GORHAM — The Town Council voted Tuesday to ask residents whether they want to bond $3 million to build a stadium and make improvements to the Narragansett School.

Both projects are proposed for the 85-acre town-owned Chick property, near the intersection of routes 25 and 202.

The council voted 5-2, with Matt Mattingly and Noah Miner opposed, to schedule a June 14 referendum on the bond issue.

About 30 people attended the council meeting Tuesday, and 10 of them spoke about the projects.

Proponents of the stadium, for football, soccer and other sports, said it would answer a demand for more playing fields. They said it also could be a site for regional tournaments, which would bring into town people who would spend money at local businesses.

“I think this a jewel in our cap,” said Adam Sturtevant, a youth soccer coach.

The few residents who spoke against the project said people are still reeling from the economic downturn and can’t afford to pay for a stadium, which they said is a luxury, not a necessity.

“I have a good job, but a lot of our residents don’t. They lost theirs,” said Charlie Pearson, who lives in Gorham and teaches at Southern Maine Community College.

Pearson said he supports the Narragansett School improvements and that the two projects should be voted on separately.

The proposal for the elementary school is to create two separate drop-off loops, one for parents and one for buses, and to add parking spaces. The bonded money also would pay for more parking and a new access road at the nearby public safety building.

Those portions of the project would cost about $1 million. The stadium, with a synthetic turf field, bleachers, lights and a concessions and locker room building, would cost about $2 million.

Several councilors said they had mixed feelings about the timing of the project.

Councilor Michael Phinney said that interest rates for borrowing money “are at historical lows” and construction costs are also down.

“If we want to get a project done, now’s the best time to do it, if people can afford it,” he said.

Miner said the stadium is “a nice-to-have,” but the school improvements are “something we have to do.”

“I think the timing’s off,” he said.

Council Chairman Matthew Robinson said he’s heard about the need for both projects since he joined the council in 2000.

“There are pros and there are cons,” said Councilor Brenda Caldwell. “I think we ought to let the people vote for it.”

Also at the meeting, councilors received the proposed 2011-2012 municipal budget. The $12 million budget, which included county taxes, represents a 4 percent increase over the current year’s $11.5 million budget. It would raise the tax rate by 25 cents, or 5.6 percent.

Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at: 791-6364 or at: lbridgers@mainetoday.com

 

Copy the Story Link