tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post3638315178787593396..comments2023-09-16T04:58:07.261-04:00Comments on the Annandale Blog: Trapnell's advice to next Mason supervisor: Listen to the communityAnnandale Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543558586252790593noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-82756060739931017512015-03-02T23:29:36.111-05:002015-03-02T23:29:36.111-05:00I used the example of St. Agnes to illustrate a po...<br />I used the example of St. Agnes to illustrate a point that an urban school on a small lot can still have a vibrant learning atmosphere. St. Charles (which sadly just closed) is another Catholic School in Arlington that was bounded by Fairfax Drive and Wilson Boulevard -both very busy streets. In addition, I could list dozens, if not hundreds, in New York City, for instance. Simply put, the Bailey's School in my view was a very creative solution to a difficult problem: how to build a viable school to handle a large number of students in less than a year. New construction was simply not an option for that criteria.<br /><br />You mentioned, 2019 as a potential "move-in" date at Willston. Not impossible but not likely. If bond money is available on 2017, design takes a year and ahalf , and construction at least two and a half years. With that, it'd be 2021 earliest (my eight year prediction would have put it at 2023.) <br /><br />Either way, it is years away. While you give credit to the construction folks, good planning and timely decisions ensured that the Bailey's project was successful. (Design and construction is my day job.)<br /><br />$20 million for a new school is a bargain by any measure. And I understand that a gym and amenity space has been designed and will be under construction soon.<br /><br />Another question for the group (if they're still reading): Is Willston meant to serve the Bailey's population or the population north of Route 50. Without better transportation options to Willson - whose entrance is reached from Wilson Boulevard from the NORTH - just going through seven corners adds 20 minutes to the drive or busride from the south. I do not see how this would ever be considered acceptable. And is a school the best possible use for the site? Or is it the best location for a school to serve the needs of Mason District? <br /><br />Try the drive one morning if you do not believe me.<br /><br />Also, Mason District, I'd love to have a personal conversation with you because it is evident that you've got good ideas, clear judgment, and evident concern.<br /><br />Daren Shumate<br />703-462-4298<br />Daren Shumatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17246767581881338618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-55703391785585493682015-02-25T18:25:28.440-05:002015-02-25T18:25:28.440-05:00In Mason District, the demand will always outstrip...In Mason District, the demand will always outstrip the supply. That's what urbanization and an unlimited supply of low cost labor is all about. If you build it they will overwhelm it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-58414452047381239102015-02-25T18:07:09.705-05:002015-02-25T18:07:09.705-05:00I'm a member of the Mason District Council and...I'm a member of the Mason District Council and I'm not Mollie Loeffler nor did I write the above. Or did I? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-21791598914359093222015-02-25T16:19:06.616-05:002015-02-25T16:19:06.616-05:00Many young families (and other older people who ca...Many young families (and other older people who can afford to leave) are MOVING due to the school issue and horrible leadership and the fact it looks like a dump around here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-89705364711267318722015-02-25T10:53:12.369-05:002015-02-25T10:53:12.369-05:00I don't think that putting up 1-2 (or 3-4) new...I don't think that putting up 1-2 (or 3-4) new residential buildings will create enough critical mass to change anything. I don't. And unless we are ASSURED that these buildings will be top-notch, and will include all the amenities that high-rent individuals DEMAND in apartment complexes now, than it will just add to the pot of what already is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-47612670354778464292015-02-24T19:33:53.267-05:002015-02-24T19:33:53.267-05:00I've got a better one. Mason District, your Se...I've got a better one. Mason District, your Section 8 headquarters. Come one, come all, we have all sorts of Section 8 models to choose from. Units range from free to $50/ month. If you would like to add relatives you can get a special deal on a closet for $0.50/month. Come on down, we would love to have you. And if you are really desperate, we are certain we can find you one that does not meet code, has electrical and sanitary problems. We have something for everyone. So pack up, cross the border and share is our stupid hospitality. