By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Kennebunk Selectmen voted to enter into negotiations to sell Park Street School to Avesta after a two-hour public hearing with a dozen residents expressing their opinions on the idea of affordable senior housing Oct. 14.

Director of Development for Avesta Debora Keller presented a proposal to renovate the 87-year-old school for a 30-unit apartment complex for seniors 55 years old or older with an income at or below the area’s median senior income of $25,800. Avesta is offering the town $300,000 for the building, and Keller said the project has an estimated cost of $6.5 million, which will be financed by Maine Housing, as well as historic tax credits that would provide Avesta with up to a 20 percent rehabilitation tax credit from federal and state for certified rehabilitation of a certified historic building.

Plans include restoring the 1921 portion of the building while demolishing the existing additions to build a new wing to compliment the historic architecture. Without the historic tax credits and preserving the old portion, Keller said this project would not be financially feasible. 

The selectmen’s decision to work with Avesta comes after nearly four years of brainstorming uses for the building. When Maine School Administrative District 71 closed Park Street and Cousens schools in 2003, Selectmen Chairman Wayne Berry said it was by state law that the buildings were offered back to the town first. He said as part of a warrant article, the town asked residents if they should purchase the schools from the district and give selectmen the power to decide what to do with the buildings. 

Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said the town purchased the schools at the end of 2004. Since then, the town has been maintaining Park Street School, spending nearly $50,000 in heating and repairs, and the selectmen have requested various proposals to utilize the building, Berry said. 

Town officials have also polled residents on what they think the building should be used for, one popular option being community space and municipal offices. When a $2.4 million bond issue was presented to the voters in 2006 to renovate the building for community and municipal use, residents voted it down, Tibbetts said. 

In this last round of request for proposals solicited by the selectmen, Avesta returned with a proposal for senior affordable housing, and after the work Avesta completed with affordable housing units at Cousens School, Berry said the selectmen thought it was a reasonable proposal. 

Residents expressed concern about Avesta’s timetable for the project, who the apartments will benefit, as well as the selectmen’s decision not to use the building for municipal offices. 

Property abutter Richard Smith said with a Nov. 20 deadline to submit for historic tax credits, he was worried about the “aggressive” schedule pushing the selectmen to make a decision.

Kennebunk resident John Costin informed the selectmen about his efforts to circulate a petition that the building be designated only for town use. 

“When did this become a building to dispose of instead of using it as an option for the town,” Costin said. “We should not be dispensing with $300,000 worth of property that is something of value to the town.”

Kennebunk resident Carol Whitten said she had initial concerns with the Pine Bluff development on Cat Mousam Road when it was in planning stages, but said the senior affordable housing complex has proven to be a good neighbor.

“There is a definite need in this community and we ought to give Avesta a good shot,” Whitten said. “They’ve done well with Cousens School and shown us what they can do.”

While some residents asked the selectmen why they did not want to use the building for municipal offices to reduce the crowding in town hall, both Berry and Selectman Bob Higgins said town hall still has plenty of room.

While the file storage in town hall has become a concern, Berry said they are alleviating that problem by transitioning to a paperless system with electronic files. He also said there are still some empty offices in town hall as well as adequate meeting space. 

“Entering into negotiations with Avesta gives them legal interest in the property and gives them the authority to apply for the different funding sources they need to finance the project,” Berry said.