Lewiston looks at Armory overhaul as semipro basketball prepares to tip off

Courtesy / Lewiston Recreation The Lewiston Memorial Armory, built in 1922, is currently used for city-owned recreation, including basketball.

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By William Hall

Portland is already home to big-time basketball, but now Lewiston’s got game too. And before tip-off next July, the Androscoggin County city wants to begin upgrading home court at a potential cost of over $3.5 million.

The Lewiston-Auburn Maples plan to make their debut in the upcoming season of the Women’s American Basketball Association, a semiprofessional league launched in 2017 with seven teams. Today, the league numbers 31 squads, from Atlanta to New Orleans to Los Angeles. Four expansion teams including Maine’s are due to start in 2022, with eight to 12 home games played at the Armory in the first four-month season.

The Maples will be signing a five-year lease to play at the Lewiston Memorial Armory, according to a city memo last week. Terms have not been disclosed. Lewiston is already planning renovations for the 100-year-old facility, at 65 Central Ave., and intends to hire an architectural firm and clerk of the works for the project.

Among the changes planned are improvements to the balcony seating area and restrooms, creation of 15,000 square feet of locker rooms, office additions, installation of new heating and ventilation systems, and cosmetic enhancements.

Auburn-based architectural firm Harriman has submitted a $306,000 proposal for the design and planning, and noted that construction costs are estimated at $3.5 million plus a $263,000 contingency fee. That work would be contracted out in separate phase of the renovation over the next two years.

The Lewiston City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday at 7 p.m. on whether to authorize the first phase of the project, which would be paid for by the city's General Fund. More information can be found here.

The state’s only all-professional basketball team, the Maine Celtics, has been growing in popularity over recent years. In 2019, the G League team — formerly the Maine Red Claws — was acquired by its NBA affiliate, the Boston Celtics. Earlier this year the Red Claws were rebranded as the Celtics.