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-75259347779963864502015-02-24T18:57:35.870-05:002015-02-24T18:57:35.870-05:00LOL, thats a good one. You must be related to retu...LOL, thats a good one. You must be related to return to sender. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-62930671567425029202015-02-24T16:46:45.180-05:002015-02-24T16:46:45.180-05:00"Your agism and racism is exemplary." I ..."Your agism and racism is exemplary." I didn't post the comment you're addressing, but I previously posted another specifically stating my opinion that the immigrant apartments complexes around Route 7 will quickly go the way of Arna Valley in Arlington. Until recently, it's been common for families with young children to move out of Mason District to avoid having to deal with poor quality middle schools and high schools. And, for a while, it was easier for developers to build residences for them outside the Beltway. It now appears though that it's Mason District's turn to attract more affluent residents. That means the pattern of land use in this area will change radically in the next two decades. It also means that lower income individuals are likely to be displaced. That brings into question the desirability of building an ECOB that's intended to provide services to a population that will no longer be around. So, in the long run, it makes more sense to build schools in Willston and the surrounding area to promote a higher quality of education. This may strike you as being racist, but too many statements in this site are based on the assumption that the development of Seven Corners won't have farther reaching effects.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-5974461387755489602015-02-24T13:05:47.571-05:002015-02-24T13:05:47.571-05:00“What’s going to attract people to Bailey’s Crossr...“What’s going to attract people to Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners?"<br />How about a Mason District ad campaign:<br />"Relocate to Baileys Crossroads/Seven Corners - Where Your Domestic Help and Contractors can Walk to Work...."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-33723733022315145972015-02-24T09:25:02.158-05:002015-02-24T09:25:02.158-05:00“What’s going to attract people to Bailey’s Crossr...“What’s going to attract people to Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners?"<br /><br /><br />that is clearly about the residential market. 1 mile is not walking distance, but it can be a short shuttle bus ride or bike ride, and elsewhere in the region being 1 mile to metro has helped development. In addition VDOT is current looking at a BRT/LRT line along rte 7 from Tysons to Alexandria, and as part of the I66 plan BRT on rte 50 needs to be established. The Seven Corners plan is multidecades, and new transit and new development will happen in parallel. This is not 1970 - the feds will not pay for a transit line first, before the development comes. And yes, it is only the new residential density that will get you new amenities. Do you reallyu think the folks moving to new hi rises are families on food stamps? Does Ms Trapnell believe it? Again, that suggests she does not understand the residential RE market. If you fight new development, you will only make Mason more of a slum, even as you dream of the 1950s and all white suburbs. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-86574047580387523482015-02-24T09:11:58.840-05:002015-02-24T09:11:58.840-05:00Amen, Anon 12:42 am.
Look at these old preliminar...Amen, Anon 12:42 am.<br /><br />Look at these old preliminary maps of Metro, and see what could have been. We could have had a metro line running down Columbia pike, and ending at 236 and 395.<br /><br />http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/23723/the-metro-plan-has-changed-a-lot-since-1968/<br /><br />Stop pouring every dime we have into building vertical schools, and handout palaces. Let's put some money into getting decent transportation in the area.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-50470848875033268182015-02-24T07:51:05.836-05:002015-02-24T07:51:05.836-05:00Your agism and racism is exemplary. And indeed, ...Your agism and racism is exemplary. And indeed, you've summed up the entire play list of the anti-Penny ilk succintly: Move the hispanics out! Put in a school at Willston so they don't come to my neighborhood! Ban white vans drivers with their propensity to procreate perpetually.<br /><br />Good luck finding someone to carry your banner with this message in the fall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-12832860157348290892015-02-24T00:42:53.973-05:002015-02-24T00:42:53.973-05:00Anon 1:35, what in the world are you talking abo...Anon 1:35, what in the world are you talking about? Developers building commercial rental buildings is not the "residential real estate market". 