LEWISTON — Voters said yes to a new elementary school Tuesday in a resounding vote of 2,459 to 980.

They also said yes to a regulation-size gym, air conditioning and a second turf field.

The new $49.7 million elementary school will be paid for by the state. It will hold 880 students, merging Martel and Longley schools and take 125 students from other city schools to reduce crowding. As planned, it will open in 2019.

Voters were asked two questions Tuesday.

The first was whether to approve the new elementary school, which the state will pay for. The second was whether they favored spending $2.1 million of Lewiston taxpayers’ money for a regulation-size gym, air conditioning and a second turf athletic field. The second vote was closer, but still yes: 1,854 to 1,310.

Superintendent Bill Webster said he was excited and grateful.

“This is not only a great school for Lewiston, but also some great economic development with what’s planned for the new fields,” Webster said. “It’s very gratifying to see the support, particularly since the wording of the ballot question wasn’t the most user-friendly.”

The new school will level the playing field for Lewiston pupils, Webster said.

“Martel and Longley are our two oldest schools and suffer the most in terms of facilities,” he said. “That, along with the great teachers we have — I’m very excited about what this means for students.”

If the school had been rejected with Lewiston’s growing enrollment, “we would have had to gone back to voters in the not-too-distant future about adding additional classrooms at local expense.”

In the works for several years, the new school will be built near Lewiston High School on the existing football field. The state will pay to replace that field and others.

Most voters interviewed Tuesday said they voted for the new school.

“The buildings need to be replaced,” said Dolly Bois. “We need more room; our students need it. The city needs it to keep home values up and be a place where people want to live with good schools.”

Larry Lachance said Martel is “very old. Instead of putting new money into an old building, we should bite the bullet and get a new school. The state funding is important, too.”

Christian Gumprecht said Lewiston can’t afford to turn away $49.7 million in state money. “It’s going to be done one way or the other. The state can help us or we can do it ourselves.”

David Dubord said he’s familiar with Martel and Longley. “They are not adequate. “I know the state is going to subsidize most of the construction, except for the gym. So it’s time to do it. If we miss it now, it’s going to be years before we get the chance.”

Evelyn St. Pierre voted no on the new school. “I don’t think Franklin Pasture is the right place for this,” she said. “It’s too close to the high school and it’s just going to make it crazy down there.”

She also rejected the second question. “I don’t think they need air conditioning and I don’t think they need that big a gym.”

Voter turnout on Tuesday was 13.7 percent.

City Clerk Kathy Montejo said voting throughout the day was slow but steady.

Staff Writer Scott Taylor contributed to this report.