#Breaking 2-alarm fire at JoAnn Leleck Elementary School on the 700 block of Beacon Rd in Silver Spring, MD. The school was under construction. #MCFRS

#Breaking 2-alarm fire at JoAnn Leleck Elementary School on the 700 block of Beacon Rd in Silver Spring, MD. The school was under construction. #MCFRS pic.twitter.com/V9S4uND7WT

— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) September 25, 2024

Poolesville students report nausea, headaches during school construction

During the weeks that Poolesville High School has been under construction, several students have reported nausea, headaches and difficulty concentrating.

The students and their parents say the symptoms started in February and are a reaction to fumes being emitted from tar used in renovations. They have asked Montgomery County school officials to pause the work until students’ health concerns are addressed.

Krisna Becker, a parent of two at the school, said one of her daughters texted her on Feb. 14 asking to be picked up early because of how strong the fumes were from the construction work. Other students and teachers had also been complaining that morning. The school ended up releasing early that day because of an odor that came from “work done outside of school hours and windy conditions,” Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman Jessica Baxter said....

Parents ask for a pause to Poolesville school construction after student complaints - The Washington Post

Poolesville HS Construction Fumes Shut Down School

Due to the impact of construction activities, Poolesville HS will be closing at 1pm. All after-school activities are canceled. @PHSathletics @MrCarothersPHS

— Poolesville AD (@PHSFalcons18) February 14, 2023

Poolesville High School Closed at 1 PM Today Due to On Site Construction

Due to the impact of construction activities, Poolesville HS will be closing at 1pm. All after-school activities are canceled. @PHSathletics @MrCarothersPHS

— Poolesville AD (@PHSFalcons18) February 14, 2023

County Planning Board approves gymnasium project at Silver Spring International Middle School

 From Bethesda Beat, reporter Caitlynn Peetz. Full story here.

The Montgomery County Planning Board this week gave its approval to a proposed project at Silver Spring International Middle School that aims to eliminate accessibility problems associated with the school’s physical education program.

The project includes demolishing an abandoned auditorium that is not connected to the Wayne Avenue school and constructing a new indoor gymnasium and locker room area that is connected to the school building, according to Planning Board documents.

And:

The project, when originally announced in 2018, was more extensive, aiming to increase the school’s capacity and create a “unique identity” for the adjoining elementary school. The project originally included demolishing the front section of Silver Spring International and building a new, three-story addition with a larger cafeteria, more parking and additional classrooms. 

The largest public high school in the state of Maryland is currently taking shape at an estimated cost of more than $150 million. The four-story building will cover approximately 440,000 sq. ft. and will serve as the new Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Montgomery County.

The school is expected to be ready for the start of the 2020/2021 school year and will have the capacity for more than 3,000 students. Ground was broken in September 2017 and completion is set for August 2020. The following year, the current facility will be demolished and the grounds will be completed.

Construction of the new building is taking place on the school's old athletic fields. Upon completion of the new building, the new athletic fields will be built where the current building stands today...

...The capacity of the school will increase from 1,374 students to 2,423 students with a core capacity for 2,400 students. The increased capacity to Seneca Valley High School provides the opportunity to address projected overutilization of nearby Clarksburg and Northwest high schools through student reassignments in the future...

...Onsite staging areas will be included for 30 buses, 439 parking spaces, and onsite student drop-off queuing for 30 cars...

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/marylands-150m-seneca-valley-hs-is-taking-shape/44390

Hogan Demands School Officials Appear Before Board

State lawmakers return to Annapolis one week from today for their 90-day session, and the battle lines are being drawn over school construction money.
It is not the amount of money that puts Gov. Larry Hogan at odds with Democrats, it is who has the final authority to approve the spending.
Lawmakers last year added language to the capital budget to take away the final spending authority from the Board of Public Works, which is chaired by the governor.
Hogan criticized the move at today’s Board of Public Works meeting.
“Final approval of the expenditure of school construction funds rests solely with this Board of Public Works, and anyone who thinks that they can take away that authority on a whim, is gravely mistaken,” Hogan said Wednesday...

http://www.wbal.com/article/212052

Prince George’s Schools Team up with the Clean Water Partnership on Green Stormwater Retrofit Projects

