The City of Lewiston was notified today that it has been selected as a "finalist" for a 2006 Award for Municipal Excellence by the National League of Cities (NLC) and CH2M HILL. The Awards for Municipal Excellence recognize outstanding programs that have significantly contributed to the quality of life in their city, and Lewiston is a finalist this year due to the successful initiatives of the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council (LYAC). This year, cities and towns from 38 states and Washington, DC sent in nominations.

“Lewiston has demonstrated its leadership and creativity and is being recognized as a finalist for the Awards for Municipal Excellence,” said Don Borut, NLC’s Executive Director. "The Lewiston Youth Advisory Council is illustrative of the type of projects that are improving the lives of residents in cities and towns across the country.”

Nominated programs were judged on the following criteria: successful public-private partnership ventures; productive citizen and community collaborations; effective management of municipal resources (public or private); innovative government policies; project implementation with tangible results; and/or the ability to replicate the project in other cities.

Upon receiving notification of Lewiston's finalist status, Mayor Lionel C. Guay, Jr., noted, "Since the Lewiston City Council established the youth council in 2001, its teen membership has repeatedly enhanced our community and has served as a wonderful example of the ability of young people to make a tangible difference."

Councilor Norm Rousseau, who serves as City Council liaison to LYAC, echoed the Mayor's comments, "This is great news and is reflective of the fine work of the youth council. The residents of our community have every right to be extremely proud of these young people!"

In addition to giving superior projects the recognition they deserve, the Awards for Municipal Excellence serve to highlight programs that other cities can replicate. For instance, the 2005 Silver Winner, Des Moines’ “It Started with Pots” city beautification program, provided the inspiration for a similar program in Lexington, Ky.

"As a global leader in full-service engineering, construction and operations, CH2M HILL endeavors to deliver innovative, yet practical, solutions to our clients,” said Howlie Davis, CH2M HILL Senior Vice President for State and Local Government Affairs. “We applaud the work of our municipal leaders as they follow a similar path of innovation, resulting in a brighter future for their citizens."

The winners of the 2006 Awards for Municipal Excellence will be announced at the National League of Cities’ Congress of Cities and Exposition in Reno, Nev., December 5-9, 2006.

In 1989, NLC partnered with CH2M HILL to create a recognition program, naming the awards the James C. Howland Awards for Urban Enrichment. It honored a founding partner and chief executive officer of CH2M HILL, James C. Howland. Today, the Awards for Municipal Excellence continues on the tradition of this prestigious recognition program. Detailed information about the Awards for Municipal Excellence can be found on the NLC website at www.nlc.org and future features in Nation’s Cities Weekly.

For additional information on the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council, interested residents may visit www.ci.lewiston.me.us/lyac

FOR MORE INFO on any Press Releases contact:
Dot Perham-Whittier - Community Relations Coordinator
Lewiston City Hall
784-2951 - Extension 110
dottie@ci.lewiston.me.us