A committee of the McLean Community Center  board agreed in secret Tuesday night to award a contract worth up to $100,000 to a leading real estate company.

The Virginia Freedom of Information reads: "No resolution, ordinance, rule, contract, regulation or motion adopted passed or agreed to in a closed meeting shall become effective unless the public body following the meeting, reconvenes in open meeting and takes a vote of the membership on such resolution, ordinance, rule, contract, regulations or motion that shall have its substance reasonably identified in the open meeting."

The minutes of the committee state the members returned to public session simply to adjourn.

Kevin Dent, chair of the  Capital Facilities Committee  told the full MCC board Wednesday night that the committee of Risa Sanders, Craig Richardson and Lee DiCenso "recommend unanimously"  the hiring of Jones Lang LaSalle a national firm specializing in real estate services and investment management. MCC Board chair David Sanders also attended the closed meeting.

Dent said Wednesday the firm would do a feasibility study on what if anything the board might build on the site of the Old Firehouse in downtown McLean, where the board runs a teen center. MCC has long talked of replacing the teen center with  either a gymnasium or a community building that would include a black box theater.

A few challenges face the board: They don't own the land. There is no space for parking at a new building. The land needs rezoning. The board is unsure what it wants to build.

Robert Montgomery, who owns the surrounding land as well as other properties, has told the board he has no plans to redevelop downtown in the near future.

The board does have $12 million of our tax dollars that they have accumulated over the years by collecting more in taxes than were needed to run the community center.

The MCC board voted in September  to spend up to $100,000 of taxpayer money to hire a "downtown" consultant, but has never specifically explained to taxpayers what they would be paying for. Jones Lang was the only firm considered by the committee, Dent said.  The company was highly recommended by Fairfax County officials, Dent said.

Other details:

• The board wants Jones Lang to look at alternative locations in downtown in case the old firehouse site won't work.
• The contract will be based on hourly rates. Representatives of Jones Lang told the committee Tuesday that two people would work on the contract. Dent would not give a specific amount of money for the contract.

McLean Patch asked both Dent and Sanders why the board did not follow the procedures called for the Freedom of Information Act. They would not comment.