Hello, Yupette,
I was unhappy to see that the Arlington County Board and Fairfax County Board don't want to even mention alternatives to the Pike streetcar, although enhanced bus service would serve Pike residents equally as well as streetcars at 1/5 the cost.
It's time to state what the Arlington County Board's twin agendas are: racism and elitism. They want all minorities and the middle class out of Arlington. They want every building on the Pike to be another Penrose Square or 5500. They want miles of upscale restaurants. They want restaurant employees to commute 40 miles one-way, just like Clarendon and Shirlington.
Well, I want the County Board out of office. They're nothing bunch a bunch of racists and elitists, including Walter Tejada.
Same thing occurred in Alexandria with waterfront development and now the real Democrats are going after PlutoCrat Elitist Bill Euille to vote him out. About time.
Same must happen in Arlington, starting with electing Audrey Clement on March 27th. While we're at it, time to fire the gang that's making Arlington an 'New Urbanist Redevelopment Opportunity'. Starting with Barbara Donnellan.
Thanks for your blog.
K.L.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
When Will My Street Be Repaved? County to Spend $320,000 for 'Designer Fence' at Water Pollution Control Plant
Hello, Yupette,
In case you want to know where the money to repave your crumbling street is going, check out Item 23 on the County Board's agenda this Saturday. The County will give an artist $320,000 - $350,000 for a 'compelling innovative design concept for the fence that separates South Eads Street from the water pollution control plant.' The length of the 'designer fence' will be 1600 feet. This will be in an area of S. Eads street where the WMATA bus maintenance facility is across the street from the wastewater treatment plant. There is already an expensive fence surrounding the water pollution control plant that was recently installed.
Bethany
In case you want to know where the money to repave your crumbling street is going, check out Item 23 on the County Board's agenda this Saturday. The County will give an artist $320,000 - $350,000 for a 'compelling innovative design concept for the fence that separates South Eads Street from the water pollution control plant.' The length of the 'designer fence' will be 1600 feet. This will be in an area of S. Eads street where the WMATA bus maintenance facility is across the street from the wastewater treatment plant. There is already an expensive fence surrounding the water pollution control plant that was recently installed.
Bethany
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Arlington 'Counter-Terrorrism' Exercises Referred to Arlington Greens as 'Terrorists' in Training Scenarios
Hello Yupette,
More bad news regarding the rightward drift of Arlington County Government.
There was a big 'anti-terrorist' training exercise in Arlington this morning. Police, Fire, EMS, ATF, FBI, etc., all took part.
Apparently anyone who is to the left of the Arlington County Democratic Committee and/or doesn't go along with ACDC's program is a 'terror suspect' these days.
So local 'law enforcement' characterized 'Greens' as 'Terrorists' in several SWAT Team training scenarios.
What next? Round up anyone who doesn't go along with Zimmerman's program and throw us all in a concentration camp?
Stay tuned.
2100
More bad news regarding the rightward drift of Arlington County Government.
There was a big 'anti-terrorist' training exercise in Arlington this morning. Police, Fire, EMS, ATF, FBI, etc., all took part.
Apparently anyone who is to the left of the Arlington County Democratic Committee and/or doesn't go along with ACDC's program is a 'terror suspect' these days.
So local 'law enforcement' characterized 'Greens' as 'Terrorists' in several SWAT Team training scenarios.
What next? Round up anyone who doesn't go along with Zimmerman's program and throw us all in a concentration camp?
Stay tuned.
2100
Thursday, March 1, 2012
'Pike Transit' Meeting - All About Streetcars and Pike 'Clarendonization'
Hello,
We received e-mail from several persons who attended yesterday's 'Pike Transit Policy Committee' meeting at the Annandale Government Center on the Pike. The two elected officials who attended were Jay Fisette and Penny Gross (the Fairfax County Supervisor whose district includes the Pike within Fairfax County). Also transportation lobbyists, county staff, planners, corporate facilitators, developers, and their attorneys.
None of these people cared about what the alternative transportation analysis determined and none of them care about what the environmental analysis will determine. They want to massively lobby the Federal Transit Administration so they can get their streetcar system funded and the equivalent of Clarendon constructed on the Pike. They didn't talk about transportation, they talked about development. Much of what they talked about was a proposed streetcar station at Skyline which Vornado and Target are heavily involved in planning. None of the 'decision makers' at the meeting cared at all what Arlington and Fairfax County residents think...we're just nuisances to them.
Cindy
We received e-mail from several persons who attended yesterday's 'Pike Transit Policy Committee' meeting at the Annandale Government Center on the Pike. The two elected officials who attended were Jay Fisette and Penny Gross (the Fairfax County Supervisor whose district includes the Pike within Fairfax County). Also transportation lobbyists, county staff, planners, corporate facilitators, developers, and their attorneys.
None of these people cared about what the alternative transportation analysis determined and none of them care about what the environmental analysis will determine. They want to massively lobby the Federal Transit Administration so they can get their streetcar system funded and the equivalent of Clarendon constructed on the Pike. They didn't talk about transportation, they talked about development. Much of what they talked about was a proposed streetcar station at Skyline which Vornado and Target are heavily involved in planning. None of the 'decision makers' at the meeting cared at all what Arlington and Fairfax County residents think...we're just nuisances to them.
Cindy
Monday, February 27, 2012
Enhanced Pike Bus Service - Same Level of Service as Pike Streetcars at 1/5 the Cost
Hello Yupette:
If you haven't seen WMATA's analysis of enhanced bus vs. streetcar service costs and benefits, you should go to www.piketransit.com and click on 'View the February Community Group Presentations' under Pike Transit Initiative.
