tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25688134077992881032024-03-13T17:22:58.524-04:00Save Rock Creek Hills Park? Well, we sure tried!Rock Creek Hills Park has closed permanently for construction of a new Middle School that is scheduled to open in August of 2017. Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-24899149976775390002015-10-14T07:30:00.000-04:002015-10-14T08:51:35.500-04:00"I am proud of our community’s sustained engagement..." [repost]<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/11/07/rock-creek-hills-park-update/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
Dear neighbors,<br />
<br />
I am writing with an update on the proposed use of Rock Creek Hills Park for a new middle school.<br />
<br />
In late September, the Court of Appeals of Maryland declined our petition for certiorari, thereby upholding the previous finding of the Court of Special Appeals that we lack standing to bring suit to enforce the law and preserve the park. Specifically, the Court of Special Appeals held that adjacent property owners lack adjacent property owner standing because the County’s option to reclaim the land for educational use was not a land-use related provision. We recently met with legal counsel to review this outcome, and concluded that no further legal action should be taken.<br />
<br />
It does look like a new, second, middle school for the Bethesda – Chevy Chase cluster will be built on the site of Rock Creek Hills Park, with groundbreaking scheduled for July 2015, and opening in August 2017. The funds have been approved by the Council, and the construction program is in the Board of Education’s capital budget work plan.<br />
<br />
Although our efforts – to direct the new school to a more suitable site; to enforce the law; to defend the park – did not succeed, they should be a source of pride. I am proud of our community’s sustained engagement on behalf of these goals. At this point, we need to focus on the many changes that the new school will bring, and on working together to seek best outcomes.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your support and understanding.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
James J. Pekar, Ph.D.<br />
President,<br />
Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association<br />
<br />
<i>[<a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2014/11/i-am-proud-of-our-communitys-sustained.html" target="_blank">reposted</a> from November 2014]</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-847769162452578012015-10-13T19:00:00.000-04:002015-10-13T19:14:08.334-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-1206005894840149062015-10-08T12:00:00.000-04:002015-10-08T12:50:36.397-04:00"Supersizing the school is unneeded, unwise, and unsafe."<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Testimony before the Montgomery County Council, 6 October 2015 (as prepared).]</span></i><br />
<br />
My name is Dr. James Pekar. I am here as President of the Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association to ask you to vote against funding the addition - what MCPS calls a “cold dark shell” - because supersizing the new middle school to 1200 students is unneeded, unwise, and unsafe.<br />
<br />
It is unneeded, according to MCPS’s 2015 forecasts, which state that the new school would hold no more than 803 students through 2024.<br />
<br />
It is unwise, because the opening capacity of 949 students already exceeds recent guidance from the State of Maryland, calling for middle schools to be no larger than 900 students. The addition would push the total to 1200, far above the state recommendation.<br />
<br />
It is unsafe, because hazards identified by our County’s Planning Board remain unaddressed, as was recently noted in the letter to Mrs. O’Neill from County Planning Board Chair Mr. Anderson and Councilmember Rice. Over a one-hour period every school morning, over 800 vehicle trips (on top of high levels of commuter traffic) will access this school via narrow, hilly, curving, neighborhood streets. Restricted visibility for pedestrians and cars will increase accident risk for children accessing the site. A single steep driveway, plagued with blind spots and low visibility, must be shared by all student drop-offs, crosswalks, deliveries, parking, and emergency vehicles. Interactions between walkers and vehicles would inevitably create hazards. While many MCPS schools are embedded in neighborhoods, few, if any, have such a combination of traffic and site challenges, which would be exacerbated by expansion to 1200.<br />
<br />
For context, Rock Creek Hills Park is significantly reduced from the former site of Kensington Junior High School. After the old school was torn down, an elder-care facility was built on much of its footprint, taking a third of the land and a vehicle entrance. The remainder fails to meet almost all official County site standards, including size, topography, and access. Once built, this will be the only middle school with less than the new 15-acre requirement without an adjacent park to provide additional space. Due to this critical lack of space, this school will have no regulation soccer field, no large playing field, and just 2 of the 4 softball fields, 4 of the 6 tennis courts and 2 of the 3 basketball courts required by standards approved by the Board of Education. The soccer and softball fields are “overlaid” meaning just one athletic activity at a time. Classrooms are below standard size. If expanded to 1200 students, cafeteria and auditorium seating will be 25% undersized, necessitating “operational” solutions, such as staggering lunch throughout the day. Despite additional costs for retaining walls up to 22 feet high to maximize useable space, the site will not have a separated student drop off, and, if expanded to 1200 students, would be short almost 25% of car and bus parking required by MCPS.<br />
<br />
So please, say no to this CIP amendment. Supersizing the school is unneeded, unwise, and unsafe. Instead, limit the size to 949 students, to improve outcomes, minimize harm, and, most importantly, protect children.<br />
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-20922167036251857922015-08-20T11:30:00.000-04:002015-08-20T11:48:00.050-04:00Councilmember Elrich writes: "This is an expensive school with horrible access and the site work will cause irreparable environmental damage. ...this is absolutely the worst of all sites."An email from Montgomery County Councilmember <a href="http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/elrich/" target="_blank">Marc Elrich</a> to the Montgomery County Board of Education:<br />
