BY DARRELL HALEN

The voters were given three options. They chose Option B.

By doing so, they approved a $4 million bond article and using $3 million in interest money to provide enough classroom space at Windham High School to accommodate 1,000 students.

“I’m happy to have this vote behind us,” said school board member Al Letizio, Jr. “The board is going to come together and build what people have asked for.”

Voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, March 13, at Golden Brook School.

The school board had presented warrant articles for the high school as three options. Option A was to approve only the interest money accrued from bonds approved for the building project two years ago, known on the ballot as Article 4.

Option B was to approve Article 2 –  the $4 million bond – and the interest money. Option C was to add to those two spending measures with a $3 million bond for additional features.

“I’m very happy Article 4 passed overwhelmingly and I’m very happy Article 2 passed,” said Bruce Anderson, the school board’s chairman. “The voters spoke and they showed they want us to build the building but perhaps are not ready for the extra sports facilities.”

Anderson said he was a little shocked that the second bond article, Article 3, which needed at a 60 percent majority, did not receive at least a majority of the vote.

Letizio said he believes the results were affected by negative information that was spread that confused voters.

Among the features the defeated bond article would have funded were lighting and bleachers for one field, a small gym, and converting a field to an artificial turf field.

By passing Articles 2 and 4, the school is expected to have classroom and core capacity for 1,000 students. Its kitchen will serve the school district and $2.5 million will be available for furnishings, fixtures and equipment.

The school board unanimously backed the interest money article but it was split over the bond articles.

Anderson, Letizio and Beth Valentine supported the bond articles, while Barbara Coish and Beverly Donovan did not.

Coish said she was happy with the outcome.

“It was a good compromise,” she said. “I’m happy with Option B passing.”

Now the school board has more time to study putting athletic fields across the high school road and funding a running track, she said.

WISE, Windham initiative to Support Education, an organization that backed the high school project two years ago, encouraged voters to back all three articles this year. The PTA also supported the three articles.

This year’s ballot also featured a contested race for a one-year seat on the school board. Letizio defeated
Michael Hatem 1,574 -1,427.

Letizio had been serving as an interim member since Galen Stearns resigned from the board last year.

“Al has done a lot for this project and he’s been an asset on this board,” Anderson said.

Anderson was unopposed in his re-election bid for a three-year term.