7 Corners is the closest to Metro, yet too far at 1.14 miles and 27 minutes to be considered "walkable" When you have "residential density" consisting of white vans, children on free lunch programs and families on food stamps you get no new amenities except Shiny new Penny Palaces to hand out the meal tickets and housing vouchers. The steps that moved Arlington forward started with the Metro, aka public transportation. If you build it, they will come.....they don't build it if a lot of people are there who won't use it and/or can't afford it. And Ms Trapnell, who is younger than Gross, has already stated that she is too old to run and it should be left to new young blood to be in the leadership position in the next election.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-13075204008740011352015-02-23T17:40:18.144-05:002015-02-23T17:40:18.144-05:00Can you think of an example that is a public schoo...Can you think of an example that is a public school?<br /><br />Also, re: Bailey's Upper, we all voted for a bond referendum to finance a new school. The BOS and FCPS did not finalize the purchase of the property on Leesburg Pike until January 2014; they retrofitted that office building into an elementary school (with no playground and no gymnasium) in less than 9 months, much less than a year. That feat was accomplished by the construction folks.<br /><br />Willston is slated for demolition in 2017. That's 2 years away. If we vote on a bond referendum that same year, fall of 2017, we could conceivably have the money to construct a new school on that site by 2019.<br /><br />I think the $20M plus that has been spent on Bailey's Upper could have gotten us a much nicer school at the Willston site. That's history, of course. But it is a much nicer site.Mason Districthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00364201058329005162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-30871144434022875692015-02-23T13:35:22.149-05:002015-02-23T13:35:22.149-05:00Ms Trapnell clearly does not under the residential...Ms Trapnell clearly does not under the residential real estate market. Developers want to build because people want to rent in the area. It is in fact fairly close to DC, and to major employment centers in Arlington, and not that far from Tysons. Seven Corners at least, is not far from metrorail. And you are not going to get lots of new amenities till you get the residential density. But if Mason wants to turn its back on the kind of development that has moved Arlington forward, she may well be the right person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-50854643641062140712015-02-22T23:10:38.092-05:002015-02-22T23:10:38.092-05:00St. Agnes School in Arlington has approximately 50...St. Agnes School in Arlington has approximately 500 students in an "urban" school on less than 2 acres. <br /><br />The first press release from FCPS regarding the Seven Corner's School was in September 2013. They moved in to the school in less than an year. Clearly, an office cannot be made to look and feel exactly like a school but from the viewpoint of finding space that is significantly better than trailers, I do not think anybody in the county could have done this is less than a year. Certainly not new construction on a site that would require demolition of an existing building.<br /><br />If the Willston site does get transferred to FCPS, the soonest it could be planned, funded, designed, and constructed if everything went without a snag would be eight years.<br /><br />So while the "vertical school" may not please everyone, it seems to me to have been a very effective solution to a difficult problem: get kids out of trailer in less than a year.Daren Shumatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17246767581881338618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-1658204340539794202015-02-22T21:51:12.905-05:002015-02-22T21:51:12.905-05:00The outdoor space will never be appropriate for el...The outdoor space will never be appropriate for elementary school aged kids, but they will be getting a gym, in the form of a separate building (which will of course eat up the space currently used for parking and any potential outdoor play area) sometime in 2016 hopefully. <br /><br />The fire marshall would know better than I regarding the distance required for kids to be from a burning building. <br /><br />What I do know is that FCPS was required to install a gate in the fence along the property line with the medical office building next door, for the sole purpose of the children getting away from the building in an emergency. When you're talking about 700 children and staff, there simply would not be space for them to stand in the parking lot, and allow space for emergency vehicles. The lot is tiny. And they are kids. They're not adults. I don't think you can hold them to the same standard in terms of watching over their own personal safety.Mason Districthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00364201058329005162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-21732015473936018792015-02-22T15:11:40.870-05:002015-02-22T15:11:40.870-05:00How far away from the building do they need to be?...How far away from the building do they need to be? Unless the whole building is ablaze, I don't see why the kids would have to egress that far. I've worked in similarly placed office buildings, and as long as an evacuation plan is followed, the kids should be fine. If adults could safely egress out of that building while it was an office or a county building, then kids can too. Please remember that the building serviced other people for many years before it was a school. <br /><br />The fact that the students there don't have a proper gym or outdoor space is a far more weighing issue, and will affect them every day. