Voters approve all three town bonds



By a slim margin of 2 percentage points, the electorate authorized the town to borrow $2.9 million to build a new clubhouse at the golf course, a building that will include 2,800 square feet of meeting space for the community.

The controversial bond referendum passed by 113 votes, 1,588 to 1,475. The two-floor plan, designed by architect Bill Burgin, was created for golfers to co-exist with the public. The first level will be leased for golf operations; upstairs is three rooms for community space, which could be rented to generate revenue for the town. The current 1908 structure will be razed and the new clubhouse will be built to the north toward the first tee.

The other two referendums sailed through easily. Nearly 80 percent of the electorate authorized the town to borrow $5.9 million to repair the school district’s two buildings. With 71 percent of the vote, the electorate also overwhelmingly approved a $1 million maintenance plan for the library.

“Passing the bond with an 80 percent approval rating shows that the residents of Jamestown trust us in being responsible stewards of the school system,” said Ken Duva, superintendent of schools. “We will continue to make the community proud and keep them informed throughout the process as we renovate the schools. There is a lot of work to be done.”

Repairs at the schools are estimated to cost $5.9 million, with the bond supporting roughly 86 percent of that plan. The priciest undertaking is replacing the two roofs, which are estimated to cost $3.35 million, including $900,000 for solar panels. Aside from the roofs, the plan at Lawn includes $420,000 for new windows, $526,000 for the heating system and $147,000 for a vestibule leading into the gymnasium. There also will be asbestos abatement. Proposed projects at Melrose include $455,000 to refurbish the heating and ventilation systems, $164,000 to replace the boilers and $136,000 for security upgrades.

For all work completed, the town will receive a minimum reimbursement of 35 percent and possibly as high as 55 percent.

At the library, the borrowed money will fi- nance an overhaul of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, which have reached the end of the useful life after being installed 27 years ago. The bond will fasttrack those replacements instead of waiting for a failure to occur.

The cost is more than half the bond at $530,000. The proposal also sets aside $300,000 for the roofs, which includes $170,000 in solar panels.