NEW GLOUCESTER — A group of residents is circulating a petition to resurrect a special town meeting so voters can weigh in on a proposed public works garage that Selectboard members said last week was “dead in the water” for now.

The effort comes after the Selectboard deadlocked last week on a vote to approve the warrant for the special town meeting Sept. 18. That stalemate was driven by disagreement about whether the garage should be located at the proposed 611 Lewiston Road site or at the current garage site at 1036 Lewiston Road.

The petition push could potentially change the “dead in the water” calculus.

“It’s called a citizen’s petition,” said Selectboard Chairwoman Linda Chase, who last week voted in favor of moving towards the special town meeting and expressed disappointment after the board’s vote. “Basically what they’re asking for is the right to vote” on the public works garage proposal.

“That’s all that we want, is for people to voice their opinions and vote yes or no,” said Kathleen Potter, one of the petition group leaders. “This is a petition to be able to let people vote.”

Other leaders of the petition effort are former public works design committee member Beverly Cadigan, former planning board member Jean Libby, and former selectboard member Jane Sturgis. Potter is also a former SAD 15 school board member, and she currently serves on the town Capital Improvement Program Committee with Libby and Cadigan, who serves as the committee chair).

Libby’s son is Selectboard Member Steven Libby, who voted to send the garage warrant article to voters last week and left the Selectboard meeting early  in apparent disgust after the failed vote. The younger Libby has also served as a Selectboard liaison to the public works garage design committee that has been working on the proposal for the last two years.

Steven Libby, who supports the current design proposal and location, said he couldn’t remember another instance when he was so frustrated that he left a Selectboard meeting early without being excused.

“I think that’s the only time in 20 years,” he said.

A state statute requires 10 percent of the number of town voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election to sign a petition in order for it to force action on a warrant article.

The garage vote petition must be signed by at least 283 New Gloucester voters to succeed, according to Town Manager Carrie Castonguay. If and when that benchmark is reached, the Town Clerk has 10 days to review the signatures to make sure they are valid.

Potter said in an interview Tuesday that the group hopes to have the requisite number of valid signatures as soon as this Friday.

“Right now, we are getting very, very close,” Potter said.

Castonguay said if the signatures are found valid, the Selectboard will then have to move to schedule a special town meeting within 60 days.

Selectman Stephen Hathorne, who voted against the special town meeting warrant last week because of concerns about the proposed garage’s location, said that the petition circulators are well within their rights to try and revive a special town meeting on the subject.

“They absolutely can do it … the citizens can push anything they want,” Hathorne said in an interview.

Hathorne said that he’s heard from “a few” people who weren’t happy with his vote last week, but added that “I’ve heard as many positive as negative.”

Hathorne has said previously that despite his objections to the proposal location, he is “100 percent” in support of the town getting a new public works garage.

Potter said the petition effort has drawn in “quite a collection” of residents who are helping collect signatures. Some believe residents should be able to vote on the garage proposal even if they don’t support the proposal themselves.

“The majority of the town is in support of the new garage … the biggest issue is location,” she emphasized.

Potter said that she does support the current garage warrant proposal as written.

“I obviously hope that they are successful, which I think they will be,” Steven Libby said. “I’d rather have (the public works garaage proposal) voted down than not get a vote.”

“I’m going to guess that they’re going to get enough signatures,” Chase said.

Matt Junker can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or mjunker@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @MattJunker.