 In April 2008 , the location of the Swanson Science Center had to be shifted several feet towards Maiden Street after three members of the Washington City Council voted to reject an offer from the College to purchase Strawberry Alley , which runs through the campus . The College had offered $ 102 @,@ 500 for the alleyway , which had an appraised value of $ 2 @,@ 500 . Following the vote , the Mayor of Washington indicated that one of the three nay votes had reneged on an agreement between the college and the council to accept the offer . Instead of accepting the offer , the City Council wanted to levy a $ 100 annual municipal services fee on each student , a proposal that was nearly identical to the service fee that was ruled illegal in 1995 . The fee proposal never came to a vote , and in March 2010 , the City Council voted unanimously to vacate Strawberry Alley , allowing the College to assume ownership of it for free . 
