County Executive David Craig made a rare appearance at a Harford County Board of Education meeting this week, announcing that supplemental county funding would be provided for stadium upgrades at Havre de Grace High School and underscoring his support for a replacement facility for the aging school.
Speaking during the public comment period at the August 13th board meeting, Craig said that $1 million in county funding had been allocated in the school system’s budget for athletic stadium upgrades at Havre de Grace High, but school officials reported that recent bids for the project came in higher than expected. Craig said at the meeting that the county would provide additional funding, bringing the total available for the project up to a maximum of $1.4 million. Craig also said that the city of Havre de Grace was planning to waive utility hookup fees and inspection fees for the project, which would reduce final costs. In response to a question earlier today, Bob Thomas, a spokesman for Craig, said that the exact source of the additional $400,000 in county funding had not been determined.
Craig also said during his public comments that field upgrades at other county high schools would be supported by the county in the same way. He also reiterated his support for new buildings for four county schools: Youth’s Benefit Elementary School in Fallston, William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School in Abingdon, Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air (along with a related move of the John Archer School to the Bel Air Middle School campus), and Havre de Grace High. Craig said that he planned to attend or send a staff member to the school board’s August 20th public hearing, which has been planned to gather input on capital budget priorities for the fiscal year 2014 budget.
Concluding his brief remarks, Craig put a fine point on his own priorities, reading from a newspaper clipping a quote from the principal at Havre de Grace High School who was requesting a new school, saying it was necessary to prepare students for the challenges of modern society. The date of the quote: 1947.
Below is a letter Craig sent to Harford Schools Superintendent Robert Tomback offering the additional county funding for the Havre de Grace stadium improvements.
So the county is broke, but Craig can find money to upgrade a stadium that is less than 10 years old and already has had a Million dollar upgrade (artificial turf). Is his grandson going to be playing there soon?
Havre de Grace is Craig’s “baby” and most of granchildren will be feeding into Havre de Grace High School. He should focus on giving teachers and county employees their yearly steps instead of building. A building does not teacher children, teachers do that.
1.4 million can go to an already well equipped stadium but $75,000 cant go to minor upgrades at the Aberdeen High stadium where their team did better this year than HdG? Craig has lost all the support I ever had to him. He has given high paying jobs to family and friends who are unqualified, denied steps in pay for county employees and now is playing favorites with our tax dollars, and at the same time raising thousands for his future failed run for governor in 2014. The only thing I agree with him about is that Youth’s Benefit and William Paca definately need to be updated. Hopefuly after 2014 the only news of Craig will be that he lost his bid to return as Hdg mayor .
I think in should be kick out now before he does any more damage
Too late and no real alternatives that matter in the long run.