Monday, September 21, 2009

Planning Costs for Westover and Shirlington Libraries Exceeded Construction Costs

According to an employee in the Arlington County Manager's Office planning costs exceeded the brick-and-mortar construction costs of both the Shirlington and Westover branch libraries. Arlington voters approved an $8 million bond referendum in 1998 to construct new libraries in Westover and Shirlington. The Shirlington branch library was completed in 2006, after being delayed for several years by the Signature Theater, which shares the same building. The new Westover branch library is scheduled to open on October 31st, 11 years after voters approved its construction.

10 comments:

Joan said...

I will never vote for Jay Fisette, Barbara Favola, and Chris Zimmerman again. Westover and Shirlington libraries are typical of the way they have wasted and squandered hundreds of millions of tax dollars.

Cindi said...

Planning cost for Shirlington was $1.5 million. Actual construction cost was $1.1 million. For that we received an energy inefficient glassed-in parking garage with furniture and carpets and Internet access and 10,000 mystery and romance novels.

Anonymous said...

Jay Fisette only cares about his pet projects, people, and interest groups. I'm voting for John Reeder. This County will go bankrupt funding recreation and entertainment if we don't get some people with common sense on the County Board.

Pikester said...

Pike trolley and trolley through Potomac Yards are for tourist transit, not to get people to work on time. Why do we keep electing people who spend hundreds of millions on their pet projects?

Anonymous said...

Jay Fisette is largely responsible for the delays in Shirlington and Westover branch library construction.

Anonymous said...

I heard that Teatro de la Luna, partnered with another live theater group, was promised a theater to be constructed by the County as soon as the local economy improves.

Anonymous said...

County Board, especially Zimmerman, Favola, and Fisette, want families with a household income less than $150,000 / year out of Arlington.

Douglas Park Yuppie said...

I am FOR the Pike trolley. I am tired of the Latinos and all their problems. The Latinos have been in Arlington and living on the Pike for almost 30 years and are as dysfunctional as ever. Time for them to hit the road to PW County where they can do their domestic violence thing, drug thing, alcohol thing, loud music thing, etc. Hasta la vista from this Douglas Park Yuppie.

Anonymous said...

Douglas Park Yuppie, how can Latinos NOT live in PW County when you throw them a $20 bill after they spend 4 hours cleaning your McMansion?

Anonymous said...

Yupette, having a County employee on the payroll typically costs the taxpayers $90,000 to $140,000 per year. The time spent by these employees on public infrastructure construction and development comes out of department budgets.