Planning Commission Votes to Protect McKinley School Trees

Hey, Yupette,

Arlington Planning Commission met last night and approval of the plans for McKinley School renovation and expansion were the first item on the agenda.

To the surprise of most in attendance the Planning Commission voted to protect a number of mature trees on-site rather than increase parking by 20 spaces.

Did not help the cause of APS and County planning staff when staffers revealed that public transit in the neighborhood is underutilized.

The Planning Commission also grilled APS's Director of Design and Construction, Scott Prisco, about the lack of capability to add floors to the school vertically (build up, not out). Since APS's Facilities and Operations Staff don't like modular construction, designing school buildings where classrooms can be added vertically within a few months is too expensive using conventional construction methods.

County Board will take up the McKinley School expansion and renovation on September 20th.

Terri, 22205

Democratic Sock Puppets Should Not Serve on the School Board

 Hi Yupette,

I'm a parent with a child who attends Washington and Lee High School. And I am tired of the same sock puppet Democrats being nominated and elected to the School Board.

Whatever Barbara Kanninen and Nancy Van Doren say they want to do on the School Board in fact they have to go along with whatever decisions are made by the Arlington Democratic Committee behind closed doors. So, because Jay Fisette wants a new "Taj Mahal" elementary school (with lots of parking) at Thomas Jefferson Middle School they will have to facilitate that. Doesn't matter what the neighbors who live around TJ want.

It gets worse. At least three School Board members have retired or resigned in recent years because they disagreed with ACDC's agenda for APS - more strains on an already-stressed school system because of massive urbanization.

Barbara's and Nancy's performance at the Civic Federation candidates' forum last week - platitudes and promises - indicated they will do only what the Arlington Democratic Committee tells them to do. If they  serve on the School Board at some point one or both will get fed up and quit.

I ask the School Board to appoint an Independent to serve the remainder of Sally Baird's term of office. I'm voting for Independent Audrey Clement in November. Virginia's school boards are supposed to be independent of party politics. But Arlington's School Board is even more partisan than the County Board was before Chris Zimmerman left. And Barbara Kanninen and Nancy Van Dorn are a couple of Democratic sock puppets.

Linda, Cherrydale