Guest Post - Brickyard MS Site Slated to Become a Sports Complex

If you have been following the Parents Coalition for a while, you may remember one of my first countywide advocacy efforts.  The issue at the time involved two school sites in Potomac, including 20 acres of land designated for Brickyard MS.  


In 2003, the County Council "demanded" that the Board of Education turn over the land to the County, so the county could develop the property.


Many other school sites before then had been turned over in closed sessions of the Board of Education, even though many of our kids in county schools were in portable classrooms.   With the help of a lot of folks, we shed some sunlight on this issue, and the Potomac school sites were kept in the inventory.  


To quote Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again."  (Note:  thanks to the the FDABlog and HPM)  

Even with a new County Executive at the helm, the Montgomery County Government just can't keep their hands off this property.


Now the proposal is for a "public-private" partnership to develop ballfields on the site.  Under the proposal, MCPS will "lease" the property to the County for $1500.  


Where is the public input?  Government in the Sunshine?  


Here is a guest post from the current tenant of the property.  This is reprinted with his permission.
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As my neighbor on Horseshoe Lane, you know that for the past 31 years I have been farming organically on the Brickyard School site at 8615 Brickyard Road.   

I have had a lease with the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to farm the land, but at noon today I was told that my lease would not be renewed anymore.  My current five year lease expires in less than 3 weeks on March 22, 2011.   There is an agenda item this coming Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at the Board of Education general business meeting "Lease Agreement-Brickyard Road Site" http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/agenda/2010-11/2011-0308/030811.pdf    The action item for the School Board to vote on is presented in a memorandum from Superintendent Weast to the Board of Education http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/agenda/2010-11/2011-0308/4.2.5 Brickyard Land Lease.pdf  The Board of Education would grant a ten year land lease to the County but could recover the land if needed for a school.  After receiving the land lease, the County would then work with a private athletic organization in a public-private partnership to construct ball fields.  These agenda documents were posted only this afternoon.

It would seem that the local community is not being consulted.  As you know, during the Potomac Master Plan discussions, the community did not want playing fields, but would prefer a park if the land use had to be changed.

I contacted the Real Estate Office at the County to find out more about the proposal.  I was not able to get any information,  The Real Estate Office was only interested in knowing how I found out about this proposal.  I was told that there was a proposal but this particular employee did not know anything about it or who was handling it.  I was told that someone would call me back....

I contacted Roger Berliner's office, my Councilman on the County Council.  The staff person there said he would try to look into for me and tell me what he found.  I asked if this type of action, public-private partnerships for athletic activities, was a trend in Montgomery County.  He said he thought there were two such partnerships now, the Soccerplex in Germantown and the Ice Skating Ring in Silver Spring.  Based on this type of model it is not clear that any of the children in Potomac would be able to come home from school and head over to the Brickyard playing field for a friendly game.  It is also not clear what the impact would be on traffic and parking, nighttime lighting, noise and trash.

After talking to you about what happened with these public-private playing fields in Virginia http://connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=247674&paper=68&cat=104 and http://connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=278583&paper=68&cat=110 and after talking with Neal Fitzpatrick at Audobon Society about the ill effects to ground water if artificial turf is used, I think there are very real issues that should be debated before any action is taken this Tuesday, especially if it could affect our neighbors' well water.

I think our neighbors need to voice their opinions.   I think the Board of Education action should be delayed until all of the facts are made known.

The School Board Meeting is Tuesday, March 8 from 10 am-3:30 pm at Room 114, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville MD.  This is the main Board of Education Building on route 355 near Montgomery College.

The public is allowed to comment on agenda items for 2 minutes each between 10:05 - 10:35 am.  The agenda item is currently scheduled sometime between 2-3:30 pm.

To comment in person, you have to call 301-279-3617 between 10-10:30 on Monday March 7.  Only the first ten callers will be given the opportunity to comment verbally.  A show of popular support by attending the meeting is very important. 

Anyone can submit written comments on Monday March 7 without attending. You should reference "Agenda Item 4.2.5 Lease Agreement-Brickyard Road Site" and state your opinion.  Those who are able to comment in person will also be asked to submit their talking points or written statement on Monday so it can be distributed to the Board members.

As I find out more, I will keep you informed.

Nick