The Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, on site plans associated with renovations to Cape Elizabeth High School and an addition to the Pond Cove School.

Last November voters approved bond issues for both projects. The $7.9 million High School renovation will address mechanical, physical and educational issues at the 35-year-old building; the $1.5 million addition to the Pond Cove School will allow the kindergarten classes to return to the elementary school building after being housed in a wing of the High School for the last 12 years.

While the board gave no substantive review of the School Department's site-plan applications, it did deem the applications complete and scheduled a hearing for March 16.

Plans for each project, to be completed in separate construction contracts, include:

Pond Cove School:

- Add 8,900 square feet of building, which includes four classrooms and two special-ed and occupational therapy rooms;

- All utilities to be extended from the existing building;

- Realign the walkway around the building to be an 8-foot paved walk with 4 feet of gravel to one side covered with 2 inches of loam and seed;

- Realign the storm drain around the new addition;

- Landscape the immediate area.

High School renovation:

- Renovate and reprogram the existing classrooms and administration office;

- Add new structure of 1,000 square feet to the entrance and made it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);

- Add new structure of 1,600 square feet to the cafeteria to allow a more efficient lunch program;

- Reconstruct the main entrance driveway, bus loop, student drop off area and walkways to the front entrance;

- Add emergency vehicle access and an ADA-compliant walkway to the gymnasium entrance;

- Add an outdoor table area and walkway to the cafeteria;

- Add parking to the student parking lot;

- Add parking to the west end of the site near the existing soccer field;

- Renovate the existing soccer field to create a full-size with underdrains and sprinkler system;

- Extend the existing waterline around the building to service hydrants at the west end of the school.

Tom Greer, civil engineer with Pinkham and Greer consulting engineers, presented areas of renovation to the board Feb. 23, the first of which was a reconfigured entrance to the High School.

The intersection at the Ocean House Road and the High School has been a hot topic in recent years because of high traffic volumes, particularly during the 7:15-7:30 a.m. dropoff time. Turning north on to Ocean House Road from the High School rated an "F" level-of-service grade in studies conducted by Wilbur Smith for the Town, and by Casey & Godfrey in a 2001 study for the Community Center renovation.

The Wilbur Smith study recommends a traffic signal and a left-turn lane on Ocean House Road to address the level-of-service deficiency, but Town officials have made no decision as to whether to follow the recommendation. Cost of the signal, left-turn lane and related improvements is estimated at between $165,000 and $185,000.

Regardless of whether a signal is installed, Greer said site improvements planned for the High School entrance will result in a cleaner and safer pickup and dropoff area. Engineers are proposing to eliminate the traffic circle in front of the high school entrance, remove the bus drop-off area immediately in front of the school, and moving bus and vehicle dropoff to an extended area north of the main entrance near the school gym.

"We're removing the circle," Greer said to the Planning Board. "At this point you can turn left and come down around the existing traffic island and then come back up through the parking lot in order to get in and out," he said.

Or, buses and vehicles could turn right at the end of the access road in front of the school to access the student parking lot and other parking areas in back of the campus.

A facelift is also planned for the front entrance itself, explained Bob Howe, architect with HKTA. Bringing the front entrance out approximately 1,000 feet, widening the entrance and placing approximately 5 steps up to the entrance are all tools designed to create "a sense of arrival," said Howe. The front entrance will be flanked by ADA accessible ramps as well.

Architects are also planning a 1,500 square foot addition and renovation to the cafeteria in the rear of the building. The added space will accommodate students at lunch time, and enhance the area as a meeting place. Added landscaping and concrete squares for picnic tables will again better define the cafeteria as a gathering place, said Howe.

Greer showed the board plans for expanding parking at various areas of the campus, including the present student parking lot, area next to the lower soccer field, and a few spaces in the parking area in front of the school. Plans are to add 150 spaces to the site, an increase of 26 percent.

At the Pond Cove School, a 8,900 square-foot, one-story wing will be added at the center of the school, extending into an existing playing field area. The addition could be expanded into two stories in the future, Howe said, utilizing an adjacent, existing elevator. Bricks and window design will match those of the existing building.