Supreme Court rules in favor of district in Chapin High battle | News
By Tim Pulliam - email
CHAPIN, SC (WIS) - The 2-year battle over renovations to Chapin High School is now over, but there's still plenty of drama to go around thanks to mounting legal fees.
Lexington-Richland District Five says they've spent a lot of time and money fighting school board member Kim Murphy's appeal to stop construction on the school.
Fellow board member Beth Watson is relieved that the fight is over.
"I'm delighted we can move forward," Watson said.
Murphy had been against the construction project at the school on environmental grounds.
"This is an environmental asset and part of an environmental classroom. U.S. Fish and Wildlife gave us a grant to create this classroom. And sadly, this will be under dirt, under a ballfield," Murphy said in a previous interview.
This latest round of legal wrangling is the eighth time the two sides have met in court. Each time, a judge ruled in favor of the board. The problem is someone has to pay the bill.
"Right now, we're looking at taxpayers in our school district are paying an extra $18 million over the next 20 years," Watson said. "That's absurd. A waste. What could we have done with that $18 million."
In a statement, Murphy said she was disappointed with the ruling, but says she hopes the district will start construction in a way that will protect the environment around the school.
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