A second lawsuit against Richland School District 1 against the state’s questionable first learning center project has been filed, alleging that nearby homes in Lower Richland have been flooded as a result of clearing trees.
According to a state examiner general’s report, Richland 1 broke the law by beginning construction and spending money on an earlier understanding center without the needed legal authority. Then clear-cut, the half developed piece on , Caughman Road , is diverting “massive” portions of rainwater into the Creekside community, the lawsuit said, where Meaghan and Aleni Ilimaleota live.
In 2021, the pair made the purchase of their community home.
Meaghan, an active-duty part of the , United Stated Army , stationed at , Fort Jackson, received requests to build for a multi-year project elsewhere in , April 2025, and her family is relocating with her. They intended to sell their house.
The petition, filed , July 31, alleges that before “repeated” flood caused by Richland 1, the pair would have been able to recoup their investment — and then some. But since the flood, which the complaint says has” no end in sight”, their home value had been “badly diminished” and their gardens, shed and border have been damaged.
It is an “ongoing pain” for the home, the complaint says, and they are seeking payment and damages.
Until , October 2023, the property behind the Ilimaleotas ‘ home was covered with trees, before Richland 1 clear-cut it to build the$ 31 million  , Vince Ford Early Learning Center. Building on the task was paused in January after , Richland County , issued a halt work purchase due to the school district’s absence of permitting. Design has yet to begin.
However, the clear-cutting has resulted in a “massive” distraction or rainwater into the Creekside community during heavy weather, the complaint alleges. The Ilimaleotas ‘ house had not previously experienced flood.
According to the lawsuit, the family does “experience immediate economic harm when they relocate abroad to serve their country in just a few months.”
” Meaghan is under directions from the Army, she and her family do not have the luxury of waiting and hoping , Richland One , may fix the mess it has created”, the petition reads.
The petition was not made public by a city director.
The district’s second lawsuit alleges flooding damage, and the Ilimaleotas ‘ claim is next.
The first was filed on , July 8 , by , Johna Wilkes, another citizen of the Creekside area with a house opposite to the , Vince Ford First Learning Center , page.
Wilkes ‘ complaint alleges that repeated flooding from rainwater diverted from the beginning learning centre building page has made her household “unlivable”, and broken furniture, cabinets, floors, walls, a pool and more. Wilkes has owned her property since 1997 and has never experienced flooding prior to the site’s removal of trees, according to the lawsuit.
Both lawsuits claim that the district failed to design and implement a reliable drainage system to protect neighboring properties.
The district has been heavily criticized for its efforts to build the learning center, which was the focus of an investigation by the , South Carolina , Inspector General’s Office.
The office found that Richland 1 had broken state law and cost taxpayers money when it began construction without acquiring the proper permits,  , according to a , July 25 , report. The school board’s decision to start the second phase of the project was also unavoidable.
” In doing so, the District exposed itself to wasteful expenditures, contractual liabilities, costs associated with project delays, reputation damage, and insurance issues”, Inspector General , Brian Lamkin , wrote.
Before building a public school building, school districts must first obtain state superintendent’s approval under state law. But , John Tyler, deputy superintendent and general counsel for the state , Department of Education,  , wrote to the district in December , that because the center would be serving infants, it could not be considered a public school building. By then, construction had been underway for months. Despite the education department’s concerns, construction continued until , Richland County , issued a stop work order , Jan. 19.
The report also found that Richland 1 wasted$ 352, 078 on costs associated with building without a permit, according to the report. Since putting construction on hold, the district informed The State in May that the project had already cost Richland 1$ 813,000 for site inspections, stabilization, and security.
The Inspector General also raised concerns about unrestricted or illegal procurement.
The investigation lasted more than six months after , state superintendent , Ellen Weaver , requested the review of the district, raising alarms about potential “malfeasance” with the early learning center project. She noted that Richland 1 had already been placed on fiscal watch since 2022 by the state , Education Department , because of problems with its procurement card system.
Jason Raven, spokesman for the state , Department of Education, said the Inspector General’s report “validated the department’s concerns over state law violations and wasteful spending”.
” The Department knew the construction of the , Vince Ford Early Learning Center , should never have begun without the appropriate permit. The SIG report clearly identifies further illegal activity related to procurement”, Raven said in a statement. Staff will evaluate every finding in order to decide what to take next. The Department is deeply concerned…”
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