Final vote is in: Elma stadium fails

The Elma School District’s effort to fund a new stadium for the high school officially fell short of passing.

The Grays Harbor County Canvassing Board certified the election on Friday with 57.01 percent of people, 1272-959, voting to approve of the bond. But it required 60 percent to pass.

There are a small number of district voters who live in Mason County. They voted more decisively against the bond with 38 approving the measure and 53 voting against. The measure, which required a 60 percent supermajority to pass, garnered about 56.4 percent approval from the total numbers of voters.

Elma Superintendent Kevin Acuff said he was not surprised the results did not vary much from earlier counts.

It was going to be very difficult to gain the votes to get us to the supermajority,” he said.

The Grays Harbor Canvassing Board, which is made up of county Auditor Joe MacLean, Board of County Commissioners Chairwoman Vickie Raines and county Prosecutor Katie Svoboda, certified election results Friday afternoon. During the meeting MacLean said he suggested to Acuff that McCleary residents be included in a bond vote. The McCleary School District, which has students from prekindergarten to eighth grade, sends many of its students each year to attend high school in the Elma district.

Satsop School District also feeds into the Elma district.

Acuff said the district has not considered, and likely would not consider, asking other districts to join in any future votes.

McCleary’s was one of the few school districts where levy issues did not pass. Only 49.52 percent of voters backed the measure, which failed 309-315. Grays Harbor News Group reached out to Superintendent Shannon Ramsey, but she was out of the office Friday.

In other elections, the Oakville School District bond to renovate schools passed with 65.92 percent of voters approving the measure, 410-212.

Rochester School District voters defeated its bond but passed its levy.

All other levy issues passed.