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New Gorham Elementary School Project
Letter to Parents
White Rock School
10 North Gorham Rd.
Gorham, ME
04038
(207)222-1050
Ted Sharp, Superintendent
Margaret Evans, Principal
Oct. 19, 2007
Dear White Rock School Families,
As you may be aware, the district is in the early stages of a building project. The plan is to build a new elementary school that will replace White Rock School, constructing a large school that would be able to house up to 550 children and would include grades K through 5. At the time the new school opens, most likely in September of 2011, the current Narragansett School and Village School will also become K-5 schools.
Let me share some history with you. We have been involved in some aspect of this project for a number of years. We have had portable classrooms at White Rock due to overcrowding for more than 20 years! The district made its first application to the state for school funding in 2001, but was ranked number 17 for the state, and did not get funded. We resubmitted the application to the state in 2003-4, and were ranked number 10, which meant we would get state funds for a new school. A "White Rock/ New Building Project Team" has been formed, chaired by Jim Hager, and having membership of parents, teachers, and district personnel, as well as another school committee member and a member of the town council. This group chose an architect in May of 2006, and has continued to meet monthly since
that time. We are working closely with the State Department of Education and have developed a timeline and a process for going forward with new school construction. There have been public forums and meetings during this time to keep the public informed of both the process and progress.
We have met a major obstacle over the past year in our attempts to find a suitable piece of property for this project. The present White Rock School building and site were found to be inadequate for a larger school, and we do not have city water, sewer, or three phase power, all requirements for a new building. Extensive studies of the greater White Rock/Little Falls area were done, criteria for choosing a piece of land were set, and land owners were approached. A site was found that would have been a great setting for a school. Time had to be spent working with state and federal agencies to determine if a building on this site would impact the vernal pools (hatching areas for a variety of reptiles and other animals). This hurdle was overcome, and we set about getting the required number of real estate
appraisals, as directed by the state. Finally, early this fall, we met with the land owners to make an offer, and after much thought on their part, they turned us down. We were very disappointed! We went back to review other sites, but had no luck finding a site that would meet all the requirements. The superintendent and the chair of the school committee decided to ask the Gorham Town Council about a piece of land owned by the town called "the Chick property."
On Wednesday night, Oct. 17th, the town council had a special meeting to consider whether or not we should go ahead and consider the Chick property for a new school building. They voted to allow us to do so, therefore we are now in the process of having the architects and engineers review the property to see if it will meet the criteria that were established by the Building Committee.
While this property is located near the center of downtown, not in the White Rock/Little Falls area as we had hoped, please understand that the Building Project Committee has been acting in good faith, trying very hard to find a suitable space for our new school located in the White Rock/Little Falls area. The lack of three phase power, public water and sewer in this part of town has made it more challenging. However, since we have not been able to find this, and we are faced with the possibility of losing our state funding (perhaps about $20 million!) because of the delays we have had, we are now considering the Chick property. A final decision about its use has not yet been made.
I look forward to answering questions that you have about the process we have already been through, as well as keeping you informed of what is going on as we move forward. The Gorham Schools web site (www.gorhamschool.org) has a section on the project that is updated regularly. The Building Project meetings for the new school are open to the public and are scheduled for the first Wednesday of every month, held in the
conference room at the superintendent's offices. We will also have additional public
eetings as we proceed.
I thank you for the time you took to read this letter and for your support as we continue with this process. I thank all of you who have attended the meetings we have had, and thank the members of our school and community who are serving on the building project team: Polly Shields, Guy LaBrecque, Rosalie Mosher, Patty LaRosa, Brad Smith, Brian Porter, Dennis Libby, Roger Marchand, Jim Hager, Paul Roney, Norm
Justice and Ted Sharp. I know we all have the same goal in mind - a school that is large enough to meet the needs of our children and will provide a nurturing and safe learning environment for all of them.
Sincerely,
Margaret Evans
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