Bucksport voters face two referendum questions

BUCKSPORT – Voters will have some local choices to make when they go to the polls in November.

The local ballot for the election contains two referendum questions along with the candidates for the Town Council and the school committee.

Voters will be asked to approve the expenditure of $845,000 for improvements at the Jewett School. Councilors are expected to adopt that ordinance on Thursday, which officially would send it to voters. Town and school funds already are available for the improvements, according to Town Manager Roger Raymond, but the town charter requires that any expenditure more than $100,000 must be approved by the voters. The funding includes $155,000 from the school department’s surplus fund, $400,000 from the town’s dedicated fund balance, and $290,000 from undedicated fund balance or surplus.

“We have the money to do this project so that it does not impact the property tax bills,” he said.

The Jewett School still houses kindergarten pupils in one wing, but plans call for it to be converted for a variety of school and town uses, with about half of the building being converted to a community center.

If voters approve the referendum, the majority of the funds will be used to replace the existing roof and heating system in the building, Raymond said Tuesday. The remainder would be used to build an addition to provide handicapped access to the stage area and gym, install new showers, and upgrade the interior on the town side of the building.

The plan behind the funding request is to provide a variety of services for residents, Raymond said. The community center space will allow the expansion of the Head Start program and of programs for senior citizens, he said. It will provide space for adult education programs, including an afternoon program, and will allow the town’s recreation department to create an afternoon program and expand its summer program.

If the funds are approved, work would begin as early as possible in the spring, although, Raymond said, because there are still kindergarten pupils in the building, some of the work will have to wait until classes end in the summer. The second referendum question will ask voters to amend the town charter to allow the polls for local elections to open at 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., which will allow more residents an opportunity to vote, Raymond said.

There are six candidates for two seats on the school committee. Incumbents Paul Bissonnette and Mary Woodman are seeking re-election to three-year terms. They will be challenged by Justin Barnes, George Hanson, Nickey Wight and Sylvia Wight.

Three incumbents, Robert Carmichael Sr., Joel Wardwell and Lisa Whitney are running unopposed for re-election to the Town Council.