ORANGEBURG, S.C. — In a Tuesday night meeting, residents saw new plans to build a new Orangeburg-Wilkinson (O-W) High School in Orangeburg County.
“The superintendent says he wants to be a good neighbor. We are neighbors, and we are asking you to be good," said County Councilwoman Janice Cooper-Smith, who showed up to the school board meeting to oppose the new O-W location. "Some say only old folks live in this area, because we are senior citizens does not mean we should not have the right for peaceful and untouchable neighborhoods."
After months of back and forth with the County Council, the Orangeburg school district officially found its location for the new high school along Cook Road.
“We've tried to be cognizant during the design and the layout, to be considerate of things," said Orangeburg County School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster. "The distance from the entrance of Bonneville to where the current O-W sits is 1.7 miles, and the entrance to Bonneville to where the new O-W will sit is 1.3 miles."
Several people showed up to Tuesday’s school board meeting wearing red, as a symbol for stopping the move to Cook Road. One of those residents was Ronald Kirkland, who says he's not too happy to see more traffic coming to this area.
“I really don't think it's a good idea, because the location is really bad. Cook Road is already really congested... this will only make it worse," Kirkland explained.
The school board passed the new location in a 5-4 vote and then heard the latest plans from site designers and engineers, who say there is still plenty of time to address concerns.
The school building itself is now estimated to cost the district about $80 million plus an additional $8 million for athletic facilities. Designers say the construction process could begin as soon as late 2023 or early 2024.