WALHALLA — Nearly half of those addressing the Oconee County School Board on Tuesday night regarding proposed locations for a new Walhalla High School said there is nothing wrong with the location on which the school has stood for the past 45 years.
Former school board member Ken Poston, a Walhalla High School graduate, said the school is already at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making it “the most beautiful campus in the state.”
Poston proposed the school board could purchase a house near Mountain View Restaurant and use 9 acres of undeveloped property to open an entry way to the high school that is also accessible to the middle school. He also said a new baseball field, regulation size “pitted” gymnasium and classroom wing could be constructed, the latter featuring a terrace so students could go and “enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains.”
In addition, Poston said the board could purchase a portion of the property behind the current high school that is for sale to build the baseball stadium and a regulation size track. Poston also said the school “is in better shape than any other school in Oconee County, including Seneca High” — the most recently constructed of the four high schools, as it was built in 1989.
Berry Nichols, of Walhalla, agreed the current site is just fine.
“This is a beautiful location, we’ve got a fine stadium and the thing I would like to see is to take some of that $50 million we’ve got and build a new auditorium in Oconee County for graduation,” Nichols said.
But Josh McCall, an agriculture teacher at Walhalla High, and Olivia Timms, whose daughter is a student at the school, said the time has come to build a new high school.
“A new school would be great, it would be ideal for this community,” McCall said. “As long as we have a nice place to do it, we can do it.”
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November 11, 2009
9:33 a.m.Report inappropriate content
I say the current location is fine. There is no need to build a new school when we can use the existing place we have.
November 11, 2009
9:39 a.m.Report inappropriate content
With the economy the way it is, I agree with Mr. Poston. We should spend all of our money and efforts on the education of the students, not where they get this education.
November 11, 2009
11:56 a.m.Report inappropriate content
I totally agree!!
November 11, 2009
12:56 p.m.Report inappropriate content
Build it. 45 years, time to move forward. Maybe the old high school could be used for the middle school. Haven't heard that, just a thought.
November 11, 2009
1:52 p.m.Report inappropriate content
I don't mind them building it, but PLEASE do it beside Bobby Wood Chevrolet! That area can handle the traffic and noise better than in someone's front yard!