New BCC cluster middle school #2 site selection

[Anonymous]

Technically that park is in Chevy Chase. And MCPS /Park & Planning intend to integrate the community center and park into the site.

I'm amazed they selected a suitable site so fast. Onward!

Nope - Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville park is NOT in Chevy Chase - it has a Silver Spring address, as does the entire community surrounding it. And the site wasn't even 10 percent suitable. I'm sure you've heard that Parks admonished MCPS and the site selection advisory committee for assuming parkland was free and available for building new schools, and that BOE backed off it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So which PTAs were represented on the site selection committee?

All of them - except Rosemary Hills Elementary School's PTA rep on the committee was not from Rosemary Hills, so the community had no representation or voice. The Site Selection Advisory Committee didn't have enough knowledge about the community to select this park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Technically that park is in Chevy Chase. And MCPS /Park & Planning intend to integrate the community center and park into the site.

I'm amazed they selected a suitable site so fast. Onward!

Nope - Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville park is NOT in Chevy Chase - it has a Silver Spring address, as does the entire community surrounding it. And the site wasn't even 10 percent suitable. I'm sure you've heard that Parks admonished MCPS and the site selection advisory committee for assuming parkland was free and available for building new schools, and that BOE backed off it.

Well didn't they pick another park instead? I can't imagine what you mean by saying the site wasn't 10% suitable; no site is perfect (especially not one in your own neighborhood).

[Anonymous]

It's a shame the county closed Bethesda's Leland Junior High back in the 80s. It was a beautiful facility, and a shortsighted move considering that school populations fluctuate over time.

[Anonymous]

Is the Leland site too small for today's middle school standards? What about the old Montgomery Hills Junior High site, which is admittedly kind of far?

[Anonymous]

Well didn't they pick another park instead? I can't imagine what you mean by saying the site wasn't 10% suitable; no site is perfect (especially not one in your own neighborhood).

Yes, they did unfortunately. The deck was stacked against parks by the SSAC as 6 of the 10 sites they considered were parks, and they only deemed 2 of them acceptable (the two in the only neighborhoods not represented on the SSAC - so yes, your comment about "not in your own neighborhood" holds true all the way around). They said Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville park is 17.1 acres, but it's actually only about 5 acres because of a community center, unique topography and a state-protected parcel that was purchased as an environmental offset for this densely populated community (primarily minorities living in subsidized apartment buildings) surrounded by an industrial complex and major thru-ways. And it was one of the only parks they considered that was never owned by MCPS. Just a really poor decision based on lack of information. Personally, I hope the Kensington folks prevail at having the BOE re-look at some of the other sites that were dismissed by the SSAC without thorough analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So last week MCPS announced that a Site Selection Advisory Committee recommended that a 17.01-acre parcel in the Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville Local Park in Silver Spring was selected for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Middle School #2. It was pulled from yesterday's Board agenda to allow more time for discussion at a special meeting tbd. Who was involved in the Site Selection Advisory Committee from the feeder school PTAs? How does it work for BCC to have a middle school in Silver Spring?[b]

When I taught at Blair, there was quite a bit of overlap btw. so-called boundaries.

Silver Spring is a hop, skip and jump away from Bethesda.

map?

[Anonymous]

Smack dab in the middle of Rock Creek Hills in Kensington.

[Anonymous]

Is the Leland site too small for today's middle school standards? What about the old Montgomery Hills Junior High site, which is admittedly kind of far?

You're right about the Leland site, too small by a long shot IIRC. Montgomery Hills is leased to a private school for a very long term and the penalty for breaking the lease is really expensive.