Boothbay-area residents pass $30M bond for school repairs 

Voters in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor have narrowly passed a referendum to allow their school district to spend $30 million on renovations for the middle and elementary school. The combined 859-807 vote comes after the residents shot down a previous referendum that would have designated $89 million to renovate the middle and elementary school and also build a new high school. Residents were worried the tax increase from the $89 million bond would be too high, which led to Alternative Organizational Structure 98’s decision to ask for only $30 million in this round. The new referendum passed on Wednesday, with residents voting 349-313 in Boothbay Harbor and 510-494 in Boothbay, according to the Boothbay Register. The middle and elementary school, which was built in the 1970s, is in need of repairs and renovations, Superintendent Robert Kahler told the BDN in February. Among the issues are that some walls aren’t soundproofed, the school flooded last year when sprinklers malfunctioned and a shortage of classrooms has forced some students to learn in storage closets. The bond will allow the district to make those repairs and construct new learning spaces for the students, Kahler has said. To pay for the repairs, property taxes in Bootbay will initially increase by $1.21 per $1,000 of assessed value, and by $0.98 in Boothbay Harbor. The issue of renovating the Cold War-era high school will be left for a future date, Kahler has said.