FREEPORT – The Regional School Unit 5 Board of Directors is poised to put two separate bond issues before the public on Nov. 5 for a $14,638,009 renovation to Freeport High School and a separate ballot question, billed as a bond upgrade, which would approve $1,718,891 for the construction of synthetic field surfaces.

The 11-member board, representing Durham, Freeport and Pownal, was expected to take action during its regular meeting Sept. 25, after the Tri-Town Weekly’s deadline.

The action comes on the heels of a $16.95 million bond that was rejected by voters on June 5. The expansion plan called for a 31,000-square-foot addition that would have been constructed to replace the industrial arts building on the northwest side of the school. A new athletic complex, which would have been built behind the high school, would have had an eight-lane track, as well as competition and practice spaces for discus, high jump, javelin, long jump, pole vault and shot put. The track and athletic fields also would be open to use by the district’s residents in Freeport, Pownal and Durham.

The results on the previous expansion proposal from Freeport, Durham and Pownal put the total votes on the school project at 2,202 against and 2,028 in favor. In Freeport, 1,623 were in favor, 902 opposed. Pownal trounced the bond, 472 to 118, and it was the same story in Durham, where 828 were against and 287 in favor.

Pownal and Durham voters also rejected the $25.8 million 2013-2014 school budget.

After the narrow defeat in June, the district contracted with Triton Polling and Research of Henderson, Nev., in July to conduct a telephone survey of registered voters in order to determine why the referendum failed. Questions were also asked to determine whether amendments to the proposed renovations could be made to both meet the needs of the Freeport High School students and the expectations of the residents within the three towns that comprise RSU 5.

According to information supplied by RSU 5, the survey generally indicated that the bond was defeated because many voters were concerned about the cost impact. Further, some voters felt that the academic and athletic facility improvements should be separate ballot questions. Voters also expressed a desire to scale back the athletic improvements rather than scale back the academic improvements.

The reduction in scope includes moving the industrial arts department to the existing cafeteria location, which is approximately 3,000 square feet. The seating area for a new cafeteria food court will be 4,500 square feet, or 50 percent larger. This cafeteria has been sized to handle roughly 55 percent of the expected enrollment in 10 years.The first bond would repair the main athletic fields, with no future plans to construct a track or convert to a synthetic turf field. In addition, two-thirds of the field hockey field would receive drainage repairs and new grass.