ROCKVILLE, Md. — Plans for a new middle school for students from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area are moving forward.
While many agree a new middle school is needed because of overcrowding, some are opposed to what is, for now, being called “Bethesda-Chevy Chase Middle School #2.”
“The site is extremely small,” said one person who made public comments to the Montgomery County Board of Education.
“The director of construction himself said it’s like trying to put 10 pounds of sugar in a five pound bag,” said another person who attended the meeting.
Resistance to the project, which would be at Rock Creek Hills Local Park in Kensington, also came from area leaders.
“I’m getting emails even as we’re sitting here from members of the County Council … saying we should hit the pause button,” said Board Member Christopher Barclay.
However, the Board of Education decided to move forward, approving contracts for building the school.
“We don’t have enough space for the kids that we have, we have spent four-plus years working on a plan, we have a site that is in our ownership,” Barclay said.
Among the concerns about the school are the relatively small parcel of land it will be built on and the environmental impact to the area. The school is set to open in 2017.