Eighteen schools in Prince George’s County were evaluated this year to receive green stormwater retrofits as part of the county’s Clean Water Partnership (CWP), a $100M public-private partnership with private company Corvias Solutions, to retrofit 2,000 impervious acres with green infrastructure in order to achieve regulatory compliance.
The CWP Schools program, designed to assist Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) with treating and managing stormwater runoff through the application of Best Management Practices (BMPs), will guarantee that PGC’s federal stormwater standards are met, while also providing an educational legacy for future generations committed to improving the water quality in our communities...

https://pgcabs.org/2016/08/23/prince-georges-schools-team-up-with-the-clean-water-partnership-on-green-stormwater-retrofit-projects/

Construction Crews Scrambling to Finish Julius West MS Renovations

The first day of school is Monday, August 29, 2016 and many are wondering if Julius West Middle School will really be ready.
On Wednesday morning, a Rose Hill resident, out for her morning walk, commented about the sudden last-minute construction on the driveways which she said, “Didn’t start in earnest until three weeks ago. They were even out on Sunday working.”

During this week of preparation she noticed teachers parking in her neighborhood. “I don’t blame them.” she said...

http://www.rockvilleview.com/construction-crews-scrambling-to-finish-jwms-renovations/

Public Invited: MD State BOE and Gaithersburg to Tour PG School that Cost 1/3 of what MCPS Spends

Notice to the general public is hereby given that members of the Gaithersburg City Council and City staff plan to meet with members of the Maryland Board of Education on Monday, August 29, 2016 at 10 a.m., to tour the Monarch Global Academy, 430 Brock Bridge Road, Laurel, Maryland 20724.

The tour will show an example of school construction whose costs were roughly 1/3 of what Montgomery County Public Schools are currently paying to construct similar sized schools.

The public is invited to attend, but we ask that attendees notify staff in advance as space is limited and transportation will not be provided. Please contact the Staff Liaison, if you have questions.

http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/news/legal-notices/2016/08/20160829-monarch-global-academy-tour

Audit Discloses Backlog of Unissued Public School Maintenance Inspection Reports

https://www.ola.state.md.us/Reports/Fiscal%20Compliance/BPW-IAC16.pdf

Panel considers sweeping changes to Md. school construction

ANNAPOLIS — A $3 billion gap in state funding needed to satisfy growing statewide school construction needs could lead to a wholesale changes in how Maryland funds and builds the projects.
Requests from the state’s 23 counties and Baltimore city are expected to approach $4.5 billion through fiscal 2022 but anticipated funding only will approach about one-third of that, according to David G. Lever, the executive director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction.
“The problems are quite different across the state and yet we can say that every jurisdiction in one way or another is facing major capital requirements,” Lever said Thursday while speaking to the 21st Century School Facilities Commission.
The 28-member commission, established by House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., met for the first time in an effort to make recommendations on how the state can better address the billions of dollars in school construction and renovation needs statewide. Those recommendations could result in the most wide-sweeping overhaul of how Maryland pays for construction and renovation since former Gov. Marvin Mandel established the state school construction program in the early 1970s...

 http://thedailyrecord.com/2016/04/29/panel-considers-sweeping-changes-to-md-school-construction/

Melting Snow on the Flat Gym Roof Leaked into RM’s Gym and Warped the Floor

Richard Montgomery High School is in a new building that was completed in 2008.

Water damage leaves RM gymnasium out of commission

Winter Storm Jonas and its 30 inches of snow not only canceled MCPS schools for a week, it also closed Richard Montgomery High School’s main gymnasium for the foreseeable future. The melting snow on top of the flat gym roof leaked into RM’s gym and warped the wood playing surface in two places.
MCPS contractors will arrive this week to identify the exact location of the leak, and efforts are already underway to repair the gym’s playing surface.
“When water sits on wood, it soaks it up and then it expands. And when it expands, there’s no room for it to expand, so the wood just rose. It either warps or it bubbles up,” RM athletic director Chamy Wijeratne said.
Part of RM’s wooden floor warped while another part of the floor bubbled up. MCPS employees have applied heated blankets that absorb the moisture, and dry the wood. Certain parts of the floor were irreparable and will be cut out and replaced, the athletic director further explained. The recovery period has been estimated to last for three weeks.

