ST. MATTHEWS -- In a rare split decision, the usually unanimous Calhoun County Council voted Monday to save the old St. John Elementary School gymnasium from the wrecking ball.

“I’ve been here 31 years and I’ve finally got a 3-2 vote,” Council Chairman David Summers joked.

While the majority of council agreed to take over ownership of the gym from the county school district, the two dissenting members of council slammed the district’s school board with claims that it is unpredictable, disrespectful and has turned deaf ears to community concerns.

The issue came up when County Administrator Lee Prickett explained that the school district has a contract to tear down and clean up the old school property. Either the county should take over the gym, which is reportedly in fairly good structural condition, or it should be razed along with the other buildings, he said.

“It’s structurally sound. If you do a renovation, you’ll have to bring it up to code,” Prickett said. “That will be a good bit of expense in remodeling the building, including a new roof. ... The decision to tear down St. John was made several years ago and has just come to fruition.

“There’s no gym in the lower end of the county for those kids to play,” said Summers, who represents the area. “I don’t want that building to be torn down. ... I’ve been to several functions there. It’s not brand new, but it’s in fairly good shape.”

Councilman James Haigler said he, “thought the school was to come in to talk to us. There’s no gym in the lower part of the county and there’s no gym in the upper part.

“The school board is unpredictable. .. .They were to come in and talk to us and they backed out. ... I don’t even know what the school has to offer. ... It’s disrespectful to us to not say what they’re going to do.”

Stressing repeatedly that he has nothing against the Cameron-area school, Haigler said he’s equally concerned about the fate of John Ford Middle School in St. Matthews.

Councilwoman Helen Carson, who voted with Haigler against the motion to save the St. John gym, said that she had served on a facility committee to find out the community’s thoughts on the future of John Ford, St. John and other public schools that have been closed. The committee heard from various experts and speakers throughout the county, she said.

“The consensus of the whole community is they want to see John Ford preserved,” she said. “The school board knows that. It falls on deaf ears.”

Summers suggested that the administrator talk to school Superintendent Kenneth Westbury and, “get someone to talk to the board and come into executive session and talk about John Ford.” Too many people might be talking to school board members and “they don’t know what they want to do.”

Under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, only specific legal, contractual, personnel and economic development issues can be discussed in executive session.

“The bulldozers are at St. John as we speak,” said Prickett, explaining that council needed to make a decision on the gym.

Haigler and Carson raised concerns that, since the cost of the St. John gym project is unknown, there might not be enough money to save John Ford.

“I want to know what the school’s plans are. I didn’t even know St. John was being torn down,” Haigler said. “Who speaks for the board?”

Carson reacted when Summers mentioned that the superintendent had stopped by his business in Cameron recently to discuss the issue.

“He should have been talking to the entire board ... not one or two people,” she said.

Summers countered that he doesn’t interfere when Carson and Haigler talk to different groups about John Ford.

“My problem is I don’t want us to spend $1 million at St. John and there’s no money for John Ford,” Haigler said. “David protects his turf and I protect mine, too.”

Summers said school officials will be contacted about plans for the old facilities.

“We’ll have an answer at the next meeting,” he said.

In other business, council:

n Gave first reading to an ordinance amending the wastewater ordinance to redefine terms, including the prohibition of unauthorized discharge. The change will “tighten up our authority,” said the administrator, and ensure that the domestic waste does not contain toxins.

n Agreed to a one-year lease land option with Fred Kloesser for 5.6 acres in the Sandy Run area for $3,000. If purchased, the $3,000 will go toward the total price, at $7,350 per acre. The lease will allow the county to clear and do environmental studies on the land, which will be used for recreation.

n Agreed to purchase 2.08 acres of property in the Creston area, next to county property, from Margaret Keller Smith for $10,000. The land will be used for a future Emergency Medical Services substation.

n Agreed to allow the director of voter registration and elections to take 12 weeks of unpaid family medical leave. The leave will run after the Nov. 3 municipal election in Cameron and will end before the 2010 primary filing period in the spring.

n Scheduled a public hearing for the next session, on Nov. 9, for Griffith Lane neighbors who may want to comment on the request for a variance on a family cemetery. Frederick Smith has requested the variance to allow the cemetery on one acre instead of the required two acres. Although the old cemetery is grandfathered into compliance, a variance is required if any new bodies are to be buried there.

n Approved a change order for site work at the Learning Center, which is next to the new library. According to landscape architect David Stack, the site work will be $201,392. The decorative lighting for the project will be leased from SCE&G for an estimated $55,000 in savings.

n Agreed to amend the agreement between the county and the town of Cameron that provides the use of a magistrate as the municipal judge. The agreement was changed, per state law, to note that the chief magistrate is to schedule which magistrate is on duty rather than naming a specific magistrate.

n Appropriated $1,200 to fund the remainder of the $5,000 budget for the Calhoun County Youth Football program.

n Appointed Sarah Wienges to the Museum Commission.

n Agreed to the annual ice and snow removal contract with the state Department of Transportation. The agreement allows the county’s equipment to be used to help the state highway crews.

n Agreed to apply to the DOT for an access waiver that will allow the county to have three access points at the Sandy Run government substation project instead of the one allowed.

n Agreed to allow the administrator to purchase a television set for the conference room.

n T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling 803-533-5545.

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