Councilors are also considering approving referendums for a new fire truck and school improvements totaling more than $2 million.

If voters in November approve, Route 25 through Gorham Village will be dug up with its downtown getting new water pipes and pavement in a street upgrade that could begin in 2016.

The Gorham Town Council on Tuesday authorized a referendum asking voters on Nov. 3 to borrow and spend up to $600,000 as the town’s share of a $2.2 million state road improvement project in Gorham Village. Under the project, aging water pipes would also be replaced.

In two other big-ticket items, the Town Council postponed action until August to decide whether to approve referendums regarding school improvements and a new fire engine. The first measure would ask Gorham voters to borrow $1,175,500 to repair aging school roofs and beef up school security. The second would ask voters to support the purchase of a new, $850,000 fire truck.

The Town Council will conduct a workshop to discuss both items before voting on referendums. But, Town Councilor Matthew Robinson in Tuesday’s meeting advocated scheduling a council workshop discussion for each of the three referendum items, including the road improvements.

“I would rather postpone these,” said Robinson, who hoped for talks first.

Town Manager David Cole told the councilors that the Main Street reconstruction project would die if the town didn’t participate. Without town money, the state could opt for installing a new surface without replacing the water pipes.

Robinson was the lone dissenter in the 6-1 vote on the referendum for the Main Street upgrade.

According to Cole, plans call for the street reconstruction to extend along Main Street from its intersection with Johnson Road and continue through the heart of the business district to the square. Then reconstruction would continue up State Street to a point beyond the entrance to the University of Southern Maine campus.

Reconstruction would break up remaining parts of the old cement highway that lies buried beneath the existing blacktop surface. The project would also replace water pipe mains more than a century old.

Portland Water District would pay $500,000 for its share of the project.

Main and State streets are on state-owned Route 25, which is also a major commuter route. The Maine Department of Transportation would fund $1.1 million for its share of the street project. The Town Council set a public hearing for Tuesday, Oct. 6, to hear comment on the reconstruction referendum.

The two items the Town Council unanimously postponed this week are set for further discussion in a workshop to be held this month. Both measures could still go to voters in November, even if the Town Council delays its decision as late as September. But action would likely come at the Town Council’s August meeting.

The School Department hopes the town would borrow the $1.2 million to repair school roofs and for security projects.

Dennis Libby, chairman of the Gorham School Committee, pleaded Tuesday night for a November referendum and said delaying a referendum to next June would be a “hardship for us. We have some serious items.”

Responding to a question from Town Councilor Benjamin Hartwell, Cole said payments on bonds for the schools would become part of the school budget.

After the meeting, Libby identified the high school and the Village Elementary School as buildings with portions of roofs in need of repairs. And more school work is looming. Libby told the councilors that Gorham Middle School, which opened in 2003, is now more than 10 years old with repairs coming up.

“We need to address it,” Libby said.

The Town Council will also decide next month whether to call for a referendum asking voters to borrow money to replace its 27-year-old Ladder 1 fire engine.

If both the school and fire engine requests go to referendums along with the road construction question, Gorham voters would determine whether the town would take on up to $2,625,500 in new debt.

Last fall, the town voted to borrow $4.99 million for a project to build a new police station at 270 Main St. and renovate the existing Public Safety Building there for the fire department. Construction of the new police station is under way.

Gorham’s new school superintendent Heather Perry, accompanied by School Department Finance Officer Hollis Cobb in addition to Libby, attended Tuesday’s Town Council meeting. Libby formally introduced Perry to the Town Council and Cole. Perry, who started her duties in Gorham this week, was the superintendent at Regional School Unit 3 in Unity.

Perry succeeds Ted Sharp, who retired June 30 after 11 years in Gorham. Perry said she’s looking forward to working with the town’s leaders.

“I’m very pleased to be here,” Perry said.

Gorham High School is one of the town’s two schools needing roof repairs, School Committee Chairman Dennis Libby said Tuesday. The Gorham Town Council in a July workshop will discuss whether to ask voters to borrow $1,175,500 to cover roof repairs and security projects at schools. Staff photos by Robert LowellGorham School Committee Chairman Dennis Libby at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting introduces new Gorham School Superintendent Heather Perry. Perry succeeds Ted Sharp, who retired last month.