At the the regular March meeting, the Gorham Town Council declined to consider placing a referendum question on the June ballot on funding for a new kitchen space at Narragansett Elementary School. Councilor Ben Hartwell’s motion to consider the agenda item did not receive a second motion. This ended the possibility that voters would be asked if already approved money for the modular classroom project, together with funds from School District’s FY20 capital improvement budget, could be reallocated to pay for moving the school’s kitchen.

Last month the School Committee voted to construct kitchen space adjacent to the new cafeteria in the school’s modular addition to avoid transferring food from the existing kitchen to the cafeteria during physical education classes. Superintendent Heather Perry admitted she might have anticipated this problem before presenting the project design last fall, but it became obvious during planning for increased enrollment that the gym would be used for classes throughout the school day. Therefore, all Narragansett students will eat in the new cafeteria and, since there will not be a referendum vote, the kitchen will be ready in its new location by the beginning of the 2020-21 school year.