Winter sports teams at RM will not be able to use the gym during the rehabilitation process. Wrestling, cheerleading, and POMs all cannot compete at home. For the varsity basketball teams, all games have been moved to the away high schools until the gym is done, which depends on how long it takes the moisture to leave the wood. JV basketball games at RM have simply been canceled...

 http://www.thermtide.com/2016/02/03/water-damage-leaves-rm-gym-out-of-commission/

Photo by Tide photographer Kevin Pan

Parent Says Pat O'Neill is "out of touch." MCPS Turning a blind eye to safey. Misuse of Funds. #appalled

More public comment on proposed BCC Middle School #2 construction.

Cafeteria and Gym will be Undersized by 33%. Most Permits Have Been Denied.

Public comment on the construction of BCC Middle School #2.

Public comment offers solutions to the undersized and dangerous plan to build BCC Middle School #2 on Kensington Park.

BOE Pat O'Neill Does Not Know 1/2 of School Site is Gone. ...good enough for her husband in 1960's...

Dear Mrs. O’Neill –

Your 17 August posting [click here] regarding BCC Middle School #2 demonstrates, once again, how out of touch you are with the issues, and the concerns of the neighborhood.

Image shows original school site compared to today.

At a July Board of Education meeting, you fundamentally stated that since a middle school at this site was good enough for your husband in the 1960’s, it should be good enough for the kids of today and the next 25 years.    That statement tells me that, as the elected leader of the Board of Education, you have not done basic research into this contentious issue that has been so controversial for the past five years.  I would conjecture that if you took your husband there today, he would no longer recognize the site which is now almost half of what it was before MCPS sold a significant (and the most buildable) portion to allow construction of a nursing home.   If you took him there during morning rush hour, he would probably be alarmed at the volume of traffic today, as compared with the 1960s.

But, more importantly, your posting demonstrates that you are also unaware of the issues that concerned citizens have discussed with Dr. Zuckerman and MCPS staff over the past two months.    You stated that “some who live near the new school don’t want it in their neighborhood”.  Although that may be true of some, the discussions revolved around, and must continue to revolve around, traffic and safety, as they impact not only all Rock Creek Hills residents, but also those who must transit Rock Creek Hills to access the school – including children who will walk to school…the same route your husband took.  Planning to bring more than 500 family vehicles and over 20 buses, onto hilly, winding two lane roads over the course of one hour, without having even performed a traffic study of those roads is recipe for disaster.  There was never a discussion of a new site, but only the issues and shortcomings, and potential solutions, for those of the current site and project design.

Unfortunately, in spite of what we thought were good faith discussions with MCPS, they elected to reject basically all of the safety concerns, both on and off site, which were brought to their attention by other County officials and neighbors.   

The issues of the past are now passed. 

Do some still feel that the site selection process was biased towards speed of execution and the needs of special interest groups, versus ensuring that the site was most appropriate to provide the greatest amount of program requirements for the least cost? Yes.

Do some still feel that the MCPS relaxed its own high standards and criteria to make the current site work?  Yes.

Do some still feel that the design process was flawed, even with “significant community involvement”, and failed to properly document and address issues brought to the attention of the designers?  Yes.

Do some still feel that a disproportionate percentage of project cost will go to making a bad site work, versus making a good site work better to provide the most educational value?  Yes.

 

So – what are the remaining issues, given the inability of MCPS planners and leadership to demonstrate courage to admit that this site was the wrong choice?

1. 1.  Traffic management, pedestrian safety, safety of children while on site. 

It is clear by your statement that the Board of Education intends to award a project, in spite of these latent defects that will not manifest themselves until it is far too late to make meaningful, cost effective change.    The responsibility to resolve them will be shifted by MCPS to other County agencies, at additional, yet to be budgeted cost.  

1. 2.  School capacity.

Your statement does not reveal the intent of MCPS to also receive approval for the construction of future shell space from the BOE, which would be tantamount to de facto approval for future school expansion.  This space has neither been approved in the MCPS Capital Investment Program, nor does it follow the MCPS rule that does not additional construction before a facility reaches, and exceeds, maximum student capacity.  Additionally, no funds have been budgeted for this construction, and as such, must be taken from projects at other schools that would have to be further delayed.   So – rather than resolving immediate requirements in current our overcrowded system, MCPS and BOE will speculate with construction funds regarding the requirements of the future.   Making this decision also assures that maximum student load will lead to increased impact to traffic and safety.

1. 3. Budget. 

