Scarborough voters rejected a $1.2 million bond question for a senior center and a charter amendment that would have increased the Town Council’s borrowing authority during Tuesday’s election.

The senior center failed by a vote of 3,198 to 2,911 and the charter amendment failed by a vote of 3,072 to 2,724.

The town’s two senior organizations – Senior Voices and Senior Series – proposed the senior center. They felt the center would provide them a gathering place to host events and, when not in use, a meeting place for other community organizations.

“I’m very disappointed in the town of Scarborough,” said Marty Craine, a co-founder of Senior Voices and one of the people developing the senior center plans. “I can not understand how people in the town of Scarborough would approve $89 million for all of the projects in the state and turn down $1 million for a senior center.”

Craine said the senior group will meet later this week to discuss the election, but did not think the issue will be brought forward in the near future due to pending votes on the library and school construction. Tuesday’s election may have repercussions on how the seniors vote on the upcoming issues.

“I think they will have a hard time convincing seniors (to vote for the projects) after this,” he said.

Craine felt the vote was going to be close, but said with the support of the senior groups, the Town Council and town manager, he had expected the issue to pass.

He did not know what the seniors could have done differently to get the request approved, but said some seniors might have voted no because they felt they would not use the facility.

The charter amendment was one of four proposed by Town Councilor Shawn Babine, but was the only one that the Town Council agreed to send to voters. The amendment would have increased the council’s single-item bonding power without voter approval from $400,000 to $700,000.

Babine speculated it was rejected for several reasons. One was that residents wanted to retain great control over town spending, which he said he understood. Another reason was because the process of putting the issue on the ballot went too quickly. Finally, he said the split council decision to place it on the ballot might also have dissuaded voters from approving the measure.

Babine said the amendment was part of an overall package that included charter amendments for capping bonding and tax rate increases, and they all worked together.

Babine did not know if he would bring the issue forward again or wait until a charter commission is formed to study the proposal. He said the other amendments he proposed would still be reviewed by the council.

“I don’t believe this should derail the other questions,” he said.

Annika Batista, 6, assists her mother Charlene Batista with putting her ballot in the ballot box as election worker Art Pickard watches.Jack Kalley and Harold Clough counting absentee ballots at the Scarborough High School gymnasium during Tuesday