Glynn County board votes to build new school away from Superfund site

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Two months after community members expressed concerns about plans to build a new elementary school next to a Superfund site, the Glynn County School Board meeting voted unanimously Tuesday night to build the school about three-quarters of a mile away.

The school district planed to construct a new $24 million Altama Elementary School on existing land, but parents and community members packed a May meeting to urge the board to avoid building near property that has been contaminated for nearly 40 years.

The board hired a company to test the land for contamination and the tests came back negative, but that did not remove concerns over the safety of the property.

Tuesday night, the board unanimously voted to execute a contract to buy 27.55 acres on Altama Avenue about three-quarters of a mile north of the originally planned location for the new school.

The contract includes several contingencies, including the seller obtaining a clearance letter from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and site approval from the state Board of Education.