LIBERTY — After a lot of debate, the school board voted Monday night to name the second primary school in Liberty Chastain Road Elementary, after the road it will be built on.

The vote was 5-2-1 on second and final reading, with board members Oscar Thorsland, who represents Liberty, and Alex Saitta, the Pickens representative voting against the name.

Board chairman Jim Shelton abstained.

Previously, on first reading to name the new school, the board voted on approval of Ruhamah Elementary, a name suggested by a committee formed to come up with a title for the school. But even at that time, some board members expressed concerns that public input reflected a desire to name the school either Chastain Road or Chastain, after the family who sold the land to the school district.

Members of the committee, including John Callaham of Liberty, said they recommended Ruhamah as first choice because that was the name of the community where the school will be located.

Thorsland said he personally preferred the Chastain Road name but said he was voting in favor of the committee’s recommendation.

“We sent it out to committee, so if we go against their recommendation, the next time we name a school, we need not have a committee,” Thorsland said.

But Shelton noted that according to district policy, the committee was formed to make a recommendation but that the final decision was up to the school board.

Saitta voted against the change to Chastain Road because Thorland is the Liberty representative and he supported the committee recommendation.

Some board members, including at-large member Shirley Jones, said she had gotten overwhelming feedback in favor of the Chastain name.

She said that along with the family originally owning the property, the Chastains worked for the school district for about 30 years.

She noted, however, that the family did not lobby to have the school named after them.

Judy Edwards, the Easley representative, said she was in favor of including the word “road” in the name so the school would be named after the location.

Edwards suggesting returning the debate to the committee, but her motion failed in a 5-3 vote.

Thorsland and board member B.J. Skelton both said they had received mixed reaction from those who contacted them about the name.

And Saitta said, “There clearly isn’t a consensus in the community, so if there’s anything short of an aggressive poll, we just have to make a good judgment.”