It is a big deal to have land purchased under this program. The purpose is to have the land remain as open space for the benefit of the public. Public funds are used to purchase these properties.
My family lives in the Rosemary Hills neighborhood and we are active users of the Rosemary Hills Lyttonsville Park. We walk our dog there; play basketball and tennis; ride bicycles; and participate in activities at the Coffield Center. We were shocked to learn that this site had been selected for the middle school at the expense of the community. The site selection committee did not apply it's own criteria fairly: the site does not contain sufficient space because they did not consider the land purchased with Program Open Space funds, which cannot be developed; nor did they take into account the remnants of the air defense installation from World War II that lies underneath the ball fields. Most of all, they did not consider the impact on our community: this park joins three ethnically, racially and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods that have lived and worked together for many years. We are a densely populated community that desperately needs this green space to recreate. We have far more industrial development than other parts of the BCC catchment area and should not have to bear the congestion and pollution that will inevitably come with the middle school.
We moved to this neighborhood because of the park. We use it for many things--walking, resting, the children's playgrounds, playing tennis, etc... My company has rented the Coffield Center for several events.
One of my sons attended Westland but says he would rather have ridden the bus and attended Westland than not have had the park to play in after school and throughout the summer.
The park is the only green space for thousands of the residents that live directly adjacent to it in 4 large apartment complexes. It is their yard, their only green space. It is wrong that the Site Selection Commitee did not include anyone from this Silver Spring area, only people from Chevy Chase and Bethesda--and that they then chose our park as the best site. It is equally wrong that the Site Selection Criteria did not include Human or Environmental Impact! We are more densely populated with more industrial development than any other BCC residential area, with an Industrial Park, a coming Purple Line Station, the WSSC station, and the Ride-On bus facility/yard located directly across the street or within 1 or 2 blocks of the park. Our ethnically and racially diverse working-class neighborhood is united by the park, and needs the park.
I and my family have used this park nearly every day since we moved to the neighborhood in 1985. We love the diversity of people we mingle with there -- all ages, many colors -- everyone enjoying the beauty of the trees, rain, sun, night sky, animals (wild and domesticated) cavorting, little kids running around happily, older kids and adults organizing soccer and softball tournaments nearly year-round. We would not have bought this house were it not for the lovely, spacious park nearby. What is the BOE thinking of, to destroy such an asset? Why were all of us who live near and love this park excluded from the "selection" process that led to the move to supplant the park with a busy middle school? We plan to fight!
My family has lived in this community for 25 years. We moved here and have decided to age-in-place here precisely because this is a diverse community that whose center is the Rosemary Hills Park that MCPS is now threatening to take away.
This park is surrounded by people living in apartment buildings, townhouses, and single family houses. The park is intensively used by all. It is a jewel; a place to go to escape the commercial activity surrounding our communities; a place of peace.
Fifteen years ago, or so, I served on the Community Center advisory committee at a time when rebuilding of that center was being planned. Central to that planning was the need for the outdoor basketball and tennis courts in conjunction with a modernized park (to accommodate the many who now use it). This has worked out well.
Now this precious space is threatened. This taking must not happen.
Maryland Open Space Land
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dnr.state.md.us/land/landconservation.asp
It is a big deal to have land purchased under this program. The purpose is to have the land remain as open space for the benefit of the public. Public funds are used to purchase these properties.
My family lives in the Rosemary Hills neighborhood and we are active users of the Rosemary Hills Lyttonsville Park. We walk our dog there; play basketball and tennis; ride bicycles; and participate in activities at the Coffield Center. We were shocked to learn that this site had been selected for the middle school at the expense of the community. The site selection committee did not apply it's own criteria fairly: the site does not contain sufficient space because they did not consider the land purchased with Program Open Space funds, which cannot be developed; nor did they take into account the remnants of the air defense installation from World War II that lies underneath the ball fields. Most of all, they did not consider the impact on our community: this park joins three ethnically, racially and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods that have lived and worked together for many years. We are a densely populated community that desperately needs this green space to recreate. We have far more industrial development than other parts of the BCC catchment area and should not have to bear the congestion and pollution that will inevitably come with the middle school.
ReplyDeleteWe moved to this neighborhood because of the park. We use it for many things--walking, resting, the children's playgrounds, playing tennis, etc... My company has rented the Coffield Center for several events.
ReplyDeleteOne of my sons attended Westland but says he would rather have ridden the bus and attended Westland than not have had the park to play in after school and throughout the summer.
The park is the only green space for thousands of the residents that live directly adjacent to it in 4 large apartment complexes. It is their yard, their only green space. It is wrong that the Site Selection Commitee did not include anyone from this Silver Spring area, only people from Chevy Chase and Bethesda--and that they then chose our park as the best site. It is equally wrong that the Site Selection Criteria did not include Human or Environmental Impact! We are more densely populated with more industrial development than any other BCC residential area, with an Industrial Park, a coming Purple Line Station, the WSSC station, and the Ride-On bus facility/yard located directly across the street or within 1 or 2 blocks of the park. Our ethnically and racially diverse working-class neighborhood is united by the park, and needs the park.
I and my family have used this park nearly every day since we moved to the neighborhood in 1985. We love the diversity of people we mingle with there -- all ages, many colors -- everyone enjoying the beauty of the trees, rain, sun, night sky, animals (wild and domesticated) cavorting, little kids running around happily, older kids and adults organizing soccer and softball tournaments nearly year-round. We would not have bought this house were it not for the lovely, spacious park nearby. What is the BOE thinking of, to destroy such an asset? Why were all of us who live near and love this park excluded from the "selection" process that led to the move to supplant the park with a busy middle school? We plan to fight!
ReplyDeleteBrooke
My family has lived in this community for 25 years. We moved here and have decided to age-in-place here precisely because this is a diverse community that whose center is the Rosemary Hills Park that MCPS is now threatening to take away.
ReplyDeleteThis park is surrounded by people living in apartment buildings, townhouses, and single family houses. The park is intensively used by all. It is a jewel; a place to go to escape the commercial activity surrounding our communities; a place of peace.
Fifteen years ago, or so, I served on the Community Center advisory committee at a time when rebuilding of that center was being planned. Central to that planning was the need for the outdoor basketball and tennis courts in conjunction with a modernized park (to accommodate the many who now use it). This has worked out well.
Now this precious space is threatened. This taking must not happen.
Bernie Bloom