MEXICO – Although the town garage won’t work out as a temporary home for two Region 9 vocational programs, Brenda Gammon hasn’t given up.

Gammon, director of the vocational school that serves three area school districts, said Monday that her board is looking into other temporary housing possibilities for the building trades and forestry programs.

Among them is possible space at the River Valley Technology Center, the now vacant Hannaford building in the River Valley Crossing Shopping Center, and possibly, a building owned by businessman Clint Bradbury.

Gammon met with Rumford Town Manager Jim Doar late last week to discuss the possibility of using two bays in the town garage for the forestry and building trades programs.

However, after Gammon and instructors Marc Dupuis and Lloyd Williams checked out the space, the three decided it wouldn’t work.

Gammon said the temperature and the insufficient space at the town garage wasn’t suitable for teaching vocational classes until the end of the school year.

The need for a temporary home arose when plans changed for completing the interior work at the River Road school as part of the $4.9 million renovation and addition project.

General contractors Bowman Brothers plan to begin renovating the bay and other areas of the school on Feb. 1.

Another of the vocational programs that must move off-site is metal trades. It will relocate until the end of the school year at the River Valley Technology Center. Two other programs will move within the existing school building.

Gammon said she should know where the building and forestry programs will move by the end of the week.

In the meantime, Doar offered some space in the town garage to store the forestry program’s skidder, and equipment. Materials needed for all three programs that must relocate are being packed for a move, or put into storage until temporary locations are found.