New Woodburn Community School

WVU THE DISINGENUOUS

The position of WVU about its willingness to sell the green school land to Mononongalia County school district appears self serving, disingenuous, and irresponsible. In emails to many concerned citizens, WVU holds that “The University views the location of the new school as an issue for the Monongalia Board of Education and the community at large.” Is WVU not part of “the community at large”? In that same email WVU states that it is has an “obligation to continue…land option…discussions…with the Monongalia Board of Education”…apparently because it owns most of the available land that might be used. WVU apparently thinks it exceeds its appropriate responsibility if it thinks the land it is selling would be an inappropriate site for a school for little children. So WVU should just bow dumbly to the request of the school district? For a cool $2.3-2.6 million?

First, the school district does not need ANY WVU land to build the new school. The school district already owns the great Woodburn site, which is also modestly expandable.

Second, WVU pretends that the school siting process has been ethical and responsible to the community. It has been anything but, as concerned citizens continue to document and make public.

Third, WVU refuses to sell its somewhat more school-appropriate land located well across route 705, set back off 119. Thus, WVU’s ostensible concerns for the community have to be taken with a grain of salt.

It is ludicrous for WVU to claim that it is not WVU’s decision whether or not to sell WVU’s own land, for whatever reason. WVU certainly is not selling its more school-appropriate land across 705. WVU told the school district it would not considering selling its land across from 705, architect Ted Shriver noted in a recent school board meeting. But WVU is more than willing to dump expensive undermined noisy congested high traffic intersection land off on the school district to be inhabited by little children for multimillion dollars. WVU smells bad in this. At the very least.

Is something else driving this sale for them?