PENNELL CENTER, YARMOUTH

The Pennell Center is located at 28 Yarmouth Crossing Drive in Yarmouth, Maine. The building has 3,162 square feet. There is also a full basement; one half of the basement is rented out. A renovation was completed in 2002 at a cost of $57,000 which was provided through the last capital campaign (“To Gather Into One”).

Maine Conference Staff comments on the Pennell Center

Overall Impressions
The staff is relatively satisfied with the interior of the building, but there is general dissatisfaction—even embarrassment-- with the outward appearance. Several staff members have said that the outside of the building gives a negative image of the Maine Conference. Handicap accessibility is substandard and the building is difficult to locate for those looking for it for the first time. There is inadequate parking whenever guests visit the Pennell Center.
Staff members like the overall layout of the building inside as it enables easy accessibility of each staff member to the others. There is agreement that the conference meeting room is too small. It comfortably sits 10 people, however larger groups can’t be accommodated. There is concern for the unsafe stairway into the basement. Several staff members have commented that the “work room” is too small and provides no real work space for collating and mailing projects. The staff wants to create an environment where visitors feel very welcomed, however there are times when the openness of the workspaces causes difficulty for confidential phone conversations when visitors are present.

Personal Workspace
There is general satisfaction with personal workspace. Staff members appreciate the amount of sunlight in the building. As the Placement Assistant position moves back to Pennell Center there is agreement that some space modifications need to be made due to the confidential nature of this work.
When asked what improvements would enhance their productivity, the staff had several suggestions. There is a general feeling that our computer technology is antiquated and in need of revisions. There is an need to access common information. Additional storage space for the Resource Center would be useful and appreciated. Also an auxiliary desk and computer station would be very helpful when visitors are in need of such space, when the Director of Outdoor Ministries works from Pennell, when one staff person’s computer crashes, or when both bookkeepers are present on the same day.

The “Perfect Conference Center”
When asked “What would the perfect conference center look like?” The following thoughts were offered: a larger reception area where visitors can sit, or stand and converse; a larger staff dining room; a larger more centralized work room; proximity to a conference owned guest house for visitors “from away”; a facility for video conferencing; a conference meeting room able to accommodate a meeting of up to 25 people; a location further north along route 295 or 95.

[The information was provided through a survey sent only to conference staff persons who work primarily out of the Pennell Center. There were seven responses. No Placement Assistant was employed at the time of the survey.]