$3 Million for Auburn Police Community Center Secured by Senator Collins in Funding Bill in First Key Step

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $3 million to build a new Auburn Police Activities League (PAL) Community Center in the draft Fiscal Year 2023 Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.  

As the Ranking Member and lead Republican on the Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins secured funding for this project in the bill, which was officially released by the full Senate Appropriations Committee today and must now be voted upon by the full Senate and House.

“For nearly a decade, the PAL Center in Auburn has provided children in Auburn with a safe, structured environment to play and learn after school; receive food, clothes, and school supplies; and build relationships with law enforcement officers who protect the local community,” said Senator Collins.  “This funding would allow the center to build on its success and expand its programming to serve even more children in the surrounding neighborhood.  As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I will champion this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

The funding would be used to build a new Auburn PAL Community Center at 24 Chestnut Street, which would become the hub for mentored/supervised after-school and summer activities.  The current building has far exceeded its total capacity to offer programming.  The new, larger building would support an early childhood education and child care program, a health center, a teen center, a gym, and a commercial kitchen and food pantry.