FARMINGTON – Selectmen will hold a public hearing Tuesday to consider applying for a community development grant to install a commercial kitchen in the Fairbanks School Building. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the town office.

Members of the Shared Use Kitchen Committee for the Fairbanks School Neighborhood Association are seeking the grant, said Chairwoman Mary Frank.

Once in place, the kitchen could be rented by people to process their own products for resale. The kitchen would also provide an opportunity for educational such as cooking classes for youngsters interested in a preculinary art school experience or with clients of the Care and Share Food Closet next to the space for the kitchen, said Cindy Kemble, retiring president of the association.

The kitchen would serve both groups of people and individuals, home gardeners and farmers who want to start or expand a business, Frank said.

The approximately 1,400 square feet in the basement has the potential for freezer storage, an area for dry storage and lockers for regular users as well as prep-tables and commercial stoves with stainless steel hoods.

Equipping the kitchen is an expensive process and some drainage work needs to be done, but the committee “plans to take small steps and grow as we can,” she said.

The town has to make the application and administer the grant funds but depending on what funds are available, Frank’s committee hopes to have the kitchen in place by the end of the year.

The local group has joined a Shared Use Kitchen Coalition based on efforts across the state to create shared kitchens. The coalition shares information and progress , she said, and also pursues efforts to make information available to the Legislature and explain what it means to have a shared kitchen.

Committed to an educational purpose also, the committee has partnered with Androscoggin Valley Council of Government and Franklin County Adult Basic Education to offer a three-session class for people interested in starting a small business, marketing and the financial aspects of operating a business. Classes will be held at the Fairbanks School on the last Wednesday of January, February and March. Participants may sign up for one or all three classes through Adult Basic Education, she said.

The selectmen’s agenda also includes a discussion on the former Farmington Falls school lot, an update on the police department’s architectural study and a discussion of proposed departmental budgets for the town.