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GORHAM — The Planning Board Monday unanimously gave the OK to a new $750,000 kitchen at Narragansett Elementary School and construction is expected to start immediately.

“That gives you everything you asked for,” Planning Board Chairman George Fox said after the board approved the amendment to the school’s expansion project.

The School Department previously was granted approval for modular classrooms and a cafeteria. Funds for the kitchen will come from $500,000 left from a $2.8 million referendum for the expansion and $249,000 in a previously approved school operating budget.

The expansion will be ready for occupancy when school resumes in the fall.

The kitchen will be a 1,908-square-foot building. Equipment will relocated to it from the current kitchen.

Construction will start immediately because students are not in the building due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Owens McCullough of Sebago Technics, who represented the School Department at the meeting.

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There was no public comment on the school kitchen during the meeting, held via Zoom.

The proposal had caused some controversy previously. Councilor Benjamin Hartwell and some residents said it should be sent to voters for approval because the initial referendum did not specify a new kitchen. The Town Council deadlocked 3-3 on a proposal for a new referendum and the measure failed.

The Planning Board Monday also gave final approval, pending the receipt of a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection, to 60 duplex condo units in an expansion at Pheasant Knoll off Fort Hill Road (Route 114). The developer, Kasprzak Landholdings Inc., hopes to have the permit in hand within two weeks.

The development is for ages 55 and up and expansion brings the total number of units up to 202.

Resident Judy Weisman of 30 Ridgefield Drive raised a concern about loss of access to walking trails because of the development.

Community Development Director Tom Poirier said Tuesday there will be multiple ways to connect to trails at Pheasant Knoll.
“One location will be to access the Tannery Brook trail system and the other will be for a future trail connection toward Glenwater Subdivision,” he said.
Another public concern was increased traffic and speeding. McCullough, also representing Kasprzak, said the 55 years and older residents are fairly low traffic generators.
“This is not a cut-through. You won’t see the traffic and speed people are concerned with,” McCullough said.

The project received preliminary approval almost a year ago.

Discussion about a solar farm proposed for Fort Hill Road was rescheduled for May 18.

Fox said the board would have a number of questions and a site walk hadn’t been scheduled.

Poirier suggested a drone surveillance video of the area could suffice as a site walk alternative during the pandemic.

Bob Lowell is Gorham resident and a community reporter for Westbrook, Gorham and Buxton.

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