Auburn mayor says theater rebuild will go to bid and Main Street events planned to draw crowds downtown in 2025

Mayor Nancy Backus said on a Jan. 6, 2025, podcast that the City of Auburn intends to put its downtown theater rebuild out to bid this year and will pilot public events on Main Street to encourage visitors and help revitalize storefronts impacted by recent fires.

"I'm really excited to get the theater rebuild underway; that will go out for bid this year," Backus said. She added the city plans to close part of Main Street on summer Fridays for food trucks, bands and vendors: "We are going to close down Main Street, bring in food trucks, hopefully bring in some bands, some vendors...just have a good time downtown."

The mayor described the closures as a short-term strategy to encourage foot traffic while the city works to fill vacant storefronts in a downtown still recovering from two major fires. Backus said the city will evaluate frequency — whether every Friday, every other week or once a month — and emphasized the goal of restoring residents’ habit of visiting downtown before the theater reopens.

Backus also addressed the city’s finances and external risk factors. She said Auburn adopted a "balanced, meaningful budget" and that neighboring cities have made layoffs; she warned that state revenue shortfalls during the 2025 legislative session could reduce shared revenues available to cities. "So I'm hopeful that we don't have that revenue taken from us," Backus said, adding that the city’s finance staff and department directors had prepared a fiscally responsible plan.

The podcast included a related commercial-development note: the Outlet Collection (Auburn) was recently sold, and Backus said the new ownership plans about $10,000,000 in renovations. The mayor also referenced population growth and cited an Office of Financial Management estimate near 89,000 residents, saying she believes Auburn now exceeds 90,000 — a marker she said matters for city planning and services.

Backus framed the downtown efforts as a continuation of recovery and partnership: the city will combine public events with longer-term investments such as the theater rebuild to attract residents and support local businesses. She urged collaboration among council, staff and the community as the city moves into 2025 and monitors potential state-level revenue impacts.