New! County plans for Hayden Farm to be discussed

Sunday, April 5, 2009

The St. Mary's County commissioners will hold a public information meeting on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss a proposed master plan for the Hayden property.

The 172-acre site near Leonardtown was purchased by county government for $5.3 million in hopes of using it for a new elementary school and other public facilities, possibly including a middle school, a new public library, recreational fields and hiking trails.

The April 7 meeting will discuss those proposals and give the community a first look at a concept plan that was developed in a meeting in February of school and county government officials.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D) said the meeting will also address some of the misinformation that was put out surrounding the property.

"We will try to get rid of some of the bad information that is on the street," he said.

The purchase price of the land was higher than two appraisals, which county officials said were based on farm use of the land instead of its development potential.

The meeting is not officially a public hearing, but Mattingly said the commissioners will likely allot time to hear comments.

"I would expect if they want to make some comments we will let them," particularly to help answer any questions, Mattingly said.

"Hopefully people will see it is not just a purchase or acquisition for today, it has some long-term opportunities," he said.

The parcel of land, known as the Hayden Farm, is located on Route 245 near the SMECO office.

Mattingly said within a month the commissioners might adopt the plan as a basic concept for the site. While a primary use of the property will be for the school site, the library trustees and staff are awaiting a decision on whether the land could be home to a new library.

"I like the way the plan came out; we went through a number of different variations as the day went on," Mattingly said.

The meeting will be in the commissioner's meeting room in the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown. Call the public information office at 301-475-4200, ext. 1340 for more information. To see information about the property visit the St. Mary's public school Web site at www.smcps.org/offices/dss/capital_planning/Hayden_Property.shtml.

jyeatman@somdnews.com