<br />
From: marc elrich <marcelrich@rcn.com><br />
Date: August 20, 2015 at 11:24:57 AM EDT<br />
To: "Pat O'Neill (pat4boe@aol.com)" <pat4boe@aol.com><br />
Cc: "doccajud1@verizon.net" <doccajud1@verizon.net>, "mad@michaeldurso.com" <mad@michaeldurso.com>, Phil Kauffman <phkauff@aol.com>, Rebecca Smondrowski <rsmondrowski@gmail.com>, <Patricia_O'Neill@mcpsmd.org>, <boe@mcpsmd.org>, Jill Ortman-Fouse <jillatjill4allkids@gmail.com>, <Christopher_Barclay@mcpsmd.org>, <Eric_L_Guerci@mcpsmd.org><br />
Subject: The new Rock Creek Middle School<br />
<br />
Dear Pat,<br />
<br />
I just wanted to appeal to you and your colleagues on the Board to not got through with the planned BCC middle school in Rock Creek Park. There is no doubt that we need a school, but there are better sites than this one. You’ve received no doubt countless emails on this subject and I believe that the opponents are really right. This is an expensive school with horrible access and the site work will cause irreparable environmental damage. It is not being built on the site of the former middle school, it’s being built on half the site since the other half is occupied by apartments now. You have a far superior option off of Jones Mill Rd that Park and Planning will actually accept it. The fact that P&P is willing to work with you to identify a suitable site is not something that should be ignored. You could reclaim the site in Kensington where HOC now resides. What you are doing here is expensive and unnecessary given that you have better options.<br />
<br />
It’s not too late to hit the pause button and reassess the alternatives. I had a chance to follow the scoring of the sites and I thought at the time that it made no sense and that from issues of access, the environment, the lack of flexible siting a reasonable capacity for growth, this is absolutely the worst of all sites. You will overwhelm both the site and the neighborhood. I have spoken to you and other Board members about this. We do not have money to burn, nor should we building new schools on constrained sites.<br />
<br />
I hope the Board can go back to the drawing board and come up with an alternative that is less costly and more respectful of the community and the environment.<br />
<br />
Thanks for listening (again),<br />
<br />
Marc<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-28765942321395969952015-08-14T13:30:00.000-04:002015-08-14T13:45:44.924-04:00"...the process for the BCC Middle School didn't serve the public or our respective agencies very well and the final design is disappointing."<br />
A <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/274515099/The-final-design-is-disappointing" target="_blank">letter</a> from Craig Rice, Chair, Education Committee, Montgomery County Council, & Casey Anderson, Chair, Montgomery County Planning Board:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/274515099/The-final-design-is-disappointing" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View The final design is disappointing. on Scribd">The final design is disappointing.</a></div>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_39878" scrolling="no" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/274515099/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe>Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-35232716132792734422015-08-14T07:30:00.000-04:002015-08-14T07:42:57.079-04:00"MCPS’s application to use the General Permit for Stormwater Associated with Construction Activity for this project is clearly inappropriate, given the ... discharge of pollutants directly into Silver Creek, whose water quality is protected under ... the federal Clean Water Act."<br />
<i>"The high quality of the riparian habitat along Silver Creek is seen in the high quality wildlife it supports: yellow crowned night heron, little green heron, great blue heron, wood duck, mallard duck, kingfisher, goldfinch, blue-gray gnat catcher, grackle, pileated woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, great horned owl, barred owl, red tailed hawk, red shouldered hawk, sharp shinned hawk, red fox, coyote, deer, raccoon, water snakes (Natrix spp.), beaver, and even nesting snapping turtle."</i><br />
<br />
-from the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/274486445/Objection-to-NOI" target="_blank">letter</a> by Mr. James R. Chambers:<br />
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<a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/274486445/Objection-to-NOI" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Objection to NOI on Scribd">Objection to NOI</a></div>
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-42391413481422526192015-07-30T21:30:00.000-04:002015-07-30T21:30:09.414-04:00"... in response to Dr. Zuckerman’s letter to the community, a group of RCH parents has met with MCPS officials to address issues of pedestrian safety ..."<br />
<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2015/07/30/update-on-new-b-cc-middle-school-planned-for-the-site-of-rock-creek-hills-park/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
7/29/2015<br />
<br />
Dear neighbors,<br />
<br />
Today a crew from the Parks Department removed some swings from the playground in Rock Creek Hills Park, so that they can be re-used elsewhere. The park is slated to close permanently; groundbreaking for the new school is now scheduled for August 20th.<br />
<br />
As you may know, county Planning Board staff expressed concern about safety hazards in the site plan, and proposed a solution; we testified in support of their recommendation at the Mandatory Referral hearing in March (see postscript). Unfortunately, these efforts to improve safety have so far not resulted in substantive changes. However, since the conclusion of litigation, in response to Dr. Zuckerman’s letter to the community, a group of RCH parents has met with MCPS officials to address issues of pedestrian safety and traffic planning/circulation; they are working with MCPS to explore options that would improve site and building functionality.<br />
<br />
With best regards,<br />
Jim Pekar<br />
President, Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association<br />
<br />
P.S.<a href="http://rchca.org/2015/04/02/march-26-planning-board-meeting-update/" target="_blank"> http://rchca.org/2015/04/02/march-26-planning-board-meeting-update/</a><br />
