Many people say Wiscasset lost much of its community spirit when Maine Yankee came to town in the 1970s, spewing millions of dollars into the town coffers, year after year. The atomic power plant not only generated electricity, it generated about 90 percent of the town's taxes.

So, there weren't a lot of bake sales to support school activities or a need for nonprofit organizations to jump in and fill the gaps. Maine Yankee was generous, not only to people in Wiscasset, but to people in surrounding towns as well.

Just a few months after residents learned the doors of Maine Yankee were closing, they walked through two brand new doors - into the new Wiscasset Community Center. Unwilling to put more money into the plant, the board of directors decided to shut the plant down in 1997. If the plant had closed a few years earlier, there probably never would have been a Wiscasset Community Center. But construction on the $3 million building on Route 27 had already begun, with the groundbreaking held in February of that year.

Since the Community Center opened ten years ago this month, a great deal of community spirit has been restored to the town, through a wide range of activities, from swimming, to cribbage, to dances, to weight lifting. Annual events, like Breakfast With Santa, and the Valentine's Day Father Daughter Dance, have become traditions.

Starting Saturday night, February 9, through Friday, February 15, the center's staff, director, and volunteers will host a weeklong celebration to show off the community center. The celebration begins with a free dance for all ages, including children, with The Buffalo Creek Band, from 7 to 9 p.m. For the rest of the week, people are welcome to join any of the classes or activities for free, (except the meals, for which there is a small charge). See the complete schedule of activities at the end of this article.

Community Center director Todd Souza said, "We want the community center to be a focal point for the town. A lot of people who live here have never seen everything we have to offer. We want them to celebrate our tenth year with us by learning more about our activities - we try to provide something for everyone."

Souza notes that the Parks and Recreation Department budget is less in tax dollars than before the community center was built - and, the budget supports the maintenance of the parks and grounds, recreation programs, the operation of the community center building, the senior center, and community events.

Headlines in the Wiscasset Newspaper that year chronicle both the construction of the Community Center and the demise of the nuclear power plant.

On May 1, 1997, a story recounts how the first change order for the center, an additional $58,000, was approved by selectmen. The contractor, Nowak Construction, had run into some ledge, which went undetected until excavation began.

On May 29, 1997, another newspaper story was headlined, "Maine Yankee Planning Shutdown." A subtitle referred to "planning for the permanent closure and decommissioning of the plant."

On August 7, 1997, in a story about what effect the closing of the plant would have on the town, editor Rick Shew wrote, "The recreation department, all three selectmen have agreed, will have to become self-supporting." The selectmen at that time were Larry Gordon, Bob Blagden, and Roy Barnes.

Referring to the future opening of the community center Blagden is quoted as saying, "We will likely have to charge higher fees," while First Selectman Larry Gordon is quoted as saying, "The town will have to borrow funds to finish the community center, but the final figure will be a mystery until the building is completed."

On September 18, 1997, the newspaper ran an article that quoted Gordon as saying property taxes could double, along with a quote from Blagden which said most property was valued about 12 percent of its actual worth.

It was hoped the community center would open before the end of 1997. "Community Center Nears December Completion Date," the headline in the October 16, 1997 issue said. The cost of the 28,000 square foot building was said to be $3.1 million, according to David Kinney, the town engineer.

"Long Awaited Community Center Nears Completion," a headline in the December 4, 1997 issue said. Don Brewer, the Parks and Recreation Director at the time, predicted that "the building would be completed by the first of 1998 and open sometime in the first quarter."

"It's Official," a headline in the January 29, 2008 issue said, announcing that the community center would officially open on February 17.

"Get ready to party, Wiscasset residents," the story said.

"Then get ready to work it off. The board of Selectmen announced a long awaited February 17 opening for the new $3.5 million Wiscasset Community Center."

The center has a large room with a kitchen just off the main lobby for senior citizens, multipurpose gym, six-lane competition pool, fitness center with cardiovascular and strength training equipment, and changing rooms with showers.

"We hope people will come and take a tour. We're always looking for new programs, so if people have suggestions, we welcome them," Souza said.