Elkridge School Site Up for Discussion

Could Ducketts Lane solve the problems of overcrowded schools in the northeast?

On Thursday night, the school system wants residents to weigh in on its proposal for a new elementary school on the 6100 block of Ducketts Lane, near Lori Lane in Elkridge. 

At its June 21 meeting, the Howard County .

In response to the news, Elkridge Patch readers had mixed reactions, from enthusiasm about the possibility of a traffic light at Route 1 and Ducketts Lane, to dismay that the location may not relieve Elkridge Elementary School of its overcrowded conditions.

Public input is part of the process in school site selection, and tonight is your chance: There’s a  at 7:30 p.m. at the  in Ellicott City.

Reviewing the Process

The school system has been aware of elementary school overcrowding in the northeast since 2009, evidenced by its annual feasibility studies. Last year, planning officials presented a potential elementary school site in Hanover off Coca Cola Drive.

After a slowed plans in the fall, CSX and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) made public in March that they were considering a nearby location for a .

The state agreed to help evaluate land in the area that could work as an alternative, at the request of the school system and the Greater Elkridge Community Association.

“CSX and MDOT worked with staff from Howard County Schools to identify the Ducketts Lane site as a viable option,” said Jack Cahalan, MDOT spokesman, in an e-mail.

“MDOT also has worked with the school system to accelerate state approvals involved in the school clearinghouse process,” he said. “State approvals that can take several weeks to obtain were completed in roughly one week.”

Planning officials said that the new elementary school could open by 2013.