A Massachusetts manufacturer wants to expand its presence in Gorham with a new 76,000-square-foot plant.
A public notice about the project indicated it would include 170 parking spots, a hint at how many jobs Harvey Performance Co. could bring to the town. The company makes precision tools and is based in Rowley, Massachusetts.
It plans to build on a 13-acre property on Narragansett Street, which is part of a former racetrack, the notice said.
That land is owned by Shawn Moody, founder of Moody’s Collision Centers and former gubernatorial candidate. Moody bought the 62 acres from Hannaford in 2016 with plans to build a business park there. He did not return a call for comment Friday.
The Gorham Town Council voted in October to expand commercial uses and allow residences above businesses in that district. The change will also allow for buildings up to four stories or 50 feet tall.
Harvey Performance Co. is an umbrella for two brands – Harvey Tool and Helical Solutions. The latter began in 2001 in a 5,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Saco, according to the company’s website. Two years later, Helical Solutions expanded and relocated to an 11,000-square-foot space on Sanford Drive in Gorham. In 2010, the company exceeded 35 employees and built a 10,000-square-foot addition on that plant. Harvey Tool acquired Helical Solutions in 2015, and Harvey Performance Co. has been the name of the overarching parent company since last year.
The answering machine at Harvey Performance Co. said the offices were closed Friday, and a voicemail was not returned. The notice lists Sebago Technics as the firm that will file the permit application, and a representative for that company did not return messages Friday. The town office in Gorham was also closed Friday, and the project is not on the December agenda for the Gorham Planning Board.
Another public notice said an informational meeting is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. at Moody’s Collision Center at 200 Narragansett St. The permit application will be filed the next day.
“The purpose of the meeting is for the applicant to inform the public of the proposed project and its anticipated environmental impacts and to provide opportunity for public comment on the project,” the notice said.
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