Hi Yupette,
I'm a nearby resident of Abingdon School (but I don't live in Fairlington) and am appalled by what's occurred during the so-called "planning" for Abingdon School's renovation and expansion. APS has out-and-out lied to us about how many more seats for students will be required at Abingdon and elsewhere, per the Civic Federation's Schools Committee report earlier this month.
Thanks to a few people who live close-by Abingdon School who are very concerned about the consequences of a vastly-expanded elementary school that would serve as another regional park, recreation, and activity center, like the South Fairlington Regional Center, we obtained documents from FOIA requests to the Arlington County Manager that indicate the intentions of both APS Staff and Arlington County Staff will be to focus on transportation, sports, recreation, and activities, rather than on education, at Abingdon.
To that end, Arlington Board of Education Chairman James Lander appointed Christian Dorsey to Abingdon's Building Level Advisory Committee. Mr. Dorsey is another SUV soccer parent who has, with APS Staff and County Staff, wasted at least $2 million facilitating state-of-the-art so-called "transportation planning" to benefit SUV soccer parents at the expense of educational and environmental infrastructure on the Abingdon campus.
Why did I laugh when I read the Washington Post report today which mis-characterized Christian Dorsey and Katie Cristol as "fiscal conservatives'? Because that's flat-out untrue. Only fiscal conservatives on the ballot who want to put an end to wasteful spending by APS and County Government are Audrey Clement and Mike McMenamin.
Mary, 22206
30 comments:
Correction, $2 million has already been wasted by Chris Dorsey pimping for Abingdon's SUV Soccer Parents. $5 million more will be wasted by County Parks and Recreation, Planning, and Transportation on 'gold plating' Fairlington's streets and sidewalks to benefit a handful of parents and children who will walk and bike to Abingdon School, weather permitting.
Christian Dorsey on Fox News? When will Abingdon School become a Charter School?
Thanks to Christian Dorsey, no on-site geothermal, no on-site solar water and photovoltaic, few energy efficiency improvements beyond what's already been incorporated into the school. School additions are ugly and don't relate architecturally to the surrounding residential communities.
Millennials are a-holes, have you noticed?
you mean...pimping for his fellow Abingdon Millennial Lexus Liberal soccer parents who have about 3 minutes to drive up to the school, kick their kid out of their Lexus SUV, and zoom off to work
County transportation "planners" are imposing multi-modal gridlock on Fairlington at a cost of millions. These people don't live in Arlington and every neighborhood project is another opportunity to waste millions. These are the same wonderful people who were responsible for the million dollar bus shelter on Columbia Pike.
Was anyone even reprimanded for spending a million on a bus shelter?
You forgot to mention the school buses to and from Abingdon (and a number of other schools, mostly in North Arlington) are almost empty because parents want to drive their kid or kids to school.
Same County Transportation Planning Staff who think free range car sharing is a great idea because they use it where they live in DC. Consequently, they got Mary Hynes or Jay Fisette to put it on tomorrow's consent agenda.
No one on County Staff ever is reprimanded over anything. Several should have been fired over the million dollar bus shelter fiasco instead got to plan other transportation fiascos.
Does the County Board even know what's on its own consent agenda anymore? There are what, 40 items, on tomorrow's consent agenda. Doesn't the County Manager, County Attorney, and County Board Clerk - who don't live in Arlington - put whatever they feel is appropriate on the consent agenda?
Want to know what the site plan conditions for Abingdon School the County Board will approve in September? Ask the County Planning, Transportation, and Parks and Rec staff who put together an extravagant complete streets package, when they weren't posting trash to the ArlNow blog.
Site plan conditions for Abingdon? Already been pre-approved and scheduled to be rubber-stamped by the County Board at the September 19th County Board meeting.
The Civic Federation Schools Committee Executive Summary states:
"The Arlington County Civic Federation Schools Committee expects that thousands more seats will be needed by 2024 than are projected in the APS forecast and CIP".
So the relocatables will stay at Abingdon? LOL.
REMINDER - First installment of your real estate taxes is due Monday.
More like $5 million was wasted over 7 months planning boutique parking at Abingdon.
There was no leadership from Christian Dorsey on the Abingdon building level planning committee.
How much is being wasted planning for schools like W-L that will need relocatables and additions soon after they are constructed?
Abingdon doesn't need capacity for 136 more students, Abingdon needs capacity for 336 more students.
Chris Dorsey was appointed to the Abingdon BLPC to quell a revolt of neighbors and some parents who wanted to put as much money into the building as possible for infrastructure directly related to education.
How much is being wasted right now planning for an Abingdon School addition that will be overflowing with students the day it opens?
How much is being wasted "planning" multi-modal gridlock for the neighborhoods around Abingdom?
Not surprising. Arlington Democratic Committee keeps tight reins on Fairlington via various ward heelers like Chris Dorsey. They're bringing Don Beyer to next month's civic association meeting to fool the sheeple into believing that Dandy Don is doing something for us on the Hill.
Congressman Beyer will be making a pitch to Fairlington's Lexus Liberals to upgrade to a Don Beyer of Alexandria Range Rover.
Much of the Abingdon School's mechanical equipment that was to be completely replaced won't be.
Christian Dorsey has done almost nothing in the way of public service over the last decade. He was placed on the Abingdon BLPC to pad his resume'
The plumbing, wiring, etc., in the current Abington Building won't be replaced either. What happened to the $30+ million budgets for the school?
Use permit conditions for Abingdon were filed with Zoning late last month. More money has been spend on exterior amenities than on the school's interior.
Appears the renovated Abingdon School may be less energy-efficient than the present school.
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