The vacant 15,000-square-foot building that was once the headquarters for Great Falls Marketing at 121 Mill St. in Auburn will be renovated into a community resource center to house the Community Development office and local nonprofits. City staff said Monday that building renovations will be complete by April of 2025, with the first phase of work scheduled to be complete by Dec. 1. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

AUBURN — The city’s effort to renovate a Mill Street building into a community resource center is on track to be completed by the spring of 2025, according to staff.

The project, approved by the City Council in July, will move the city’s Community Development and General Assistance offices into the same space as local nonprofits such as the Pleasant Street Drop-in Center, which provides services for the homeless.

Glen Holmes, director of business and community development, told the City Council on Monday that the first phase of the project will be complete by Dec. 1, allowing the Drop-In Center to provide prepared food and other services during the winter months as more work continues.

Holmes said following a bid process, the city selected Allied Cook Construction to do the renovation. The full project is expected to be complete by April 1, 2025, he said, which includes the addition of a commercial kitchen, restroom facilities, and areas for offices, conference rooms, clothing storage and more.

The plan will also retain a nearly 3,000-square-foot area for a community space for meals and other programming.

Despite concerns over the impact the project could have on the nearby Barker Mill Arms apartments and the annual costs to run it, the council ultimately voted 5-2 in July to approve the project, also voting to reallocate roughly $438,700 from the American Rescue Plan Act toward the renovation.

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Holmes did not share an updated cost estimate Monday. Previous estimates put the total cost at more than $800,000, but Holmes said staff is removing items from the initial list to save money, including a loading dock that was estimated to cost $100,000.

He said those working on the project have been trying to find savings in equipment as well. At least initially, the city will use the stove and hood from the old PAL Center building. Holmes said the kitchen will be plumbed for larger appliances if at some point the city has the funding to install them.

Holmes said he’s also been in talks with several other organizations who will pay rent to share the space. He said 10 organizations, ranging from behavioral health, addiction, and homeless navigators, have shown “very strong interest.”

“I think we’ll be able to provide wraparound services in a way we’ve never been able to do before,” he said.

He said he’s been working on the roughly $100,000 estimate to operate the building annually, and is working to offset that number with rent payments.

He said so far, the support throughout the community for the project has been “amazing.”

“I really think this will be something we can all be proud of,” he said.

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