DRAFT LETTER TO ARLINGTON’S SCHOOL BOARD — YOUR COMMENTS PLEASE
January 26th, 2012 Posted in News | No Comments »Below is a DRAFT letter the civic association will send to the School Board. We want your comments. Please send them to Braswell67@verizon.net who will forward them to all members of the civic association board. The deadline is February 2, 2012
Open letter to Arlington School Board regarding the possible expansion of facilities at the Reed School
Dear Arlington County School Board,
The citizens of Tara Leeway Heights Civic Association commend the School Board for examining a variety of options to address elementary school overcrowding, working with the County Board in reviewing County administered facilities, and to begin planning for a projected larger student population in the coming years. As the School Board deliberates on the options before it in preparation for the finalization of Arlington Public Schools (APS) capital projects and the bond proposal in May, members of the Tara Leeway Heights Civic Association would like to present the Board with points for its consideration in this important issue.
Factor Community/Neighborhood Concerns. We commend the School Board for examining a variety of options to address elementary school projected overcrowding in Arlington County and to begin planning for a possible larger student population in the coming years. As the School Board, proceeds to meet this projected need, we request that the School Board take into account community/neighborhood concerns as it considers options for selecting a new school site and/or making additions to current school buildings. In essence we seek a fuller coordination with all Arlington residents especially those who would be most affected by any changes.
Preserve Arlington Green Space. We believe Arlington’s green space is central to people’s health and well-being, an essential County asset that must not be overlooked. Open space provides opportunities for children and adults to gather, take walks, fly kites, play, and enjoy the night sky. As Arlington continues to become an even more urban community with large additions to homes and new residential and commercial construction open space becomes an ever more valuable commodity to Arlington residents. We urge the School Board to use existing buildings in the County, if at all possible, to meet our projected need for more classroom space. Arlington endeavors to be a leader in green construction. Use of existing structures whenever possible, is seen throughout the Country as the most environmentally appropriate approach. Further, Arlington’s green space is not equally shared throughout the County. We hope that any projected construction considers and better balances available Arlington green space for all residents.
Factors Against a New School Building at the Westover Reed Site. As nearly residents and frequent users of the Reed Westover site, we are especially concerned about the APS option to construct a new, 600-plus student elementary school in the field and park open space of the Westover-Reed Site (at Lexington and McKinley Streets). After over 15 plus years of analysis and discussion, the Reed Westover site has been recently completely upgraded. The site is the locale of the recently completed Westover-Reed school renovation project involving immense efforts among the community, APS, and the County. That work involved tearing down the old Westover Library, building the new Westover/Reed School site, re-fencing the green space, re-grading the ball field below the old library site, planting new trees, laying down new concrete paths and stairs and creating picnic areas and seating opportunities.
The successful Westover-Reed planning and construction process has made the Village of Westover, Westover Library, the Reed School, and the open space (playgrounds, sports fields and green space) function as a beautifully integrated whole. It’s been a wonderful accomplishment by APS and the County. This is a model for cooperation and success between APS and the County staff with full involvement by the community. The site has become a destination spot for County residents, including shoppers, post office and library patrons, children’s sports teams, and possibly a farmer’s market in the Spring; expected to open in May 2012. The many years of planning that went into the Reed School/Westover construction is a terrific integration of green space, playing fields and buildings, and the entire community benefits from this balance, whether through soccer playing, kite-flying, or sledding in the winter. It is a case study in successful urban design.
With that site work only recently completed, and County residents, County and APS staff and officials rightly happy with the results of that long and difficult effort, we now are confronted with the possibility that all that success may be washed away by yet another multi-year construction project, which would eliminate this unique Arlington asset. An asset which is one of the few such open spaces in this part of the County.
We believe it would be wasteful and disruptive to start over and, yet again, revamp this site. We urge the School Board not to disturb this completed, successful urban plan with a new construction project.
Consideration of Addition to the Reed School. We understand the School Board is also considering, as one of many possible options, additional stories added to the Reed School to convert it into a 400-plus student elementary school that could function as one of the few true “walking schools” in Arlington County. We understand this may require re-location of the Arlington Children’s Day Care Center and the center that assists teenage mothers, and other APS programs, and perhaps some renovation to the new Westover Library so it can be integrated with a new elementary school. Expansion of the current building’s footprint would be necessary to provide for a cafeteria and multi-purpose room and other school requirements. The School Board’s published site studies included a “Reed addition” option, but did not indicate what building expansion would be required (and how it might affect the new adjoining green space, parking lots, and/or library). While we would prefer the Reed addition to a new school building, we request to see the full feasibility plan for that option, if it becomes a serious proposal for the School Board.
We further request that the most successful Arlington Way be fully employed County-wide in this overall effort; with the near neighbors having full and open community input.
Projected School Census. As the broader community becomes aware of the possibly elementary school population increase, there are pockets of concern that the supporting data is not as substantive as needed. Further there are concerns that the possible elementary school population increases may be in only parts of the County with some schools having underutilized space. In addition some believe that there may be existing available space which would require renovation rather than new construction. Renovation use of existing underutilized facilities is believed to be a much greener option than new construction in many instances. Whether these issues have any validity or not, there is the issue of improving the communications to all Arlington residents regarding this subject and utilizing the Arlington Way which has proven so successful.