Committee recommends shared-use model for Biddeford Community Center after residents warn of archive and Meals on Wheels impacts

The Capital Projects and Operations Committee voted unanimously July 8 to recommend that the full council consider a shared-use model for the Biddeford Community Center after residents and nonprofit partners raised concerns about archives, storage and Meals on Wheels operations.

Director Thompson told the committee the shared-use proposal would remove exclusive, permanently reserved possession of rooms so the Recreation Department can schedule spaces for broader community programs while still allowing current lessees to use rooms at no charge. "We are not kicking anybody out," Thompson said, adding the department would continue to provide scheduling, cleaning and maintenance and that timing and implementation details would be determined by the committee.

The recommendation drew sustained public comment from long-standing partners. "This plan is very disturbing to me," said Stephanie Ruhl, treasurer of the Biddeford 50 Plus Club, who described decades of programming and donations that helped fund a recreation bus and warned that losing storage would jeopardize senior services and volunteer efforts. Paul Guiney, treasurer of the Cadmus Festival, said his group retrofitted and funded its room and cautioned that removing artifacts and displays would cause those collections to disappear from public view.

Ashley Perrone, Community Impact Director at Southern Maine Agency on Aging, said the Biddeford Meals on Wheels site operates out of the community center kitchen and dining space and relies on large freezers and on-site storage. "We serve 1,500 meals a week out of that meal site to 280 residents," Perrone said, and added that moving the program's freezers would make current operations untenable without a practical alternative to keep frozen inventory on site.

Committee members said they supported the shared-use direction in principle but repeatedly emphasized that implementation must avoid crippling partner operations. Councilor Cody proposed creating a shared storage closet for frequently used items as a partial compromise; other members urged the committee to identify off-site archival storage or to phase changes gradually. Several members also said major building repairs—roofing, windows and long-term maintenance—should be resolved or funded alongside any room renovations.

A councilor moved to recommend the Recreation Department's shared-use approach and to forward the recommendation to the full council along with a requirement that staff develop and return a detailed implementation plan; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously. The committee asked that the implementation plan address: where large freezers would be located, how archival collections would be preserved or rehoused, a phased renovation schedule starting with the most critical rooms, and the city's long-term maintenance commitment to the building.

The committee chair said there would likely be no significant, immediate physical changes before the end of the year and that community center partners would be kept informed as planning continues. The full council will receive the committee's recommendation and the implementation plan when staff returns with the requested details.