By a narrow margin, voters said “no” to the library’s plan for expansion. The final tally was 514 in favor, and 529 against.
The turnout was about double what the library sees for its annual budget vote. But the response was low in comparison to the 9,000 fliers the library mailed to family units in the school district.
At times during the day, it was hard to find a place to park, as voters and library patrons filled the 49 spaces outside the library entrance. At 4 p.m., for example, motorists circled the lot until they found someone who was leaving.
The library had asked the electorate to approve a $3.68 million bond that would have covered the cost of repairs and expansion. The bond also included an allowance for relocating the inventory while the work was being done.
Two of the old voting machines were used for the referendum that was held in the library’s Community Room. It didn’t take long to get the tally. Superintendent of Schools Neal Miller read the results, which included 76 absentee ballots.
The library trustees, who were all in the room, seemed hopeful when Mr. Miller announced the number of “yes” votes. But their optimism changed when he read the “no” tally and reported that the proposition was defeated.
There were three paper ballots that could not be verified until the following day.
