The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a special-use permit to allow Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy to open in the fall at Halesford Baptist Church on Virginia 122. The location will be a temporary one; the new school plans to construct its own permanent building at LakeWatch Plantation. Founders of the school are trying to raise $500,000 to pay for the building.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 5-2 to uphold a proffer at LakeWatch Plantation that does not allow vertical metal siding on any structures.

Lori Duffy, general manager of SML YMCA, located within the LakeWatch development, said she approached the board after learning the proffer had been overlooked. Currently, the Y has vertical metal siding on the north and south sides of the building.

"The plans got approved, the building got built, and when we went in for our certificate of occupancy on the tennis building, it was brought to our attention by the builder that we missed a proffer," said Duffy.

The Y requested an amendment to the proffer to allow one wall to remain; the other will be taken down later when the Y expands that end for an indoor pool.

The supervisors voted to uphold the proffer. Duffy said the Y, a nonprofit organization, must now come up with $100,000 to remove the siding and replace it with approved siding or find another solution with the county.

The Y's temporary certificate of occupancy was set to expire on May 15. A county inspector granted a 60-day extension, giving the Y just shy of three months to come up with a solution or be shut down, leaving more than 500 members without exercise facilities.

"We don't have $100,000," said Duffy. "What this means for the Y is that we are going to have to go back and reach out to the community for additional support."

-- Laurie Edwards