> From: [log in to unmask]
> Date: August 6, 2005 8:26:21 AM EDT
> Subject: BARCZEWSKI Farm:  Letter Submitted Via Wilmington News
> Journal Website This A.M.
>
> To the Editor:
>
> Your August 4th article on the progress towards tearing up the
> historic La Grange farm contained a very 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 that such an overlay can
> be rendered meaningless.
>
> I have known Anne for 18 years. Years ago, she refused to sell any of
> her land for school construction. Why didn't the school district seek
> other sites back then, when there were many other locations still
> available?
>
> When the county later requested and she agreed to the historic
> overlay, she was told that it would prevent development of her farm.
> She also believed that her three children would honor her wishes to
> see the farm preserved as open space.
>
> Now we have a developer with a very sly legal team, lead by Pamela
> Scott, wife of Council President Paul Clark, pitting one part of
> county government against another. If the Historic Review Board and
> county politicians oppose the placement of a school next to the
> historic manor house, and the deeding of that house to the school
> district, they can be attacked as opposing needed schools. Will the
> council still thwart the district by opposing any zoning changes
> needed to support the developer's plans?
>
> Last year, the council refused to increase their 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 allowed to be destroyed, it can never be reclaimed.
>
> David Arday
> Member, Friends of Historic Glasgow
>