Good evening, Pocahontas Proponents

People are considering the Board of Supervisors recent vote a victory for preservation of Pocahontas. But please be aware that this is not any sort of guarantee. The Memorandum of Understanding the BOS voted to extend to the school board is only a REQUEST for the schools to turn over ownership of the Pocahontas complex to the BOS. The school board must still vote to transfer the buildings, and there is no guarantee they will do that.

At the board meeting on July 28th, we learned that the original request for county funds for demolition gave the impression that demolition was essential for health and safety reasons. It was only when the school board returned to request more money that the BOS was told that "health and safety" was not the only reason for demolition AND the BOS was told that the buildings could potentially be renovated. But before the project engineers could complete a feasability study on rehabbing the buildings, the school board voted to tear them down, shutting down the study on building renovation.

To watch the entire presentation explaining what happened, use this meeting link and go to 2:14:30.

https://www.youtube.com/live/2bSk1O-496U?si=nVWHCYczLEq-TBik

The school board is still in preparation for demolition of Pocahontas buildings. They are simply waiting for permits, and there's no sign, so far, that the school leaders will reverse their vote and save Pocahontas. If you want that to happen, please let your voice be heard. Post about it. Email about it. Talk to friends, family and classmates about it. And ask Powhatan stakeholders to reach out directly to their school board members and ask them, insist to them that they find a way to save and repurpose all of Pocahontas.