Save Mays Chapel Park Group Outlines Position Against New School

David Taylor December 5, 2012 at 06:52 pm

I'm sorry, did that say, "a community input meeting regarding the transferring of protected open-space park land for school construction"
Are you saying that this is "protected open-space park land" that's somehow being "transferred" to the school system? That's simple not accurate ... check you facts. It's school system land, listed on the community maps for 20+ years as the site of the future elementary school... they are building a school, on the school land, which was designated for a school as part of the planning of the area decades ago. If anything, the residents should be thanking the school system for allowing them to use the property all these years... (edited) Get the story straight please ...

Nick DiMarco (Editor) December 5, 2012 at 08:53 pm

Hi Mr. Taylor,
I am NOT saying that the land is being transferred to the schools system. It is county owned. I'm saying that the county does however have to get approval to lift restrictions put in place by the Maryland Program Open Space deed. The county thinks so too: http://patch.com/A-zVFJ Thank you for reading. - ND

David Taylor December 6, 2012 at 04:12 am

Thanks Nick for the update ...
The quote, "transferring of protected open-space park land for school construction" makes more sense in the context of the Maryland Program Open Space conversion/exchange request. By itself, it sounds like the county was taking over park land for a new school. It's not. I think half of that entire "park" is actually BCPS land which has always been intended for use as an elementary school. This is what *planning* is for ... you start to build out an undeveloped area, you have to make spaces available for future use. In this case, they made plans 20+ years ago to have space for an elementary school. Now it's time to use the land, and these disrespectful retirees and other residents want to steal the school property for their own personal use. I think the citizens of Baltimore county are being right generous and patient here... Thanks again, I enjoy reading you Nick!

suburbguy75 December 6, 2012 at 02:29 pm

And this is why you can't have nice things. The county let the community use this area with the full disclosure it would eventually be an elementary school. These people need to get a grip.

Steve December 6, 2012 at 03:17 pm

The big crime in Mays Chapel was allowing them to build those ugly arsed Commie Block High rises.

Mike W. December 6, 2012 at 08:39 pm

I wonder if the people who live in these condos and surrounding houses ever found out that the beautiful park, probably a selling point used by the realtors, had a possibility of becoming a future site of an elementary school. HMMM, I would guess...probably not. Maybe you guys should be suing your realtors for not disclosing that at time of closing or maybe looked at a map before buying in that area. As was said in a past comment, this has been on the books and maps for years. I remember when it was nothing but woods from I-83 on up to Falls Rd. and that piece of land always said it was a future site of a school.
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Jean Suda December 7, 2012 at 01:02 am

I hope all of you with the long-term perspective on this "park" will be at the meeting on Dec. 12. I thought my now almost 25 year old daughter and almost 23 year old son would be going to the Mays Chapel Elementary School site which we duly noted on the ADC map when we bought our home on Chapel Ridge Road in 1991! Turns out they went to Pinewood Elem. which was expanded with a modular 9 additional classrooms added in 1995. The seniors should be glad that we did not mount as passionate an objection to their homes when Mays Chapel North was just woods and Padonia Road not as heavily traveled! PS The kids on my block will attend the Mays Chapel School, much closer to their neighborhood than Pinewood.

George December 7, 2012 at 01:13 pm

Get the facts! The Baltimore County School Board owns just 10 acres of the site. No dispute..use it. BUT, the other 10 acres of the site is Baltimore County property bought with taxpayers money as part of the Project Open Space Program. HANDS OFF! No way, in 2012/2013, that PUBLIC PARKLAND should be destroyed!!

Mike Pierce December 7, 2012 at 03:26 pm

It's important to have the right background information on this. Back in 1986, the Mays Chapel developer divided the entire 20 acres in half and transferred the front part (on Roundwood Rd) to the school system and transferred the back half to the County for use by Rec&Parks, in exchange for the county transferring to Mays Chapel another 20 acre lot on the southeast part of Mays Chapel (where Tintern Ct is) that the School Board had purchased in 1973. So a school has been planned here since 1973.
The back part that the county presently owns is almost completely wooded and came with a Program Open Space restriction that it "may not be converted without written approval by DNR, from outdoor public recreation or open space to any other use." And such conversion requires that the county "replaces the land with land of at least equivalent area and of equal recreation or open space value". The school system wants to build the school on the back half (further from most of Mays Chapel residences and probably allowing the entrance to be on Padonia Rd), so needs it to be transferred from the county to the schools (and for DNR to agree). It's the cutting of any trees that should be opposed (which certainly happened when Mays Chapel was built).

kay gillis December 7, 2012 at 10:57 pm

you are exactly correct

Donna December 12, 2012 at 06:32 pm

What does not make sense is the school being built to bus children out of their neighborhoods into Mays Chapel. It may have been put in place for a future school a long time ago, but at this point, based on the type of construction (condos, assisted living), it no longer makes sense since the amount of children in Mays Chapel and the surrounding area does not warrant a 700 student school on this land.
I get that this is a job creation move and a political move. Otherwise, it makes no sense. And, by the way, it's not all retirees and seniors living in this area. There are single folks and families.

Whistler Burch January 9, 2013 at 08:44 pm

I suggest that you go to the web site, wwwSaveMaysChapelPark.com website, read the articles including the deeds to the two parcels of land, and especially the article "A decision that just does not add up!

Cheryl January 17, 2013 at 05:53 am

The children of Mays Chapel and children who live North of Oregon Ridge Park ( a rather large park within 3 miles of Mays Chapel North) are bussed miles outside of their neighborhood to overcrowded schools in Lutherville. It is beyond time for the children of Mays Chapel to have their own elementary school. Donna's point that "it's not all retirees and seniors living in this area. There are single folks and families." should be well received. According to the the 2010 census, there are more than 2500 children under the age of 18 in Mays Chapel (compared to 1,942 in Timonium and 1,424 in Lutherville) The school needs to be built somewhere in Mays Chapel. If not in or around the county land, perhaps we should take some land under eminent domain to meet the needs of this area. It hardly seem equitable to continue to burden the surrounding areas so that this entitled group not be inconvenienced.

Donna January 29, 2013 at 07:08 pm

My comment about families, is regarding small children (not school age). I don't see many children in the Mays Chapel area. There will always be a handful of kids who are bussed. In this area, it is not a majority of kids and I find it very hard to believe that Mays Chapel has its own census area. Mays Chapel is part of Lutherville and Timonium, a subdivision, not a mailing address.