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Jefferson Co. BOE votes down lease to build park near new Shepherdstown Elementary School

By Ainsley Hall - For the Chronicle | Aug 23, 2024

CHARLES TOWN — The Jefferson County Board of Education on Aug. 12 voted down plans to lease land to Jefferson County Parks and Recreation for a new public park by the new Shepherdstown Elementary School building, with plans to continue the discussion in the future.

For several years, Jefferson County Schools has talked with JCPR about starting a partnership to build a new public park near Shepherdstown. Jennifer Myers, JCPR director, attended the board meeting to answer board members’ questions and give a brief overview of their plans.

Currently, the park is only conceptual, though Myers’ team has come up with many ideas, including a potential sensory playground for special-needs children.

“The main idea that came out several years ago when we started this conversation is that the schools, as well as parks and rec, would love there to be a destination playground in Jefferson County — a playground that everyone can use that is open to all ages and abilities,” Myers said. “It seemed like the Shepherdstown property would be a great site to make something like that happen.”

In order to move forward with its plans, JCPR needs approval for the lease from the board of education. However, the board didn’t seem ready to accept the lease. Board member Donna Joy shared that she wished to have a presentation to learn more about the project. Joy also wanted to know why Shepherdstown was chosen over other areas with a higher population of special-needs children. She requested more information before making her decision.

New board member Rikki Twyford said that she wanted to make sure there was an “escape clause” in the lease, just in case JCPR didn’t receive the grant funding it needed to build the park.

The ground lease for the park would be for 30 years, so that as JCPR starts applying for grants, it can prove the longevity of the park.

Twyford wanted to make sure there was a way for the schools to reevaluate their options if JCPR can’t get the funding it needs. Despite her concerns, Twyford shared that she thinks it’s a great idea to partner with JCPR to make this happen.

After putting the motion on the table to approve the lease, the motion was voted down, with three voting against and one abstention. Board President Kathryn Skinner asked Superintendent Chuck Bishop to add an item to the next agenda to give board members more time to prepare questions and to have their legal team review the lease.