The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

Do you favor a $10 million bond issue to restore historic buildings owned by governmental and nonprofit organizations, with funds being issued contingent on a 25 percent local match requirement from either private or nonprofit sources?

Treasured pieces of Maine’s history are on the ballot this election. And no, we’re not referring to the debate around replacing Maine’s flag.

Question 3 would approve a $10 million bond to help restore historic government and nonprofit buildings across the state. The question requires a 25 percent local match from either private or nonprofit sources.

These are structures and sites like old meeting houses, town halls, public libraries, museums, grange buildings, old forts, homesteads, and other sites that might otherwise fade into memory without restoration efforts.

The government entities or nonprofits responsible for these buildings might not have the resources available to prioritize this needed work. Some funding through the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and other organizations is meant to aid these valuable projects, which help ensure that Maine’s history remains an active part of our future. Though survey results from the people doing this work indicate that consistent state funding that matches the statewide need has been elusive.

Passing Question 3 would help address this, even a one-time infusion of $10 million represents just part of the statewide need. A previous bond of this type was passed back in 1985, when voters approved $2 million.

This newest iteration was proposed by two Republican state lawmakers, Rep. Sawin Millett and Sen. Rick Bennett. Its original amount of $25 million was paired back when the bond question was reviewed and approved by the Legislature.

Though the amount matches neither the original proposal nor the existing preservation needs across the state, it remains a sensible down payment to protect parts of Maine’s history. The Maine Historic Preservation will oversee the award of funding to various projects with this funding, as it has before, in a process that can safeguard Maine’s past while also supporting current community cohesion and economic activity.

“Studies show that investment in historic preservation supports small business and good paying jobs, improves property values, keeps money circulating in local economies, and catalyzes additional investment,” said Tara Kelly, executive director of the nonprofit Maine Preservation, and Sarah Hansen, the executive director of Greater Portland Landmarks, in testimony before the Legislature last year. “The rehabilitation of historic buildings can be labor intensive, creating high-paying jobs. In a soon-to-be-finalized economic impact analysis of historic preservation in Portland, it is estimated that these projects create 218 direct jobs and an additional 217 indirect and induced jobs every year.”

While we would prefer to see increased and consistent support for these preservation efforts built into the state budget rather than be subject to bonding — and the interest that comes with it — the unfortunate fact remains that such a consistent funding source has yet to materialize. In its absence, this bond is a prudent if insufficient public investment. The longer some of these projects wait for support, the more likely that these structures and sites degrade beyond repair.

Julia Gray, the executive director of the Wilson Museum in Castine, offered strong rationale for supporting this bond question in legislative testimony last year.

“Maine’s historic buildings are an irreplaceable part of our civic infrastructure,” Gray said. “They are often part of a community’s identity, a highly visible symbol of local history, places of memory that span generations.”

We agree, and we hope Maine voters will too. Question 3 deserves a yes vote.

A Fairfield man was arrested Tuesday following a fatal shooting in Waterville.

The shooting happened at around 6:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Mount Joseph rehabilitation center on Highwood Street, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Stephen Killam, 47, of Fairfield was found dead.

At around 8:55 a.m., Clinton police arrested 53-year-old Richard Hatt, of Clinton, who had been driving a black Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck that had been seen leaving the Mount Joseph parking lot, Moss said.

Officials believe that Killam and Hatt knew each other.

Killam’s body has been transported to the Maine medical examiner’s office, where an autopsy will be conducted.

Hatt has been charged with murder, and was transported to the Kennebec County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing, and no additional information was immediately available. Anyone with information can contact the Waterville Police Department at 207-680-4700, or the Augusta Communications Center at 207-624-7076 to contact the Maine State Police.

State and local police are investigating a deadly shooting in Waterville, Maine, on Tuesday morning that led two local school districts to temporarily lock down their buildings.

The shooting occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Highwood Street, and state police said an adult male has died.

Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit detectives are interviewing witnesses and evidence response technicians are still processing the scene.

State police said there is no danger to the public, and they expect to release additional details later Tuesday afternoon.

According to News Center Maine, the shooting led two area school districts — Waterville Public Schools and MSAD 49 in Fairfield — to go into lockout on Tuesday morning, meaning no one was allowed to leave or enter schools. Both districts have since returned to normal operations.