By MICHAEL LAFLEUR, Sun Staff, Lowell Sun

LOWELL -- The United Teen Equality Center, the city's foremost anti-gang advocacy agency and youth outreach organization, has purchased the former St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Hurd Street as its new headquarters.

That word came in a letter given to City Manager John Cox and city councilors at their meeting last night.

"All of UTEC couldn't be more excited about the possibility of developing 34 Hurd St. into UTEC's permanent home," UTEC Executive Director Gregg Croteau said in a phone interview after the meeting. "It's been a long while in the making, this has truly been a community wide effort in reaching this first milestone."

He said a formal announcement and schedule for the move, as well as the kickoff of a fund-raising drive to pay for the building's renovation, will take place in coming weeks.

According to records filed with the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, UTEC bought the former church on Feb. 23 for $440,000.

The New England Conference of the United Methodist Church closed St. Paul's in December 2004. At the time, church officials said the move was necessitated by structural issues and repair costs.

Cox last night said the city welcomes news of UTEC's move from rented space at 106 Merrimack St., but added that he expects UTEC to have to launch a significant fund-raising drive to pay for its renovation.

"Although this is good news, and this is the beginning of a process, there's still a bit of a process, there's still a bit of process ahead of us," he said.

Michael Lafleur's e-mail address is mlafleur@lowell-sun.com.