BANGOR, Maine — The founders of the Hammond Street Senior Center on Tuesday passed ownership of the historic building, all of its contents and vehicles on to the center’s members.
John Couri and his wife, Elaine, started the center in 1999, purchasing a defunct historic bank building with a leaky roof and revitalizing it to establish a place for seniors in the Bangor area to gather, play and learn. Since 1999, the couple has invested more than $3 million to improve the center.
After nearly 15 years the Couris gave up ownership of the center, signing over the deed for the building and everything inside, as well as the center’s bus and van, during a Tuesday luncheon at the Bangor Elks Lodge.
Center members and leaders stood up and applauded after John Couri finished signing the documents.
“We want this place to be here for you and your children and your children’s children,” John Couri told the more than 150 people who attended the luncheon.
Three years ago, the Couris established a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization and began setting up a board of directors for the center to explore whether it would be possible to transfer the center’s assets to that organization, Couri said. That exchange became final Tuesday.
“We wanted to prepare this place for long after we’re not around,” Couri said.
The Couris aren’t entirely divesting themselves of the center. They say they plan to remain active on the center’s nine-member board, which is responsible for major policy and business decisions related to the center.
Finances have been a challenge for the center in recent years. This year, the center had a budget of about $372,000 but had to dip into reserve funds to balance it, Couri said. The center, which receives funding from several area communities, has seen those contributions dip as Bangor, Hampden and other municipalities struggle with their own budgets.
Couri said that if the center strives for a balanced budget, it can begin building an endowment to further strengthen its standing.
Along with this change in ownership, the center will begin charging for membership starting Jan. 1, 2014, according to Kathy Bernier, executive director of the center. Members will pay a $100 annual fee, which can be paid in installments.
“We’re trying to make this change as painless as possible,” Bernier said, adding that membership comes with a booklet that allows the seniors to get discounts and other deals at area businesses and restaurants.
The center has about 2,200 members on the books, but far fewer would be considered active members. So far, about 180 people have signed up to be members next year under the new fee system. The center’s budget is based on about 550 people paying the fee, according to Bernier.
The center provides seniors with a place to socialize, activities, exercise and opportunities to learn, according to Bernier. She said that seniors took a total of 761 classes last year and that the center’s fitness center is used often.
The members also assisted with multiple fundraising events, which brought a total of nearly $45,000 to the center.
“It’s your organization even more so after today, so you know how important these efforts are,” she told the luncheon group.