By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

After some consideration, Allenstown school officials decided against a revote on the $3.5 million facilities improvement project voted down on March 8.

The board decided to focus on smaller renovation projects in the district’s two schools that could be completed with the district’s surplus of about $300,000.

The proposed $3,535,985 construction project was narrowly defeated with only 364- 254. With a three-fifths majority required, 371 yes votes were needed from the 618 total. The project consisted of an addition to Allenstown Elementary School and renovations to both the Armand R. Dupont and Elementary schools.

At the board’s Wednesday, April 6, meeting, resident Larry Anderson suggested another vote on the proposed project. School board member Jason Carrier also suggested using the $300,000 surplus to reduce the cost of $3.5 million project to be more favorable to voters in a special election with the 60 percent reimbursement.

Revote on both the original project and the reduced-cost project would have had to be addressed in special School District Meetings, said Superintendent of Schools Thomas Haley.

In order to hold either of those meetings, the school district had two options: either a group of 50 citizens would need to petition the school board for a special School District Meeting, or the school board would have to set up a special meeting on its own.

Once a special School District Meeting is called for, there are two ways to raise money, said Haley. One way is to petition the Merrimack County Superior Court, and the other is to hold a ballot vote. A three-fifths majority would be needed for the question to pass. However, the vote can only count if 50 percent of the registered voters vote in the special election. There are currently 2,715 registered voters in Allenstown, so 1,357.5 voters would be required, said Town Clerk Ed Cyr.

The Allenstown School Board held a 45-minute meeting on Monday, April 11, and decided not to move forward with a special election after reviewing the town’s history of voter turnout.

On March 8, when two big items were on the ballot, only 632 people voted, which is not even half of the registered voters, said school board Vice Chairman Thomas Irzyk.

“I’ve been here in town since I was 13 and I haven’t ever seen it,” he said about having half the voters turn out to an election. Before ballot voting, only 200 residents would attend Town Meeting, said school board member Evelyn Guilbeault. Since the proposed addition failed twice, the school board and building committee should take a good look at the proposal, Guilbeault said.

“We have to give the people a price they can afford,” she said.

A smaller addition would pass without a problem, she said. As for getting 60 percent reimbursement from the state again, Haley said he spoke with Edward R. Murdough, an administrator in the New Hampshire Department of Education’s division of school building aid.

School building aid is calculated in October, and Murdough told Haley that Allenstown would most likely receive 60 percent state aid again. There is a possibility the school district could receive 55 percent, Haley said.

The school board decided to work on some smaller improvements that can be done with the surplus. The board will work together with the district’s two principals to decide on some projects.

Last year’s surplus paid for 70 new chairs at the elementary school, said Irzyk.

The board will meet again on Monday, May 9, at 6 p.m. at the elementary school. School officials will first take a walk through the building to look for areas that can be improved.