BUCHANAN — The third time was the charm for Buchanan Community Schools.

On Tuesday, voters approved a $14.9 million bond issue proposal during a special election. The final vote was 561 in favor to 463 against, according to Election Magic.

“We were doing a lot of cheering, but by that time it was well after 10 o’clock, so we did some cheering and went to bed,” said Supt. Andrea van der Laan.

The bond issue will pay for additions to Buchanan Middle School and several other improvements throughout the district.

School officials are in the process of talking with architects to determine how to proceed.

“There will be several meetings over the next month or so just to figure out timelines, how long the project will take and when we can put a shovel in the ground,” said van der Laan.

The proposal was asking voters to extend the current millage rate for another 20 years, or until 2033. It was set to expire in 2019.

Voters struck down the district’s last two bond proposals. The bond that passed Tuesday is different than the previous two in that it doesn’t raise taxes.

“To be able to do that was a huge plus for us,” said van der Laan.

“I would like to thank the community for their support and recognizing that they need to upgrade some of these facilities and fix some of these buildings. I think this will do wonderful things not only for the schools but for the city as well.”