Harford County Executive David Craig said today that he will send the Harford County Council an amendment to his proposed FY10 capital budget to add funding in the “12 – 13 million dollar range” for the planned school at Red Pump Elementary.
Craig’s budget already contains a similar request for Campus Hills, although Craig said he expected that the council would essentially shift funds from Campus Hills to Red Pump and in dollar terms, “it will be a wash.” Craig said the exact terms of the amendment would be known next week.
Despite the actions he anticipated from the council, Craig said “I don’t think either school solves the problem. I think you need both schools.” Craig said he made the decision to keep both schools in his budget proposal after a private meeting with PTA leaders who told him on Tuesday that they wanted a school to move forward.
Harford County Council President Billy Boniface said he believed the council would approve an amendment requesting additional funds for Red Pump, although Red Pump already had funding through the beginning phase of construction. But he thought the council was unlikely to support additional funding for Campus Hills until the traffic and infrastructure issues surrounding the site were resolved.
So it’s official — The BOE is 100% for Campus Hills, the County Council is 100% for Red Pump, and the County Executive is 100% for another Waffle House!
Hey, the BOE wanted both schools. In this time they went back to the county exec and said we can make due short term with one school but it needs to be Campus Hills. The county council is ademante they want to take the cheapest short term route and pay more in the long run for both schools. Why? is one of them some how friends or beholden to the developers? I do not know. But I do know the law gives the BOE the authority to decide where new schools are built. The County Council is trying to usurp that authority through the budget process. Seems now the COunty COuncil is the only group standing in the way of a new school.
Cdev — All 3 “combatants” wanted both new elementary schools until the December 8, 2008 joint decision between the BOE and the County Exec. to cancel the Red Pump project, which was halfway funded and being bid for construction for an August 2010 occupancy, in favor of the Campus Hills site with a potential completion date at least a year later.
Whether you think it is right or wrong, the County Council has the only one who hasn’t changed their mind on the school site preference issue.
Speaking of traffic… Because the county decided to renovate two schools at once (Bel Air and Edgewood) and put minimal money and fields into Patterson Mill, Bel Air and Edgewood sports teams are playing over at Harford Tech and Harford Community College. I suggest the people who think that this intersection isn’t failing go take a ride over there around 6:00. Apparently classes are starting at the college around 7:00 too. My husband waited through 5 red lights at Schucks Road before he could turn left to go to a field. I am really having difficulty believing this site is better suited for an elementary school.
Yes there are many children attending Prospect Mill and Fountain Green but they aren’t necessarily closer to that site than to another. That assertion makes no sense whatsoever. Is there any other way to shift students? I heard many citizens of Harford County saying they don’t want any more tax increases because they just can’t afford it. Aberdeen North is standing vacant (being used for Alernative Education). Is that fiscally conservative? HCPS didn’t want that building being used for students either!
If you want to see traffic, head over to that intersection in the fall between 8am and 9:30 am when the college opens and there are buses for Harford Tech and john Archer are lining up. Then roll by again when Harford Tech lets out. It is a mess.
Let’s be honest any school area is a mess at dismissal and arrival. I went by South Hampton at arrival time so many people where making lefts and rights into the school I waited for 30 minutes to drive past the school. I also was home one day for dismissal at Abingdon ES and went by it took along time because of tons of parents making lefts and rights into the school to pick up children.
What ever happened to kids riding buses and walking if close enough? Or are kids to good for that?
If the County Council is sincerly not changed their mind then they will be in favor of two schools too and can change their budget. The BOE was being proactive and realized the economy was tight. They figured they could get by with one school but it needed to be Campus Hills. If we want lower taxes they are the one being fiscally responsible by doing that. Like it or not it is not an issue for the Council to decide where to build schools that is the charge of the BOE to make that decision.
Sinne there are not buses for Harford Tech at 8 am to 9:30 am. Harford Tech starts school like the rest of the High Schools at 7AM a whole hour earlier. John Archer does start in that time frame and may have a few more buses but that will be alliviated when they move to the new location.
Additionally the two school at once issue is crap for athletic traffic. Edgewood Tennis uses Magnolia, and most of their sports teams use fields at Magnolia and that belong to park and rec on trimble road. Field Hockey and Softball play at Magnolia. I know a soccer coach and he says they have actually used fields at multiple different places. So while some Bel Air teams uses the facilities at HCC and some Harford Tech teams continue to use HCC until they get their stadium finished. SO stop exagertating and making it sound like all the sports teams at all three schools use HCC! They do not. Additionally some of them hold games at their opponents fields or an unused field in the county at another school. Bel Air actually played the first game in North Harford’s new field against a team other then North Harford. Bel Air’s Homecoming was at Joppatowne HS. I believe Edgewood has played some of their games at Joppatowne when they where on the road and Bel Air has played some games at CMW.
Guess what? The college has classes that start at 8 am and 9:35, but I am sure I am not telling you anything because you know everything.
Yes Sinne that is true (about the college) but you claimed
“If you want to see traffic, head over to that intersection in the fall between 8am and 9:30 am when the college opens and there are buses for Harford Tech and John Archer are lining up.”
Clearly you exagerated as there are NO buses for Harford Tech lining up at that time! since the school started a whole hour earlier!
I do not know everything but I am sure of that! Your exagerating is not of any assistance.
