By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Kennebunk’s Special Town Meeting started an hour late as nearly 650 residents crowded into the gymnasium at Kennebunk High School to vote on the future of Park Street School.

The first article asked residents to approve borrowing $1.4 million and appropriating $55,000 from surplus to maintain, renovate and equip Park Street School for municipal and community use. The article was the result of a petition circulated by residents after negotiations began in October to sell the former school to Avesta Housing. 

The article was overwhelmingly defeated with minimal debate among residents. 

Among the few residents who spoke were petition organizers.

“This is the end of a five year effort to take Park Street School and retain it for municipal and community use. It has always been about building community, and if we always focus on money we’re going to snuff the light out of our town,” said Rachel Phipps, who spearheaded the Park Street School petition along with her husband John Costin.

Costin reminded residents the $2.7 million bond to renovate the school previously defeated was the most expensive option outlined by a committee who assessed the necessary renovations for the building, and the proposed $1.4 million would finance a modest renovation. 

“I understand $17 [increase in taxes] is a lot for some residents, but it’s a very low price than something down the road,” Costin said. 

Selectman Al Searles said he “took a trip to the grocery store to see how far [$17] would get me.”

“I got a 10 pound bag of potatoes, one pound of hamburger, a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread and one dozen eggs,” Searles said. “Coincidently $17 would pay my electric bill for 17 days. This is a waste of our tax money.”

After the meeting, Costin said he was happy to see such a large turn out and understood the potential tax increase is what “motivated people to come out.”

“The reason we did this [petition] was because this was the opportunity and chance. I will continue to advocate for a stronger community,” Costin said. “Avesta has a good project, I just thought a town use would be better.”

Avesta Housing Director of Development Deb Keller said the company plans to invest $8 million to renovate the building to create 30 one-bedroom affordable senior housing units while maintaining the historic integrity of the structure.

The cost could be reduced by historic tax credits Avesta Housing has applied for, Keller said. 

Residents defeated the petition, opting to continue with the sale of Park Street School and the majority of those in attendance left. 

The remaining articles passed without much discussion.

Those articles included amendments to the Kennebunk zoning and floodplain management ordinances;  accepting Shape Drive and Shape Medical Drive as public land and roads and appropriating funds to match the $400,000 grant received from the Department of Economic and Community Development for plans to develop rear access roads connecting Maine Health and Wellness Campus to Shopper’s Village and eventually Post Office Square.