CAMDEN, Maine — Camden and Rockport voters rejected a $28 million bond referendum for a new middle school on Tuesday.
Camden voters rejected it 435-548 while Rockport said no with a 233-398 tally.
The timing of the ballot question had irritated town officials in both communities who wanted the vote in June. Turnout was strong for a midwinter, single-issue ballot question.
The School Administrative District 28 board had said the new school is necessary because the existing one is in need of costly repairs. The district said the estimated cost of renovating the existing middle school would be $27.5 million.
School officials could not immediately be reached for comment after the results of the voting were announced.
The school district had projected that if the $28 million in borrowing was approved, a Rockport property owner could pay up to $87 more per $100,000 of assessed property. In Camden, that increase would be $81 more per $100,000 of assessed property.
The $28 million bond for the new 84,000-square-foot school on the grounds of the current Knowlton Street campus would have included the cost of renovating the Mary E. Taylor portion of the existing middle school, built in 1925, for administrative offices as well as adult and alternative education programs. The bond also would have covered the cost of renovating the existing bus barn to allow for more space.