On Friday, September 5, we joined the City of Auburn, the Auburn Police Activities League (PAL), community members, and civic leaders to celebrate the opening of the new PAL Center in Auburn, Maine. Nearly 5 years in the making, this new 14,000-square-foot community center presents a space for neighborhood youth to socialize, play, study, and more.
The Auburn Police Department established the PAL in 2013 to provide positive, horizon-broadening experiences for at-risk youth in an area with a statistically high rate of crime perpetrated both by and upon young people. Auburn’s City Council turned over a vacant property at the center of the neighborhood to host the original PAL Center. Grant funding and local donors supported the redevelopment of the facility to better serve the needs of the community.
The new PAL Center has nearly triple the square footage of the previous structure. All this space allows the PAL to provide expanded and improved services to the community. Inside, community members, staff, and visitors can utilize a gymnasium, a teen room, meeting rooms, multipurpose rooms, a kitchen and pantry, as well as support amenities such as storage, bathrooms, a laundry room, and staff offices.
Woodard & Curran delivered environmental permitting and engineering design services for the new center. Because the project was funded with $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, additional environmental assessment, documentation, public noticing, and agency consultations were required for grant compliance. The project also overcame substantial funding and site challenges, but was eventually completed on time and under budget.
Learn more about the PAL Center, mission, and programs at auburnpal.com.
