LONDONDERRY — Local voters will have their say in a variety of improvements to their town and school district being proposed over the next several years.

In a brief public meeting held Thursday evening, Capital Improvement Plan Committee Chairman John Farrell shared details of the potential capital improvement projects in the coming five fiscal years.

The projects were scored and ranked in order of priority, ranging from the most-urgent Priority 1 projects down to Priority 6 projects.

The ranked projects will be presented to the Planning Board sometime in the coming month, where they will be discussed in greater detail.

There were no presentations given for any of this year’s proposed projects, and very few residents were in attendance.

The majority of the projects up for discussion were familiar.

Slated for 2013, $12.3 million in upgrades to Pettengill Road would connect the business district to the new Airport Access Road, allowing more immediate access to the Everett Turnpike.

Community Development Director Andre Garron said the project has been on the CIP “probably for a decade now.”

Opening up the area would bring countless jobs to the area, Garron said, noting the town is seeking partial federal funds for the area’s sewer extension.

“We have no roadway money established, only sewer money,” he said. “This is a major economic development project so therefore it’s rated highly by the community development department.”

The committee agreed the project should be rated Priority 2, with 2014 set as the target year.

The district’s $100,000 new SAU Office, another Priority 2 project, is targeted for 2016.

“We’re keeping this on our radar, knowing at some point that office will need to be replaced,” Farrell said.

District Business Administrator Peter Curro said the project has been pushed aside repeatedly over the years since other school facility needs trumped a new superintendent’s office.

“Right now, it’s really not in the best interest of the community to put money into that building,” Curro said, adding that state building aid is on shaky ground. “The glory days are over. The Legislature has put a cap on the amount of money being spent on building aid for schools.”

Marked as Priority 3 is $500,000 initial engineering for the new school district auditorium, which is slated for 2019.

Curro suggested the district’s top priority should at this time focus on tackling $3 million in needed facility renovation, though using funds in the annual maintenance trust might ultimately prove the wisest option.

Following a brief discussion, the committee members ranked the renovations a Priority 2 project.

Proposed renovations to Central Fire Station “have been on the CIP list for as long as I can remember,” according to Farrell. Costs of the restorations are an estimated $1.6 million.

Town Planner Cynthia May said the town’s fire staff has expressed a strong need for the improvements, since the aging Mammoth Road facility is outdated, needs a new roof, and lacks adequate storage and training space.

Recently, the local fire department has moved some of its staff and vehicles to the town’s two newer stations, and Farrell noted that the building is in dire need of upgrades.

Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie wasn’t present at Thursday night’s meeting.

“What I’m hearing is, we have a building here that really shouldn’t be operating anymore,” said Farrell. “But we really need to hear from the chief.”

Ultimately, the board agreed to hold off on rating or prioritizing Central Station, pending a meeting with fire officials.

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April Guilmet may be reached at AGuilmet@newstote.com.