Evening star., 1954-11-23
Swap Settles
Conflict Over
New School Site
Roads Commission
Trades Acreage
For Right Of Way

The Maryland State Roads
Commission and the Prince
Georges County School Board
today were working out details
of an agreement that probably
viii settle their differences over
who will use 24-acre tract near
ForeStville, Md.-super highway
motorists or high school students.
The, School Board last night
agreed to an acre-for-acre swap
with the roads commission which
viii permit the circumferential
highway leading to the proposed
Jones Point Bridge to cross the
site selected for the new John
Hanson Junior High School. The
new school site will be- about
1000 feet east of the old one.
at Indianhead highway and st.
Barnabas road.
School Board Chairman James
H. Harrison said: We're writing
the ticket and the roads COM
mission is signing it." And Leroy
c. Moser, roads commission
right-of-way engineer, admitted
that was so.
Moser Rueful.
IF ! had to negotiate rights
of-way like this one very fre.
quently I wouldn't last very
long," Mr.. Moser told the School
| Board.
! He said the roads commission
will buy two parcels Of land on
which it holds options for
$l49. .000-$92. 900 more than the
School Board paid the Federal
Government for its land-and
trade them to the School Board
for the "a Dacres needed for a
highway interchange.
In addition, the School Board
may get an estimated $22. 500
in adjustments" from the roads
commission. This would include
money for increased sewage dis
poSal costs at the new school
site, charges for architectural
changes, sidewalks along Indian
Head highway. and new test bor-
ings.
Subject to Approval.
The agreement is subject to
final approval by the roads COM
mission, Mr.. Moser said.
| The School Boards new tracts,
on which the junior high school
and a proposed elementary
school will be built, are only q
stones throw from the old site.
The 15-acre John Hanson site
is 1000 feet east g Indian Head
highway on the south side Of
| st. Barnabas road. The g.
acre elementary school site lies
south of Quade street in Forest
vile. The highway will pass
between them.
! Plans for the 100000 junior
high school were 95 per cent
complete and the School Board
was committed to pay about $685.
600 in architects fees when the
squabble over who would use the
24-acre tract came up last month.
The School Board bought the
land August 26 for $57,500, but
officials said it was not learned
until September that the roads
commission wanted it. Last
month, School Supt. William s.
Schmidt was authorized to go
ahead with the building despite
reports that the road would run
right over the top of the, school"
The delay will mean that the
school now cannot be ready for
occupancy in September, as orig
inally scheduled.
Alternates Costly.
Mr.. Moser said two alternate
routes bypaSsing the original
school site would have cost an
extra $750.000 and 50 million.
respectively.
In other business. the board
authorized Mr.. Harrison to ap-
point committee not to exceed
81 Negro and white citizens and
educators to advise the School
Board or matters of policy" in
implementing the Supreme Court
order ending segregation. The
committee members will be
named at the School Boards next
meeting December IA in Upper
Marlboro.