North Stonington — A recount of referendum ballots on a $38.5 million project to renovate the town's schools confirmed the original 3-vote margin results from May 16, approving the project 908-905.

The plan is to add a new wing to the Wheeler Middle/High School gymatorium and renovate the elementary school to meet state and federal standards.

Early last week, town officials were unsure whether a recount was needed.

However, after consulting a state statute on recanvassing, election officials set the recanvassing in a morning meeting last Wednesday.

Registrars of Voters Gladys Chase and Joan Kepler hand-fed the ballots into the machine for around two hours in New Town Hall, as residents, school and town officals and students on a field trip from their high school civics class looked on.

Unlike the referendum results, which saw the project's supporters celebrating their victory, the recount ended on a subdued note, with some residents expressing frustration as they left.

During the recount, moderator Patricia Turner and Town Clerk Norma Holliday answered questions about the eligibility of certain ballots and potentially giving more time for out-of-town residents to apply for absentee ballots.

Holliday explained that the period of time between the town meeting and referendum — one week — makes it impossible to get absentee ballots to residents that are out-of-state when the referendum takes place.

The application for that ballot is made available within four days of the question being finalized, and must be hand-delivered to the clerk.

"There's not enough turn-around time," Holliday said.

Resident Ann Brown asked if that week "can be a longer period of time, can it be two weeks or three weeks?"

Holliday and First Selectman Shawn Murphy said by state statute the referendum must take place within two weeks of the town meeting.

One property owner who tried to cast an absentee ballot was unable to do so because the individual did not include their certification from the town assessor.

People who own more than $1,000 of assessed property in a town are able to vote in the election if they are certified as an eligible property owner when the town holds votes on financial questions, such as a bond or a budget, election Turner explained.

Murphy said going forward he would be reviewing the ordinance that created the Ad Hoc School Building Committee as it takes on new responsibility managing the school building project, to see if its members need to be reappointed.

That reappointment potentially could happen at tonight's meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

n.lynch@theday.com