Senator Collins Speaks at Maine MILL Grand Opening Ceremony
Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor completed renovations of its new permanent home thanks to millions secured by Senator Collins.
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LEWISTON, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined community members and state and local leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the new Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor (MILL) in Lewiston. Senator Collins was joined at the event by Governor Janet Mills, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline, Auburn Mayor Jeffrey Harmon, Maine MILL Executive Director Rachel Ferrante, and Maine MILL Board Chair Michael Rancourt.
The Maine MILL’s new home at the former Camden Yarns Mill has transformed a long-vacant former industrial building on the Angroscoggin Riverfront into a 22,000-square-foot modern museum with an impressive collection of more than 10,000 artifacts, including a Jacquard loom, original Bates Manufacturing bedspreads, and approximately 300 recorded oral histories from those who lived and worked in the region.
“The Maine MILL is a museum that tells the story of the men and women who built not just industries, but also communities. Their story – of hard work and dedication, of hardship and triumph – is the story of Lewiston and Auburn. It is the story of our great State of Maine, and of our nation. It is a story that honors our past and inspires us to meet the challenges of the future,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “I worked hard to secure funding to advance this project because in addition to preserving the region’s rich history, redeveloping the Camden Yarns Mill into the Maine MILL strengthens ongoing efforts to promote job growth, improve infrastructure, and boost local economies along the Androscoggin River.”
In 2010, Senator Collins helped secure $600,000 through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to begin this restoration of the Camden Yarns Mill. This winter, as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins secured $3 million to help complete the restoration as part of $12 million she secured this fiscal year to revitalize former mill sites in East Millinocket, Lincoln, and Lewiston.
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