Maine hospitality leader wants to build a Portland convention center
Is the only piece of major infrastructure that Portland lacks a convention center? That’s the belief of Steve Hewins, the director of both the Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association, who established a nonprofit that hopes to bring such a center to the city.
Hewins told Maine Public that since last March his nonprofit has been working under-the-radar with pro bono legal help from the Portland-based law firm Preti Flaherty, giving numerous presentations about the project to possible supporters and opponents and is now going public with his proposal.
So what does Hewins see in a possible convention center? A purpose-built building between 150,000 to 200,000 square feet that can hold up to 5,000 people; all for the cost of at least $150 million, according to Maine Public.
Hewins added that he already has identified six possible sites for the center, which are all located on Portland’s peninsula for easy accessibility. Hewins added that repurposing the Cross Insurance Arena in the city’s downtown is not on the table, Maine Public reported.
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