A vacant Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools property in South Charlotte has become the focus of competing priorities: nearby parents want the building demolished, while wildlife advocates are urging the district to save its brick chimney for thousands of roosting birds. The chimney near Tyvola Road shelters more than 1,000 swifts. The North Carolina Wildlife Federation says the birds use the inside of brick chimneys to rest, and that habitat loss has contributed to their decline. Their population has dropped by more than half since the 1960s, putting swifts on a conservation watch list, according to the federation. “Every time we lose one of these chimneys, we’re losing an active or potential roosting site for these birds,” said Alden Picard of the federation. The group has organized swift-watching gatherings to connect people with urban wildlife and build support for preserving masonry chimneys. A gathering was planned for Oct. 12 at the school property, where people can watch the birds return to the chimney at dusk. The school has been vacant for about six years. For roughly three years, parents of students at Collinswood Language Academy have pushed for its demolition. Harry Carawan, a member of the school’s PTA, said parents view the property as a safety hazard and have raised concerns about people experiencing homelessness, drugs and a gun incident there over the years. Parents say they have made progress with the district and support preserving the chimney for wildlife. They worry, however, that recent turmoil at CMS could delay the project. “It’s unclear how much all of this sort of background noise that’s happening at CMS is going to affect the timing of this project,” Carawan said. “We’re concerned about that.” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had not responded to questions about the property or the parents’ and conservationists’ requests by the time of publication.