Suffolk leaders to work together on site for new school

SUFFOLK

The School Board will collaborate with city staff and the City Council to find a location for a new elementary school, but the final decision rests with the board, members decided Thursday.

In a resolution that passed unanimously, the board affirmed its responsibility to select a school site but acknowledged a need to work with the council.

"We work together for so many other projects," Chairwoman Lorraine Skeeter said. "I just feel like it's one of their duties to work closely with us."

The decision comes three weeks after the council directed the city manager to look for a potential site for the new building, which would replace Robertson and Southwestern elementary schools.

At the time, School Board members said they were caught off guard. In a June 22 letter to Mayor Linda Johnson, Skeeter questioned the legality of the council decision. The mayor responded with a letter saying that the site-selection process should be a joint effort.

Skeeter called the mayor's letter "appropriate" and said she realized the council was not trying to take control from the board.

"I just saw them offering assistance," she said.

The board has about 15 locations to review and will accept suggestions from the city, Skeeter said.

Earlier this year, the council and the Planning Commission said a proposed site on Copeland Road was not compatible with the city's comprehensive plan because of its location in the "rural agricultural conservation area."

The majority of the board preferred that spot because it is somewhat central to the villages of Holland and Whaleyville, the areas where Southwestern and Robertson are located.

To avoid having another site rejected, the board will remove from consideration any that appears to conflict with the comprehensive plan, Skeeter said. That means the school is more likely to be in or near one of the villages versus in a central location, she said.

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com