ROCKLAND – Voters on Tuesday, February 28, approved the construction bond for RSU 13. The $23.2 million bond will allow the RSU community to make additions and renovations to Oceanside High School, and additions and renovations to Oceanside Middle School. A new kindergarten through fifth grade school will be constructed where the Owls Head Central School sits replacing it and the Gilford Butler School in South Thomaston.

RSU 13 includes Rockland, Cushing, Owls Head, Thomaston and South Thomaston.

In Rockland the vote was 276 in favor and 200 against.

Owls Head: 156 yes, 52 no.

South Thomaston: 116 yes, 44 no.

Thomaston: 114 yes, 69 no.

Cushing: 62 yes, 31 no.

That totals 724 in favor of the bond and 396 opposed. For the population of those five towns it was a very low voter turnout.

In its January meeting 2016, the RSU board voted to close Lura Libby School in Thomaston at the end of the school year and to close the Gilford Butler School.

The largest portion of the proposal will go to building the new Owls Head Community School which will be three times the size of the current school. The new school on the nine-acre property will be able to host 200 students.

Both superintendent of schools John McDonald and district business manager Pete Orne have said that savings from closing school buildings, energy and maintenance saving will more then pay for the amount of the bond.

Both men stressed that the bond will not raise taxes.