County Council Votes To Sell Peary High School Site
Dec 1, 2010 17:47 - 1 Comment
Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council voted 8-1 to approve the sale of the former Peary High School property in Aspen Hill to the Berman Hebrew Academy. As was noted in the Contributor Opinion by Laura Berthiaume, the Board of Education was against the sale which would “represent the effective loss of a future middle school site in the Rockville area, at a time when Montgomery County Public Schools is projecting 10,000 more students arriving in the next six years.”
Councilmembers Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Mike Knapp, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg approved the sale, which was proposed by County Executive Isiah Leggett. Councilmember Phil Andrews, who represents Rockville, voted against the resolution.
The County Council press release on the vote describes the site’s history:
Peary was closed in 1984 due to declining enrollment. The facility deteriorated while vacant, but in 1996, then County Executive Douglas Duncan negotiated a lease agreement with the Berman Academy. The agreement included an option for the school to purchase the property. The proposed sale terms include a provision that would allow the County to repurchase the school if it is needed for public school use. More than 500 people attended a public hearing on the issue on Nov. 23.
The Berman Academy has estimated that it has spent more than $9 million to refurbish the property that is surrounded by a residential neighborhood. Enrollment at the Academy is estimated at 700 students.
The purchase price, which ratified the terms of the 1996 lease, was set at $1,914,860. A potential repurchase price is tied to the price paid plus the lesser of the fair market value of improvements made by the tenant or the depreciated actual costs of improvements. The Academy’s use of the site is limited to school uses and the public will continue to have use of the fields, gymnasium and auditorium during non-school use times. The County may reclaim the school for public school use through a legal condemnation proceeding at the repurchase price plus relocation costs. Through this proceeding, the County could retake possession of the property five years after the condemnation action is final and non-appealable.
The County Planning Board and the Aspen Hill Civic Association approved of the sale along with a “substantial majority” of the approximately three dozen speakers at the November 23rd hearing. Those in opposition included the County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations and the Montgomery Civic Association.
The next step lies with the Board of Public Works which must approve the sale.
Peary HIgh School was demolished. That’s what the State (Board of Works) was told.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/12/sad-news-peary-high-school-demolished.html
The Board of Works would have an interest in the building because the State contributed to its construction and would be entitled to reimbursement from the proceeds of the sale. But if the building was demolished then the State would have no further interest in the property.