BOE to pave over $790,000 in Athletic Fields
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Anonymous
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I read about this in the Washington Post. What a huge waste of money!
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/12/boe-to-pave-over-790000-in-athletic.html They spent $790K in 1999 for these athletic fiends at Mark Twain school and now they're paving over it. http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/12/city-of-rockville-to-lose-85-acre.html Washington Post link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/aspen-hill-residents-fight-plan-to-move-alternative-ed-programs-into-neighborhood/2014/12/28/83f1e650-8b0f-11e4-9e8d-0c687bc18da4_story.html |
Anonymous
| What would be a better location for the bus depot? |
Anonymous
| In the Washington Post link, I see a comment that this is somehow related to EYA wanting to develop more land. But, I couldn't find any more info. Is this really the case? |
Anonymous
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On the EYA website, it talks about a development called Westside at Shady Grove. That must be what's taking over the current bus depot's location? Which is leading to the county having to move it by 2017.
http://www.eya.com/westside_at_shady_grove/ |
Anonymous
Right. That's part of the sector plan for the area, and all the County government sites have had to relocate to make way for mixed use right next to the Metro. MCPS food distribution center is gone. Fleet is gone. Liquor Control is gone. And now the bus depot has to move. All in the works since 2008. There may be a better place to put the bus depot. But where, and is it more cost-efficient than Avery Rd.? I don't know. |
Anonymous
| I am so freaking tired of our politicians handling land to the private developers. I'm so disappointed by what MoCo has become. I .may as well move to VA. |
Anonymous
What land are they "handing" to the private developers? Here's the Request for Development Proposals for Jeremiah Park: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS/Resources/Files/OPD/CSP-JeremiahPark-RFDP.pdf |
Anonymous
I would also like the OP to answer this question. |
Anonymous
I'm the OP. I have no idea! I'm actually new to MoCo. My kids just started school here so I've been reading quite a bit about the school system and the BOE. I figure the BOE does cost/benefit analysis, but I still find it puzzling that they're going to destroy $790K worth of fields that was just built in 1999. |
Anonymous
Why couldn't they just leave it where it was? |
Anonymous
Because the county has decided that it is better for the land right next to a Metro station to be used for housing and stores than for a school bus depot. And I agree with the county. http://www.gazette.net/article/20140625/NEWS/140629599/a-total-of-2200-housing-units-library-school-planned-near-shady&template=gazette |
Anonymous
OP again. I guess my real question is why they had to sell the land anyway? It was obviously being used for something. And, if MCPS needs such a large area for a bus depot, they must have realized how difficult it would be to relocate it. I should say that I come from a much, much smaller school district elsewhere on the East Coast, so trying to understand MCPS policies has taken some adjustment. I understand that large school districts face way different challenges. We're mostly happy with our kids' ES, but it is definitely overcrowded and the kids are in portables. |
Anonymous
You must be a conservative. Are you also happy about the BOE destroying the 7 acres of Forest Conservation? (In addition to the 8 acre park already being paved over.) |
Anonymous
That link mentions that they're adding a new school. Which HS would that feed into? |
Anonymous
"Just built in 1999" is 15 years ago. I don't know how long fields typically last. Do you? Also, to put the $790,000 in perspective: the fiscal-year 2015 MCPS capital budget of MCPS was $233,195,000. $790,000 is 0.4% of that (although a dollar in 1999 was worth more than it is now, so that doesn't work exactly). The new Clarksburg/Damascus middle school is budgeted for $51,000,000. |