ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today announced Howard County Government has solidified the property necessary to advance the development of Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) High School #14 (HS14) at Troy Park at Elkridge, with the finalization of the County’s Department of Recreation & Parks’ Open Space Conversion with the State of Maryland. Photos from the event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website and video on the County Executive Facebook webpage.
Since taking office more than seven years ago, I have made education one of my highest priorities. Together, we have modernized school facilities, expanded classroom capacity, enhanced safety and technology, built new schools, introduced innovative academic programs, and strengthened support for our educators. Through the partnerships with our community, task forces, school leaders, and the Board of Education, the County has made significant progress in meeting the needs of our students and families. Today, we continue to take another important step toward investing in the future of our schools with the progress of High School #14 in Elkridge. Troy Park’s location ensures we are balancing our interest in preserving taxpayer funds by limiting acquisition costs while curbing impacts on the surrounding community.
After an extensive evaluation process, the County determined that Troy Park at Elkridge is the best and most viable location for a future HCPSS school site, particularly as Troy Park offers several important advantages, including:
- The property is already owned by the County, eliminating the need for additional land acquisition;
- It ensures County-owned land is leveraged to maximize benefits for both students and the broader community; and
- It provides a high school site within the Elkridge community, helping meet the area's long-term educational needs.
The site was made possible through recent land acquisitions that allowed the County to successfully meet the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Program Open Space land conversion requirements necessary to construct HS14. The conversion process required that the County place a program open space easement on an equivalent 48-acres to move forward with transferring the land to HCPSS. As Ball hinted at during an “Elkridge Forward” community meeting this past fall, this land conversion obligation was made possible with the County’s acquisition of Camp Ilchester from the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, the Old Washington Road for the Elkridge Community and 50+ Center, and the Lawyers Hill parcel.
Next week, Ball will submit legislation to the Howard County Council to dispose of the 48.64 acres of undeveloped land at Troy Park at Elkridge to the Howard County Board of Education, enabling HS14 to be incorporated into HCPSS’s long-range planning efforts.
“Securing this property for the future needs of our school system is an important investment, and we are grateful for the opportunity it provides,” said Cornell Brown, Chief Operations Officer, HCPSS. “I know I echo the sentiments of Superintendent Bill Barnes when I express my appreciation to County Executive Calvin Ball for his partnership and commitment to long-term planning. The strong partnership between the County and the school system allows us to move beyond simply reacting to challenges and instead plan proactively for the future. That collaborative approach gives us greater certainty, better information, and the ability to respond strategically to emerging needs.”
“On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you to County Executive Ball and his team for their herculean efforts to secure this property and transfer it to the school system for future school development. As an Elkridge resident for over 20 years, I also want to thank the many community members who have advocated for decades to bring a high school to Elkridge. Securing this land will not only benefit the Elkridge community, but it will benefit the entire school system and county,” said Meg Ricks, Member, Howard County Board of Education.
Since taking office in December 2018, Ball has made education one of his top highest priorities. That same month, he convened a High School #14 Task Force to carefully weigh the options on proposed locations. Troy Park was first suggested by the Task Force and was vetted through two environmental assessments to ensure its viability. In addition to Troy Park, the Task Force also looked at the County’s Timbers at Troy Golf and a site at 6571 Washington Boulevard as possible locations. Due to logistics and the cost of acquiring six privately owned parcels not currently for sale, the Washington Boulevard site was nixed from consideration. Ultimately, Troy Park was considered the most environmentally friendly for HS14.
“Since I took office in 2018, Elkridge has been at the core of investments in Howard County,” said Christiana Rigby, Vice Chair of the Howard County Council. “With three Councilmembers representing Elkridge and partnership with the County Executive, we have expanded the Elkridge Library and 50+ Center, begun construction on the Elkridge Community Center, and focused on pedestrian connection investments and Rapid Ride transportation to connect everyone! Moving forward, Elkridge will continue to be a core focus of investment for both Howard County Government and HCPSS.”
Furthermore, in October 2020, Ball announced Troy Park as the County’s site preference for HS14, sending a letter to HCPSS and its Board of Education asking for the school system to convene the Site Review Committee to move the project forward.
In August 2023, HCPSS opened Guilford Park High School in Jessup, Howard County’s first new high school in nearly two decades.