Augusta voters cast ballots Tuesday at the Buker Community Center at 22 Armory St. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — Voters approved borrowing $2,055,000 for street and sidewalk improvements, a new ramp for a Kennebec River boat landing and to help cover the cost of a new roof at the Augusta Civic Center.
In September, city councilors approved borrowing $2.8 million in bonds for major capital improvement expenditures, including a new ambulance, replacement of the east side Kennebec River boat launch, street repairs and a portion of the cost of replacing the roof of the civic center.
Most of that borrowing proposal — the $2,055,000 — went to voters for approval Tuesday, while councilors authorized the remaining $750,000 under a city charter rule allowing them to approve borrowing up to that amount without a referendum.
Voters supported borrowing the $2,055,000 in a 5,755 to 1,888 vote, according to unofficial results early Wednesday.
“I Voted Today” stickers sit on a table Tuesday — Election Day — at the Buker Community Center at 22 Armory St. in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Replacing the civic center roof is expected to cost about $2 million, well more than the $750,000 the city’s borrowing package has allotted for it. The remaining $1,250,000 is to be paid with American Rescue Plan Act funds that Kennebec County officials have awarded Augusta.
About $250,000 of the funds approved by voters would go toward reconstruction of the city’s boat landing on the east side of the Kennebec River. City Manager Susan Robertson said the surface material of the boat launch into the river has been disintegrating for some time and it now needs replacing.
A total of $1,155,000 would go toward street and sidewalk reconstruction, repair and replacement projects around the city.
All races in the city’s elections were uncontested.
Incumbent Ward 3 City Councilor Mike Michaud was reelected.
Newcomers William Savage and Stephanie-Ann Sienkiewicz were elected to at-large seats on the council. The seats are now held by Raegan LaRochelle and Heather Pouliot, neither of whom filed nomination papers to keep her seat on the council.
Two incumbents on the Augusta Board of Education were reelected: Rita Pello to her at-large seat and Kati McCormick in Ward 4.
Standard terms on the City Council and Board of Education run three years.
Kimberly Bard was elected to fill the remaining two years of a Ward 3 school board seat made available by Heidi Wardwell’s resignation.
No candidate took out papers to run for a Ward 1 school board seat held by Staci Fortunato, who did not file papers to run for reelection. Fortunato, however, declared herself an official write-in candidate for the spot, and received 339 votes, which, as the only officially declared write-in candidate, gave her the win.
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