HOULTON, Maine — Could a senior citizens center, complete with a walking trail and gardening fields, one day be created in Houlton?
A group of dedicated organizers certainly hope so. And the group has set its sights on the former Putnam House, located on North Street, as the ideal spot for its center.
“We had this idea to start a senior center and it really gained momentum about 15 years ago with Debbie Nesbitt,” said Jane Torres, vice president of the group. “She really wanted to create a senior center, but didn’t have the support at that time.”
The concept was resurrected in earnest about a year ago, when the Putnam House became available. Torres approached Dawn Degenhardt, another committee member, about the idea and plans were soon in motion to use the property for the proposed senior center.
“This house has always intrigued me,” Torres said. “So when John Putnam, the last of the heirs, passed away the trustees stepped in to make sure something was done with the land and the home.”
Board members for the proposed senior center, which has received its official non-profit status, include Lori Weston, president; Torres, vice president; Zach Abbotoni, treasurer; Jennifer Sylvester, secretary; Rev. Dennis Ashley; Dawn Degenhardt, Bob Anderson and Becky Day.
Torres said the members of the Putnam Trust — Gary Severson and Paul Callnan — gave the group its blessing to have the home provided all of the needed funds were raised privately. United Way of Aroostook recently donated $1,000 for the cause.
“If we get the house up and running and found in a few years that we could not sustain it, the property would revert back to the trust,” Torres explained. “They were very open to the concept and supportive all the way.”
The house itself needs considerable repairs. Torres estimated the cost to restore the property would be between $250,000-$300,000. Taking down the building and replacing it with a more senior-friendly dwelling is also a possibility.
The house has been vacant for about three years. Most of the items inside the home were auctioned off. The home is not ADA accessible, but there is a lot of space available for gardening. A two-mile walking trail is also being created behind the property with the plan to connect that trail to the existing Riverfront Park trail.
Discussion has also included extending access to the property by building a road to the existing traffic light near the Houlton Shopping Plaza. To help facilitate the creation of a senior group, plans are in the works to start regular gatherings at the Court Street Baptist Church beginning Tuesday, July 18.
“The Putnam Trust is in support of tearing the building down, if that is the route we have to go,” Sylvester said. “They are fully behind the idea of a senior center, because they do not want to see the property sold and commercialized.”
