South Portland residents sent a clear message to school officials Tuesday, voting 3-1 against a $56 million borrowing plan to rebuild the city’s only high school.
The final vote was 4,724-1,561, according to unofficial results released by the City Clerk’s office Tuesday night.
Voters also re-elected incumbent Linda Boudreau to a sixth term on the South Portland City Council, and picked newcomer Tom Blake to fill the other at-large seat. Blake replaces Ralph Baxter, who is retiring.
Blake was the top vote-getter, with 3,608 votes. Boudreau received 3,231 votes.
But the issue that seemed to drive people to the polls on a rainy Tuesday was the proposed bond for funding the costliest school construction project in city history.
School officials had proposed rebuilding and expanding the high school at a cost of $55.6 million. An additional $29.4 million would have covered interest fees on a 20-year bond.
A sub-committee composed of residents and city leaders worked for two years developing a plan to ease overcrowding, redesign classroom space and replace outdated heating and fire-safety systems.
Contributing to the costs were significant flooding problems on campus, which would have been corrected with a new storm drainage system and retention ponds.
Many voters at the polls Tuesday said they supported fixing problems at South Portland High, but they opposed the costly plan offered by the school department.
“The school bond is way too much money,” said Dennis Gears, as he left the Boys and Girls Club after voting Tuesday.
“At first, I thought I would vote for it, but the more I read and thought about it, I realized it was too much. I’m worried about what it would do to my property tax bill,” said Gears, adding that he feels the city should look to Augusta for school construction aid.
Gears’ comments were echoed by many other residents Tuesday.
“I just thought it was too much money,” said Casey Cribby.
It was difficult to find a voter Tuesday willing to speak in favor of the school renovation project. One resident, holding her child’s hand, said she voted for the bond, but declined to identify herself.
Asked for her reason why, she pointed to her young son as she walked out of the building.
Retiree Ronald Adams said “tax relief” was on his mind when he voted. Adams said he was adamantly opposed to the school bond referendum, even though he worked in public education for three decades.
“It is way too much money,” Adams said. “We should not be subjected to this type of cost for renovating the high school. The high school needs repairs, but not for this amount of money.”
Adams said he was not only worried about the bond’s effect on the tax rate, but also on the city’s credit rating and its ability to borrow money.
“I don’t know where people are coming from by proposing something this expensive,” Adams said.
Adams said he is worried about the future costs of replacing or consolidating the city’s two middle schools, which also are in need of renovations.
He also complained that South Portland sends a lot of money to Augusta in tax revenues from large businesses such as the Maine Mall, but sees little in return in state aid.
“They look at us in Augusta and think we’re a rich community. That is simply not so.”
Ivan Tate paused as he left the polls at the community center to chat with Blake, who was doing some final-hour campaigning.
Tate shook his head no when asked if he supported the proposed school bond. “Too much money,” Tate said as he headed out into the rain.
Likewise, Phyllis Ferguson also was brief in her response, but said she, too, did not support the school bond. “It costs too much,” she said.
The four candidates running for two at-large seats were a presence at the polls on Tuesday.
Incumbent Boudreau and Blake, a retired paramedic-firefighter, took the top votes, defeating businessman Don Legere and Louis Maietta Jr., a former city councilor and state legislator.
The final votes were: Blake, 3,608; Boudreau, 3,231; Legere, 2005; and Maietta, 1,472.
Blake will be the new face on the city council, though he is no stranger to civic activities. Blake is a founder and president of the South Portland Land Trust, which has played a pivotal role in expanding and preserving open space in the city.
“I just found out… I’m looking forward to digging into the issues and working with the other councilors,” Blake said Tuesday night.
Boudreau held on to her at-large council seat, taking a hard line on spending. She voted against sending the school construction bond to referendum last spring, a minority vote on the council.
Boudreau also has spoken emphatically about the need for the city to prioritize its spending projects before investing in new capital costs, such as renovating the armory building to use as a new City Hall.
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