<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-71137398972471325852015-05-20T12:30:00.000-04:002015-05-20T12:44:45.496-04:00"The district doesn’t have requirements for athletic spaces at middle school sites, [James Song, Director of Facilities Management] said."<i>"Under a Montgomery County Public Schools plan, a new Kensington middle school would be squeezed on a site with inadequate space that will make the school inferior, some opponents of the plan say...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>A group of residents said they are concerned that the site plan, as it stands, would limit athletic and academic spaces and pose safety hazards for drivers and pedestrians. The result, they said, is a school that would fall below the district’s project guidelines and would be unequal to other county schools, particularly Westland Middle School in the same cluster."</i><br />
<br />
– From the article "<a href="http://www.gazette.net/article/20150519/NEWS/150519451/1022/community-members-seek-changes-to-kensington-school-plan&template=gazette" target="_blank">Community members seek changes to Kensington school plan</a>" by Lindsay A. Powers in this week's Gazette newspaper.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-66574387262430556032015-05-20T12:00:00.000-04:002015-05-20T12:43:07.285-04:00Access, Flow, & Safety.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's more, at "<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/3jhfyfgirzwop9g/What%20Every%20Parent%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20the%20Proposed%20B-CC%20Middle%20School%20%232.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">What Every Parent Needs to Know About the Proposed B-CC Middle School #2</a>."<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-4739377273097700162015-04-15T13:30:00.000-04:002015-04-15T13:33:12.739-04:00"The Montgomery County Planning Board recently told the school system to revise its plan for the Kensington site to save more forest area overall and specifically some larger trees..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Please, read the Gazette <a href="http://goo.gl/noooaU" target="_blank">article</a> by Lindsay A. Powers.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-66118123257891703992015-04-13T20:00:00.000-04:002015-04-13T20:30:13.505-04:00“... we have what amounts to law enforcement authority over the forest conservation statute,” Anderson said. “... I don’t understand why you’re here at the eleventh hour saying [the Planning Board is] going to cause a major delay if [it] insists on a position which was advanced by our staff for the first time nine months ago.”<i><br /></i>
<i>“You seem to be saying we were working collaboratively, but the problem is that we have what amounts to law enforcement authority over the forest conservation statute,” <a href="http://montgomeryplanningboard.org/blog-news/2014/07/15/montgomery-county-council-appoints-casey-anderson-planning-board-chair/" target="_blank">Anderson</a> said. “I understand you have a disagreement with our staff but I don’t understand why you’re here at the eleventh hour saying [the Planning Board is] going to cause a major delay if [it] insists on a position which was advanced by our staff for the first time nine months ago.”</i><br />
<br />
- from the article "<a href="http://www.bethesdanow.com/2015/04/06/planners-mcps-disagree-on-new-bethesda-chevy-chase-middle-school/" target="_blank">MCPS And Planners Sparring Over Design Of New Bethesda-Chevy Chase School</a>" by Aaron Kraut on BethesdaNow.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-81517600442169381312015-04-02T20:00:00.000-04:002015-04-02T20:18:01.810-04:00Building middle school on park site would be like "fitting ten pounds of sugar in a five-pound sack," says Shuman.<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>"We're talking about trying to thread a needle here, and fitting ten pounds of sugar in a five-pound sack, with this project."</i></b><br />
<br />
-Mr. Richard (Craig) Shuman, Jr., Director, Division of Construction, Montgomery County Public Schools, at the 3/26/2015 Montgomery County Planning Board mandatory referral hearing for B-CC Middle School #2 on the site of Rock Creek Hills Park.<br />
<br />
Listen:<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/198838221&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-11705727629688370462015-03-27T17:00:00.000-04:002015-03-27T17:39:38.137-04:00"So please, uphold the law, adopt your staff recommendation. Save some trees, protect a creek, and most importantly, protect children."<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Testimony before the Montgomery County Planning Board, 26 March 2015 (as prepared).]</span></i><br />
<br />
My name is Dr. James Pekar. I reside at 9723 Kingston Road, Kensington, directly across Saul Road from Rock Creek Hills Park. I serve as President of the Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association. I won’t need more than five minutes of your time, to testify in support of your staff recommendation.<br />
<br />
As you may know, we’ve worked to preserve Rock Creek Hills Park, because it is our neighborhood’s central green space, and because the site is obviously inappropriate and inadequate to the proposed school, and will yield a middle school that does not provide parity with others in the County.<br />
<br />
In 1986, a memo from your staff assessed the Park, stating: <i>“Development outside the flat portions of the site should be restricted... The site slopes steeply on three sides, and drains into a tributary of Rock Creek…”</i> And that year, our County Council resolved that: <i>“Primary consideration [shall be given] to the conservation of the trees and other unique natural features for the continuing enjoyment of the … community.”</i><br />
<br />
The park fails to meet the Board of Education’s official middle school site criteria for location, size, topography, and access. Indeed, the site fails to meet each element of the "access" criterion: Frontage on a primary (70’ right-of-way) road; three access points (for safety, to separate cars, buses, and trucks); community sidewalks.<br />
<br />
