County buys 172 acres for schools, library

Farm sold for $5.3 million

Friday, Dec. 26, 2008

The school board in October transferred $2.5 million of its funds to the county commissioners so they could purchase land for schools and other public uses.

Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R), who voted against the purchase, said, "I do not believe this is right. This stinks more than a whole bushel of rotten crabs."

Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D) said, "Every commissioner was on board with this process up until the 11th hour. Never once was something brought up this was a bad deal."

"The 11th hour was two months ago," Jarboe said.

The parcel, which includes both cultivated and wooded land, is off Hollywood Road and Cemetery Road. Plans for its use may include a two schools and a replacement for the existing Leonardtown library.

Responding to reports in other media outlets, Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly (D) said, "There's never been any intention for putting a detention center or regional jail or homeless shelter" on the land. "There have been inaccurate reports ... " he said. "There's nobody getting paid off in this deal." To make accusations that it is, "I take serious objections to because it's absolutely untrue," he said. The search for new school sites has been long and difficult. The last purchased was in December 2005 in Wildewood where Evergreen Elementary School is being built today.

The board of education anticipates it needs sites for three new elementary schools, one middle and one high school over the next decade. This property could serve a new elementary and middle school.

The collaboration between county government and the school system is important, said Brad Clements, chief operating officer for the public schools, because state planning agencies said they would prefer future school sites have joint usages, such as combined with a public park, game fields, emergency services or libraries.

Now with a site obtained, Clements said, "I think we have at least a positive chance of moving forward" in the planning phases for a new elementary school with the state, which helps fund school construction.

The current Leonardtown library was originally built as an armory and the library board of trustees would like to move to another location, preferably next door on the governmental center campus.

Mattingly first brought the property up for consideration and the Hayden family has been negotiating with county government for the past two years.

Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D) said Tuesday the money has been set aside for school sites for a considerable length of time and the board of education has not been successful in securing school sites.

"Now we have the opportunity to do it," he said. "This is choice, prime property," as it is in the Leonardtown Development District and has access to public sewer.

Jarboe voted against the purchase in a Dec. 9 closed-door meeting.

On Tuesday, he said of the cost, "It's a lot of money. I'm sure it's great to bank land if you can afford it." He argued the property's value is more like $2.5 million rather than $5.3 million.

Mattingly said, "The site is expensive, there's no doubt about it," but the property is in the development districts and they are more costly. There are two occupied houses in the middle of a field there, but the people living there won't be displaced by the acquisition. First, the property won't be immediately developed. Second, the occupants can enter into lease agreements with the county to stay put.

jbabcock@somdnews.com

jyeatman@somdnews.com