Columbia County commissioners agreed to split the bill for a road-widening project with a tiny school that helps children with dyslexia.
The Savannah River Academy was looking at a bill of up to $400,000 to widen a road and install a turn lane on South Old Belair Road in the unincorporated area of Grovetown. But on Tuesday night commissioners agreed to a plan that would lengthen the turn lane to include Mural Lake Court and take over the project.
The school agreed to pay for the material costs and the fee to hire a private paving company, which will cost about $97,000, said R. Kyle Titus, director of the Columbia County Engineering Services Division, which handles all road construction projects for the county government.
“It’s a joint effort to bring the costs down,” Titus said. “The county put a lot of time and resources into this to make it more affordable for SRA.”
The head of the school and a member of the school’s board after the commission meeting said they were pleased with the compromise, but still skeptical a turn lane was necessary.
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“You know any funds that we can use for the betterment of the education for the students, I’m glad for that,” said Mary Beth Burns, the head of the school, which is akin to a principal.
“I’m not sure the traffic calls for that,” said Rebecca Rogers, a member of the school’s board. “It’s better than it was a month or two ago.”
On March 15, commissioners were looking at a proposal by the school to expand, but were worried additional students would back up traffic along South Belair Road and cause accidents. County staff recommended the school pay for expanding the road and installing a turn lane and commissioners seemed to agree. An engineer hired by the school estimated the project would cost $250,000 to $400,000.
But commissioners delayed a vote to give staff and the school time to come to a compromise that would save money for the private school, which has about 100 students, and at the same time guarantee drivers were safe during drop-off and pick-up times at the school.
“I consider it a win across all fronts,” said Columbia County Commission Chairman Doug Duncan.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
