MEADOW HEIGHTS VOTERS REJECT BOND ISSUE

A $750,000 bond issue that would have improved the buildings in the Meadow Heights School District failed in Tuesday's election.

The president of the Meadow Heights Board of Education, Roy Allen, said he was disappointed that the measure failed.

"By my calculation, we lost by two votes," he said. "You hate to see something so many people worked so hard for be defeated."

Voters also chose some new school board members.

Dennis R. Mouser, Mike Reagan and Mike Welker were elected to the school board. They captured 499, 469 and 460 votes, respectively.

While Mouser, an incumbent, will return to the board, another incumbent, Sandy Raines, lost her seat. Raines placed last in the voting behind Scott Mayfield and June Long. Mayfield received 428 votes, Long 373 and Raines 260.

Four-sevenths, or a 57 percent majority, was needed for the bond issue to pass. But when the votes were tallied Tuesday night, 56 percent cast votes in favor of the bond issue; the vote was 484 to 366.

Allen said the board had some tough decisions ahead because some projects must be completed to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and no financing exists. The high school needs to replace a leaky roof, but Allen said he didn't know how that would be completed either.

A co-chairman for a committee that support the issue, the Citizens Supporting Meadow Heights Improvements, refused to comment on the issue's defeat or what the committee's next step would be.

"You're just going to make more negative headlines," committee co-chairman Judy Wilfong told a Southeast Missourian reporter, "and I'm not going to discuss it with you."

According to the committee, passage of the bond issue would have permitted replacement of roofs, heating and air-conditioning systems, light fixtures, windows, and a high school band room and add handicap-accessible ramps and other improvements.

Most of the improvements were slated for the high school, which hasn't seen a major renovation in 27 years.

No organized opposition fought the bond issue but Allen said some members of the board were against the proposal.

"It makes it hard to pass something if everyone's not behind it," he said. "One never knows what the good Lord has in store for us next."