Tremendously creative workforce making things happen — even building custom dining tables (low-top and high-top) for youth to dine on. We took old parts from the church, using old kneelers and pews from 1908 when St. Andres was built. We sanded all the finishes off from over the years and created these tables. This was a cool project.

A little closer every day at My Place Teen Center in Biddeford. New floors make this place jump. A new elevator is being installed and mechanicals are being worked on to get us to the finish line.

Best way to heat an old 10,000 sq ft church and turn it into a comfortable My Place Teen Center. Gypcrete poured over radiant heated by air to water heat pumps and Viessmann boilers.

Updated photos of the transition from St. Andre’s to a beautiful place the community can be proud of. We are gaining ground with help from many. Radiant heating is starting now before the Gypcrete pour-over.

Transitioning the church to a community-based building is impressive, providing incredible space for our youth at My Place Teen Center. Many inspirational things are going on at 75 Bacon St. Biddeford.

With extreme patience and craftsmanship, Jeff Martel did some magnificent work to preserve the history of this old window at My Place Teen Center, St. Andres Church. Look at the before and after. To give you an idea of size, it’s sixteen feet across. Great job, Jeff Martel, working diligently to repair a massive window at My Place Teen Center, 75 Bacon Street Biddeford—a difficult task repairing rot from where the church removed the stained glass. Jeff is doing a great job rebuilding the 100-year-old frame. This building is a bear.

Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to charitable causes around the globe, has been celebrated every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving since 2012. To mark this year’s occasion, Mainebiz checked in with five Maine nonprofit leaders to see what they have planned for 2024. Here’s what they said. More

Lots going on today at My Place Teen Center in Biddeford. Big thanks to all the help from Anderson Insulation. It’s a lot of work to insulate the church. Other progress on windows painting and safety rails.

The painters have begun their work at St. Andre Church on Bacon Street in Biddeford as part of a major renovation of the former house of worship to be home for My Place Teen Center. More

It takes an army of talented people to convert the old church from oil to natural gas and an air source heat pump. They got it done today. The highest efficiency from new equipment with the lowest Nox available uses Viessmann’s CI2 boilers with Lambda Pro 2 technology. Look at the test sheets at start-up. That’s awesome. Low-temperature heating with radiant and low-temperature radiators. Thanks to all New Viessmann boilers replacing undersized ones. Great job!

Nate Libby’s team is killing it, cleaning the front of old St. Andres Church and one hundred-plus years of lead wash from the roof above excellent work.

A big thank you goes out to Pine Tree Services for helping us at My Place Teen Center 75 Bacon. We can now see the front of this beautiful building again. Lots of good stuff is happening with help from so many.

Four large oil boilers gone from MPTC were used to burn thousands of gallons of oil to heat the church. My Place Teen will heat space with air-to-water heat pumps and natural gas. Dirty job!!!

On this episode of The Randy Forcier Podcast, I sit down with the one and only Jim Godbout—a man who has dedicated his time and energy to strengthening our local communities in York, Cumberland, and beyond. Jim’s been at the forefront of many vital community projects, including his work on My Place Teen Center. It’s a monumental effort to restore an old church, transforming it into a safe, supportive space for local teens to thrive. From clearing years of decay to building a fresh future, Jim’s all in, and his story is an inspiring blend of commitment and heart. Whether you know Jim or this is your introduction, this episode will show you how deeply one person can impact the lives around them. Click to see video >>

I delivered the new hood system for My Place Teen Center today. Thank you, Biddeford Saco Rotary Club, for your donation.

It was a time when Faith, Commitment, Loyalty, and Sacrifice to others were part of daily life. Nice piece of history, guys, found at MPTC renovation. These attributes are disappearing, and I want to know where society is heading. Stay the course for all of you who carry these values.

Progress picture at My Place Teen Center, aka St. Andre’s historic church. I am seeking help next week to fill several 30-yard dumpsters starting Tuesday. Much debris has accumulated over the years and must be removed for progress. The extensive project requires many hands. Please see Jeff Martel on-site for guidance. Safety number one here can’t have anyone running through the building. Thanks, Jim.

Takes a village to bring My PLace Teen center into this historic building known as st. Andres church. Much more damage due to neglect than anticipated but making headway thanks to skilled workers.

Big thanks to chef German Lucarelli for donating the first kitchen equipment (commercial dishwasher) to My Place Teen Center’s new building at old St Andre’s Church. Please support all those businesses that give so much back to our surrounding communities. The Lost Fire, Luca, Casa 77, Ultramar.

Falcons are doing very well with new babies and still have good food sources around, but not inside My Place Teen Center, aka St. Andres church. Pigeons are officially vacated thanks to excellent teamwork sealing up the tower, broken windows in some challenging areas, and lots of brick replacement due to years of neglect. We did have to rebuild almost the entire wall, but as you can see, bulging pulled away from the structure. Things are changing.

St. Andres, in its prime and current condition, MPTC will bring new life to the historic building with the help of many. Pulling apart an old altar brought me closer to an old friend who built it for the church in 1969. This man is a true craftsman in his day like no other. Many of you will remember the famous Rusty Rossignol; his signature was found during renovation. My Place Teen Center is on the move. Scroll around old photos to see the beautiful church in its heyday.

An iconic and neglected Biddeford landmark is getting a second lease on life, thanks to a group of volunteers and others who are working to repurpose the former St. Andre Church on Bacon Street to create an expanded community teen center. More

Brick at MPTC is much worse than anticipated but is the first step to rebuilding this iconic building. Just the beginning!

Moving My Place Teen Center to the old St. Andres church has many obstacles, the first being to remove tenants who have taken over for many years in the entire building. When all the beautiful leaded glass was removed, they just put back single-pane glass. The pigeons have broken through and set up home. Thanks to Kevin Bedard and his team, we are sealing the building and cleaning up the colossal mess the pigeons left behind. This will be a project that many in the community can help with once we get it to safe conditions. Also, peregrine falcons dine on the pigeons. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife monitoring falcons as they have eggs in the nest; we don’t want to disturb them; they are located outside the west view of the steeple. More to come!!!!!

We are bringing new life to a church close to many in the community. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS! My Place Teen Center project is getting off the ground with heavy community involvement required. This place will provide academic and job readiness skills while teaching life skills for youth and young adults — all with courage, passion, and a joy to live. Watch as we transform, be bold, and join the team of community leaders making this happen. A significant project for a building that’s been neglected for many years.

Significant commitments from our ancestors built St. Andres church over a hundred years ago, giving on average 10 cents a week to buy three bricks at a time to build a church. This kind of commitment from the community needs to take place so we can bring life back to this historic part of our heritage. Nate Libby’s team of masons has started repairs on the brickwork, which has many years of neglect.

My Place Teen Center Inc., is targeting July or August 2023 for the opening of a big new space for youth in Biddeford. To seal the deal, York County Commissioners, which in October had allocated $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the renovation of the former St. Andre Church on Bacon Street… More

The quest to bring My Place Teen Center to Biddeford took a giant leap forward Wednesday, with a unanimous vote by York County Commissioners to approve up to $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the project. More

Saco & Biddeford Savings has gifted $50,000 to support the Biddeford expansion of My Place Teen Center. The funds will be used toward renovation and furnishings for the new location at 75 Bacon St, which is projected to open in 2023. More