And they said it could never be done. At least a lot of them did.

There was no shortage of doubters when the Gorham Fayette Board of Education announced in July 2004 that it was suing DH Holdings to cover the district taxpayers’ cost of building a new school.

Some critics thought it was a rather gutsy move by board members to go after the company responsible for contamination on school property. After all, not too many years had passed since the board decided to build a new gymnasium and classrooms on ground they knew was polluted.

Voters agreed to pay for the project and construction went forward on the assurance of the Ohio EPA that no danger was present from the contaminants.

The Ohio EPA still says the contamination poses no threat and DH Holdings probably agrees. Their attorney once referred to the lawsuit as irresponsible and based on hysteria.

“Hysteria” is a strong word to use, but we’ll accept the word “fear.” Board members had a fear of contamination spreading. The levels of detection in monitoring wells is always changing; could the worst be yet to come?

Board members felt an uncertainty about whether another detection of contaminants would be found inside a classroom.

Contamination never reached a critical level, according to the Ohio EPA, and even when extrapolated to a lifetime of exposure the agency said students and staff faced no danger. Still, board members learned that exposure doesn’t effect everyone the same, and eight years of a daily dose might pose a problem.

If the board’s decision was based on fear, that wasn’t a bad thing. Looking out for the welfare of Fayette’s children is an important task.

If it was a gutsy move to go after a company that says there is no problem, then it’s a major victory to win a $3.9 million settlement for no apparent reason.

It’s good news for Fayette school district taxpayers. Although the board didn’t receive as much as it sought, district residents will pay much less for their new school.