MCPS seeks approval to award construction, based upon current bids, but it does not provide fiscal context for that approval. In full disclosure, a complete project budget with all associated taxpayer costs, compared with the Capital Investment Plan approved amount $52.3M should be provided, to ensure that additional funds will not be required in the future. 

So – given that the site is not the issue as you imply, I believe that you, as Chairman of the Board of Education, should issue a statement regarding your intent regarding these remaining issues.

I look forward to your public response in advance of the Board of Education meeting.

Richard Bond

Parent Responds: MCPS is Bureaucratic at best, but almost insulting to our intelligence. #construction

To: Craig Rice <craig.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov>
Cc: Marc Elrich <marc.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov>; Nancy Navarro <nancy.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov>; "boe@mcpsmd.org" <boe@mcpsmd.org>; Joan Kleinman <joan.kleinman@mail.house.gov>
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2015 3:25 PM
Subject: BCC Middle School #2 - URGENT for Thursday BOE meeting

 

Dear Mr. Rice –

Thank you for your 23 July letter [click here] to Ms. O’Neill regarding BCC Middle School #2.  Since we last met in June, other Rock Creek Hills parents and I have had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Zuckerman three separate times.  He listened to our concerns, engaged his staff and visited the site personally.  Although he continuously indicated a commitment to listen and make change, his response(attached -click here) received last week was wholly disappointing.  Through a screen of lists of meetings, standards and codes, he basically ignored the concerns of both the community and other County officials.  Bureaucratic at best, but almost insulting to our intelligence.  Yes – we know there were many meetings.  But were they effective?  Did they actually address concerns raised, or simply document, nod and ignore?  Add green roofs and architecturally appropriate surfaces for retaining walls to your list of broken promises and missed opportunities to improve the project.

In the meantime, MCPS has received construction bids and has notified Maryland Department of the Environment that they intend to commence with the plans as they currently stand.  

This Thursday, “construction contracts” is a topic on the Board of Education meeting that would result in approval for this project to go forward.   Before that happens, however, I encourage you to question the status of the project and the resolution of all the issues at hand.   Two additional issues are of particular concern that I would like to highlight:  traffic safety, and budget authority and conformance.

Traffic Safety

Many traffic and safety issues are generated by an (total future) influx of 1,200 students to the area.  Although a traffic study was conducted, it only addressed the capacity of Connecticut Avenue and its intersections.  It did not examine other roads leading to, or immediately connecting to, the proposed site.  Attached [click here] is a graphic synopsis of the issues impacting the closest intersections.  To our knowledge, there is no similar circumstance in Montgomery County that has a school of this size served by a local road network that has:

• similar volume of extant commuter traffic (upon which the school traffic will be overlaid),
• winding and hilly roads that are narrower than required,
• insufficient queuing capability,
• intersections with limited site lines,
• bridges with limited load capacity, and sidewalks that are not to code
• non-existant neighborhood sidewalks. 

This is truly an “accident” waiting to happen, when frustrated parents and anxious kids try to navigate this labyrinth before the first bell.  Additionally, at the Feasibility Study presentation, it was noted (but not highlighted) that although parking is sufficient for the initial student load, it is not for the full future student capacity.  The same phenomenon will also occur with traffic…it may only be “bad” the day the school opens, but will become irreversible once the school is fully loaded.  Because none of these problems can be resolved by MCPS planners or budgets, they have stated that these are not their concern.  I contend that it is incumbent upon MCPS and its leadership as the proponents of the project to ensure that these issues are addressed, budgeted, funded and resolved within Montgomery County government and budgets.  Anything less than this should be considered to be turning a blind eye on safety, and perhaps negligence.

Budget Authority

Based upon analysis of bids received to date (see attached), it appears that the project is already dangerously close to, if not over,  its approved budget of $52.3M (CIP 2015-2020).  This assumes that only the lowest bids are awarded, as requested, which typically commits the owner to quality and cost issues during construction.  No construction awards have yet been made, more bids for components of the construction are yet to be received, and construction has not begun.  There is no place for cost to go but up.  Fundamentally, it appears that this project is destined to exceed its approved funding [click here], at the same time MCPS has bid options to build out (un-budgeted, unapproved) expansion space by constructing almost $2M in additional “shell” space with the base construction bid.  Constructing this space now, although tempting, is tantamount to committing to a future of increased traffic problems and pressure on school common spaces which remain inadequate for the full 1,200 student population.    

