A call for a second look at the controversial Routley land swap was welcome news for the parents who oppose the deal.

鈥淎t least somebody finally saw the light,鈥� said parents' spokesperson Pete Pretorius.

鈥淚t鈥檚 high time this happened.鈥�

On Nov. 8, 91原创 Board of Education chairperson Rob McFarlane ended the last meeting of trustees before the election by announcing that, if re-elected, he would press for a review of the decision to exchange school land in the Routley neighbourhood for a site in Yorkson.

Pretorius said parents were 鈥渃autiously optimistic鈥� about the change of position by McFarlane, who originally voted for the swap.

鈥淚鈥檓 very happy that someone finally said . . . you can鈥檛 have a neighbourhood of 500 children with no school,鈥� Pretorius said.

He said it鈥檚 鈥渂izarre鈥� that it was a trustee elected from the City, not the Township where Routley is located, who said it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the weirdest situation.鈥�

Pretorius said the trustees need to take control of the decision-making process away from the bureaucrats who came up with the Routley swap.

鈥淭hey [staff] are not informing their elected officials of all the ramifications.鈥�

Several of the trustees elected on Saturday have indicated they want to take another look at the land swap. McFarlane was re-elected in the City.

As unanimously approved by trustees, the land swap calls for the school site in the Routley neighbourhood to become a park while adjacent parkland would become a townhouse development.

In return, the school district will get property to build a school in the Yorkson neighbourhood of Willoughby.