NORTHBRIDGE — Alternatives Executive Director Dennis H. Rice acknowledged Friday that it is unusual to have a human services organization preside over the restoration of an old mill.

But that’s just what Alternatives did, raising several million dollars to bring the old Paul Whitin Mill complex back to life as a multiuse community center that also will serve as Alternatives headquarters. The new complex includes artisan space, a restored blacksmith’s forge and space for a future restaurant overlooking the Mumford River.

Supporters of the project and others from the community were on hand at the complex on Douglas Road Friday for a ribbon cutting as part of a three-day grand opening that ran Thursday through yesterday.

The new complex employs an array of green technology, including solar and geothermal energy. A turbine will be installed that will use the river for power. Mr. Rice said all the green initiatives will help the complex generate 88 percent of its electricity and 100 percent of its heating and cooling needs.

Alternatives is a nonprofit agency serving more than 550 adults with developmental and psychiatric disabilities in 45 programs throughout Central Massachusetts.

On a beautiful day to be outside overlooking a river, Mr. Rice said Friday that the organization does not plan on straying from its mission. He said the new mill complex will help include the community in what the organization does.

“People ask why a human services organization would take on such a project,” Mr. Rice said. “Alternatives is committed to giving back to the community that has been so receptive to the people we serve.”

Kathy Flamand, a client of the organization more than 30 years ago who now participates in a career center with 20 other people, spoke of the change in the new complex from decades ago, when Alternatives ran workshops for clients with the hope of getting them back into the community.

Using an electronic speaking device, Ms. Flamand spoke of cold and drafty days in the old facility, and remarked at the beauty of the restored mill complex. She said Alternatives has always been a warm and inviting place, and said it helped her achieve her passion for learning.

“Over the years, Alternatives has meant a lot to me,” Ms. Flamand said. “I would like to welcome you to the Whitin Mill. Thank you.”

Industry began at the site in 1772 with construction of the Old Forge, which was subsequently used as a cotton mill. It became the 1826 Brick Mill, which stands today. The mill’s oldest buildings are on the Massachusetts Register of Historic Places and are protected by a deed restriction with the Northbridge Historical Commission.

Telegram & Gazette Editor Harry T. Whitin, a seventh-generation descendant of Paul Whitin, said Friday the new complex properly memorialized the legacy of the tens of thousands of people who worked in the mills and helped establish the region as an industrial powerhouse. He said Alternatives’ restoration and reuse of the complex perfectly completed the cycle of history for the mill.