Friends of Historic Glasgow (Delaware)

School district is seeking to destroy historic farm (8/10/05)

News Journal editorial on LaGrange

Your Aug. 4 article on the progress toward tearing up the historic La Grange farm contained a telling quote from Kelli Racca, of the Christina School District: "We've had our eye on the property for a while." Why would the school district have been eyeing La Grange long after Anne Barczewski placed an Historic Zoning Overlay on the entire farm in 1996? Perhaps the school district believes this can be rendered meaningless.

I have known Barczewski for 18 years. Years ago, she refused to sell any land for school construction. Why didn't the district seek other sites back then, when many other locations were still available?

When the county requested and she agreed to the historic overlay, she was told it would prevent development of her farm. She also believed her three children would honor her wishes to see the farm preserved as open space. Now a developer with a sly legal team, lead by Pamela Scott, wife of County Council President Paul Clark, is pitting one part of county government against another. If the Historic Review Board and county politicians oppose placement of a school next to the historic manor house, and deeding that house to the school district, they can be attacked as opposing needed schools.

Last year, the council refused to increase its offer to buy the property for parkland, ostensibly because of doubts over the farm's development potential. Where are those doubts today? This entire situation is a travesty of exploitation in the name of greed. If La Grange is destroyed, it can never be reclaimed.

David Arday, Member, Friends of Historic Glasgow, Fulton

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