Monday, April 29, 2013
The group sought reimbursement for legal fees paid to argue that the lease of the Brickyard property from the school board to the county was not conducted with full public transparency.
Coverage of attorney's fees will not be granted to those who argued that the lease of the Brickyard property in Potomac for use as soccer fields was not conducted with proper public transparency, Maryland Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Greenberg ruled last Tuesday, The Gazette reported. The Brickyard property, which is owned by the Montgomery County School Board, was leased out for the past 30 years to Nick Maravell for use as an organic farm and educational site. That lease ended in August 2012, and the school board then leased the property to the county for soccer field development, Patch reported. But months of controversy and legal wrangling ensued, as a group of Potomac activists, residents and farm supporters argued that the lease …
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Gazette reports that the Brickyard Road property formerly used as an organic farm could be the new location for Potomac Elementary School.
Now that the Brickyard Road property is no longer slated for soccer fields, the big question is: What's next for the site? Quite possibly, the new home for Potomac Elementary School, The Gazette reported: "Montgomery County Public Schools has asked those planning the modernization of Potomac Elementary School to investigate if the school could be moved to the site, according to a letter sent to the elementary school community March 22," The Gazette reported. Potomac Elementary School is facing overcrowding, and its modernization project is scheduled to be completed by January 2018, The Gazette added Two work sessions—at 7 p.m. on April 18 and April 30 at Potomac Elementary School (10311 River Rd.)—will consider the school's modernization …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The county school board voted to cancel its lease of the Brickyard site in Potomac with the county, which had planned to develop the site with soccer fields.
The Brickyard Road property in Potomac—owned by Montgomery County Public Schools and leased for use as an organic farm for the past three decades—is no longer being considered for lease to the county, which intended to turn it into soccer fields, MCPS announced Tuesday night. In a letter to the county school board on Tuesday, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) wrote that the county was relinquishing the county's lease on the site, and that the county no longer intends to develop the property for recreational purposes. The site—once slated for a middle school—has been the focus of months of controvery and legal wrangling. A group of Potomac activists, residents and farm supporters want the site to be maintained as an organic farm…
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
“We have thousands of kids competing for fields in this county,” booster parent says.
Parents say the soccer fields proposed by the Brickyard Soccer Field Project are long overdue. For nearly two years, the Brickyard Road Middle School site in the heart of Potomac has been embroiled in a heated battle between Montgomery County’s mission to turn the site into youth soccer fields, and local activists’ desire to save a 32-year-old organic farm. The most vocal of the fight’s participants have opposed the county’s plan, but soccer parents are starting to speak up. "I really feel that the bottom line is that the people in Potomac—and many of my friends live there—they don't want the traffic, they don't want the hassle. But it's really not about that small group in Potomac. It has to be about what's best for the county," said …
Friday, February 8, 2013
Is Montgomery County's lease with the Montgomery County school board legal?
It’s been a quiet couple of months since a judge put a hold on the development of soccer fields on Potomac land currently housing a 30-year-old organic farm. But today, players in the Brickyard Road controversy head back to battle. A Circuit Court judge is expected to decide one of the issues in the dispute—whether the Montgomery County School Board acted within its rights to lease the land to Montgomery County. The Brickyard Soccer Field Project, headed by the county, would turn the land now occupied by the farm into a soccer field. The county is in dispute with citizen groups and residents over use of the land, the legality of the county’s decision to develop the soccer fields, and the transparency of its actions. One of those questions…
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Check out this blog by Sophia Maravell, education director of Brickyard Educational Farm.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Five council members wrote to the county executive and school board requesting the Brickyard issue be re-examined.
This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. to reflect comments from the Montgomery County executive office. In an attempt to help mediate a contentious community fight over soccer fields, organic farms and public process, several members of the Montgomery County Council have asked that negotiations be reopened over a piece of land in the heart of Potomac. For nearly two years, the Brickyard Road Middle School site has been embroiled in a heated battle between the county's mission to turn the site into youth soccer fields and local activists who wish to save a 32-year-old organic farm. Plans for the land, home to Nick's Organic Farm and the Brickyard Road Educational Farm, are on hold due to a circuit court judge's decision to place a stay on the …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Send your letters-to-the-editor to potomac@patch.com
Mark Traversa of Potomac sent Patch this letter addressed to Doug Schuessler, executive director of Montgomery Soccer Inc. The letter concerns the Brickyard Road controversy: I am a supporter of MSI and have been for many years as both of my children played in MSI. However, the development of fields at Nick's Farm is a bad move, especially given there are plenty of soccer fields around that could be upgraded in concert with the County. Please don't let a dispute with the Soccerplex end up destroying a national resource. It is creating nothing but ill-will. Mark Traversa Have an opinion about the development on Brickyard Road in Potomac? Send a letter to the editor to katie.griffith@patch.com to have it featured on the site.
Monday, October 1, 2012
The coalition has offered to withdraw its legal suits if three conditions are met.
A proposal described as an olive branch has been offered in a touchy and expensive legal case that has involved Potomac residents, county officials and even the governor in a dispute over the future of an organic farm. The Brickyard Coalition, in a proposal to Montgomery County Public Schools, has offered what it says is a way to end lengthy litigation over the Brickyard Road Middle School site in Potomac. The school property currently is home to a 30-year-old organic farm, but soon may be turned over to Montgomery County so the land can be developed into soccer fields. The county, the board of education, the farm and the Brickyard Coalition have spent thousands in the court battles in which opponents of the development claim the county …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Send your letters-to-the-editor to potomac@patch.com
Ginny Barnes, environmental chair of West Montgomery County Citizens Association (WMCCA), an organizational member of the Brickyard Coalition, sent Patch this letter addressed to the Montgomery County Community and the Montgomery County Board of Education. The letter addressed the Brickyard Road controversy: As of this week, the Board of Education (BOE) has spent in excess of $200,000 defending their actions in leasing the Brickyard Road school site to Montgomery County so the County can lease the same 20 acre site to MSI at $1500 a year for 10 years. Not much of a return for the cost of keeping an unwise decision in place. With this continuing financial bleed on taxpayers in mind and in the hopes of finding reasonable solutions and …
organic friend
10:09 am on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
So, unfortunatley, Nick & supporters have to pay to fight the illegal actions of our school board and for the political adventuring of the County Execuative. On the positive side, we have grown community connection and have shown some spotlights into some pretty dark corners of our local government. We are also blessed with lovely leadership growth amoung a number of us, which I'm sure will … more ›