AMHERST — Learning that there is virtually no chance a recount would change the result of this week’s passage of a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion override to build a new elementary school, town officials are sticking to the plan to have Town Meeting on Monday vote to authorize borrowing $33 million to fund about half of the $67.2 million project.
Town and school officials had considered postponing the Town Meeting vote in the wake of the override’s narrow passage on Election Day. But evidence presented at a special Select Board meeting Thursday showed that the override — Question 5 on the ballot — passed by a decisive margin of 122 votes. Additionally, there were no irregularities in either voting or the counting of the votes, officials learned from Town Clerk Sandra Burgess.
“I would be so bold as to say there is no reason to recount this election,” Select Board Chairwoman Alisa Brewer said.
In fact, Brewer said anyone who would seek a challenge to the tally, which must be submitted to the town clerk’s office by Nov. 18, would be doing so to delay the process. “Nothing went wrong at this election,” Brewer said.
Joining Brewer and Burgess at Thursday’s meeting were Michael Morris, acting superintendent; Stephen Braun, vice chairman of the Finance Committee; and Claire McGinnis and Sonia Aldrich, co-interim finance directors.
All agreed that postponing a Town Meeting vote was unnecessary. For the project to continue, Town Meeting must approve the borrowing by a two-thirds majority.
Burgess said the current vote total shows that the school project won by 122 votes, 6,818 to 6,696, and that all eligible voters who wanted to vote in the election did so. In addition, there is no indication that the remaining votes to count, from provisional and overseas ballots, would swing the election against the project, she said.
There are about 24 provisional ballots that need to be judged, and 10 overseas ballots that have not yet been returned, Burgess said.
Brewer observed that combining those ballots would not swing Question 5 the other way.
“They seem to be on a substantially different scale from each other,” Brewer said.
Final counting of overseas ballots will be done at a Board of Registrars meeting Nov. 18, Burgess said. It can take several days to get disposition of the provisional ballots, which are votes cast by individuals not properly registered due to error in the voter registration process.
In addition, Brewer said the 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent margin, or about 1 percent, is larger than the 0.5 percent or smaller margin that triggers an automatic recount for a statewide election.
The project, which would create two 375-student schools co-located at the current Wildwood School site on Strong Street, has divided the community. Those in support include members of the group Building Opportunity for Learning and Diversity, and the School Building Committee led by Morris. They have said that the project is the best way to fix deteriorating buildings that use an open-classroom model that creates noise and limits natural light. The reconfiguration of schools would also ensure better equity, as all children in Grades 2 through 6 townwide would be taught in classrooms in one of the schools.
Those opposed to the project, including members of Save Amherst’s Small Schools, have argued that small neighborhood schools will be lost and the reconfiguration will pose problems for parents with children in the new school and who attend Crocker Farm, which will be converted into an early childhood education center.
Observing there is confidence that the vote tally is accurate, Morris said he supports having the Town Meeting vote take place Monday.
Select Board member Andrew Steinberg agreed that it wouldn’t be wise to delay the Town Meeting vote.
“I don’t think we have a reason, as a Select Board, to make that suggestion,” Steinberg said.
Since the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Sept. 28 pledged $34 million for the project, Amherst has 120 days to secure passage of the override from voters and the bond authorization from Town Meeting. That means Feb. 2 is when the contract with the state expires if the next vote fails, Morris said.
While a yes vote moves the project forward, a no vote will create uncertainty, with the possibility of having to return for another vote. A no vote could also force the town and schools to begin reapplying for a project.
“There is no clear answer to say if there is a no vote it will be X number of years,” Morris said.
If a recount request is made, it would have to be submitted by 5 p.m. Nov. 18, Burgess said. A request can be made for all 10 precincts, with signatures from at least 10 registered voters in each, or a request can come for individual precincts.
Burgess said about 25 percent of the electorate turned out for early voting. Turnout in Amherst was 67 percent.
She added that people seemed to appreciate the opportunity.
The school project is one of 23 articles on the warrant that will be taken up beginning at 7 p.m. Monday at the Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
