It's amazing what making decisions in secret will do for a School Board: no messy objections from those affected are heard. Such is the case with the recent vote by the Charleston County School Board regarding the James Island bus lot.
Of course, if you don't live on James Island, you aren't waiting with bated breath to hear what will happen in this latest bait-and-switch performance. Briefly, many months ago CCSD decided to create a bus lot beside James Island Elementary. The locals revolted.
"The district originally recommended building the new $3.3 million bus lot next to James Island Elementary, but nearby residents complained about the potential for air pollution, traffic and obstruction of scenic views. [about 30 buses are involved at present] The board relented. It voted in June 2017 to relocate the parking lot to a site beside the former W. Gresham Meggett School on Grimball Road — but residents and preservationists rejected that idea because of the school's historic value. The board abandoned the site due to zoning problems."
"At meetings and listening sessions through]out the past year, James Islanders turned out in droves to voice their displeasure about the plan. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Borowy said he reviewed 37 potential sites for the lot, but most would not work because of their size, zoning or purchase price. [Purchase price? CCSD can spend $50 million on two football stadiums!] "On Feb. 26, Borowy presented a new idea: The district could rent a warehouse on Signal Point Road to park its buses while Camp Road Middle was under construction, then build the lot elsewhere. The board asked district staff to look into the idea."
We call this a "red herring."
"On Monday night, after meeting in executive session, the board voted to scrap the warehouse rental idea and build the lot at James Island Elementary."
"No James Islanders spoke at Monday night's meeting. The agenda mentioned a decision about the "District 3 Lot Lease," and Collins argued that residents did not have a chance to weigh in on the evening's abrupt reversal."
No kidding, Chris. We call this one "bait and switch."
Yet another split vote with four black members voting no against five white.
Not good. Not good at all.
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