In light of the foregoing, I wish I could ask you tonight to recognize that, “If it does not fit, you must not permit!” – not because we disagree with your staff’s recommendation, but because the decision to build is wrong. We understand, however, that this hearing assumes that the school will be built on the site of the park, and seeks the best possible outcome. With that understanding, I am compelled to testify in support of your staff recommendation to uphold Maryland’s Forest Conservation Law by moving the car entrance up the hill, preserving a riparian forest stand. This doesn’t just save trees and protect the creek – it reduces retaining walls, reduces stormwater runoff, and improves pedestrian safety. It represents the safest, most balanced approach to the site.<br />
<br />
There are many reasons to support the recommendation of your staff (which is consistent with your staff memo from almost three decades ago). Let me mention just one. As noted in your staff’s transportation memorandum of February 27th (of this year), <i>“…the relocated access point would have more than the minimum 200-foot sight distance required on secondary residential streets…”</i> In contrast, the car access point proposed in the submission has intersections just 100 feet and 150 feet away (on either side), well within the 200 foot sight distance requirement, raising serious concerns about safety.<br />
<br />
So please, uphold the law, adopt your staff recommendation. Save some trees, protect a creek, and most importantly, protect children. Thank you.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-63037075460218643472014-12-12T12:00:00.000-05:002014-12-12T13:51:31.987-05:00A letter to the Montgomery County Planning Board: "As you may know, the site is severely reduced from its original middle school configuration, thereby constraining the ability to construct an adequate educational facility consistent with safety, environmental, and community concerns."<br />
<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/12/12/a-letter-to-the-planning-board-regarding-the-middle-school-project/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Date: Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 7:26 AM<br />
Subject: Concerns over lengthy delay in Mandatory Referral submission for B-CC Middle School #2 on the site of Rock Creek Hills Park.<br />
To: “MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org” <MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org><br />
<br />
Dear Chairman Anderson,<br />
<br />
Our community is concerned by the lengthy delay by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in submitting, for the Planning Board’s Mandatory Referral review, plans for a new middle school on the site of Rock Creek Hills Park.<br />
<br />
As you may know, the site is severely reduced from its original middle school configuration, thereby constraining the ability to construct an adequate educational facility consistent with safety, environmental, and community concerns. This heightens the importance of your Mandatory Referral review. Yet, MCPS has failed to respond to concerns of our community and your staff, and, as of this writing, has still not submitted revised plans for the Mandatory Referral that had been originally scheduled for July of this year. After your staff requested additional information from MCPS, the hearing was rescheduled for September. After the failure of MCPS to provide the requested information, the September hearing date was cancelled and the hearing has not been rescheduled, although our understanding is that MCPS maintains that groundbreaking remains scheduled for July of 2015.<br />
<br />
In September, staff from the Planning Board and MCPS attended a meeting of the Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association. While this was not an MCPS community presentation, it did give our community a chance to learn of your staff’s concerns, and to share our concerns. We have communicated periodically with staff, and our understanding is that new plans for Mandatory Referral review have not been submitted by MCPS.<br />
<br />
Our specific concerns with the plans (as originally submitted, and as discussed in September) include:<br />
<br />
• The number and size of unsightly retaining walls. The plans call for many hundreds of feet of retaining walls as high as 22 feet (constructed as tightly-spaced pairs of 11 foot high walls). Our understanding, based on the Cabin John MCPS site, is that most of these walls will be topped by chain-link fencing; however such fences are not indicated on the plans. Many of our neighbors have said that it is hard to understand what the walls would look like, and have asked to see a “wall schedule” depicting the proposed walls.<br />
• Poor circulation of vehicular traffic, due to a tight layout of roadways on the site.<br />
• Steep slopes of onsite parking lots and roadways, creating a hazard in wet or icy conditions. The lower parking lot will have more than a 30 foot elevation change, and greater than five percent grades.<br />
• The pathway for walkers enters beside the car entrance, and then crosses the car drop-off loop, requiring students entering on foot to cross vehicular traffic, creating safety hazards.<br />
• Excessive removal of vegetation, including specimen trees, resulting in little visual screening of the building (and retaining walls).<br />
• Excessive discharge of stormwater into Silver Creek, which is a tributary of Rock Creek. Plans call for onsite retention of only the first inch of rainfall; all other runoff from the new building and surfaces would be discharged directly into the creek.<br />
• We <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-much-thought-would-you-have-given.html" target="_blank">remain</a> concerned that the estimated two-year period of construction will endanger the residents of the neighboring Alzheimer’s care facility (built on the footprint of the former Kensington Junior High).<br />
<br />
The small site makes it difficult to meet educational criteria in a way that is sensitive to safety, environmental, and community concerns. We are concerned that the extraordinary delay in submission of plans, and the lack of responses to community and Planning Board concerns, may lead to inadequate time being available for review of plans, once they are submitted. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you contact the Montgomery County Board of Education, to request that these concerns be addressed, prior to submission of plans for Mandatory Referral review.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
<br />
James J. Pekar, Ph.D.<br />
President, Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-90081532999091768472014-11-19T08:00:00.000-05:002014-11-19T08:10:05.733-05:00"I am proud of our community’s sustained engagement..."<br />
