Masonic center eyes reopening in February

BANGOR – The fire that destroyed the historic Masonic Hall building downtown a week ago took with it the home of the 32nd Degree Masonic Learning Center, a site for children with dyslexia to receive free tutoring.

With support from the children enrolled, area businesses and Masons from all over the state, the Masons hope to reopen the learning center the first week of February.

Loss of the building at 116 Main St. did not destroy the need for the center, said Royce Wheeler, former leader of the Scottish Rite, a branch of the Masons that sponsors the learning center.

He said many people and groups have stepped up after just one week to help keep the program running.

“The Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Maine are sending us a check for $25,000 to help us get the learning center back up and going,” Wheeler said Friday.

The Grand Royal Arch is another branch of the Masons with members all over the state, he said.

The law firm Rudman and Winchell is helping out by providing a temporary location for the learning center at 84 Harlow St., said attorney Michael McAleer.

“The firm has a commitment to the city and the young people,” McAleer said. “My partners and I wanted to see if we could help that organization to continue to operate with as little disruption as possible. We had a chance to do something and we did.”

The law firm owns the historic Graham Building, where the learning center will be located.

The children involved in the program also are pitching in, said learning center manager Al Ritchie.

“We have a few children who are doing book collections for us, and we have another one who is going to use his skills as an Eagle Scout to build bookshelves,” he said. “The children care so much about the center. These children really feel like this has been a beneficial and happy part of their lives.”

There are 49 students enrolled at the center.

Mason Ralph Dix of Milo donated computers and printers to the learning center, said Ritchie, who added that he has received several offers for everyday school supplies, such as books and pencils.

“The publishers we work with have offered us a discount on the materials we use, as much as 50 percent,” Ritchie said.

The learning center is also facing another problem caused by the fire: “We had a waiting list of potential students whose files were lost,” he said. “We need to have their parents contact us so we can re-establish the records and get them ready for the next term, which starts in May.”

The students who were on the waiting list would have received an acceptance letter from the center that would have confirmed that they were on a waiting list. Ritchie said the records of the currently enrolled students have been partially rebuilt.

The learning center is staffed by special education teachers who teach children with dyslexia how to read through one-on-one, multisensory methods that emphasize use of phonics.

“They stay in [the program] as long as they need to bring them up to grade level in reading,” said Ritchie.

The center, which has been open for seven years, also employs a number of tutors for the kindergarten through 12th grade students.

Mason Ray Naugler of Brewer, treasurer for the learning center, said the Scottish Rite raised $78,000 to renovate the six-classroom learning center on Main Street through member pledges and contributions from businesses, churches and Granges. He added that the Masons also raise money annually to help subsidize the $50,000 operating budget.

Naugler, who also sits on the Masonic Temple Association board, said the other Masonic organizations based in the burned building have all found temporary homes.

The Masons will not be able to start cleaning up the remains of the building until next week, Naugler said

“We can’t do a thing until after Monday,” he said. “We have to wait until after the insurance investigators and the state fire marshals finish their work.”

Fire investigator Ed Archer said the Fire Marshal’s Office would need to excavate a portion of the building to determine a cause of the fire.

Anyone who wants to contact the learning center about re-enrolling students or for an application may contact Ritchie at 848-7117 or 848-7514.