State and local officials said the town is not in serious jeopardy of losing state building aid for the new high school after voters rejected a second access road required under the state fire code.

In order to receive financial aid from the state for the construction of a new school, the structure’s plans must be approved and the building must meet fire codes, both at the local and state level. With the recent rejection of a proposal to construct a $1.25 million secondary access road to the future high school, required by Fire Chief Tom McPherson for the school to open, some worry that the state may rescind funding for the construction project.

State aid would cover 30 percent of the cost to build the new high school, roughly $17 million of the $55 million project.

“If you don’t build by the code, you don’t get the money,” said Selectman Charles McMahon. “It’s the view of the people in Windham who have not accepted that there is a higher jurisdiction and the state Department of Education that clearly states in their codes and their rules what it takes to build this high school. We need to respond to that, not with opinion, but with statements of fact.”

In an e-mail sent to town officials, Ed Murdough, of the New Hampshire Department of Education, reiterated state fire codes must be met in order for the town to receive building aid. Chief McPherson, who has publicly stated he will not allow the school to open without a second exit, has the authority to enforce the code if in “his judgment there is a likelihood that the primary access could be blocked during an emergency situation,” according to Murdough.

According to Murdough, the only scenario in which the school would lose state funding would be if the building never opened, an outcome he called “not realistic.”

“My expectation is that they’re going to work it out,” he said. “How they work it out, I don’t know, but they’ve got to resolve that locally.”

In the meantime, McMahon has proposed a meeting between state and local authorities to hash out the problem and determine a solution on Sept. 29.

“It’s in law, it’s irrefutable, and sadly, there are those that don’t except that. I don’t want to mortgage our future and children’s safety on opinion,” McMahon said. “Let’s get the authorities in the same room.”

According to McMahon, close to eight months would be needed to construct a second access road, leaving the town with a tight schedule to fulfill the requirements to ensure the school opens on time next fall. McMahon said that the rapidly closing window of time to resolve the issue had spurred the board to get involved in finding a viable solution.

“We have to sit down and just meet with everybody involved and try and resolve this,” said Selectman Roger Hohenberger. “I can’t foresee an instance where the school can open and we won’t get 30 percent state aid. I can’t foresee an instance where the school won’t open.”