Owner proposes Portland House be placed in perpetual trust and run with Dahl Memorial Clinic as senior center

Virginia Long, owner and restorer of the Portland House, told the Dahl Memorial Clinic board on Feb. 27 that she plans to place the downtown historic building in a perpetual trust and partner with the clinic to operate it as a senior center and home-health facility.

The plan, Long said during a presentation to the clinic’s board in Assembly Chambers, would preserve the Portland House’s historic character while creating a senior health center with home health, periodic transportation, a senior lunch program, a pharmacy with durable medical equipment by prescription and assisted-living apartments. “This is what I would like. This is what I know Howard would be happy with,” Long said, referring to her late partner, Howard Smith.

The proposal frames a legal perpetual trust that would retain ownership of the property and contract with the Dahl Memorial Clinic to manage services and operations. Albert, a collaborator identified in the…