GORHAM – A divided Gorham Town Council on Tuesday approved sending to referendum a proposal to construct a $6.3 million public safety complex at the Little Falls School site.
The council vote was 4-2, with Council Chairman Philip Gagnon and Councilor Suzanne Phillips opposed and Councilor Matthew Robinson absent from the seven-member panel.
Town Manager David Cole said Tuesday that a public hearing on the matter is set for Tuesday, May 7, with the public vote on Tuesday, June 11. If Gorham voters approve, the town would borrow the money for the project. Adding on $1,984,500 in interest through 20 years, the project would cost taxpayers about $8.3 million.
A study committee has said the move would resolve cramped space and inadequate conditions at the aging Public Safety Building at 270 Main St. Under the proposal, some fire department apparatus would remain at a sub station at 270 Main St., while available space there would be converted to a community center.
The former Little Falls School is now utilized for recreation department programs and a senior citizen meeting place.
A goal of a new complex is to meet public safety needs for the next 25 years. Town Councilor John Pressey favored the measure, citing the growing population of the town that he said is now 17,000.
“I’m trying to get us prepared for the future,” Pressey said. “The population is going to explode in this vicinity.”
Phillips said it’s difficult for her to ask taxpayers for the money.
“I’m not comfortable asking taxpayers to foot the bill,” Phillips said.
And Gagnon, who pointed to the need for a possible costly renovation of Gorham High School, also objected. Gagnon felt moving public safety to Little Falls would impact response time and would not benefit the community.
A council-appointed building committee studied seven alternatives, which included renovating the existing building, before selecting the Little Falls option. It recommended the new complex in Little Falls that also addresses the potential of replacing the aging South Windham Fire Station that Gorham shares with Windham.
The town has weighed a variety of options over the years, including moving police to the former school.
The Little Falls complex would keep both police and fire departments at one facility.
“This project really started a number of years ago,” Owens McCullough, a citizen member of the Public Safety Committee, said in Tuesday’s meeting. “Well over a decade ago.”
McCullough said the public safety building lacks proper facilities for men and women, has inadequate locker rooms, no sprinkler system and no decontamination area for personnel.
Town Councilor Michael Phinney favored the project with current interest rates and competitive bidding from contractors looking for work.
“I think it’s the right time to do the project,” Phinney said.
This week, the town council rescinded its September decision to send a $4 million public safety proposal to referendum. Under that proposal, the money would have repaired the current public safety building.
In other action, the council unanimously agreed to demolish the 60-year old White Rock School, valued at $2 million, according to town records. It approved spending $175,000 for demolition and any environmental cleanup of the site.
The school closed when the new Great Falls Elementary School opened in 2011. Phinney said the White Rock School is in “poor shape” and the building is not served by public water and sewer.
The council did not decide on future of the 10-acre site.
Owens McCullough, a member of Gorham’s Public Safety Committee, on Tuesday presents a proposal to the town council for a $6.3 million complex that would move Gorham police and fire departments from Main Street to Little Falls. Send questions/comments to the editors.
