WELLS — Maine voters will decide on five bond questions on the state referendum ballot Tuesday. And while most will have some impact on York County, proponents of Question 5 say the proposal to inject $15.5 million into the community college system will have particularly notable impact here, allowing York County Community College to prepare more Mainers for high-skill jobs.
About $3.4 million is earmarked to go toward construction of a new academic building at YCCC in Wells. The new building proposal is a $6.5 million project; the bond, if passed, leverages funds from the Maine Community College Foundation, said interim College President Chris Hall.
York County Community College, said Hall, presently instructs 1,600 degree students and another 400 workforce development students in a building designed for 1,000 students back in 1994.
“So we are truly bursting at the seams,” said Hall.
“In order to address overcrowding and meet industry demand for skilled workers, just last month YCCC opened its doors to a leased facility at One Eagle Drive in Sanford to begin instructing 36 students (due to demand, three times the original plan) toward a two-year associate degree or one-year certificate in Precision Machining Technology,” said Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council Director Jim Nimon, in a commentary to the newspaper supporting Question 5.
The other state ballot questions include:
”¢ Question 1 on the ballot asks voters to approve $14 million for the state’s share of maintenance and upgrades to Maine’s National Guard armories, including the one in Sanford, plus the purchase of up to 6,000 acres of land for training. The project leverages federal funds.
The bond has the support of Sen. John Tuttle, who pointed out the armories need renovation and the guard needs a training ground. When he was in the guard, several years ago, training was conducted at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, in neighboring New Brunswick, he said.
Ӣ Question 2 asks voters to approve $15.5 million for updating and improving existing laboratory and classroom facilities at all seven campuses of the University of Maine System. The labs and classrooms are largely focused on science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM education.
Among the businesses that have come forward asking voters to approve Question 2 are Pratt & Whitney, Poland Spring, Lanco Assembly Systems, The Baker Company, Biovation, Harriman Associates, Clark Insurance, Paradigm Windows, Media Paths, Inc., Idexx, Growing Portland, Educate Maine, UNUM and WEX, according to a group called Yes on 2. A mayor’s coalition also endorsed the passage of Question 2.
Ӣ Question 3 asks voters to support a $100 million bond issue for transportation projects across the state, including highways, bridges, and facilities and equipment relating to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation and transit, and will be used in conjunction with $154 million in federal funds.
While neither the Department of Transportation nor the Legislature may earmark money for transportation bonds, according to Amy Cookson, deputy communications director for the Senate Democratic Office, a DOT official has said the bond would finance the transportation department’s workplan.
The workplan outlines dozens of potential projects in York County, and may be viewed by municipality, online at http://maine.gov/mdot/projects/workplan/search.
Declining revenues from the state’s fuel tax coupled with a federal gas tax that hasn’t increased since 1993 have meant increasingly tight budgets for fixing roads and bridges, said Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association.
“The cost of construction in Maine has gone up significantly, but we’re still at the same funding level we were 20 years ago,” she said.
“Everyone you talk to knows a road or a bridge that they think needs work,” she said. “People understand it’s important. We just hope the people who feel that way go to the polls.”
Ӣ Question 4 would build a new, $4.5 million science facility at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.
Maine residents rejected $11.3 million worth of bonds for capital improvements for universities and community colleges just last year.
Mark Brewer, political science professor at the University of Maine, said none of the bond issues are particularly high profile or controversial and spending on campaigns to educate voters on their impact has been low, which could affect how many residents make it to the polls Tuesday.
“You still have to make the case for all of these bonds to voters ”“ in an era where fiscal responsibility is a concern ”“ for why we have to spend this money,” he said.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report. Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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