Third meeting produces a vote

A school that serves troubled boys in Mountain Rest lost its bid last night for an exception to the county’s zoning rules to construct a new dormitory that would allow Whetstone Academy to enroll as many as 32 boys. But the Oconee Board of Zoning Appeals needed two and a half hours to reach the decision in what was the board’s third meeting on the matter since July. The vote against granting the exception was 5-1, with Paul Reckert opposed. Much of last night’s discussion by the board centered on an attempt by Gary Littlefield to amend the board’s original 2011 vote to limit Whetstone Academy to 22 full-time students. But after a series of questions by Reckert and fellow board member Sam Lee, Littlefield offered to withdraw his amendment. The board voted the amendment down anyway—two in favor and four against. That led to the night’s final vote, whose result was a victory for neighbors of Whetstone Academy who lodged various complaints about traffic, noise, vulgar language, and the fear that some day a student might run away and cause trouble in the community.