|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (3)
Supervisors say Wheatland wrong place, price
Despite a recent price drop, county officials deemed the Wheatland properties south of Lovettsville the wrong price and place for three new Loudoun County Public Schools.
On May 27, the Board of Supervisors voted 7-1 against the 170-acre purchase, which was undergoing a test phase through the end of October to determine if it was a viable location for three schools -- an elementary school to open in 2016, a middle school to open in 2017 and a high school to open the following year.
The original price offered in February was $11.4 million for the parcels owned by Salvatore Cangiano and Al Burgess, but the price had recently been dropped to $8 million.
“I believe the price was too high and it only came down because an alternative [site near Lovettsville] was offered,” said Supervisor Jim Burton (I-Blue Ridge). He said Cangiano dropped the price on his property only three days after another property owner came forward with land that has a lower price.
Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) also voted against the purchase of Wheatland, questioning why the price drop was made.
“When we get told that this is a fair price at $11.4 million and then the seller drops by this substantial of a percentage … I am baffled … is it good, bad or right?” Miller said, adding that the seller agreed to the price drop with little persuasion.
School Board representatives said negative commentary in the press and the overwhelming opposition of the public caused Cangiano to agree to sell “at cost,” meaning the property owner would not be making money off the sale of his land.
Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac) said the location of the site was not a good fit for the schools or surrounding residents.
“This is a very, very intensive use far away from the town” and near farms, she said.
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) was alone in his vote against rejecting the purchase. He said, “There’s a long list of things that come in to this discussion. And we’re not discussing it.”
“This motion is a hijacking based on a public outcry,” he continued.
Vice Chairwoman Susan Klimek Buckley said the problems with Wheatland might not be with the site itself but with the method of school site acquisition approval currently used by the county government and schools.
“We are actually living the results of a broken school land acquisition process,” she said. The supervisors, Buckley added, is accountable for the decisions on land purchasing for schools when they are not involved in the process of finding and authenticating the sites.
To the School Board’s argument that no school site is perfect, Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) said, “This is a site that has its problems. Every site has its problems, but this site has too many problems for me to support.”
Yes, let's fix the process. Despite years of no-doubt unwelcome battle, the school system has to wake up and accept that it is part of a community. The right way to site schools -- with minimum controversy -- is to engage the community, not spring "great deals" on it after the fact.
Posted by haigek
Report Offensive Content
THANK YOU GOD!... Thanks to 3 of the 9 LCPS board members - John Stevens, Bob Ohneiser, and Joseph Guzman... Thanks especially to 8 of the 9 Board of Supervisors - Jim Burton, Andrea McGimsey, Kelly Burk, Lori Waters, Scott York, Stevens Miller, Sally Kurtz, and Susan Buckley... for your fiscally responsible and just plain smart decision to kill this contract. We are excited to help you all establish a good school citing process and work together to find appropriate sites for these schools closer to towns per the Revised General Plan...
Posted by trankovich
Report Offensive Content
Thank you board of Supervisors, the school administration is out of control. Now please fix the real problem and replace the the school superintendent!!!!!!!
Posted by disgustedtaxpayer
Report Offensive Content
You must be logged in to post a comment.