Soldotna’s field house bond has failed by a narrow margin of 18 votes.
After initially being voted down during a special election on March 5, the fate of the ordinance was still up in the air with more than 150 absentee and questioned votes to be counted.
After a canvassing meeting Tuesday morning, though, the measure failed 363 to 345 votes.
When the polls closed on March 5, the unofficial results had left a good portion of votes uncounted.
The results are not official, though, until the are certified by the city council. The election’s certification is currently on the agenda for Wednesday’s Soldotna City Council meeting.
The election asked voters if the city should issue a $10 million dollar bond to fund the construction of the field house. The city’s sales tax would then increase by a half percent to cover the debt.
The total cost of the approximately 42,000-square-foot building is estimated at $11.8 million dollars.
If the bond had been approved, $10 million would have been financed through debt of a general obligation bond, with the remaining covered by private funders, donations, grants or, if needed, funds previously authorized by the city council.
The field house would include a removable turf field, three-lane elevated walking track and an event room and would stand adjacent to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