<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/11/07/rock-creek-hills-park-update/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
Dear neighbors,<br />
<br />
I am writing with an update on the proposed use of Rock Creek Hills Park for a new middle school.<br />
<br />
In late September, the Court of Appeals of Maryland declined our petition for certiorari, thereby upholding the previous finding of the Court of Special Appeals that we lack standing to bring suit to enforce the law and preserve the park. Specifically, the Court of Special Appeals held that adjacent property owners lack adjacent property owner standing because the County’s option to reclaim the land for educational use was not a land-use related provision. We recently met with legal counsel to review this outcome, and concluded that no further legal action should be taken.<br />
<br />
It does look like a new, second, middle school for the Bethesda – Chevy Chase cluster will be built on the site of Rock Creek Hills Park, with groundbreaking scheduled for July 2015, and opening in August 2017. The funds have been approved by the Council, and the construction program is in the Board of Education’s capital budget work plan.<br />
<br />
Although our efforts – to direct the new school to a more suitable site; to enforce the law; to defend the park – did not succeed, they should be a source of pride. I am proud of our community’s sustained engagement on behalf of these goals. At this point, we need to focus on the many changes that the new school will bring, and on working together to seek best outcomes.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your support and understanding.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
James J. Pekar, Ph.D.<br />
President,<br />
Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-91194386943086597842014-09-25T13:00:00.000-04:002014-09-25T13:37:14.233-04:00The Court of Appeals has Denied our Petition for Certiorari<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/09/22/the-court-of-appeals-has-declined-our-petition-for-certiorari/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
Dear neighbors,<br />
<br />
I regret to inform you that the Court of Appeals of Maryland has today declined our petition for certiorari, thereby upholding the previous finding of the Court of Special Appeals that we lack standing to bring suit to enforce the law and preserve Rock Creek Hills Park. Your RCHCA Board of Directors will consult with legal counsel regarding what steps may be available to us at this point. Thank you for your support, and please consider renewing your support for the park’s legal defense fund, at <<a href="http://tinyurl.com/ca9kp5m">http://tinyurl.com/ca9kp5m</a>>, especially as we have an outstanding balance with our counsel for work done to date. Thank you again.<br />
<br />
With best regards,<br />
Jim Pekar<br />
President, Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-22119427194255515202014-04-13T20:00:00.000-04:002014-04-13T20:37:48.194-04:00Your support is needed to protect Rock Creek Hills Park.<div>
<br /></div>
Heavy equipment has been used to bulldoze some of the woodlands of Rock Creek Hills Park:<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfgAkrYBhpUJ5wIL_lddeBqDB_Zxl_lts8lXUsL2RpcDtypXPTUkrL6YjRQMF3tdviQgjd_00sybTh2SkuD2TEUSZQtjt-nktsurOMtzvmsjJ2idS6ApjiMrLsYc5tiI2oEBuYdn5EnI/s1600/photo-192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfgAkrYBhpUJ5wIL_lddeBqDB_Zxl_lts8lXUsL2RpcDtypXPTUkrL6YjRQMF3tdviQgjd_00sybTh2SkuD2TEUSZQtjt-nktsurOMtzvmsjJ2idS6ApjiMrLsYc5tiI2oEBuYdn5EnI/s1600/photo-192.JPG" height="107" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>April 12, 2014. (click image for full-screen)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-defense-of-rock-creek-hills-park.html" target="_blank">transfer</a> of the park land appears to be <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/01/shocking-omission.html" target="_blank">unlawful</a>. Litigation seeking to enforce the law and protect the park is <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-defense-of-rock-creek-hills-park.html" target="_blank">pending</a>. If this litigation is successful, then the transfer, and the recent destruction, will have to be reversed, and trees planted to remediate the damage.<br />
<br />
Ongoing litigation has ongoing costs. Please consider renewing your gift and supporting the ongoing efforts to defend your park. Contributions of any amount are welcome.<br />
<br />
If you value the park's serenity, the sanctuary, and green space; if you value the soccer games, lacrosse practices, sunrise exercise classes, and walks in the park; the playground, hockey rink, and tennis courts – <i>or even just the right of a community to preserve its public green space from bulldozers</i> – then please donate in support of this legal battle. You can click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ca9kp5m" target="_blank">here</a> to contribute to the park's legal defense fund.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-36604982468967400712014-04-13T17:30:00.000-04:002014-04-13T17:37:53.676-04:00The defense of Rock Creek Hills Park continues.<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/04/12/litigation-update-rch-park-april-2014/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
Dear neighbors,<br />
<br />
Last week, a three-judge panel of the Court of Special Appeals, in Annapolis, released a ruling affirming the decision of the Circuit Court in Rockville, to dismiss our litigation seeking to enforce the law and protect Rock Creek Hills Park. The panel did not rule against our arguments that the proposed conversion of the Park is unlawful; instead, their ruling was based primarily on their finding that the appealing parties lack adjacent property owner and taxpayer standing. <i>Specifically, the Court of Special Appeals held that adjacent property owners lack adjacent property owner standing because the County's option to reclaim the land for educational use was not a land-use related provision.</i><br />
<br />
This week, the RCHCA Board held an emergency meeting. After reviewing the court's ruling, and consulting with our counsel, we consider the findings of the Court of Special Appeals to be erroneous. This is particularly true given a March 27 decision of Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals, which reached the opposite conclusion in a different case that dealt with similar issues. Given this, we are preparing a motion for reconsideration, asking the Court of Special Appeals to reconsider their decision on our standing in light of the recent Court of Appeals decision, and to rule on the merits of our case. Failing that, we are prepared to file an application for Certiorari to the Court of Appeals; that is, we are prepared to ask our State's highest court to consider our case.<br />
