The Growler was unable to attend yesterday's meeting at Jefferson-Houston school about the proposal to remove lift the troubled school's arts integration focus.
Instead, the Curmudgeonly One sat in on the Affordable Housing Task Force meeting, which was mostly about financing mechanisms and tax exemptions.
Still, it would have been nice to have been in both places at once, because the Growler is now hopelessly confused about the evolving situation at Jefferson-Houston.
Yesterday the Alexandria-Arlington section of The Washington Post featured a lengthy article on the debate over suspending the arts integration focus at Jefferson-Houston School. It was a hard-hitting piece that described the 1999 Alexandria school redistricting as "creat[ing] a band of wealthier, whiter schools on the east side and leave three schools, Maury, Lyles-Crouch and Jefferson-Houston, heavily populated by minorities and the poor."
In her story, reporter Brigid Schulte quotes PTA President Bill Campbell as saying "he supports suspending the arts integration program."
But Michael Lee Pope wrote in the Alexandria Gazette last week that Mr. Campbell told him "he would oppose suspending the arts-integration focus at the school."
Which paper and reporter got the story right and which one got it wrong? Maybe Mr. Campbell (who has announced his plans to run for the School Board) or one of the Growler's readers who went to last night's meeting can fill us in.
The vote on suspending the arts integration focus will be held at next week's Alexandria School Board.
Grand Theft Auto II
Lt. Jamie Bartlett, the Alexandria Police Department's public information officer, made an appearance at the ICCA meeting Wednesday night to discuss the Daily Crime Report (also known as the Daily Incident Report). The report is available via E-mail through the City's eNews initiative. A static version is available on the City Web site as well.
As readers know, questions have been raised about what crimes are reported and which are not. The daily E-mail itself now carries a disclaimer: "This report describes some of the most serious or otherwise noteworthy incidents since the last report. It does not encompass all of the reported crimes that may have occurred in the city."
According to Lt. Bartlett, the recent auto theft on Princess Street was not reported because the car was ultimately recovered.
Lt. Bartlett also noted that the City developed the electronic Daily Crime Report (which currently has some 2,800 subscribers) primarily to update the media and provide story ideas. He stated that the police department is in fact planning at some date in the future to discontinue the Daily Crime Report altogether. In the meantime, says Lt. Bartlett, the police are removing some of the less serious crimes from the report.
Lt. Bartlett suggested instead that residents use the online database on the City Web site to inquire about crime in their neighborhoods.
However, the online system provides few details beyond report date and time, disposition (open, pending, closed), case number, street and block number, and crime classification. The Daily Crime Report by contrast provides more narrative, including descriptions of possible suspects and the names, ages and addresses of those arrested.
Interestingly, it appears there have been no new monthly crime reports on the City's Web site since the April 2007 document was posted.
The monthly crime reports are summations of crime data and feature maps displaying offenses geographically as well as a list of top 10 sites for "calls for service."
Bringing Our Boys Home
In a front-page story printed yesterday, the Post noted that the Victory Center near the Van Dorn Metro Station has emerged as a possible alternative site for 6,200 Army jobs that would otherwise be shifted from Ft. Belvoir to a General Services Administration warehouse in Springfield (also close to Metro as well as VRE).
Fairfax County is understandably alarmed, but landing these jobs would be a real coup for our City.
However, the Growler would like readers to think about this news in relationship to bus rapid transit (BRT).
How strong is the case for BRT on Route 1 in Parker-Gray if defense jobs are being shift not to Ft. Belvoir but to sites adjacent to heavy rail (i.e., Metro), whether at Springfield or Van Dorn and the Eisenhower Valley?
And here's something else to ponder: how many other cities and municipalities invest millions in a BRT system that runs parallel — in fact only blocks away from — a heavy rail system? Especially one that has acknowledged unused southbound capacity at morning rush hour?
Have a pleasant weekend!
19 comments:
We only lasted an hour or so at the JH meeting. The discussion was mostly concerning specific activities under consideration for this school year, not longer-term activities. That makes sense, but with our oldest child a year away from starting school we didn't really feel like we had much to add.
During the Q&A I raised my eyebrows a bit after a couple of exchanges. A parent asked about what would change with the suspension of the Arts focus, and the lady from the administration (don't know her name) replied, basically, that little would change. The teachers would stay the same and an Integration Coordinator would still be available to help with Arts integration.
Another parent asked about this (little changing) and the lady from the administration replied that a lot would change with respect to the curriculum. She may have provided a cogent summary of changes and constants, but we did not stick around any longer.
The administration seems willing to listen to and discuss this with parents, and the Superintendent and at least one schoolboard member were there. The lady running the meeting seemed to be knowledgeable of and involved with JH. Since we did not stick around for the end I cannot say much more.
Sorry to be off topic.
I was speaking with one of the Bland residents this morning, and she told me that last week, the residents were informed that they would have to vacate Bland in January 07. She was also told the residents would have the option of moving into other unspecified public housing or receiving housing vouchers for use on the rental market.
She added that she viewed this as a wonderful opportunity to raise her grandaughters away from public housing and help them avoid some of the difficulties of living in Bland.
Admittedly, I don't know very many ARHA residents, and this particular lady is a very nice, hard working and decent person. I'm sure there must be others like her, and I wonder how many other ARHA residents might feel the same way. I also wonder if anybody has asked them in a fair (and impartial) manner?
What is it going to take to get the city to do the right thing- for ARHA residents, for tax payers, for school kids.. for all of us?
"the residents were informed that they would have to vacate Bland in January 07."
Do you mean '08?
Yes, I meant 2008. Has anybody else heard anything?
The Growler is rather skeptical about this since January 2008 is almost upon us and the application for HOPE VI money hasn't even gone into HUD yet. Hopefully we will all know more after the public meeting at Durant Center on Monday evening.
