FARMINGTON – School directors on Tuesday authorized Superintendent Michael Cormier to work with a university official on a proposal to upgrade a district parking lot for joint use at the university’s expense.
Roger Spear of the University of Maine at Farmington presented a plan to improve the lot off Middle Street behind the Mallett School and lease it from the district for daytime parking and evening events, but not overnight parking.
“It would be a good addition to the community,” Spear said. “The concept would be to make an attractive parking lot there.”
The proposal, which would need Farmington Planning Board approval once a plan is developed, would initially create 109 parking spaces with the opportunity to add 43 spaces on the north side, Spear said.
The proposal also calls for the dirt lot to have improved drainage, grassy areas and lighting, Spear said. The possibility of a fence to separate the school’s playground from the lot would also be considered, he said, and a paved basketball court could be moved back.
The maintenance, plowing and lighting would be provided by the university, Spear said. The university would also patrol the parking lot to make sure college students were not parking overnight, and would work with town police on nonstudent parking violations.
The Mallett School would still retain its reserved spots in the lot, and the bus entry would be kept separate from the lot, Spear said.
The district would need to adjust the easement agreement it has with Tri-County Mental Health, which owns the Ingalls School, to make maximum use of the parking area, Cormier said. The easement would be relocated in the lot.
The improvements would better control traffic and safety, Cormier said.
Director Jo Josephson asked whether the university had thought of creating a two-story parking garage rather than having a larger footprint and paving more of Farmington. Spear said a parking garage is cost prohibitive. It cost about $18,000 a space, he said.
The university’s proposed arts center is going to go behind the Community Center, which is on Middle Street, Spear said, and the town is going to require the university to have more parking space. The lot behind the Mallett School would fit into the plan, he added.
Cormier asked the board to authorize him to work with Spear on the project.
That’s a pretty significant investment for the university, Cormier said, and a substantial benefit to the district.
The proposal would go back to the board once a plan was developed, prior to its going to the Planning Board.
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