<br />
Your Board continues to believe that our case has considerable merit, and asks for your continued support in this matter.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
Jim Pekar - RCHCA President<br />
John Robinson - RCHCA Litigation Committee<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-42984282463702959662014-03-08T08:00:00.000-05:002014-03-08T08:35:15.617-05:00"We believe that we provided the court with essential information to make a determination on the merits…"<i>From the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/03/07/litigation-update-rock-creek-hills-park/" target="_blank">website</a>:</i><br />
<br />
Dear Neighbors,<br />
<br />
As you may know, our litigation seeking to enforce the law and protect Rock Creek Hills Park has reached the appellate stage. On Wednesday, March 5, an oral argument was held before a three-judge panel of the Court of Special Appeals in Annapolis. The judges were engaged, well prepared, and the dialogue with our counsel, Bil Chen, was on point and civil. Bil was very well prepared and anticipated all the questions that were asked by the panel. The Board of Education and the County made the same arguments as they did at the initial trial, regarding standing and land use issues. The three state agencies involved also repeated their arguments regarding their twenty-year administrative practice. The M-NCPPC did not present an oral argument. We believe that we provided the court with essential information to make a determination on the merits, which should be rendered in the next three to five months. We will keep you informed of any further developments.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
Jim Pekar – RCHCA President<br />
John Robinson – RCHCA Litigation Committee<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-82427438892620733542014-02-05T20:00:00.000-05:002014-02-05T20:41:27.251-05:00"The litigation ... has entered its appellate phase."<br />
Thank you for your past support! Here is an update from Mr. John R. Robinson, President of the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association, on the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2014/02/05/rchca-february-2014-electronic-newsletter/" target="_blank">website</a>:<br />
<br />
<i>"The litigation over the pending conversion of Rock Creek Hills Local Park to a new middle school has entered its appellate phase. The RCHCA initial brief was filed on December 4, 2013 and we received the government parties’ answering brief on January 24, 2014. The RCHCA reply brief is due February 19 and oral argument is scheduled for March 5, 2014. After reading all the appellate materials and the supporting record, … [we] continue to believe that the appeal has a great deal of merit."</i><br />
<br />
Ongoing litigation has ongoing costs. Please consider renewing your gift and supporting the ongoing efforts to save your park. Contributions of any amount are welcome. If you value the park's serenity, the sanctuary, and green space; if you value the soccer games, lacrosse practices, sunrise exercise classes, and walks in the park; the playground, hockey rink, and tennis courts – or even just the right of a community to preserve its public green space from bulldozers – then please donate in support of this legal battle. You can <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ca9kp5m" target="_blank">click here</a> to contribute to the park's legal defense fund via via PayPal.<br />
<br />
Thank you again for your support. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-85791845005745572892013-07-12T12:00:00.000-04:002013-07-12T12:08:08.687-04:00The defense of Rock Creek Hills Park continues.<br />
Yesterday the Planning Board approved the transfer of Rock Creek Hills Park to the County. A judicial <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2013/04/counsel-association-and-individual.html" target="_blank">appeal</a> is underway; if the appeal is successful, this transfer will have to be rescinded.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-65060802326509566112013-06-04T13:30:00.000-04:002013-06-04T17:31:07.890-04:00The Top Ten Reasons to Preserve Rock Creek Hills Park.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8KCQJIOhIvJzqpiAtQHZrJ17JAaCHreQQNlyRxpp09Rb-DmwOkOP6a_VObcqWSN8-mWmUTD2yJkkAOthAuCOGPlM5mpWS961YLFlNSLUdu4eV3Uq2DFInh1p0BPr7io77tkbFrx8V7E/s1600/topten.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8KCQJIOhIvJzqpiAtQHZrJ17JAaCHreQQNlyRxpp09Rb-DmwOkOP6a_VObcqWSN8-mWmUTD2yJkkAOthAuCOGPlM5mpWS961YLFlNSLUdu4eV3Uq2DFInh1p0BPr7io77tkbFrx8V7E/s320/topten.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>[an email response to a <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2013/06/please-share-your-thoughts-today.html">request</a> for public comment]</b></span></i><br />
<br />
Date: Tue, Jun 4, 2013<br />
Subject: The top ten reasons to preserve Rock Creek Hills Park.<br />
<br />
<div>
Dear Mr. Fitzgerald,<br />
<br />
In response to the recent request for public comment regarding a proposal to acquire Rock Creek Hills Park, here are <b>THE TOP TEN REASONS TO PRESERVE ROCK CREEK HILLS PARK:</b><br />
<div>
<br />
10. The Montgomery County Parks Director <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/07/it-would-obliterate-park-we-want-to.html" target="_blank">said</a> that the proposed school "would obliterate the park;" the Montgomery County Public Schools official who ran the feasibility study <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/08/theres-not-going-to-be-any-trees-left.html" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> that, if the school is built, "there's not going to be any trees left."<br />
<br />
9. Our county's Housing Opportunities Commission used tax-exempt bonds to build the Kensington Park Retirement Community, which stands on much of the <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/04/ignoring-facts-indifferent-to-elderly.html" target="_blank">footprint</a> of the former Kensington Junior High School. These senior citizens regularly use the park, especially its walking path, which would be off-limits to them.<br />
