What they did: The Duluth School Board voted Tuesday to approve both Lincoln Park Middle School bid packages, totaling about $32.5 million.
What it means: The majority of bids for the controversial $45.3 million project have been approved for the new western middle school site. A lawsuit alleging that the city and the school district did not adequately consider the project's environmental impact is pending.
What they said: Community member Brenda Anderson took issue with the touted number of students within walking distance of the new school, which she said is 13 percent of all students who would attend. She said the number is small, and wants to know the numbers of walkers for other potential sites.
"You should table your vote on these bids until you have the full picture," she said.
Former Denfeld principal Bill Westholm said the area is in need of a new middle school, noting years of school closures but no new school.
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"This puts to rest a long history of unfulfilled promises and uncertainty," he said.
Board members Mary Cameron and Judy Seliga Punyko said the Red Plan was long overdue and it was time to move on.
Member Gary Glass said, "I don't disagree that building a Taj Mahal on a rock won't be impressive," but the project is too expensive and would be cheaper using an existing site.
Member Art Johnston presented the board with two pages of reasons for voting no on the bids.
How they voted: The board voted 4-2 for each package, with Gary Glass and Art Johnston voting no. Tom Kasper was absent.
