Hello,
A group of architects, planners, and consultants filled Abingdon Elementary School's library this afternoon to hear Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations John Chadwick and Director of Design and Construction Scott Prisco describe the process for submitting a RFP for the Abingdon School addition and renovation at a cost of $28.75 million to add 136 seats, and for construction of a new elementary school on the grounds of Thomas Jefferson Middle School at a cost of $50.25 million to add 725 seats. However, according to Mr. Prisco there is no guarantee that a new elementary school will be constructed on the TJ site in view of intense community opposition. The alternative to an elementary school on the TJ site is additions to two existing elementary schools.
The winning architectural teams will face tight deadlines, Abingdon School's completion date is September 2017 and the completion date for a new elementary school on the TJ site is September 2018. APS expects RFPs to be submitted as soon as possible (material related to RFPs for both projects can be found on APS's Web site). APS contemplates a lengthy community process planning both projects.
As with Williamsburg and Ashlawn, APS contemplates teaming with Arlington Parks and Recreation to replace open space at TJ and Abingdon with playing fields as 'community amenities'. How much, if any, open space remains will depend on residents of adjacent neighborhoods.
Meeting attendees were given a tour of Abingdon School by the school's principal. It became apparent during the tour that complaints by parents of the school's run down state are largely due to lack of good housekeeping, to poor storage, and to lack of interior maintenance.
After touring Abingdon School about half the attendees drove to TJ where they were encouraged to tour the TJ grounds. APS Facilities and Operations Staff want an elementary school constructed on the TJ site and consider those who oppose a new elementary school on the site to be 'neighborhood nuisances'.
Cindy
27 comments:
$28,750,000 divided by 136 = $211,397
A small but significant amount of the CIP funding for school construction will be used to take as much open space as possible from school sites to be used for dedicated-use athletic fields.
If the neighborhoods near TJ are unhappy now, wait until they see how much additional open space APS plans to take for athletics.
Chadwick and Prisco didn't know or care that Fairlington residents spent a huge amount of time having Fairlington put on the National Register of Historic Places.
As with Williamsburg and Ashlawn, APS is going to be on another planet when it comes to neighborhoods and school construction.
Abingdon is costing $211,397 per seat? Price of gold is about $1325 per ounce. So $211,397 will buy about 160 ounces of pure gold, or about 10 lbs.
So APS isn't just gold plating the 136 new seats, it's having them manufactured out of pure gold.
Double click to enlarge the photo. Appears the ceiling tiles at Abingdon have never been replaced and are at least 30 years old.
More of the same old from the New Urbanists - allow infrastructure to become run-down and point to the infrastructure as run-down and must be replaced at a huge cost.
Exactly the argument the Abingdon School PTA Mommies made when they demanded run-down Abingdon School be replaced.
It gets worse. Precious metals are measured in troy ounces, about 10% heavier than regular (avoirdupois) ounces. So $211,397 / 136 X 1.1 = 175 regular ounces of pure gold.
The old Wakefield HS was also allowed to become run down.
What can you expect when New Urbanists get elected to the County Board and School Board and hire and appoint New Urbanists to run the County?
What can you expect when you hire a Supe who has a Ph.D. in Recreation?
School maintenance budget is tapped out from synthetic field renovation.
Does Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations Chadwick even care about school maintenance?
Check out John Chadwick's resume' on Linkedln.
W-L already needs an exterior pressure wash.
Chadwick apparently retired after a successful career with a big architectural firm specializing in school infrastructure.
Anyone know how much in the APS CIP is NOT going for school construction but to Parks and Rec for synthetic surface playing fields on the school campuses?
About 10% - So $5 million for TJ and about $2.5 million for Abingdon.
This is categorized as 'community amenities' in the budgeting for school construction but it's unlikely the community would be able to use dedicated playing fields as they now use the open space at TJ and Abingdon.
So why is APS going to the County Board for anything over the $460 million APS CIP paygo and borrowing limit? Put the funding for multi-jurisdiction sports and infrastructure on a parks and recreation bond.
Is this what we get from APS hiring high-priced architects? Every school campus is "Williamsburged" or "Ashlawned"?
The attitudes of Chadwick and Prisco towards the residential neighborhoods around Abingdon and TJ are at best condescending and at worst hostile.
I strongly suggest everyone with an interest in school construction do a Web search on "John Chadwick architect" and "Scott Prisco architect".
There is a HUGE feud between CPHD and the coalition of Parks and Rec and APS over the TJ land grab for an elementary school plus $5 million for a sports complex.
Check out Chadwick's and Prisco's previous school projects. Some are downright ugly.
"Lengthy community process"? LOL. Chadwick and Prisco made the major decisions months ago, together with Coach Murphy who never saw open space he didn't want to turn into a synthetic playing field.
Why do Chadwick and Prisco want school construction in Arlington to be like bulldozing an 80 acre soybean field in central Pennsylvania to build a new county school?
Abingdon soccer moms who are demanding are allowing Abingdon School to continue to be a dirty run down mess so they can demand that the County Board and School Board will build a brand new 'gold plated' school?
Is that like child abuse?
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