SUMNER – With one of three towns reporting, it appears voters in the SAD 39 School District agreed to borrow $39,532 to fix a longstanding problem with the heating system at the Hartford-Sumner Elementary School.

Sumner voters passed the referendum by a vote of 308 to 161. Buckfield and Hartford still had not finished counting at midnight.

The amount to be borrowed represents the district’s share of the $98,780 total project cost, under the state’s revolving renovation fund. The district share would be repaid over five years, with no interest.

The project is needed, say district officials, because the existing boiler system is inadequate to heat the school. The school has had two additions built since the original school was built in 1966.

The project would replace one boiler and install additional radiation to each classroom to match the heating load demand of the rooms. The work will also involve upgrading the hot water pumps and providing individual room thermostats to control and balance the heat to each room.

If voters agree to the borrowing, most of the work is expected to be completed by the beginning of January. During the renovation, several primary classrooms in the lower wing will need to be relocated for several days.