Extravagant Spending Will Continue for Parks and Rec in FY15

Hey Yupette,

Arlington Libraries and Parks and Recreation budgets were up for review at yesterday's County Board - County Manager FY15 Budget Work Session. While the Library System's budget and operations were scrutinized Parks and Recreation was given the go ahead for more extravagant spending for a wide range of activities, including a redesigned Longbridge Park Aquatics Center, which will include almost all, if not all, the previously-included aquatic amenities.

Based on questions by the County Board yesterday afternoon the Library System and Parks and Recreation are expected to operate under different management criteria. The Library System is required to justify its existence while Parks and Recreation is allowed an extravagant budget to fund a wide range of extravagant infrastructure and activities (e,g., the James Hunter Dog Park, architect and consultant designed playgrounds, purchase and demolition of a home adjacent to Douglas Park for open space).

The most cost-saving activity the Library System is engaged in, the photovoltaic arrays installed on the roof of Central Library funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was barely mentioned. However, the photovoltaic arrays are saving a substantial amount that would be spent for electricity. Unfortunately, these savings are offset by the Library System having to pay for the Signature Theater's utilities in their shared Shirlington building.

In addition to a 7% budget increase for FY 15, Parks and Recreation will have $12 million in one-time paygo funds. Parks and Rec also has money stashed in various slush funds. So look for more of the same from Parks and Rec, neither County Manager nor County Board expects anything else from them.

2100

Rosslyn Sector Plan: Community Needs vs. Jay Fisette's Wants

Hi, Yupette,

Rosslyn Sector Plan is going to the County Board this evening. Agenda Item 29. Or, rather, Jay Fisette's Rosslyn Sector Plan. The entire series of Rosslyn Process Panel meetings aka Realize Rosslyn aka Rosslyn Sector Plan has been a series of confrontations between County Board Chair Jay Fisette's wanting Rosslyn to be a luxury urban celebration zone and Rosslyn residents. Rosslyn residents voiced their concerns about increased density, increased building heights, lack of open space, transfer of development rights to other Arlington neighborhoods to preserve open space in Rosslyn, lack of affordable housing, increased traffic, redevelopment of existing public infrastructure (Wilson School), extending siting new tall buildings into Clarendon, and construction of extravagant public infrastructiure in and around the Rosslyn Metro Station, including extending a proposed Georgetown-Rosslyn streetcar line from the Rosslyn to Ballston.

Throughout the Rosslyn process panel meetings County Board Chair Fisette was supported by both County Staff and real estate trusts and developers in his efforts to impose massive upscale urbanization on Rosslyn. Rosslyn residents who expressed their concerns have been treated like 'neighborhood nuisances'.

So, look for massive upscale urbanization of Rosslyn over the next few years.

Robert in Rosslyn

Partying Millennials Trash Clarendon, Lyon Village

Hey Yupette,

I've lived near Clarendon a long time but this weekend was the worst ever for bad behavior by Millennials in Clarendon. Assaults, fights, urinating in public, people falling while drunk and hurting themselves, DWI and DUI, and so on. This behavior wasn't confined to the Clarendon Strip but spilled over into Lyon Village. Arlington Police could only react as best they could. I understand the Arlington Police are exasperated but the County Board, especially Jay Fisette and Mary Hynes (who lives near Clarendon and hears constant complaints about the partying), are all for more Millennial partying up and down the B-R corridor. The Millennial Mayhem finally stopped about 4 AM this morning. I understand there were dozens of arrests. Many others just took off before the cops showed up. And it isn't even St. Patrick's Day yet.

Thanks for running features that the local media wont run or dare not run. The ArlNow blog is the worst. Of, by, and for the Millennial urban hipsters.

Rebecca, Lyon Village

'Stovepipes' Common and Expensive in Local Transportation Planning

Hey Yupette,

Thanks to County Board Candidate John Vihstadt for raising the issue of  'Stovepipes' during the special County Board election campaign. But 'Stovepipes' aren't just common between Arlington County Government and the Arlington School System. Every jurisdiction (Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax County) gets to do it's own transportation planning inside the Virginia Beltway.

Why spend $300 million to $500 million on a streetcar system that will replace 10 buses on the Pike? Why are both a streetcar system and a bus rapid transit system being designed for Potomac Yards? Why does every jurisdiction get to design it's own multi-modal pedestrian and bicycle system? Why does every jurisdiction have its own local bus system which doesn't connect with other jurisdictions' local bus systems? Why is it difficult to walk from East Falls Church to Falls Church? From Arlington to Alexandria? From Arlington to Skyline? From Arlington to McLean? Why don't transportation planners from Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax County share transportation data (traffic counts) with each other?

Transportation is so expensive. And will be even more expensive. We should be eliminating 'Stovepipes' and 'Silos' whenever and wherever possible.

2100 too

Paygo and Advisory Commissions Budget Work Sessions - County Board to Tax, Borrow, Spend Every Penny Possible.

Hey, Yupette,

Yesterday afternoon and evening the County Board and County Manager held their third and fourth budget work sessions - Paygo and with the various Advisory Commissions.

No surprise about Paygo. The County Board wants to tax, borrow, and spend every penny of County revenue on new and expensive infrastructure projects, ranging from Information Technology to Metrorail.(which will cost the County $31 million in FY 15). Not only will extravagant new public infrastructure be funded but legacy infrastructure that was never maintained is going to be replaced, thanks to real estate assessment increases. County Board shrugged off the costs of constantly upgrading Information Technology infrastructure and the significant increase in the cost of replacing synthetic playing fields and will fund both the installation and replacement of several playing fields during FY 15. After years of not keeping up with street paving requirements the County will increase the street paving appropriation from $7.6 million if FY 14 to $11.3 million in FY 15.

County Board was happy that mid-year revenues are up significantly and county government and the school system will share another $15 million. There were no surprises from the Advisory Commissions last evening. As usual they want more money to support the status quo.

2100

County to Purchase, Demolish, Affordable Historic Douglas Park Home Adjacent to Park

Hi Yupette,

Another expensive item on this Saturday's County Board Consent Agenda. The County is buying a historic  affordable arts and crafts home on a lot adjacent to Douglas Park for $480,000 and demolishing it to add more space to the park, although Douglas Park is lightly used, apart from the playground. The home, located at 1700 South Quincy Street is between two larger homes and the intent is to purchase more homes adjacent to Douglas Park in the future. Many homes in this area are in need of basic upgrades, but the neighborhood is a primary source of affordable single family homes in South Arlington. I live a quarter mile from the Douglas Park neighborhood and I question whether an affordable home should be demolished to provide open space that would be a vacant lot between two existing homes. There's a huge lack of open space elsewhere in the county which should be addressed first. BTW, former County Board member Chris Zimmerman lives on South 16th Street, across from Douglas Park.

Pamela, Douglas Park

Better Financial Oversight Needed for County's Capital Projects

 Hey Yupette,

Another County Board Meeting, more supplemental appropriations to cover 'unforseen circumstances' and 'changes in scope of work'. This time an extra $61,000 for masonry repairs to the Fairlington Community Center and and extra $152,408.22 for  Potomac Interceptor wastewater improvement project. Stay tuned to see how much Wakefield HS synthetic field replacement is going to cost taxpayers.once the staff report is posted on-line. Also, there are couple of contracts for water main replacements with 20% as contingency cost increases. Agenda Items 10-14 on the March 15th Consent Agenda.

Why bother with bidding capital projects when the actual cost of the completed project is way over the lowest bid? Time for an Inspector General at 2100 Clarendon Blvd..

2100 too