A developer is willing to contribute nearly half the cost of installing a traffic light at the Cape Elizabeth High School entrance in exchange for access to the light.

The contribution by the developer will help defray the $213,835 cost of the the light, which the Planning Board required to be installed as a part of last year’s high school renovations.

A memo sent out to the Town Council on Jan. 6 stated the developer’s intention to “bear the costs of the lane improvements on Route 77.” Town Manager Mike McGovern authored the memo after meeting with engineer Jim Fisher of Northeast Civil Solutions.

Fisher represents client Fernando Cafua of Cafua Management in Massachusetts. Cafua owns nearly 100 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises nationwide, including two in Scarborough and three in South Portland. Dunkin’ Donuts is a proposed tenant for the retail space.

Dunkin’ Donuts would be just one tenant of the 8,000-square-foot retail building proposed for the lot adjacent to the high school driveway.

The cost of the traffic light project is an estimated $213,835. This figure includes road modifications as well as the cost of the signal. McGovern and Fisher agreed that the town would pay for the cost of the hardware, and the developer would pay for the cost of the road modification. The town’s share of the project is an estimated $127,000.

It is still unclear where the town’s share of the cost would come from, though McGovern proposed a funding model including contributions from the town roadway/drainage impact account, the school building project account, and money leftover from school projects.

Fisher proposed the project to the council last April on Cafua’s behalf. At the time, some town councilors questioned whether the developer should contribute to the cost of the light because the Dunkin’ Donuts customers would be using it.

Because the Maine Department of Transportation recommended exiting traffic for this retail space empty at a lighted signal, Fisher asked to use the yet-to-be-built high school traffic signal.

Fisher said the traffic signal has posed challenges to an otherwise breezy proposal. He said he and his client understood the complications the traffic light posed early on. “We knew there would be some infrastructure improvements,” he said.

A crew was surveying the land for the 8,000 square foot retail building proposed for the lot adjacent to the high school driveway last Thursday. John Perron (right) of Biddeford and Craig Martin of Yarmouth are employed by Cape resident Jim Fisher owner and founder of Scarborough engineering firm Northeast Civil Solutions. Fisher represents Fernando Cafua who wants to put a Dunkin’ Donuts in the retail space.John Pastore (front) of Raymond, John Perron (far right) of Biddeford and Craig Martin of Yarmouth were surveying a 600 foot stretch of Route 77 in front of Cape Elizabeth High School in preparation for the developement project that will most likely include a Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ donuts to pay for traffic light