You can also share your thoughts through a survey on the Comprehensive Plan page. 

In this episode, Jenn Boenig talks with Eric Cousens, Executive Director of Public Services at the City of Auburn; Sam Boss, Chairman of the city’s Conservation Working Group which is part of the Sustainability & Natural Resource Management Board; and Maranda Nemeth with the Restoration Center in Maine for the Office of Habitat Conservation with the National Marine Fisheries Service within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA Fisheries.

The City received a NOAA grant to remove the Littlefield Dam on the Little Androscoggin River and the group discusses how the dam removal will impact the Little Androscoggin River watershed. 

The City of Auburn is moving to a fully automated curbside collection program on July 13, 2026 for solid waste and recycling. 

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio to talk about the changes are Denis D'Auteuil,  Assistant City Manager; Scott Holland, Director of Public Works; and Talya Webster, Operations Supervisor at Casella. 

There are also three informational meetings where residents can ask questions and learn more information about the changes. 

• Thursday, June 11 at 6 PM at Auburn City Hall, 60 Court Street
• Thursday, June 25 at 6 PM at Sixth Street Congregational Church, 109 6th Street
• Tuesday, June 30 at 6 PM at Rolly's Diner, 87 Mill Street 

More information about the city's solid waste and recycling program can be found on the city's website and the Casella Recycle 101 app is available on Apple and Android devices. 

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio is Katie Boss, the city's grants and special projects manager. 

Katie shares the city has more than 30 active grants totaling over $17.5 million and she'll discuss three large projects that are in the works. All three projects share a common theme- water! 

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio for this episode of Absolutely Auburn are Lauren Caffe, the City of Auburn’s long-range planner and John Cleveland, chairman of the Comprehensive Plan Committee. 

The comprehensive plan will guide the city’s growth, development and investment over the next ten years. Caffe and Cleveland share an update on where the committee is in this process as well as some upcoming public forums.

Those dates and locations are: 

Tuesday, April 7 from 5:30-7:30 PM at Sherwood Heights Elementary School

Wednesday, April 8 from 5:30-7:30 PM at East Auburn Community School

Wednesday, April 15 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the PAL Center 

Saturday, April 18 from 10AM-12PM at Edward Little High School   

Joining Jenn Boenig on this episode is Brennan Edwards, a student representative on Auburn’s City Council. Brennan is a junior at Edward Little High School and as one of the two student representatives on the council, he shares information on school activities as well as participates in council meeting discussions. 

Learn more about Brennan, his love of politics, and thoughts on how to get more young people involved in local government. 

Mubarik Abdulahi, a senior at EL and the other student representative on city council, was featured on episode 26. 

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio are Auburn’s newest city councilors: Ward 1 Councilor Rachel Randall, Ward 3 Councilor Mathieu Duvall, and Ward 4 Councilor Kelly Butler.

Learn more about why they ran for city council and some of their favorite things about Auburn. 

You can find contact information, meeting minutes and agendas for the council on the city's website.  

Joining Jenn Boenig in the studio are Phil Crowell, Auburn’s City Manager and Rita Beaudry, the director of the Auburn PAL Center.

In September, the incredible new PAL Center opened at 24 Chestnut Street. Learn more about this new space and how the center plays a vital role in our community. 

The Auburn PAL Center is a registered nonprofit organization and if you're interested in volunteering, contact Rita at 207.333.6600 ext. 2019.

Joining Jenn Boenig for this episode are Glen Holmes, the director of Business and Community Development with the City of Auburn, and Zakk Maher, the deputy director of Business and Community Development.

The Auburn Resource Center is located at 121 Mill Street and is home to the Business & Community Development department along with several community partners. Glen and Zakk hope this collaborative model will be used in other municipalities across the state. 

Interested in learning more about the space available for community partners? Contact the Business & Community Development team.

The community partners available at the Auburn Resource Center are: 

• The Drop-In Center (immediate respite, food and clothing access, and resource navigation)
• YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston Food Pantry (addressing food insecurity)
• Recovery Connections of Maine (peer-based addiction recovery services)
• Maine Reentry Network (reentry support for justice-involved individuals)
• Spurwink (behavioral health services)
• Preble Street (housing stability and rapid rehousing programs)
• Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services or MEIRS (cultural and housing navigation support)
• Better Life Partners (mental health and substance use treatment)
• Immigrant Resource Center of Maine  (housing stabilization and navigation)

Joining Jenn Boenig in this episode are Jay Brenchick, Auburn’s Economic Development Director; Jim Fay, President of Maine MEP which is the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership; and John Lewis, Executive Director of “MAME” - the Manufacturers Association of Maine.

October is Manufacturing Month in Maine, and this statewide effort raises awareness about the state’s manufacturing sector. The City of Auburn has led the way on this initiative, partnering with the Manufacturers Association of Maine and Maine MEP to hold events at manufacturing sites in Auburn and across the state.

To learn more and register for those events, visit the MAME website.