After a lengthy debate, Gorham town councilors Tuesday, April 1, decided against spending $185,000 to own a property at a high-crash intersection. A purchase was aimed at an eventual use of the property for a possible Maine Department of Transportation design to ease traffic congestion and improve safety at the intersection of County Road (Route 22) and South Street (Route 114).

Town Councilor Lou Simms sponsored the proposal for the town to buy the property at 77 County Road with a house on a .58-acre site. The current property owner is Arthur Tapley and assessed at $179,500, according to town tax records posted online.

The property is located in a highly traveled commuter corridor. Simms said Police Chief Christopher Sanborn identified the intersection as the highest crash location in Gorham.

A Maine Department of Transportation list says the intersection has had 27 crashes with six injuries in the past three years.

Council Vice Chairperson Rob Lavoie, who officiated the meeting in the absence of Chairperson Suzanne Phillips, opposed the purchase. “We’re dealing with taxpayer dollars,” Lavoie said.

Town Councilor Phil Gagnon said he’d want to see what plans MDOT has for the intersection and called a purchase putting the cart before the horse. “The cost beyond (the purchase) is substantial,” Gagnon said.

The agenda notes for the item says, “there are no plans to improve this intersection although improvements will likely need to be made in the future” and “no study or design engineering has taken place.”

The notes also say that intersection improvements would need future improvements with or without the Maine Turnpike Authority’s proposed Gorham connector.

Simms asked, if the town buys the property, would it strengthen the town’s position with MDOT that the intersection needs attention. But Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak didn’t believe a purchase would make a “major difference.”

The proposed purchase drew negative reactions from the public podium.

Resident Mark Curtis didn’t believe the deal was a “good expenditure” of local tax dollars. “I think this is a bad idea,” Curtis said.

Resident Peter Mason asked for an example in the past 10 years of a town property purchase that’s been lucrative.

If the town had agreed to buy the site, Gorham Public Works would have been assigned to demolish the house and the property would have been removed from the town tax roles.

The council unanimously rejected buying the property, 6-0, with Phillips absent.

Gorham councilor opposes turnpike connector; the issue is headed to Augusta