Kamenetz: Land Swap Will Benefit Public

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz told state officials Wednesday that a land swap with the county school system will benefit the public.

The Baltimore County Council Tuesday approved the swap of 10-acres in Mays Chapel for an adjacent 10-acre parcel owned by the Baltimore County Public Schools system. The school system plans to build a new Mays Chapel elementary school on the site.

Opponent of the swap and the school say the plan will result a loss of  the nearby parkland and walking trails.

State Treasurer Nancy Kopp Wednesday asked Kamenetz about the swap, the proposed project and concerns about the lose of open space.

"I just want to tell you the reason why we did this because we're addressing the community concerns," Kamenetz said. "We think by placing the school site on a different location on the parcel will result in more public use of the land."