For just over $50 million spent on higher capacity buses we can get about the same level of transit service on the Pike as we would by paying $250 million for streetcars. WMATA should analyze the economics of double-deck buses as well as so-called articulated buses.
Moreover, with enhanced bus service on the Pike there would be money left over for expanding the ART Bus network and for other new transportation projects. It appears the Pike streetcar system would consume all the revenue from the commercial property surtax that's supposed to fund new transit projects.
Zimmerman's Pike streetcar is all about massive development along the Pike, not about efficiently and effectively moving people. Why else would the County pay 5 times more than it needs to spend for public transit on the Pike.
Enough wasteful spending is enough. I'm going to send Zimmerman a strong message by voting for Audrey Clement on March 27th. You should too.
Pike Rider
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Clement-Garvey AGENA Debate Reveals Garvey Ignores Parents, Communicates With Insiders Regarding School Capacity
Hello Yupette,
I attended the AGENA (Arlington General Employees Association) debate this afternoon between Audy Clement and Libby Garvey (Mark Kelly did not attend).
Libby stressed her management of Arlington's school system. Audrey Clement stressed the need for fiscal responsibility in County Government. Both disagreed with County Manager Barbara Donnellan's handling of the dispute between the County and AGENA over defined benefit vs. defined contribution retirement plans.
One part of the debate that was very interesting occurred when Audrey asked why Tuckahoe parents were left out of the loop regarding new classroom construction. Libby responded by disparaging Tuckahoe parents who did not agree with the capacity planning 'decision makers'.
One of Libby's Fairlington neighbors attended the debate and repeatedly asked Libby when the ambitious plans for Abingdon School (which does not have capacity problems) were going to be revealed to the Fairlington community and when she would appear at a Fairlington Citizens Accociation meeting to discuss plans for Abingdon School with her neighbors. Libby would not only not commit to discuss Abingdon School planning with her neighbors, she stated she already met privately with several members of the Abingdon School PTA.
So, folks, here's the deal...whatever deal is worked out among Democratic Machine insiders about school capacity is gonna be a done deal before parents learn about it.
BTW, Audrey won the debate. I gave her and A and Libby a B-minus.
2100
I attended the AGENA (Arlington General Employees Association) debate this afternoon between Audy Clement and Libby Garvey (Mark Kelly did not attend).
Libby stressed her management of Arlington's school system. Audrey Clement stressed the need for fiscal responsibility in County Government. Both disagreed with County Manager Barbara Donnellan's handling of the dispute between the County and AGENA over defined benefit vs. defined contribution retirement plans.
One part of the debate that was very interesting occurred when Audrey asked why Tuckahoe parents were left out of the loop regarding new classroom construction. Libby responded by disparaging Tuckahoe parents who did not agree with the capacity planning 'decision makers'.
One of Libby's Fairlington neighbors attended the debate and repeatedly asked Libby when the ambitious plans for Abingdon School (which does not have capacity problems) were going to be revealed to the Fairlington community and when she would appear at a Fairlington Citizens Accociation meeting to discuss plans for Abingdon School with her neighbors. Libby would not only not commit to discuss Abingdon School planning with her neighbors, she stated she already met privately with several members of the Abingdon School PTA.
So, folks, here's the deal...whatever deal is worked out among Democratic Machine insiders about school capacity is gonna be a done deal before parents learn about it.
BTW, Audrey won the debate. I gave her and A and Libby a B-minus.
2100
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Garvey, School System, Are Anti-Environment, Anti-Green
Hello, Yupette,
Want to know how 'green' and 'environmentally friendly' Libby Garvey, the School Board, and School Administration are? Well, they're not. Just check out their 'capacity planning' drawings on the School System's capacity Web pages....apsva.us/capacity.
What you will see are architectural renderings of Libby Garvey's and the School System's preferred plans for Arlington's elementary schools...more of the same kind of energy inefficient and anti-green 'planning' that gave us W-L High School. More parking. More focus on educational amenities rather than classroom learning. More turning green space into impervious surface. No apparent interest in on-site renewable energy, at least none is depicted on the architectural renderings. Extravagant spending on schools that are not over-capacity - e.g., Abingdon School.
Like W-L and Wakefield, it appears that school capacity planning was a result of interactions among the School Board, School Administration, the School System's pet architects, and the School Board's pet 'community leaders'. It was interesting to note - during the meeting at Reed School last night - how many parents and residents who don't have children in the school system are 'out of the loop'.
So, more green charades from Libby and the School Board. Any action Libby would take to be 'independent' of Zimmerman on the County Board would be purely coincidental to their shared status quo agenda.
Want to know how 'green' and 'environmentally friendly' Libby Garvey, the School Board, and School Administration are? Well, they're not. Just check out their 'capacity planning' drawings on the School System's capacity Web pages....apsva.us/capacity.
What you will see are architectural renderings of Libby Garvey's and the School System's preferred plans for Arlington's elementary schools...more of the same kind of energy inefficient and anti-green 'planning' that gave us W-L High School. More parking. More focus on educational amenities rather than classroom learning. More turning green space into impervious surface. No apparent interest in on-site renewable energy, at least none is depicted on the architectural renderings. Extravagant spending on schools that are not over-capacity - e.g., Abingdon School.
Like W-L and Wakefield, it appears that school capacity planning was a result of interactions among the School Board, School Administration, the School System's pet architects, and the School Board's pet 'community leaders'. It was interesting to note - during the meeting at Reed School last night - how many parents and residents who don't have children in the school system are 'out of the loop'.
So, more green charades from Libby and the School Board. Any action Libby would take to be 'independent' of Zimmerman on the County Board would be purely coincidental to their shared status quo agenda.
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