Voters say ‘no’ to Old Colony Building Project

The $288 million Old Colony Building Project did not pass after receiving a final vote of 3112 “No’s” to 1923 “Yes’s” across five towns on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

503 voters in Rochester marked Yes to the building project on their ballot, while 689 residents voted No to the proposal.

In Mattapoisett, 278 residents voted Yes while 202 voters said No to the proposal.

In Acushnet, Carver, Lakeville, and Rochster, the majority of the voters opted to say no to the project. Mattapoisett was the only town witha Yes majority.

Acushnet saw the largest disparity in Yes votes, with only 472 residents voting “Yes” while 1,459 voters marked No on their ballots.

The vocational high school proposed a project to construct a new building to modernize equiptment and infrastructure and increase the student population.

The project needed to gain a simple majority vote across all five towns in order to pass.

“We know this result was not what we had hoped for, but your efforts — sharing information, engaging with neighbors, and voicing your belief in Old Colony — inspired us in our own work over the past few years,” said Old Colony Superintendent Aaron Polansky.

He adds, ”In the coming months, we will reflect on the feedback and consider our next steps. We hope you will remain part of the conversation as we work toward solutions that support our students and a vision moving forward.”