School System Purchases Ducketts Lane Property

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) announced on Feb. 1 that it has spent $2.64 million to acquire property on Ducketts Lane for an elementary school to serve the northeast.

Less than a week ago, Councilwoman Courtney Watson (D-Elkridge/Ellicott City)  that she anticipated "good news" about the school site situation by early February.

The Board of Education  its interest in the site last summer and voted to acquire the land but has had difficulty closing on the parcel at 6501 Ducketts Lane because of a lien on the property.

HCPSS took the seller—Ducketts Ridge LLC—to court in December for breach of contract and announced in a news release that "the parties were able to settle their differences."

Having settled on the property on Feb. 1, HCPSS officials said the 600-seat school "to serve the Route 1 area of the county" remains on track for a 2013 opening.

Without a new elementary school, , and  would be at approximately 120 percent capacity in 2013, according to enrollment projections.

“Our highest priority has always been our commitment to the community to open an elementary school to relieve the overcapacity in the region,” said Sandra French, chair of the Howard County Board of Education, in a news release about the Ducketts Lane acquisition.

As the legal dispute played out, HCPSS officials for the school.

"While the remaining design and construction schedule is very challenging, we are confident that by working in close coordination with the various county and state agencies who are involved, we will ensure a timely opening,” said Ken Roey, director of facilities for HCPSS, in a news release.

Construction is scheduled to begin June 1, according to court documents, which stated that the title had to be transferred by March 31 to allow for two months required by law for contractors to bid on the project.

"Nineteen months is a tight timeframe," said Patti Caplan, spokeswoman for HCPSS, in an email to Elkridge Patch. "It is always nice to have a little extra time in a construction schedule in case you run into setbacks...I don't think we would have been comfortable starting any later than this."

In a news release, the superintendent said that he was pleased with the outcome.

"Each new school site presents unique challenges. I want to thank our construction and planning staff for keeping this critical project on track. I am pleased to now have the sites we need to build the schools we have been planning,” said Sydney Cousin, superintendent for HCPSS.

This is the second time Howard County has owned the land on Ducketts Lane in 10 years.

In Dec. 2002, the county sold the property to development company Ducketts Ridge LLC for $827,000.