More News

This story was corrected on March 10, 2011. An explanation follows the story.

For 31 years, Nick Maravell has cultivated organic seeds on land leased from the county school system, but a school board decision Tuesday will mean soccer fields soon could replace his soybean seeds.

In a 5-2 vote, the board decided to lease the land to Montgomery County, which intends to work with sports organizations to build soccer fields on the 20-acre site on Brickyard Road south of Falls Road.

The lease is for 10 years with an annual rent of $1,500, said county spokesman Patrick K. Lacefield.

Tuesday's meeting drew supporters of organic farming, as well as those who think the county needs more youth soccer fields.

"We need more fields, we need better fields, we need them now," said Arnold Tarzy of Potomac, a former club president of Potomac Soccer Association.

Others spoke out against the proposed lease.

"Please keep the Brickyard property in agriculture. It's more important than play," farmer Myron Horst said. He has bought seeds from Maravell.

Maria Fusco used to ride her horse down Rock Run Drive many years before she bought her home on that street that overlooks the Brickyard site.

"You can put a ballfield in a number of places, but can you get another organic field?" said Fusco, 49, of Potomac, on Monday. Fusco also spoke before the board.

The 2005 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan, identifies a need for an additional 73 multipurpose rectangular fields and 15 youth rectangular fields for community use in the county by 2020.

Maravell said he was notified of the county's intentions Thursday, when a school system representative called to tell him it would not cash the $1,300 rent check he sent in February. He said the school system has been discussing the lease change since May.

"Farmers are used to rolling with the punches that come with nature, but this one is basically taking my land away," said Maravell, one of a handful of certified organic farmers in the county.

His lease expires March 23. In its decision, the school board stated Maravell could lease the land from the county until January.

The county wants to create a public-private partnership to develop the soccer fields as a way to avoid burdening taxpayers with construction costs. By the end of the month, Lacefield said, the county could

conclude negotiations with a private organization to build youth soccer fields behind the Potomac Community Recreation Center; construction could begin this fall.

For the Brickyard Road site, the county wants at least two fields, permanent parking, and restrooms, Lacefield said. The plan will not allow artificial turf fields, lights, a public address system, tournaments, or play before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.

Public participation

Maravell said Tuesday's 45-minute hearing didn't provide enough opportunity for input.

"I don't think this is the way that Montgomery County prides itself on doing business," he said.

Lacefield said the lease proposal was advertised in the Montgomery Sentinel newspaper for three weeks in November, Lacefield said. The Montgomery Sentinel has a circulation of 5,000 according to its 2010 company profile.

Comments were due to the Department of General Services by Dec. 10, according to the advertisement.

County Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac said Friday that he believes the public should have been better notified. He sent a letter Friday to the school board asking its members to postpone the vote.

School system spokesman Dana Tofig said the school board does not control how the leased property would be used, and would not have been required to notify the public.

School land use

School board member Patricia B. O'Neill (Dist. 3) of Bethesda, said the school system could reclaim the property if it determines the land is needed to build an elementary school. O'Neill voted in favor of the board's decision.

The Brickyard site is in the area served by schools whose students attend Winston Churchill High School. Middle and high schools in that service area are at about 110 percent capacity, while elementary schools are at 100 percent capacity.

It is not rare for school sites to be put to other uses. Former County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) wanted to build workforce housing on the Brickyard site.

In an October capital projects plan, the school system listed 16 properties as closed school sites. These properties are used for child care facilities and leased to private schools, holding schools and an ESOL center.

The Brickyard site, however, is listed as a future school site.

A community meeting on the development of land for soccer fields on Brickyard Road is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. today at the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, as part of the West Montgomery County Citizen's Association's meeting.

ccalamaio@gazette.net,

aujifusa@gazette.net

County spokesman Patrick Lacefield said a community meeting would be held as part of the West Montgomery County Citizen's Association's meeting. An original version of this story incorrectly stated the meeting was a public hearing.