COURTESY / MORRISON CENTER
Seen here is a rendering of 20 acres to be developed at Opportunity Farm.
December 30, 2019
As demand grows, disabilities services provider continues expansion, implements merger
Courtesy / Google Earth
Morrison Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to help people of all ages with disabilities, bought the building at right and parking lot, at 31 Central St., in downtown Westbrook to accommodate increased demand.
Morrison Center, a disabilities services provider headquartered in Scarborough, has been busy on several fronts.
In September, it acquired property in Westbrook to accommodate growing demand for its services.
Several months later, it announced a pending merger with UCP of Maine, a nonprofit headquartered in Bangor that provides similar services.
And it continues to raise funds for the redevelopment of property in New Gloucester to build out its residential program.
Westbrook acquisition
Morrison Center is a nonprofit whose mission is to help people of all ages with disabilities. The organization specializes in complex and involved developmental disabilities, the center’s programming includes a preschool and childcare program, a K-12 special-purpose grade school, adult day community support programs, case management services for children and adults, and an integrated therapy clinic for all ages.
That need has prompted the purchase of several properties over the past few years to accommodate increased demand for case management and residential services.
Most recently, the center bought a 3,300-square-foot office building with a 22-space parking lot at 31 Central St., in downtown Westbrook, from Double Agents LLC for $570,000.
Greg Perry of Cardente Real Estate and Justin Lamontagne of NAI Dunham Group brokered the transaction, which closed Sept. 20.
“Morrison Center’s growth and expansion of services has necessitated the purchase of our new site at 31 Central Street in Westbrook for additional space to provide case management services,” the center’s executive director, Mark Ryder, told Mainebiz. “We are thrilled to be a part of the city of Westbrook downtown area that offers high visibility and easy access for networking and service delivery.”
In August 2018, the center bought a 125-acre property, called Opportunity Farm, at 215 Gloucester Hill Road in New Gloucester, so that the center can expand its residential facilities there.
In December 2017, the center bought an adjacent 26 acres to become part of the campus. In January 2017, it bought an office building at 2250 Post Road, Wells, to expand programming in that town.
The center operates a second facility in Wells, at 526 Post Road. Incorporated in the 1950s, the organization is headquartered in Scarborough and also operates a smaller facility in Portland.
Pending merger
The organization has also been in discussion with UCP of Maine over the past two years about how to strengthen services during a changing and challenging time for the industry, Ryder said.
The merger is expected to be finalized in Spring 2020 pending regulatory approvals. UCP of Maine also provides essential services to people with disabilities in Maine.
“As discussions progressed, the more excited we became on how the agencies can complement each other and work together for the benefit of all clients and staff. Our two organizations have similar missions and we share common goals. It is clear in our respective regions of Maine that there is a need for expanded services for the growing demand.”
Morrison Center was once known as UCP of Southern Maine. Both regions of the state have seen an increase in the demand for services. The organizations’s similar history is expected to be a benefit in tapping into statewide expertise and collaboration.
“By coming together as one organization, we will be able to respond to industry challenges, prepare for growth opportunities and strengthen service delivery across the state,” Ryder said. “Together we will reach a larger geographic region, from Millinocket to Kittery, where what we do makes a big difference, and in fact, is essential to the well-being of hundreds of individuals and their families.”
Benefits of the merger, he said, include:
- More efficient outreach and education about what the organizations do and how they provide for clients
- Increased resources available for client services;
- Expanded development and fundraising opportunities and other new revenue sources;
- Benefits to employees for professional growth and opportunities;
- Better ability to attract and retain highly qualified staff;
- Improvements to facilities, technology and other resources.
The merged entity will consist of approximately 600 employees. The facilities will include educational campuses that provide early childhood services and K-12 private special purpose schools, an intermediate care facility for both children and adults, adult and children residential homes and community support centers which are located across the state. Over 500 children and over 700 adults, with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will be served.
The merger is not expected to result in any staff cuts. Instead, there will be increased professional development opportunity and the chance to attract and retain highly skilled providers. The new entity will initially maintain the Morrison Center name. Once the merger is finalized, a new board will be tasked with considering options for a potential name change.
“Neither organization is coming at this from a position of weakness,” Scott Tash, CEO of UCP of Maine, said in a news release. “Instead, we are both strong, and are committed to best practices when it comes to providing essential services to children and adults who live with developmental, intellectual, medical, behavioral/mental health and physical disabilities.
Opportunity Farm
Morrison Center continues to look toward the redevelopment of Opportunity Farm in New Gloucester for expanded residential facilities.
“Morrison Center, in response to the urgent need for children’s residential services in the State of Maine, has initiated an aggressive capital campaign to develop the Opportunity Farm Campus in New Gloucester into a state-of-the-art educational, therapeutic and residential campus,” Ryder said. “The interest and response from the community and potential corporate, individual and foundation partners have been encouraging and we hope to share our lead donor names soon.”
Click here to learn more about Opportunity Farm and the capital campaign.
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