Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Jerry Weast endorsed a graduation site inside the county so that high school seniors — and their families — won’t have to trek downtown to DAR Constitution Hall.
Unfortunately for Weast, the school board, city council and residents say the proposal is not worth backing – and want him to stay out of it.
D&A Sports & Entertainment is proposing a $45 million, privately funded plan to convert the financially struggling RedGate Golf Course in Rockville into a sprawling multiuse arena, one of eight options for RedGate that the Rockville City Council is considering. The council is scheduled to discuss the proposals Sept. 20.
Weast sent a letter to the school board explaining his support: “This project offers a unique opportunity for MCPS to hold high school graduations, indoor athletic events, special performances, and other community events at a lower cost and within close proximity to the communities and families we serve.”
Finding a graduation venue inside the county has long been a priority for the school system, said board member Laura Berthiaume, who explained that it’s up to outside developers to suggest projects and Rockville to enact them. But after conferring with the city council, she said the RedGate proposal “won’t be back on the board’s plate, ever.”
“Four out of the five council members think this has no legs whatsoever,” Berthiaume said. “One of them referred to it as political suicide.”
The proposal was unsolicited and not in step with what Rockville officials are seeking for RedGate, Berthiaume said.
Of the seven other proposals, five would revitalize RedGate as a golf course and two would turn the land into a natural area.
RedGate Advisory Committee Chairman Joe Jordan, who wants the city to consider solutions that would keep the golf course afloat, did not appreciate Weast’s input.
“I thought that was way out of bounds; he shouldn’t be interfering with city politics,” said Jordan, a Rockville resident.
Although Jordan agrees change is needed for the golf club, which is losing nearly $700,000 a year, he called D&A’s proposal “an ill-conceived plan.”
“It’s a very rough terrain,” Jordan said, noting streams and seven stormwater management ponds in the suggested building area.
