LAMOINE – A public hearing on a school proposal that local voters will consider later this month is scheduled for tonight at the Route 184 facility.

The hearing is part of the process by which local officials plan to improve the town’s elementary school. They hope to build a new and improved school gym, increase the number of classrooms, renovate the roof and upgrade several of the building’s systems, including its electrical and water lines and its heating and ventilation.

The public hearing is scheduled to get under way at 7 p.m. at Lamoine Consolidated School. Local voters will cast written ballots Jan. 23 to determine whether the town will proceed with the overall $3.4 million project.

Stu Marckoon, Lamoine’s administrative assistant, said Tuesday that the town will borrow $650,000 from the state to bring the school’s existing systems “up to snuff.” The remaining $2.9 million will be spent on building a new gym and locker rooms, three new classrooms, and expanding on-site parking. Part of the expansion will be paid for through the Jina’s Gym Fund, which was established in memory of former LCS student Janina Haslam.

Tonight’s hearing will be the second the town has held on the issue. The first was held Oct. 12, 2006, so local residents could help town and school officials better define the scope of the project.

More information on the proposed project is available online at www.lamoine-me.gov.