Brickyard Coalition

The latest press release from the Brickyard Coalition, is here.  From the Press Release, below:

"The County has claimed in affidavits filed in Circuit Count that, among other relevant documents, they cannot find a letter from Ike Leggett to the Board of Education (BOE) dated November 10, 2009, requesting a lease of the Brickyard property even though copies of this letter also was sent to Tim Firestine, David Dise and Gabe Albornoz.  All of the copies, the original letter, the electronic Word documents, notes, and drafts, et cetera, have “gone missing” according to the County.  Also missing is the BOE response sent to Leggett in December of 2009.

Contradicting the County’s unbelievable claim of five months of missing documents is the fact that in March of 2011 the County was able to find and provide a copy of these same two missing letters to Janis Sartucci of the Parent’s Coalition, which was provided by Patrick Lacefield, Director of Communication for the County.  See attached affidavit and emails.  But a mere eight months later these letters and the related records are missing.  The County also failed to provide copies of the Sartucci emails from Lacefield."

Brickyard Coalition Press Release June 14, 2012

Brickyard Update: Coalition files MD Public Information Complaint Part 1

The Brickyard Coalition hqs filed a Maryland Public Information Complaint. Here are the documents, Press Release first.

PR -MPIA Complaint 3-21-12[1]

Brickyard Update: Coalition files MD Public Information Complaint Part 2

And here is the Complaint.

MPIA Complaint 3 21 2012

DC Examiner: MontCo residents to take legal action against county over soccer fields

A Potomac community is taking the first step toward suing over Montgomery County's plans to turn an organic farm into soccer fields.

Residents of River Falls have joined with the county's Citizens Association and other activists to file official notice on Tuesday "to preserve a claim for monetary damages," according to a flier circulated by the coalition. The notice is a formal way to alert a party that a lawsuit could hit them if the matter isn't resolved.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2011/08/montco-residents-take-legal-action-against-county-over-soccer-fields#ixzz1WTaiwTTP

Gazette: Montgomery County school board violated open meetings act

From today's online Gazette:

The Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board ruled Monday that the Montgomery County Board of Education violated the state’s law governing when meetings can be closed to the public.

“We have found that the County Board improperly invoked the real property exception to exclude the public from the Brickyard site discussion,” the compliance board wrote in its Monday decision.

See this blog post for details.

Brickyard Middle School site Confidential Memo shows intent

Below is a Confidential Memo which we received over the transom. It is from Superintendent J. Weast to Members of the Montgomery County (MD) Board of Education, and surprisingly is dated May 12, 2010. Yes, you read that right. Over one year ago. Over one year ago, County Executive Ike Leggett went to the Superintendent telling him of his intention to remove the organic farm at the Brickyard school site, the farm that had operated there for over 30 years, and replace it with soccer fields. The memo states that in November 2009 Mr. Leggett went to then-Board of Education President Pat O'Neill telling her of his intent.

Brickyard Weast Confidential Memo May 12, 2010