Windham’s School Board chairman and school superintendent will ask three town boards if they would support placing a proposed high school athletic stadium on town-owned conservation and recreation land.

In a 3-2 vote, the Windham School Board voted during a Wednesday, Oct. 10, meeting to allow Chairman Al Letizio Jr. and Superintendent Frank Bass to approach selectmen, the Recreation Committee and the Conservation Commission about using roughly 8 acres of what is known as the Gage land.

The land could be obtained by the school district through a land swap approved by voters.

A week earlier, Letizio unveiled a conceptual plan to add a baseball field, a softball field, a second gymnasium, and a stadium with a track and artificial turf field at Windham High School.

The upgrade is estimated to cost at least $5.4 million and is a result of recommendations from an athletics committee.

To fit the new facilities on the school site, which officials expect to someday place another school on, the plan calls for placing the stadium on 8.2 acres of the Gage land, which is adjacent to the site.

The high school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.

During the two-hour meeting, the board was divided on whether they should seek use of the Gage land. Beverly Donovan and Barbara Coish are opposed to asking for it.

“I feel that we’re rushing this plan through,” said Donovan, who wants to see alternatives. “Maybe there are others way to do it.”

Donovan added that the Gage land is used for activities such as hiking and cross country skiing.

“There are other people in this town, other than school-age children, that have a right to have a place to have recreational activities.”

Donovan argued that not all school athletic facilities have to be on the same site, and repeated her wish to have a master plan for all school district property.

“Why bother committing suicide?” asked Coish, who said that most selectmen don’t support giving up the Gage land.

And she questioned if there would be enough students when the school opened to support a full set of varsity and junior varsity teams. Bass said he thought there would be.

Bruce Anderson joined Letizio and Beth Valentine in going forward with discussions with the town boards. But Anderson questioned if voters would approve spending $5.5 million or $6 million in March for the extra facilities.

Valentine said it would be a mistake for School Board members to presume how officials and residents would react to the idea of allowing the school district to use the Gage land.

“I think it’s something the town should have the opportunity to weigh in on,” she said.

“It’s the town’s land. They get to decide.

“I think when it comes to what we promised the community – everything’s on the table for delivering the best, the most that we can.”