<br />
8. The feasibility study proposes replacing the park's two full-size soccer fields, which saw 1200 hours of permitted use last year, with smaller "<a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-does-2011-feasibility-study-say.html" target="_blank">overlaid</a>" fields that would limit athletics. The proposed school would be the middle school on the smallest site, in the entire county, without an adjoining (or “co-located”) park to provide space for student recreation and sports.<br />
<br />
7. The park fails to meet most of the Board of Education's middle school site <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/10/yes-lets-stress-test.html" target="_blank">standards</a>, including criteria for location, size, topography, and access. Indeed, the site fails to meet each element of the official "access" criterion: Frontage on a primary [70 foot right-of-way] road; three access points (for safety, to separate cars, buses, and trucks); community sidewalks. None of the final feasibility study options have three access points, or a separate service drive.<br />
<br />
6. The feasibility study proposes construction on the steep slope of the small site, in contravention of concerns expressed by the Planning Board and County Council decades ago. This, and substantial regrading of the entire site, would raise costs; an Independent Construction Budget Estimate puts 2017 total <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/03/expert-mcps-underestimates-cost-of.html" target="_blank">costs</a> at $64.5 million. Entrances for those arriving by car and and by bus would be located on different levels of the school, increasing staffing requirements and heightening security demands.</div>
<div>
<br />
5. Ms. Laura Berthiaume, then a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/04/board-of-education-member-rock-creek.html" target="_blank">stated</a> that, because Rock Creek Hills Park is not of "adequate size," if the proposed B-CC middle school #2 were to be built there, then it would soon become necessary to build a third middle school, on the site of the former Montgomery Hills Junior High (currently the Yeshiva and Torah School of Greater Washington).<br />
<br />
4. Given all the above, it is reasonable to ask, how was the site chosen? The park was not the first choice of the first site selection advisory committee, and the Gazette newspaper <a href="http://www.gazette.net/article/20120321/NEWS/703219491/1007/bethesda-chevy-chase-middle-school-site-selection-rushed-critics-say&template=gazette" target="_blank">reported</a>: " '... misinformation may have prejudiced the votes of committee members' [of the second site selection advisory committee], said Brooke Farquhar, a supervisor ... for the county parks department."<br />
<br />
3. The Montgomery County Board of Education did no comparative analysis of alternative sites, including the alternate recommended by the second site selection advisory committee, which is more than twice the size of Rock Creek Hills Park. Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-can-superintendent-justify-decision.html" target="_blank">noted</a>: "While two MCPS personnel attended our mandatory referral meeting and participated when asked, neither had any information about what the MCPS program would look like on that [alternate] site."<br />
<br />
2. The B-CC High School NAACP Parents' Council <a href="http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/85361002/Minority-Report-NAACP" target="_blank">wrote</a> that they "cannot support the recommendation to build the new middle school in a potentially racially divisive and socially isolating location. ... We, therefore, ask the Superintendent and the Board of Education to decline to adopt Rock Creek Hills Local Park as the site for the new middle school."<br />
<br />
<b>AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO PRESERVE ROCK CREEK HILLS PARK IS:</b><br />
<br />
1. Transfer of the land appears to <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/01/shocking-omission.html" target="_blank">violate</a> state and federal law, and there is a judicial <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2013/04/counsel-association-and-individual.html" target="_blank">appeal</a> request underway. If the appeal is granted, and is successful, then any changes to the park, including ownership and physical changes, will need to be reversed.<br />
<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
James J. Pekar, Ph.D.<br />
Kensington, Maryland<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;" /></div>
</div>
</div>
Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-13425883358732382362013-06-03T19:00:00.000-04:002013-06-04T14:46:48.068-04:00Please share your thoughts today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA3VD6xRJYJuJsEJ6aCpsT1Cwhqn-bBCrq72z-KxYVSFWzt2aRfAvlqJ8MimzzC_4uvoOeEWqIrtqOF5jiOPH43BI3znoVSE6SLHxoPRO4dCSmeGdngNyMvO2nbVch1tyr-G8QNe0NyA/s1600/proposes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiA3VD6xRJYJuJsEJ6aCpsT1Cwhqn-bBCrq72z-KxYVSFWzt2aRfAvlqJ8MimzzC_4uvoOeEWqIrtqOF5jiOPH43BI3znoVSE6SLHxoPRO4dCSmeGdngNyMvO2nbVch1tyr-G8QNe0NyA/s400/proposes.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This sign requesting public comment was posted near the main park entrance. Although the sign doesn't say so, we were told today that the deadline for your comments is this Thursday, June 6th.<br />
<br />
So, please provide your comments to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bernie Fitzgerald<br />
Real Estate Specialist<br />
Department of General Services<br />
Office of Real Estate<br />
101 Monroe Street, 9th Floor<br />
Rockville, Maryland 20850<br />
240-777-6076<br />
240-777-6011 Fax<br />
<<a href="mailto:Bernie.Fitzgerald@montgomerycountymd.gov">Bernie.Fitzgerald@montgomerycountymd.gov</a>></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-35891113485026895192013-04-30T21:00:00.000-04:002013-04-30T21:34:52.136-04:00"Counsel, the Association, and the individual plaintiffs have reviewed the April 23 order carefully..." <br />