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-87099806796354145702015-02-22T09:43:22.163-05:002015-02-22T09:43:22.163-05:00A viable candidate will win on ideas, not on smear...A viable candidate will win on ideas, not on smear.<br /><br />Good luck with your strategy. It is evident that you are devoid of ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-88264404686393527552015-02-21T22:20:15.630-05:002015-02-21T22:20:15.630-05:00How to defeat Penny Gross;
Identify a credible can...How to defeat Penny Gross;<br />Identify a credible candidate to oppose her.<br />1. FOIA her official calendar.<br />2. Organize opposition research: attend every official/unofficial event with a cell phone and/or video camera (Mitt Romney's "47% anyone?")<br />3. Post EVERY rant, sleep episode, sneer, non-sensical retort, screaming episode, etc. on You Tube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Gain followers and reposts/retweets. <br />4. $$ isn't everything - social media is a very powerful tool - and one that the Mason District Supervisor (or the Fairfax BoS) knows NOTHING about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-32871804823100939422015-02-21T18:49:44.843-05:002015-02-21T18:49:44.843-05:00This is great!!! It feels like we are playing &qu...This is great!!! It feels like we are playing "What's My Line?" So "Mason District" if you are not Mollie Loeffler, are you a member of the Mason District Council?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-88307147851440894512015-02-21T00:06:42.716-05:002015-02-21T00:06:42.716-05:00I think Ellie is doing a good job of trying to bri...I think Ellie is doing a good job of trying to bring balance to the big picture in Mason District. Penny Gross has the bully pulpit and it's hard to get the other viewpoint before the public. Perhaps that is the intent of this article with Mrs. Trapnell. <br /><br />As for Fox News and The Washington Examiner being dissed. Seems to me that Anon 12:01 p.m. could stand to watch Fox and CNN and start reading between the lines. The truth lies somewhere in between the biased reporting from both. Too bad the Washington Examiner isn’t available anymore to counterbalance the Washington Post. Reading both enabled people to better figure out what was going on, something too few people take the time to do anymore. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-28300831781948184382015-02-20T19:55:33.184-05:002015-02-20T19:55:33.184-05:00No she had sick parents to care for.No she had sick parents to care for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-60001911297352329072015-02-20T18:29:01.377-05:002015-02-20T18:29:01.377-05:00There is patently nothing wrong with a "verti...There is patently nothing wrong with a "vertical school". What is wrong is that FCPS has not defined a single standard for construction for new urban schools. Initially they told us an urban school design would be on a minimum of 5 acres, compared with the 10-20 acres we are accustomed to. That was, until they put Bailey's Upper on 3.4 acres. <br /><br />Please note: 3.4 acres does not give the students and staff the acreage they need to egress a safe distance from the building in the event of a fire or fire drill or real emergency. This is not a small detail. Bailey's Upper staff and students must egress *off-the-property* in the event of fire. This is NUTS.<br /><br />Anonymous 5:22pm please share examples of fine urban schools that are on 3.2 acres and are built to accommodate 700 elementary school students. I think Bailey's Upper is the only one in the US. Schools in NYC have much stricter standards for design and construction -- you don't see an elementary school built to hold 700 children in NYC, and you certainly never see one built without a gymnasium, or cafeteria that can hold the entire student population (for assemblies, etc.). Bailey's cannot do this.Mason Districthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00364201058329005162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246743662284890173.post-44523772178037173592015-02-20T18:21:58.850-05:002015-02-20T18:21:58.850-05:00LOL. No, I am not Mollie Loeffler.LOL. No, I am not Mollie Loeffler.Mason Districthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00364201058329005162noreply@blogger.com