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Residents in Grand Meadow Tuesday night split a two-question referendum, with voters giving the nod to the first question that will upgrade facilities, but voting down the second question that would have given the district the go ahead to expand the school.

On question one, a little over 69% (279) of registered voters voted in favor of building upgrades while 30.94% (125) voted against. Those upgrades include an update to the HVAC systems as well as resurfacing the dome exteriors.

“I’m happy the Grand Meadow citizens chose to help us maintain the dome structure to move forward with that facility over the next 10, 15 years,” Superintendent Paul Besel said Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, 59.06% (238) voted against the expansion that would have updated existing structures of the school as well as created added space for a Career/Tech/Shop (CTS) expansion and remodeled space to accommodate a growth of students the school expects at the pre-K level.

That went against 40.94% (165) that voted in favor of the second question.

Besel said in September that plans to renovate the Early Childhood Area were prompted by the expected influx of students to the district, which is already starting to show. Expansion of the CTS area would have included an addition of a two story structure to the northwestern corner of the complex and the prior addition, which was finished in 2017 and included classrooms and the school’s new gym.

The ground space would have been an open shop area, while the top floors would have been dedicated to two new classrooms where graphic design and the arts were planned to be situated.

The two proposed questions were for $2.3 million and $2.6 million respectively. The second question’s passing hinged on the first question passing, but Besel confirmed that the first question was standalone meaning the district can go forward with the building upgrades