Turnout was large – and the lines to get in to the polling station at Tiger Gym at Biddeford High School on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Tammy Wells Photo
BIDDEFORD — Voters in Biddeford were in a spending mood Nov. 3, approving two bonding referendum questions by wide margins.
Official results released by City Clerk Carmen Morris show voters favored a $10 million, 20-year bond issue for storm and sanitary sewer improvements 6,795 to 4,065.
They also approved a $7.5 million, 20-year bond for sidewalk, road, and drainage improvements and upgrades to city-owned buildings 7,198 to 3,638.
The city’s calculations show the tax impact over the life of the 20-year bonds would be about $109 on a home valued at $227,100 — the median house value in Biddeford.
In all, 60.34 percent, or 11,139 of Biddeford’s 16,064 registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, according to Morris.
The $10 million bond for storm and sewer separation will pay for part of the work mandated by the Department of Environmental Protection. Biddeford’s original system was a “one pipe” system, which carried both storm water and wastewater. In an overview of the issue on the city’s website, officials said one pipe cannot handle the volume of water during storms so often untreated wastewater can flow into and pollute water bodies, like the Saco River. Biddeford has been working to separate the storm water from the sanitary sewer for some time and entered into an agreement with the DEP. The $10 million bond will continue the work — and avoid penalties and fines, according to the overview.
At least half of the $3.75 million in road improvements would be dedicated to addressing some of the longstanding paving needs on residential streets. Biddeford plans to use its StreetScan software data as a tool in deciding which road projects to fund.
Costs to put the city’s buildings in shipshape order would be around $14 million, so the $3.75 million bond would address the most critical needs.
The list of building needs is lengthy; the City Council will make the final determination on which projects to fund.
Possibilities include new windows at the 1894 City Hall to prevent heat loss, structural repairs to the City Hall clock tower, fire station repairs, more space at at the Public Works Depatment, or repairs to the J. Richard Martin Community Center, a former school built in 1888.
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