Many of the voters leaving the polls in South Portland Tuesday said the same thing: A $56 million renovation of the high school was too expensive.

The vote won’t make problems at the high school go away. Residents are still facing difficult decisions about what to do with several aging buildings. As members of the Secondary Schools Facilities Committee have pointed out, the longer the city waits the more expensive the solutions will become.

The challenge now for city and school officials is to figure out what residents would be willing to pay for, what the alternatives are and what the priorities should be. Three major construction projects are looming – a renovation of the armory building, a renovation of the high school and renovating the existing middle schools or building a new one.

Residents serving on the armory and school facilities committees have worked hard in the last several years to address problems and come up with recommendations. Those on the Secondary Schools Facilities Committee should be commended for volunteering their time. The outcome of Tuesday’s vote was no doubt frustrating to many of them.

However, their work documenting the problems at the city’s schools wasn’t for naught. Because of it and the work of school supporters, who educated residents in advance of the referendum, the public is more aware of the problems at the high school. The work can also be used to develop alternative solutions. Is there, for example, a less-costly fix for some of problems, such the asbestos covering pipes and failing mechanical systems?

Those alternatives then need to be prioritized on a list with other city projects, like the renovation of the armory. Another committee has been working separately on developing a proposal for that building and recently recommended moving City Hall there.

The challenge for city leaders is to bring all of these needs and recommendations together and get the public involved in determining what the city should do next and what it can afford.

Extraordinary stories

This week, in honor of Veterans Day, The Current brings readers the story of Earle Ahlquist, a Scarborough resident who was at Iwo Jima, where he lost many good friends and nearly lost a foot.

Ahlquist was just 17 when he joined the Marine Corps. Two years after he joined, he found himself at the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he was stabbed in the hand with a bayonet, and a shell left his foot dangling by a piece of skin.

Ahlquist’s story, which is featured in the recently published book “Scarborough’s Greatest Generation,” is a reminder of the sacrifices veterans have made for this country.

It’s easy for those of us who have never served in a war to forget that there are many people living in our communities who have witnessed historic and sometimes traumatic events. This Sunday is a day to remember their sacrifices.

Brendan Moran, editor