Kemp Mill Civic Association
11617 Gilsan St.
Silver Spring, MD 20902
president@kempmill.org
www.kempmill.org
President: Rebekah Rasooly
Vice President: Jay Marcus
Treasurer: Marilyn Lawlor
Secretary: Cynthia Brandt Campagna
Directors: Adrian Black, Marci Lavine Bloch, Adam Falader, Jim Priestley, Selena Snow
Nancy Navarro, County Council Member
Dear Ms. Navarro:
Re: Proposed sale of property to the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
The Kemp Mill Civic Association would like to express its support for the purchase of the former Peary High School property by the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy (MJBHA).
The KMCA, the civic association representing more than 1500 households in the Kemp Mill neighborhood, has an interest in this issue because 445 Kemp Mill children attend the MJBHA. Having an excellent, stable Jewish day school in easy commuting distance has helped attract many families to Kemp Mill, which has benefitted from the resulting strong property values and low vacancy rate. The presence of the school also significantly reduces the financial burden and space constraints facing the local public schools that would otherwise have to absorb these children.
At the time that the MJBHA moved into the vacant Peary High School property, there was an agreement between the MJBHA and the County to allow the school to purchase the property. Stability is vital to maintain strong institutions and the MJBHA was seeking stability when it moved to Aspen Hill. It is our hope that the County will fulfill its commitment and provide the school with a permanent home to allow it to remain a vital and dynamic force in strengthening Kemp Mill and Aspen Hill, along with other neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Rebekah Rasooly
President, KMCA