In a 5-4 decision, Jamestown Area School Board decided Monday to go ahead with a controversial $7.8 million renovation and building project, a move that could open the board to a legal battle.

A group of five school board candidates, all of whom won nominations in the May primary election, presented the board with a letter from their attorney vowing they'd seek a legal injunction to prevent construction on the high school from starting.

The letter was presented by Joseph Williams, who said, "If the current school board chooses to ignore the information presented to them, we will have no alternative but to seek legal remedy in the courts."

The legal basis for their action, Williams said, is a 2000 state Supreme Court decision that says a future school board can undo any action taken by its predecessors.

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