Voters approved a major school overhaul project in Scarborough on Tuesday.

Voters supported Question 1, with 5,472 votes for and 3,737 against, allowing the town to borrow $129.85 million to demolish and rebuild Eight Corners School, as well as add one-story additions to Blue Point and Pleasant Hill schools to replace portable classrooms. The project also includes $3.6 million in additions to Wentworth School and $28.65 million in improvements to the middle school, enough to meet capacity needs for current enrollment.

Voters approved Question 2, with 5,591 votes in favor and 3,909 against, which authorized $10 million to build a second story on the addition to Scarborough Middle School to accommodate expected growth.

Construction at the three primary schools is expected to be finished in time for the 2029-2030 school year. The schools were built nearly 75 years ago, and have been operating over capacity for years, with temporary classrooms in daily use for 20 years.

Without adequate classroom space, schools have had to be creative. At Blue Point, for example, the cafeteria also serves as a gym.

The approved project meets capacity needs for the town, replaces 30 portables with permanent classrooms, involves the construction of dedicated spaces for state-mandated programming like intervention and special education, as well as adequate spaces for art and music programs, and support safety upgrades.

The overhaul has been years in the making.

In 2023, voters rejected a $160 million school project that would have consolidated three primary schools and all third graders into one building, moved sixth graders to Wentworth School and renovated Scarborough Middle School.

In the wake of the vote, the School Building Advisory Committee, a coalition of about 50 community members formed under the direction of Town Council and the school board, spent nearly 18 months exploring options to address infrastructure needs and cost concerns.

Based on community forums, surveys and conversations, the committee determined that $130 million was the price ceiling for the project, based on a 2024 community survey. The Town Council, per the committee’s recommendation, sent two questions to the ballot to keep costs below that threshold while also giving voters the option to approve more improvements to the middle school.

Throughout the multi-year process, the project drew attention and energy on both sides of the issue.

On election day, people from both camps twirled signs on the corner of Municipal Drive, competing for motorists’ attention. Voters said that the municipal ballot was at the front of their minds as they left the Scarborough High School polling location.

Tuck Barclay, 72, said he’d been following along with the school building process and ultimately voted in support of both questions.

On the other hand, Raymond Herman said the project seemed too exorbitant. He voted no on the first question.