The possibility of turning Mercy Hospital’s Westbrook facility into a school has been rejected by school officials, but the talks last month – as well as a Planning Board decision this week – could signal that the building may be undergoing changes in use in the future.
School officials looked at the possibility of retrofitting the aging medical building into a school building, but decided against purchasing it after costs were deemed too high.
In June, Mercy announced the closure of its addiction recovery center in the hospital, resulting in the loss of 45 jobs. The center was consolidated into Mercy’s State Street location in Portland – affecting a total of 90 employees and 250 patients. During the announcement, Mercy officials said the hospital would continue to operate its express care facility at the Westbrook site, and possibly use the empty space for administrative offices.
The hospital, on Park Road, was built in 1962 and has been a constant home for primary care, urgent care, and addiction recovery in Westbrook.
City and school officials met in executive session in late September to discuss the possible sale. The American Journal confirmed the discussions on the building through a Freedom of Information Act request this month.
The school department, facing increasing enrollment, has been looking at an expansion and renovation project at Saccarappa Elementary School and the completion of a wing of classrooms at Westbrook Middle School.
Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse said that after discussions with city officials and Mercy, the parties agreed to explore whether the idea could be feasible.
According to City Administrator Jerre Bryant, after the addiction recovery unit closed, city staff contacted Mercy to discuss its future plans for site. Out of that conversation, Bryant said, came talks about whether the facility could be a viable solution to the school department’s expansion needs. But, he said, the city “initiated the dialogue.”
“Our thought was, if there’s an opportunity here, we at least need to explore it,” he said, adding that the executive session was held to inform the City Council and School Committee that “we were doing our due diligence” by evaluating the site.
Dan Cecil, an architect from Harriman Associates who has been working with the school department on its expansion projects, was asked by the department to estimate the cost of converting the building to a school. According to Cecil, the cost of purchasing the hospital and turning it into a school would cost some $9 million more than the proposed plan for Saccarappa.
“The simple fact is that if the Mercy building were a school now, you could move into it for little cost,” Cecil told school officials in an email. “But because the floor plan is full of tiny rooms, we have to demolish most of the partitions, finishes, and the electrical and mechanical systems and make new classroom-sized rooms.”
Cecil said costs could be trimmed, but it would still not “make the two schemes anywhere near comparable in cost.”
“The cost differential – no one could have imagined,” Gousse said about the difference between renovating the hospital and Saccarappa.
If feasible, the school would have been used for elementary grades. The hospital is located at the very end of Park Road, close to Cumberland Street. Just a few blocks away is Congin Elementary School and the Westbrook Community Center. Not too far is the site of the former Prides Corner Elementary School.
With the school department declining to buy the space, it’s unclear what the mostly vacant building will be used for.
Susan Corliss, Mercy’s director of communications, said in an emailed statement that Mercy is “committed to the residents of Westbrook.”
“Mercy has no plans to sell or lease the property,” she said. “We will continue to use the facility for clinical and administrative needs including our Express Care, labs, digital mammography, bone densitometry, ultrasound and X-ray.”
There was another potential buyer for the hospital, as well.
Eric Spofford, who runs The Granite House and New Freedom Academy substance abuse treatment facilities in New Hampshire, said this week that he offered to buy the vacant space from Mercy and use it for addiction recovery. Spofford said Mercy declined his offer.
“I offered them at least the $300,000 a year for the facility,” Spofford said in an email Tuesday, adding that the offer extended to buying the building after two years.
Meanwhile, at a Westbrook Planning Board meeting Tuesday, Mercy asked the board’s approval for a special exception to allow the Business Office 2 zoning at the location, which was approved unanimously.
“The proposal is to convert the hospital space on Park Road into office space for administrative/support functions,” according to the Planning Board memo.
Westbrook Hospital, now known as Mercy Westbrook, was built in 1962 on Park Road. Staff photo by Andrew RiceSend questions/comments to the editors.