While I wholeheartedly agree with the intent of your letter, it is focused the future of MCPS school planning, using BCC MS #2 as example.  Without immediate action, Montgomery County is committing to build a school that even you describe as being “disappointing”, still having known and acknowledged deficiencies.  The concerns of both the community and the Planning staff still exist – they are not past tense.  They have not been resolved. 

Rather than this being known as the last school planned, designed and built with a process that is neither collegial nor constructive, it should be seen as the turning point in legacy thinking, with deficiencies corrected in a collaborative fashion.  Does Montgomery County want to be known for knowingly spending more than $52M for a school that its own staff considers to be "disappointing"?  Is this the new “standard” for our County?

Prior to awarding construction, and heading down an irreversible path, MCPS should be made responsible to:  

1. investigate, find solutions and manage execution of traffic issues, both on and “off-site”,
2. provide a true budget lay down of total project costs to the County, including construction contingency for this project, roads and traffic improvements, land acquisition (to replace lost park space), and all “soft costs” indirectly associated with project completion,
3. justify additional cost, and gain CIP approval, for additional unbudgeted “shell space”, 
4. provide an accurate construction timeline (the project is already 2 months behind approved schedule, and not yet awarded) and
5. explain the short and long term (25 year aggregate) impact of any schedule delay.    

Although it is late in the game, there is still time to make a difference.  I hope that you have the ability to make a difference for our students, your taxpayers and the reputation of our County.

 

Thank you for your consideration,

Rick

Richard L. Bond, AIA

"MCPS’s application to use the General Permit for Stormwater Associated with Construction Activity for this project is clearly inappropriate, given the ... discharge of pollutants directly into Silver Creek, whose water quality is protected under ... the federal Clean Water Act."

"The high quality of the riparian habitat along Silver Creek is seen in the high quality wildlife it supports: yellow crowned night heron, little green heron, great blue heron, wood duck, mallard duck, kingfisher, goldfinch, blue-gray gnat catcher, grackle, pileated woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, great horned owl, barred owl, red tailed hawk, red shouldered hawk, sharp shinned hawk, red fox, coyote, deer, raccoon, water snakes (Natrix spp.), beaver, and even nesting snapping turtle."

-from the letter by Mr. James R. Chambers:

Read the full text of the letter at this link:

http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2015/08/mcpss-application-to-use-general-permit.html

[MCPS] ranking system is based on outdated information, marred by factual errors and favors total reconstruction over renovation, according to the July report by...County Council.

The Montgomery County school system plans to rethink its list of which schools are next in line for modernization, after a report that strongly criticized the way those decisions are made.

The ranking system is based on outdated information, marred by factual errors and favors total reconstruction over renovation, according to the July report by the county’s Office of Legislative Oversight, the research arm of the County Council.

Until the report’s release, the school system had intended to keep its list unchanged until at least 2031. But the oversight office found that other large school systems, including Baltimore County, Fairfax County and Dallas, regularly revisit and adjust their construction priorities.

“It’s definitely disturbing,” said council member Tom Hucker (D-Silver Spring). “This doesn’t inspire public confidence.”...

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/report-prompts-montgomery-to-rethink-its-school-modernization-list/2015/08/09/9af05240-3ac5-11e5-9c2d-ed991d848c48_story.html?hpid=z3

Breaking News: BOE sets up Secret Group to Decide how to put Public Schools in Commercial Office Space

2009: Sign Violated Open Meetings Act

Once again the Board of Education (BOE) is relying on a secret "work group" to make major decisions about PUBLIC schools. 

Yes, we are talking about PUBLIC schools here. So why is the BOE setting up a SECRET committee to discuss and make recommendations about this PUBLIC issue? 

PTA members, as usual, you are being represented on this secret committee by an unknown person who will not be allowed to tell you what is going on at the committee. 

The PUBLIC? They will not be allowed to ATTEND these meetings, they will not be allowed to see the AGENDAS for these meetings, they will not be allowed to see the MINUTES of these meetings.  The press will not be reporting on these meetings because they will not be allowed to attend. 

This is Long Range Public School Planning that intentionally EXCLUDES the Public.  

   Secret Group to Design MCPS Schools of the Future by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland