ROCKLAND – A place for people to charge their cell phones, get coffee, and stay warm for the day. In the wake of last Monday’s rainstorm that left hundreds of thousands of Mainers without power, warming centers popped up throughout the state. Rockland was not officially among those locations, despite the Red Cross previously designating the South School as an overnight shelter for the region when needed.

In preparation for overnight sheltering, Rockland already owns a generator, which is trucked to the school, according to Rockland Fire Chief Chris Whytock. The Red Cross staffs and oversees all aspects.

From this storm, residents needed a warming center – a completely different setup, and not one provided by any organization, Whytock told members of council Monday, Nov. 6.

“If you ask me what keeps me up at night,” he said, “this is one.”

Whytock and Louise MacLellan-Ruf have spent the last year searching for a building to provide that place for people to use. The building must be able to handle electrical wiring for the generator.

“To put a generator [permanently] here, put some type of structure over it, and get everything wired, we’re talking $50-60,000,” he said.

Yet, as Mayor Will Clayton pointed out, why permanently install a generator at a specific building when one never knows what will become of the building itself?

Midcoast Energy Solutions assisted in assessing City Hall and the Recreation Center as financially feasible options. City Hall would have been great financially, according to Whytock. However, it’s considered too far out of town. The Rec Center was great, location-wise; however, being poorly constructed, wiring into the building would have been costly.

“Why not the library?” Library Director Amy Levine asked.

Because the previous city manager said it wasn’t an option, according to Whytock.

“We essentially were a center,” Levine said. “We put up extra tables because people were coming in charging their devices and using them there. We had everything but coffee.”

Levine said that a couple years ago when the area had no power people were sitting, lining the hallways, using the wi-fi.

This time around, Rockland opened both the Flanagan Center and City Hall, though Whytock didn’t know if anyone took advantage of the centers.

“We have all the pieces in place. We just need a place to do it,” Whytock said. “We’ve needed it for years.”

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com