A message from Mr. John M. Robinson, President, Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association, on the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association <a href="http://rchca.org/2013/04/28/677/" target="_blank">website</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Dear Members, </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>As you are aware, on April 11, 2013, Judge Rubin made an oral ruling against the Rock Creek Hills Citizens' Association and the individual plaintiffs on matters relating to the proposed conversion of Rock Creek Hills Local Park. On April 23, 2013, Judge Rubin entered a 13 page written Declaratory Judgement stating his reasons. Counsel, the Association, and the individual plaintiffs have reviewed the April 23 order carefully and have again concluded that the Court erred in ruling that (1) the plaintiffs have no standing to challenge the proposed conversion, (2) the Board of Education has a valid reclaim right to the park, and (3) the government defendants did not violate any statutes in deciding to convert the park without further review by the state agencies having statutory jurisdiction over the proposed conversion. Therefore the Association and the individual plaintiffs are appealing the April 23 order...</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Yours,</i><br />
<i>John M. Robinson</i></blockquote>
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2568813407799288103.post-25359973647724629472013-03-20T21:30:00.000-04:002013-03-20T21:47:08.273-04:00– TO BE CONTINUED –<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
On March 14th there was a two-hour hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court on our <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/09/citizens-ask-court-to-enforce-law.html" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> regarding the proposed conversion of Rock Creek Hills Park to school site use. The hearing is continued (adjourned) until April 11th. Our counsel believes that the continuance reflects the Court’s efforts to render a well-informed decision.<br />
<br />
<b>•</b> Your effort to defend this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q5buvfIwUrs2SoJ3uDXEput6lH_x_CK5Wx4RmU_SaGsit4ADWHytTM-I0suNKroN7vIqjuAgACURkvhyphenhyphenkoiFrAM5w0xSdHWeFPTB7bJ45Zwthwpm3Igmz1yBVQ18LxZoWyOAT7n7SDs/s1600/trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q5buvfIwUrs2SoJ3uDXEput6lH_x_CK5Wx4RmU_SaGsit4ADWHytTM-I0suNKroN7vIqjuAgACURkvhyphenhyphenkoiFrAM5w0xSdHWeFPTB7bJ45Zwthwpm3Igmz1yBVQ18LxZoWyOAT7n7SDs/s320/trees.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>("The site contains 4 forest stands with a total of 3.55 acres of forest onsite."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-From the "Natural Resource Inventory & Forest Stand Delineation")</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
from being turned into this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzK2pR5okffcIdFSAFjjJ1JipHNtJ5TGUE0t-m741zuBZbUH_H29rJGkeUk6xSQ1B5MqyAy6XoQeqkTQgJviyJ88w1ufh76rUcFX35-GfImdDcVOUH5xrrqMLzlyAPphNnB5OlqPzCN4/s1600/FirstCJMSWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzK2pR5okffcIdFSAFjjJ1JipHNtJ5TGUE0t-m741zuBZbUH_H29rJGkeUk6xSQ1B5MqyAy6XoQeqkTQgJviyJ88w1ufh76rUcFX35-GfImdDcVOUH5xrrqMLzlyAPphNnB5OlqPzCN4/s320/FirstCJMSWall.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(This 11-foot retaining wall <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/06/can-this-process-be-trusted.html" target="_blank">appeared</a> at </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cabin John Middle School without warning.)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
CONTINUES.<br />
<br />
<b>•</b> Your effort to defend this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjWDgzxQtEA5cvBcANeYneSuuSh227Cm02gaVgDlhN4NU8bg9EGJnNjJoUfs0ky1Yd941LGOQq0jyFRUzyqj2QThUJmIqmbBhoYhiakdl3RQ21koNs5rM3xgoNth6Vb0Pwf5PMw_bZkw/s1600/autumnal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjWDgzxQtEA5cvBcANeYneSuuSh227Cm02gaVgDlhN4NU8bg9EGJnNjJoUfs0ky1Yd941LGOQq0jyFRUzyqj2QThUJmIqmbBhoYhiakdl3RQ21koNs5rM3xgoNth6Vb0Pwf5PMw_bZkw/s400/autumnal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(The two full-size soccer fields of Rock Creek Hills Park </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">are in high demand in the dense Downcounty area.)</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
from being turned into this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31TRUJZ_VqL23qOSSN6sNJ_SqMwzMdPKC99qN-L3U_pmgvZRwp8GF1dLFHUqZgbpV3QPTkSTgqE2mIFvYYGOkZq78o6I2DbG3S0sM379Ui13M7O934znu-Dxr9YwR1DcNW6wx48-gcsY/s1600/SitePlanOption2_BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31TRUJZ_VqL23qOSSN6sNJ_SqMwzMdPKC99qN-L3U_pmgvZRwp8GF1dLFHUqZgbpV3QPTkSTgqE2mIFvYYGOkZq78o6I2DbG3S0sM379Ui13M7O934znu-Dxr9YwR1DcNW6wx48-gcsY/s320/SitePlanOption2_BW.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Feasibility study proposed smaller "<a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-does-2011-feasibility-study-say.html" target="_blank">overlaid</a>" fields </i><br />
<i>that would limit athletics.)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
CONTINUES.<br />
<br />
<b>•</b> Your effort to defend this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4JiQakaS7-eY0oAG0Pdntj8A4fMGyIyLh-29WqRmll93NaZ5aObWtGggY0moTORwAP857EBgLiqvrUk211Su6v9t4OhEooL4eChb1jwGwZExONpcYp2rO4YUoj273xbuALjH6LZtPZ0/s1600/newstream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje4JiQakaS7-eY0oAG0Pdntj8A4fMGyIyLh-29WqRmll93NaZ5aObWtGggY0moTORwAP857EBgLiqvrUk211Su6v9t4OhEooL4eChb1jwGwZExONpcYp2rO4YUoj273xbuALjH6LZtPZ0/s320/newstream.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(Rock Creek Hills Park serves as a buffer </i><br />
<i>for Silver Creek, which feeds into Rock Creek, </i><br />
<i>and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
CONTINUES.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">The Montgomery County Parks Director <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/07/it-would-obliterate-park-we-want-to.html" target="_blank">said</a> that the proposed school "would obliterate the park;" the MCPS official who ran the feasibility study <a href="http://savekensingtonpark.blogspot.com/2011/08/theres-not-going-to-be-any-trees-left.html" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> that "there's not going to be any trees left." </span><br />
<br />
Your contributions are needed to meet upcoming legal fees. Click <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ca9kp5m" target="_blank">*here*</a> to make a contribution to the park's legal defense fund, then click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SaveRockCreekHillsPark" target="_blank">*here*</a> to go the park's Facebook page, where you can let fellow park supporters know that you have contributed, and why!<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0