Auburn Schools Superintendent Katy Grondin, center, talks with residents at a Sept. 5 straw poll on where to build a new high school. The Maine Board of Education on Wednesday approved the site next to Edward Little High School on Harris Street. (Bonnie Washuk/Sun Journal)

AUBURN — The Maine Board of Education on Wednesday approved the Harris Street site for a new Edward Little High School, Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

The approval followed a straw poll Sept. 5 when Auburn residents supported building next to the high school.

The next steps are developing a design and determining the cost, a second approval by the Maine Board of Education, and approval by Auburn residents at a referendum in June or November 2019.

The Building Committee will take up the timeline at its meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, Grondin said. “They’ll be reviewing the timeline, making sure we have enough time” before a referendum is scheduled.

The state is paying for the construction, which three years ago was estimated at between $62 million and $65 million. Amenities not covered by the state, such as a 400-plus-seat auditorium, would be paid by local taxes.

A view of  Edward Little High School in Auburn on June 29, 2018. (Sun Journal file photo)