MACHIAS — The future layout of the Machias Memorial High School campus will be the subject of a public forum at the Rose Gaffney Elementary School on Tuesday.

Union 102 Superintendent Betty Jordan said the session is the first of several public meetings with the architectural and engineering firm that is developing a site plan to guide renovations and the possible expansion of the 46-year-old high school.

The Dec. 8 public forum begins at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Rose Gaffney Elementary School.

Oak Point Associates of Biddeford was hired to develop the architectural site plan after voters approved $50,000 for effort in July. The site plan will guide current projects at the school so that things do not need to be moved or redesigned if Machias receives state funds to renovate the facility, Jordan said.

Among the areas to be addressed are traffic flow, parking and the current ball field, which is frequently wet because it is in a low-lying area. Any expansion of Machias Memorial High School will have to take into consideration the proximity of the Rose Gaffney Elementary School and the future placement of an on-campus superintendent’s office, she said. Jordan’s office now is in downtown Machias.

Earlier this year, a team of educational consultants identified a number of areas that should be addressed at the 1950s-era high school. Among their recommendations were improvements in lighting and the air and heat exchangers, an updated electrical system, handicapped accessibility, replacement of asbestos floor tiles with vinyl flooring, and expansion of classrooms, the art area, the school library and the chemistry lab.

“I’m a firm believer in long-term planning and doing a little each year,” Jordan said.

The school committee is hopeful Machias will receive state assistance to renovate the high school under the new $20 million school improvement fund the Legislature approved last session. Spearheaded by Machias resident Jim Reir, the funding program is the first in the state’s history that can be applied to renovating existing facilities.

Even if that funding does not become a reality, the site plan is needed to guide the school in making improvements. Jordan said several projects are on hold until the plan is developed because the school committee doesn’t want to be in the position of having to redo something because it interferes with a future improvement.