KRISTAKURTH,ETAL.,BEFORETHEAppellantMARYLANDv.STATEBOARDMONTGOMERYCOUNTYBOARDOFEDUCATION,OFEDUCATIONAppellee.OpinionNo.11-38OPINIONINTRODUCTIONThisisaconsolidatedappealofthedecisionoftheMontgomeryCountyBoardofEducation(localboard)toleaseanareaoflandknownastheBrickyardRoadSitetoMontgomeryCountytobedevelopedandusedasballfields.TheappealwasfiledbyvariousMontgomeryCountycitizensresidinginPotomacneartheBrickyardRoadSite.ThelocalboardfiledMotionstoDismisstheappealforuntimelinessastosomeoftheAppellantsandlackofstandingastotheremainingAppellants.SomeoftheAppellantshaverespondedtotheMotions.Thelocalboardhasreplied.FACTUALBACKGROUNDTheBrickyardRoadSiteisapossiblefutureschoolsiteconsistingofa20-acreparceloflandlocatedonBrickyardRoadinPotomac,Maryland.AppellantsNicholasMaravellandhiswife,VictoriaCowles,resideonHorseshoeLaneinPotomac,whichisapropertyadjacenttothe20acreparcelofland.TheotherAppellantsclaimtoliveinthenearbyvicinity.Mr.MaravellistheownerofNick'sOrganicFarm,L.L.C.

1980,Nick'sOrganicFarmbeganleasingtheBrickyardRoadSitefromMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools(MCPS)foragriculturalpurposes,andbeganoperatinganorganicfarmontheproperty.Overathirtyyearperiod,MCPSconsecutivelyleasedthepropertytoNick'sOrganicFarm.AlthoughMCPSwouldperiodicallyputtheleaseoutforbid,Nick'sOrganicFarmalwaysprevailedasthesuccessfulbidderandwasgrantedthelease.Alloftheleaseswerestructuredasoneyearleaseswithtwotofourannualoptionstorenew.TheleasesprovidedthatthesitewassubjecttorecallbyMCPSon90daysnoticeifneededforschoolconstruction,schoolpurposes,orifitwasdeclaredassurpluspropertynolongerneededbyMCPSinwhichcaseitwouldbeconveyedtotheCounty.

ThemostrecentleasebetweenNick'sOrganicFarmandMCPScommencedonMarch23,2006.Thatleasewasforaninitialoneyearterm,withNick'sOrganicFarmhavingfouradditionaloneyearoptions,allofwhichitexercised.ThelastoptionperiodexpiredonMarch22,2011.(Appeal,Ex.1)..In2004,theCountyExecutiveaskedthelocalboardtosurplustheBrickyardRoadSite.Atthattime,thelocalboarddeferreddispositionofthesiteuntilalternativemiddleschoolsitesinthenearbyChurchill,Whitman,andWootonclusterscouldbeevaluated.(Appeal,Ex.10,BoardMeetingMinutes,3/22/04).InNovember2009,theCountyExecutiverequestedthatMCPSleasetheBrickyardRoadSitetotheCountyto"beminimallydevelopedtouseforballfieldswithminimalstructuralchangessothatifnecessary,it[could]bequicklyreclaimedbyMCPS."(Appeal,Ex.2).Thereafter,MCPSstaffmetseveraltimeswithCountystafftoexplorehowaleasecouldbestructuredsothatthesitecouldberetrievedforschoolconstructiononshortnotice,ifneeded.MCPSstaffbriefedthelocalboardontheissueinMayandJuneof2010.(Appeal,Ex.4).InearlyMarch2011,schoolofficialsinformedMr.MaravellandNick'sOrganicFarmthatthepropertywouldnotberebidafterthecurrentleaseexpiredonMarch23,2011.Instead,thelocalSuperintendentproposedthatthelocalboardleasethepropertytotheCountytobeusedforballfields.AppellantsandotherslivingneartheBrickyardRoadSitewrotelettersandemails,andappearedatthelocalboard'sMarch8,2011meetingtoexpresstheirviewpoints.OnMarch8,2011,afterdiscussingtheSuperintendent'sproposalandvariousproposedamendments,thelocalboardadoptedthefollowingresolutionatitsmeeting:WHEREAS,MontgomeryCountyisinterestedinconstructingmoreballfieldstoprovideadditionalrecreationalfacilitiesforMontgomeryCountyresidentsandhasidentifiedthefutureBrickyardMiddleSchoolsite,locatedonBrickyardRoadinPotomac,Maryland,asalocationforballfieldconstruction;andWHEREAS,MontgomeryCountyhasrequestedalandleaseofthe20-acresitethatwouldincludeatermof10yearswiththeoptiontoreclaimthesiteshoulditbeneededforschoolconstructionpurposes;andWHEREAS,MontgomeryCountywillberesponsiblefornotifyingthecommunity,obtainingallrequiredpermits,developingandmaintainingtheballfields,andpayinganannualrentof$I,500;nowthereforebeitResolved,ThatthepresidentoftheBoardofEducationandthesuperintendentofschoolsbeauthorizedtoexecuteaLandLeaseAgreementwithMontgomeryCountyforconstructionofballfieldsatthefutureBrickyardMiddleSchoolsite;andbeitfurther2

Resolved,thatNick'sOrganicFarmbeallowedtoplanandharvestduringthe2011seasonthroughJanuary1,2012,viaasubleasewiththecountyexecutive,andduringwhichtimethecountyexecutivewillworkwiththecommunityandsolicitrequestsforproposalsforgrassballfields;andbeitfurtherResolved,ThatMontgomeryCountyPublicSchoolsmustbeabletoreclaimthepropertyforschoolneedsbasedonthesoledeterminationbytheBoardofEducationbygivingtwoyears'notice.(LocalBd.Motion,BoardMeetingMinutes3/8/11).TheCountydescribestheprojectasfollows:TheBrickyardRoadSoccerFieldsprojectisproposedtoconsistofgradinganddevelopmentofexistingcornfieldstodevelopuptofoursoccerfields.Theprojectwillconsistofprivatedevelopment,maintenanceandoperationofsoccerfieldsandconstructionandmaintenanceofadequateonsiteparking.Developmentoftheprojectwillincludedesignandconstructionofsoccerfields,parking,StormwaterManagement,siteimprovementsandotherrequirements....(LocalBd.ReplytoOpposition,Ex.A).Thefieldswillbenaturalturffieldsandtherewillbenolightingorsoundsystem.

Id.

ThisappealtotheStateBoardfollowed.Intotal,theStateBoardreceived41separateappealsofthismatter.TwooftheAppellantshavewithdrawnfromthecase.AstotheremainingAppellants,thelocalboardseekstodismiss7foruntimelyfilingandseekstodismissallremainingAppellantsforlackofstanding.MOTIONTODISMISS

Untimeliness

ThelocalboardarguesthatthefollowingAppellantsshouldbedismissedfromthecasebecausetheyfailedtotimelyfiletheirappealstotheStateBoard:ShahramandFahimehBagheri,

Anh

andTomSawyer,MonicaHan,GeraldKatz,theShumanFamily,ChhayaRao,andJeanCanada.

COMAR13A.01.05.02B(1)providesthatanappealtotheStateBoard"shallbetakenwithin30calendardaysofthedecisionofthelocalboard"andthatthe"30daysrunfromthelaterofthedateoftheorderortheopinionreflectingthedecision."