When a bond proposal passes voter scrutiny in Oak Harbor, supporters know they did everything right.

In a conservative town in which “extras” are frowned upon, it’s not easy to get 60 percent approval to spend $6.5 million on a new football stadium and other athletic facilities.

The need in Oak Harbor was extraordinary, with old Memorial Stadium stands having been torn down before they could fall down, and with the remaining field lacking and semblance of decent restrooms, locker rooms, or even enough room to safely play football or soccer.

Regardless of the conditions, supporters of improved facilities knew it would be a tough sell. Voters had already rejected several efforts to improve the stadium. So the town literally rallied around the issue, not just with moral support but with shoe leather hitting the sidewalks to sell the measure and pens writing checks to put private money behind the talk.

The Oak Harbor Rotary Club collected nearly half a million dollars in stadium donations, and its members along with Citizens for Better Schools held one public event after another aimed at explaining the need for the athletic facilities. School rallies, town rallies, stadium tours, public speaking presentations, and far more went into selling the bond issue.

Still, opponents found fault with the proposal. Why did Oak Harbor, sitting in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, need a covering over the new stadium seating? Why did the new stadium proposal include an artificial surface when grass would be cheaper in the short term? Why move the stadium to the high school, and lose its historical link to old town Oak Harbor?

There were logical answers to these questions and many more, and bond supporters made the extra effort to make those answers known. As a result, 60 percent of the voters backed the stadium issue, meaning Oak Harbor within a few short years will have a sparkling new Memorial Stadium and track, and a number of refurbished tennis courts and athletic fields.

The long process of improving Oak Harbor’s schools is now only one step away from completion. Voters approved upgrading the six elementary schools, the two middle schools, and now the high school’s athletic facilities. The final step will take place early next year when the high school remodel proposal goes to the voters.

A committee is well into the process of studying the high school’s needs and making a recommendation to the school board. What we have learned through the years is that Oak Harbor’s frugal voters support their schools, but every dollar spent has to be justified. There is no doubt that the high school needs improvements, but keep to the basics. Give voters a fiscally sound proposal that meets real needs, with no “wish list” attached. One more successful election and the job will be done.

Then, and only then, the community should throw itself a well-deserved party.