Chapin, SC - The people and students of Chapin will see another elementary school built in the area to meet the demands of the fast-growing community, according to the Lexington-Richland School District Five’s board of trustees. Last night they voted to purchase a former field for approximately $933,000 to build the district’s 13th elementary school. The school board passed the measure with a 6 to 1 vote, approving the purchase of the field.
The purchase of the roughly 24-acres out Amicks Ferry Road at Lake Tide Drive stirred quite a bit of controversy. The fact that many people in the area where the new school is proposed to be built were opposed to the exact location being considered was not enough to deter the district. In the end, the board decided that the purchase of the land was in the best interest of the needs of that area’s students.
The meeting, which had several hundred people in attendance, lasted several hours Monday night. Approximately 30 district residents spoke, and almost all of those were opposed to the location selected for the school by the district.
Most said that the area was inappropriate because Amicks Ferry Road is too small and is not able to handle the additional traffic and congestion that the school would bring with it. The area has already seen fast growth that has challenged the road that has had some major work done to it over the past few years. Many residents said that it just isn’t the type of road needed to serve a school of the size the district has built recently.
The board and the district said they understand the concerns of the residents, but have to prepare for the impending increase in students in that area of the county. Already, sub-divisions have been developed that have hundreds of new homes, and more are on the way. Most of those homes house young or growing families, and families mean students. As is the case across Lexington County, planning for, and dealing with the additional students, is a constant challenge that all districts struggle with.
According to the district officials, plans for the school have not been finalized and no start or completion date is available. That will come at some later date.
