BIDDEFORD — On typical Friday earlier this spring, the Community Bicycle Center, a Biddeford after-school and summer bicycle program for youth, was a hub of activity.

More than a dozen young people, several staff members and some volunteers were crammed into the center’s home, a city-owned building adjacent to the St. Louis Field on Hill Street.

In the main bike shop, some of the children were building and/or repairing bicycles, which they can choose to keep for themselves, give to relative or friend, or leave for the center to either donate or sell. Meanwhile, in the building’s office, staff members were outnumbered by youth who had gathered to listen to long-time veteran of the bike program Matthew Perkins play guitar.

A narrow hallway where children hang up their coats and backpacks separates the bike repair room from the office. The hallway is so narrow that if anyone is standing there, a person almost has to hold their breath and suck in their stomach to get by.

Basically, the CBC has outgrown its home.

And the goal to bring more children into the program ”“ which teaches self-reliance, life skills, problem-solving and more through working on bicycles ”“ has been stunted because of the lack of space.

Thanks to a number of generous donations, however, the nonprofit organization has raised nearly $300,000 to purchase a new building on Granite Street. The building needs some renovations, like new floors, heating efficiencies, roof repairs and retooling for the various programs to be housed at the site.

Although much of the work will be donated or completed at a reduced rate, CBC Executive Director Andy Greif said he hopes the community will step up. He hopes to raise approximately $142,433 to finance renovations and for a building maintenance fund. To that end, an anonymous donor has made a $10,000 matching challenge for the campaign, Bronwyn Potthoff, community relations director at the CBC, announced Friday.

Once it’s up and running, the new space will add new life to the center, said Greif. He said he is hopeful that the youth and staff will be in their new digs sometime this summer.

This move has been a long time coming, said Greif.

He said he’s wanted to move “since the beginning” when the organization moved into the Hill Street building in 2005. Although the city very generously has let the program use the space rent-free, the program has always been too big for the 1,125-square-foot space.

At 4,200 square feet, the new building is nearly four times larger than the current space, which is large enough to support the CBC’s diverse and expanded programs, said Greif.

There will be room for a metal fabrication and welding lab for youth metalworking programs, and Greif said he also would like to launch a membership program for adults and businesses, to use CBC equipment and/or take classes for bike repair.

In addition, he said, he would like to expand opportunities for older youth.

But the primary purpose of the new facility, said Grief, is to have adequate space for young people to take full advantage of the CBC’s already existing programs like Earn-a-Bike, Bike Monkeys, Girls Empowerment Group, Bike Doctor Outreach, Bike to School, indoor cycling and other programs.

Other advantages of the new site is that it is closer to the neighborhood where many of the children served by the CBC live.

Greif is particularly thrilled with the 6.3-acre lot that comes with the building, a parcel that directly connects to Clifford Park. He said he is looking forward to leading rides on the Clifford Park trails.

The new space, said Greif, “will enhance what we currently do, and we’ll be able to do it more effectively.”

Perkins, the Biddeford High School freshman whose guitar playing drew a crowd at the center, said he’s excited about “the bigger space to do stuff.”

“We’ll be able to have more people here at once,” he said. “It will be less crowded and safer.”

Mayor Alan Casavant said he supports the CBC’s move. He said he was unaware of the organization before becoming mayor, but is very impressed with the work it does.

After visiting the program, he wrote in a letter supporting the organization, “I realized that Andy and his staff possessed a unique and passionate belief in the skills (of the youth who attend the CBC), and they reinforced those beliefs daily.

“By teaching kids various skills,” he said, “the CBC fosters self-confidence and enhances self-esteem, critical elements in student achievement. The work done within the space is remarkable.”

Jaime White, a BHS freshman who has attended the CBC for many years, is just one of the attendees who has benefited from the program. When she first began attending the CBC, White wrote a statement about the organization, “I was bossy, controlling, overpowering and considered a bully by most of my peers.

“The CBC most definitely helped me become a nicer, more respectable and easier person to get along with,” she said. “I used to give up easy, but Andy was always right behind me encouraging me to keep trying to just do my best. I started feeling proud of myself and my accomplishments.”

At the CBC, she said, “the energy is positive and so is everyone’s spirit. Everyone works and bikes together; it’s teamwork, it’s a big, happy family.”

To donate to the Community Bicycle Center building fund, visit the website, www.45granitestreet.org.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.