King George County voters made it clear Tuesday night that they support the construction of a new PreK-5 elementary school.
A bond referendum on the ballot asked if the county should issue bonds in the maximum principal amount of $57 million “for the purpose of financing of the costs of the acquisition, design, construction and equipping of a new PreK-5th grade elementary school, that will serve the residents of King George County.”
The referendum passed with 57.5% of the vote. There were 14,623 reported votes on the issue with 8,410 supporting the referendum and 6,213 (42.4%) against it.
King George Superintendent Jesse Boyd gave a presentation over the summer that demonstrated the need for a new facility. He noted that Sealston Elementary School is 1% over capacity, while King George Elementary School is at 91% capacity.
The $57 million price tag stems from an estimate by Moseley Architects. The county could also use the remaining funds from a $21 million bond to build a fire station to help offset the cost. Savings from a courthouse renovation could also come into play.
The bond referendum in King George was one of just a handful of issues on the ballot in the Fredericksburg area outside of the three federal elections.
In Caroline County, Tina Gambill was elected mayor of Bowling Green — the county seat — with 56.8% of the vote. Local businessman and recording artist Jason Manns picked up 42.7% of the vote in the town of less than 1,200 people. Just 82 votes separated the two with the final tally coming in at 331-249.
“I’m in shock,” said Gambill, chair of the town’s planning commission. “I can’t believe I beat Jason. He is a TV star and a record producer, and he had name recognition. I had an uphill battle.”
Gambill said she wants to bring civility to town council, work on improving the town’s water issues and eventually encourage growth along the U.S. Route 301 corridor. She said she hopes to have a working relationship with Manns and lean on his business experience. Gambill said her strategy was to go door-to-door and talk with voters.
“I don’t believe in being ugly,” Gambill said. “I don’t care if you have a different position than me or a different point of view. That’s what makes this country so great — that we can discuss those things and come to a consensus.”
Gambill replaces Mark Gaines, who initially sought another term but later decided against it. Four out of seven Bowling Green Town Council seats were also up for grabs with six challengers. The top four vote-getters were David Storke, Jeffrey Voit, Valerie Coyle and John Chinault Jr. Matthew Benjamin and Richard Hanley did not make the cut.
The Town of Port Royal also elected its town council with all five candidates on the ballot – William Carpenter II, Angela Golden, Donna Wilkerson, Monica Chenault and Alexander Long IV — securing spots. Carpenter and Chenault will be new members.
