LEWISTON – Councilors on Tuesday night formally adopted a $21 million borrowing plan to build a new Pettingill Elementary School.

Voters approved the new school and a bigger gym at the polls last month. Tuesday’s vote was the last financial step for the construction project.

Councilors agreed to borrow $21.94 million to build the school. All but $764,631 will be repaid by the state. The remainder will be covered by the city and taxpayers, over the next 20 years.

The school district should begin taking bids for the work this fall. The new school should open for classes in 2009.

The new school will be built about a mile from the existing school at the site of Cote’s golf driving range on College Street. The new K-6 school would be energy-efficient, and would have four classrooms for each grade level and the capacity for full-day kindergarten as well as a preschool program for 4-year-olds. It would have space for special education, a library, an art room, a cafeteria and a gym with a stage.