Former church to house health education center

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York Hospital's new Meeting Place will be in the former York United Methodist Church in York Village.Courtesy image

YORK, Maine York Hospital is moving forward with plans to convert the former United Methodist Church in the center of York Village to a new center called the Meeting Place.

The new health education center for staff, physicians and the community may open by late this year, according to Steve Pelletier, chief operating officer for York Hospital.

"Since we have Planning Board approval and Historic District Commission support, we're in the process of designing the interior and exterior renovations and put it out to bid," Pelletier said Monday. "We hope get bids back by late summer and begin construction in the fall."

Fiorentino Group Architects designed the renovations to the historic 1834 church, which was most recently used as a retail center.

The building will retain its exterior look, according to Pelletier. He added that the building will retain some of its interior church features, such as old cornices.

The basement will be used for storage while the first floor will hold meeting rooms. There will be a larger meeting room on the second floor. The Meeting Place will be used for staff training and for health education for the community, according to Pelletier.

"We were trying to create the right use for the building, and converting the church into a meeting place is really appropriate," he said.

The main entrance will be at the back of the building, where there is parking, he said.

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Former church to house health education center