Re-study Sullivan's Island school

Melanie Balog's Jan. 21 column confined the position of Sullivan's Island Town Council on a referendum to halt the present design for Sullivan's Elementary School to three points. It ignored major safety issues, environmental demands and the architecture of Sullivan's Island, which are more important responsibilities of Town Council.

The column's three points were not entirely accurate:

1) "The school can't be built any smaller ... because it's not cost-effective." The statute actually allows for smaller schools, and the concept of size for efficiency has not been proven.

As planned, the school could harm the environment in that it would have no uncovered grounds. The very small playground would be packed solid by 1,000 trampling feet. Add paved parking, roadways and sidewalks and there is no pervious surface. This compounds runoff problems for the neighbors, adjacent maritime forest and campus landscaping material. The proximity of vehicles and congestion to children ignores air quality issues.

2) The town's Design Review Board has no say because "there are no zoning guidelines for school design." There is no zoning issue but there is a design issue. Several council members and architects on the island complained there is nothing about this structure that "looks S.I.," and the entrance to the school is unimaginative.

The architect drew five entrance options mimicking everything from the fire station to the lighthouse, but left the structure looking like separate pods connected by wasted hallway spaces. This expensive design appears an unfriendly maze for children.

3) Council cannot "revoke the lease agreement ... (or) a previous lease agreement kicks in." This in fact must be done in light of safety issues. Neither party should have signed off on a footprint too small for this massive structure. Traffic, play areas and protective barriers were not thought through. Roadways are close enough to the building to enable someone to snatch a child without getting out of the car. It would be easy for a child to run into traffic.

Numerous pilings and piers under the building, an area being called a secondary playground, get in the way of healthy physical activity. There can be no biking and walking paths to school since I'On Street is so narrow and vehicle entrances take up all the other space. This is not just an issue of size but an insult to the environment, architecture and safety of our children. A dysfunctional building is one thing, but an unsafe one is another. Let's go back to the drawing board.

Rick Reed

Flag Street

Sullivan's Island