By David Silverstein, dsilverstein@lowellsun.com
LOWELL -- After eight years of biding its time, the United Teens for Equality Center has finally gotten a foot in the door of its new home, as yesterday members began moving into the former St. Paul Church on Hurd Street.
About 20 teenagers and 10 staff members spent the day clearing out their old premises at 106 Merrimack St. -- lugging pieces of furniture, office equipment and an assortment of other items down the stairs to the street below. A pair of U-Hauls stood waiting, one slated to carry its contents to Goodwill for donation, the other set to shuttle what was being kept over to 34 Hurd St.
Once there, staff and teens formed a chain, passing items from the back of the truck to one another and loading them into the still unfinished structure.
"We're intentionally moving with the building in a raw state to keep the teens involved," Executive Director Gregg Croteau said, adding that UTEC has been operating for the most part with a do-it-yourself philosophy.
Teenagers have been involved with every phase of the process, helping to identify the building, working with professionals to help design renovations, and even doing as much of the repair and construction work as possible, director of operations JuanCarlos Rivera said.
"We quickly realized our strengths," Gregg Croteau joked. "Painting, not so much but anything involving demolition we've excelled at."
Though UTEC will officially be moved in as of March 1, much work remains to bring out the building's full potential.
A new addition is tentatively scheduled for construction in about a year, providing the center with 8,000 square feet of space. After that, renovations for the exterior of the church are scheduled, Croteau said.
On April 12, UTEC will host a kick-off event for the new center, inviting community members to the facility to see the work that's been done but also to get a feel for how much need remains, Croteau said. For more information, contact Croteau at gregg@utec-lowell.org.
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Sunday, February 25, 2007