Just for clarification purposes, Bel Air’s homecoming this past fall (2008) was held at North Harford, yes BAHS used their new field for our homecoming before NHS could. The prior year (fall 2007), this homecoming for BAHS was held at Joppatowne.
Regardless of the location, Elaine has a point– there is even more traffic than typical at the HCC site, and it doesn’t look to resolve soon. It is a dangerous intersection and I am holding my breath that a high school student (from any school-visiting etc), doesn’t get hit trying to cross 22.
Isn’t there also an issue with water at the Campus Hills site? To me it is poor public health policy to put a large public building on well water. Especailly with a former gas station next door. Say what you will about where we get our public water, the facts are, public water is regularly tested. How often is water tested at schools that use well water? What does all the testing and filtration systems cost HCPS. What does it cost when there is a problem and an entire school has to use bottled water. Red Pump is on public water. That alone, is a major reason to use that site over Campus Hills.
PMS I think you are thinking short term. Long term we will need both schools and it is cheaper to build campus hills first!
Additionally no state help for red pump!
Cdev, why is it cheaper to build Campus hills first? The BOE has already spent $2,000,000 toward Red Pump, but only $250,000 toward Campus Hills. Red Pump is further along. According to the council report Campus Hills could cost about $1 million less than Red Pump, BUT those costs don’t include road improvements, water or sewer. I think the road improvements for Campus Hills to really fix the intersection of 22 and Schucks road will cost way more than anything needed on Vale Road. Water at Campus Hills will require a well, filtration, and monitoring. None of these things are required at Red Pump. My guess is that no one has really looked into how much water is even available at Campus Hills and how many new wells will have to be drilled.
I’m not short sighted, I too believe that 2 school will eventually have to be built. And should have been built long ago. But if the question is which route will get us a new school the soonest, then i think it will be to continue with Red Pump. Campus Hills still has too many unknowns.
I don’t think we should be counting on the state for much money for school construction anyway. State budgets are in worse shape than Harford’s. We’ve never gotten much money for school construction before, so I don’t expect much now.
I wonder if the figures, given was a total included for occupied houses along schuck’s rd of which one owner was still holding out.
Isn’t part of the extra cost for building Red Pump first related to having to put in a temporary septic? It seems as though I read that somewhere.
The sewer costs were not included in the numbers that were in the Council report. Red Pump needs a temporary septic system and eventually a new pumping station. Campus Hills needs a permanant septic system, that would probably cost more than Red Pump’s temporary one. I think there are questions about who would pay for the pumping station, but I don’t see why that should hold up building the school.
Vet, I didn’t see anything in the council report about having to buy more land, but that’s probably another $500-700K. Unless they want a nice house in the front of the school!
I’m not convinced anyone knows what the total costs will be to build either school. So i don’t see how BOE could justify building Campus Hills first based on cost.
OK none of the money spent will go to waste. The money spent is on plans that will be good now or 5 years from now. Short sightedness got us in this mess in the first place we need both schools eventually. Even if one school could fix overcrowding with the current kids. houses on 91 acres are going to have a lot of kids and alot of ES kids if they are town houses.
That said the temporary nature of the septic system is what is money issue.
If we where just going to build 1 school ever then I would agree Red Pump is cheaper. But we need BOTH. That said the price Tag on land building etc. will have to be spent either way. Campus Hills will require well and septic no matter what. If we build that first and redistrict in such a way to lift the moratorium on the land near Red Pump the builder will have insentive to help build the sewer and do so BEFORE the school is finished and we will save the money on a temporary septic system all together. The state has green lighted money for Campus Hills. The money the state green lighted for Red Pump was contingent on a sewer by 2010. That is not happening at all so the state money on Red Pump will not come through at all. Once the Sewer is in place we can reapply for state money and will probably get it which is better then now when we will not get it and as a result risk losing state money for Campus Hills. That is where the savings comes into play. That is why it is cheaper to do Campus Hills first based on the premise we will build BOTH schools anyway which we need and will continue to need.
Vietnam Vet none of these figurees includes kids in houses which can not be built yet that will add 92 acres of children into the mix.
PMS Mom oubic works are the counties job and the pumping station will be paid for by the county and developer which he is not going to do if he has NO incentive to do.
Quite frankly, this whole mess has gotten ridiculous. Cdev who thinks the county council is primariy at fault and others who think the BOE is at fault actually gets us nowhere. Exactly, the same thing that is happening between the 2 powers that it is presently with. As usual, however, there is never an honest debate ———-openly —– on one side or the other of the issue with real facts. The county council is supposed to be the stewards of the funding and the BOE’s role is to decide what is best for the schools. The BOE in my dealings is the less transparent of the 2 entities and still has not been forthcoming on why one decision over the other. At least the County council has publically on their website stated their reasons for their decision ==you can like it or not==and if you don’t like their decisions you can vote them out. From what I read the school board just barks out catchy phrases on why one school over the other and answers to no one. And make no mistake about it, there are egos on both sides of this ball. The school board, however, has gotten personal about the whole thing and the Aegis loves it when there is fighting going on. All need to stop acting childish and have a real debate with justifications that are defendable. Oh and by the way, the parents and community would like to know all the facts so they have their say, also, rather than the 3 minutes allowed at the podium–followed by blank stares and no feedback on the comments.