EASTHAM — The Nauset Regional High School building project will move forward after winning approval from more than two-thirds of the voters in Tuesday’s district-wide election.
Based on figures reported by the four district town clerks on Tuesday night, the combined tally was 6,321 voting yes and 2,577 voting no — a winning margin of 71 percent to 29 percent.
Voters in all four towns approved both the expenditure of $131.8 million on the project and the exclusion from Proposition 2½ debt limits of the municipal bonds for financing the work.
The margin of victory was largest in Wellfleet, where 89 percent voted yes; the totals were 952 in favor and 121 opposed. The second highest victory margin was in Eastham, where 79 percent voted yes; Eastham’s totals were 1,559 in favor and 415 opposed.
Even in Brewster, where the finance committee voted not to recommend the project, 60 percent of the voters approved it. The totals were 2,160 in favor and 1,456 opposed. In Orleans, 74 percent voted yes; 1,650 were in favor and 585 opposed.
“I think we had a resounding victory,” said Chris Easley of Wellfleet, chair of the Nauset Regional School Committee, after the vote was counted. “It shows that the members of our region’s towns support education and the future of education at Nauset Regional High School.”
The votes on the debt exclusion question in the four towns were Wellfleet, 903 to 159; Eastham, 1,479 to 476; Orleans, 1,619 to 633; and Brewster, 2,158 to 1,415.
The renovation project will be funded in part through a $36.6 million Mass. School Building Authority grant. The remaining $95.2 million will be paid by the four district towns proportionally, according to each town’s percentage of district enrollments.
The enrollment projections for 2021 are Brewster, 48.04 percent; Orleans, 19.52 percent; Eastham, 19.34 percent; and Wellfleet, 13.10 percent.
Easley said the project will now move on to the design and bidding phase, with construction expected to commence in June 2022. The high school is expected to be completed in 2025.
The project will consist of about 40 percent new construction, with approximately 60 percent of the existing campus designated for renovation or reuse.
According to information at nausetbuildingproject.com, the first year of additional taxes per $100,000 of assessed property value for each town is estimated as follows: Brewster, $76.59; Orleans, $30.99; Eastham, $42.66; and Wellfleet, $35.51.
