Voters on Tuesday night were rejecting a $140 ballot measure to renovate Chemeketa Community College campus facilities and improve technology and security in initial returns. As of 8 p.m., ballots from Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties showed 65,542 voters rejecting the measure, 52.8%.  Tens of thousands of ballots collected from dropboxes Tuesday remain to be counted. “I don’t really know where we’re going to land,” college President Jessica Howard said in an interview Tuesday night. The narrow rejection comes despite favorable polling for Chemeketa as college leaders were crafting the measure, and support from a coalition of business leaders. It would have kept property taxes at existing levels, replacing bonds expiring over the next two years. Property owners would keep paying the same rate: 27 cents per $100,000 of assessed property value for the next 15 to 20 years to fund the projects. That means an annual payment of about $61 for an average Salem home assessed at $224,430. College leaders said they were mindful of economic pressures when crafting the measure. “If a person didn’t know that it might register as an increase and I’m wondering if that message didn’t get out there,” Howard said. If the measure fails, property taxes would decrease slightly. The $140 million proposal would allow improvements to all six of Chemeketa’s campuses, including expanded facilities in Brooks and Woodburn. Most of the work was planned for the main campus in Salem. Career education was a major focus of the measure, with more space planned for construction and health science programs. Salem’s Building 33, now used for employee training, would be transformed into a new trades center to expand career programs. That alongside a renovation of the Brooks center for career programs would cost $8.25 million. Another major project is upgrading Building 7, the college’s aging gym, which served as a command post for fire and law enforcement agencies during the 2020 wildfires in the Santiam Canyon. The project would turn the facility into a community and student wellness center, and also includes renovating athletic fields and expanding capacity for physical fitness and health programs at a total cost of about $40 million. There were also plans to build a science lab for the Woodburn campus, meaning students no longer have to commute to Salem to complete a degree allowing them to transfer to a four-year college. Early returns showed the measure earning the support of over 60% of Polk County voters, while failing in Marion and Yamhill counties. “I’m just crossing my fingers,” Howard said. Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Voters opposing measure to renovate Chemeketa campuses, expanding career programs appeared first on Salem Reporter.