January 2008? Wow, that's some news!!
Maybe it IS true. ARHA is in crisis - they are going to have to turn Bland over to EYA, whether or not the Hope funding goes through. It's just a question of how much they have to give EYA. If they get the Hope money, ARHA gets more public housing units in the mix. If not, I would imagine EYA will build more market rate units to make up for Glebe.
I'm new to the neighborhood am trying to get up-to-speed on local issues. Does anyone have any insight on what will be discussed at Monday's meeting at the Durant Center? The blurb in the Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan Bulletin didn't give any details. How much does ARHA consider community views in its decisions? Will anything be decided at Monday's meeting that will impact the Braddock Metro Small Area Plan? Any insights would be appreciated.
two items:
1. does anybody know how the City Council meeting went today? The joint EYA/ARHA Glebe Park DSUPs were up for review and vote.
and
2. from the ARHA packet the council reviewed today: "ARHA announced that it would apply for a HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which will grant a total of about $90 million. There will be only a few recipients nationwide and the process is highly competitive. The deadline for applying for the HOPE VI grant is November 7, 2007."
If the previous writer is correct and nto receiving a HOPE grant means that ARHA will have to give up more to get EYA on board, there might be hope yet to disperse some more units (or maybe get Adkins back on the agenda?).
"Does anyone have any insight on what will be discussed at Monday's meeting at the Durant Center? The blurb in the Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan Bulletin didn't give any details."
The meeting will be about the possible redevelopment of the James Bland housing projects (located around N. Alfred and Montgomery Streets). The redevelopment is necessitated by ARHA's problems with the Glebe Park project in Arlandria. There, some 70 units or more are uninhabitable due to unremediable mold problems. The situation is given urgency by the fact that HUD is threatening foreclosure on the $6 million mortgage it guaranteed for Glebe Park.
ARHA can't just afford to tear down and rebuild Glebe Park, so it offered other properties as sweeteners to a developer, who would presumably build market rate units that would subsidize the rebuilding of the public housing units.
Originally EYA, ARHA's developer, was going to include Andrew Adkins in the mix. Adkins is the large project adjacent to Braddock Road Metro Station. However, that was pulled out and its future redevelopment is very much in question.
The meeting on Monday is to inform the public as well as ARHA residents what will be happening with the properties.
You are right to wonder about the relationship between this plan and the Braddock Road Plan, especially since the City originally attempted to slip the draft Braddock Road Plan past the community without releasing the chapters on housing.
It appears now they are planning to put the public housing issues on a separate track called the Braddock East Concept Plan.
But that raises questions too. If the City is fundamentally undertaking the whole Braddock Road planning process all over again with a hectic schedule of meetings for October, November, and December, why would it leave out discussion of public housing and put it on a separate track?
At the heart of this debate: is the City willing and ready to disperse the mass of public housing sited here, in accordance with its own Fair Share Policy. Some 80% of the 1,150 public housing units in Alexandria are concentrated in Parker-Gray and North Old Town.
Hope this helps!
"You are right to wonder about the relationship between this plan and the Braddock Road Plan, especially since the City originally attempted to slip the draft Braddock Road Plan past the community without releasing the chapters on housing."
Growler, do I not remember your posting notice of an earlier ARHA meeting related to Bland's redevelopment in which you stated that Planning Staff was present, the proposed density substantial, stubstantial enough that even Mr. Farner questioned it? Please would you reiterate the specifics of the meeting. I ask because having received notice of Monday's meeting I wonder how honest Mr. Dixon's approach really is. If an EYA/Glebe/Bland proposal is already on the table then what exactly is Mr. Dixon's role if not Braddock design guidelines? Why would Dixon's opening salvo include references to the high density needed to disperse public housing if another developer plan is on the table? Presumably EYA has architects already on board. I want Bland to change but my trust in the city is nil and suddenly I am skeptical. Hamer is creating such a swirl of Braddock activity it feels like a shell game.
There is an article in the Gazette about an Alexandria district court judge who is retiring after many years on the bench.
When reminiscing about his career, he made note of
"Some of the repeating patterns he said he has witnessed over the years" which included "the cycle of poverty and crime at public-housing projects" in the City.
I really hope the City will finally take this opportunity to break this cycle and do away with these 70's style bricks and mortar public housing failures.
smoky smoky smoke! And mirrors! The city will divide us until we have no idea what is going on. Braddock Metro Plan. Braddock East. BRT. All going on simultaneously until all of a sudden we are all back to the same old status quo. I even doubt that the Growler can keep track of this divide and conquer strategy. A tangled web indeed!
"1. does anybody know how the City Council meeting went today? The joint EYA/ARHA Glebe Park DSUPs were up for review and vote."
You can watch a video of the proceedings at the City's website. Essentially, the City screwed our poor neighbors in Arlandria. The "mix" of public housing and market rate units there is an enormous joke. I feel really sorry for them. I think it's evidence of how forward thinking and creative the City is on the topic of public housing. Which is to say, NOT AT ALL!! Arrrrgh!!
Not sure I get Mr. Campbell's statement about getting rich parents involved. The problem at the school looks like it's the overconcentration of kids who do not value education. Where are the parents of the J-H students? are they involved?I don't know of any rich people whose ambition was to live within the J-H boundaries, people who have money move to Del Ray or Old Town near the river or Beverly Hills etc etc.
All this for 280-something students? The cost per student per year of keeping that babysitting facility open must be staggering.
"She was also told the residents would have the option of moving into other unspecified public housing or receiving housing vouchers for use on the rental market."
I thought the whole purpose of 1150 units is that "these people have nowhere left to go"
So now if by magic the City comes up with vouchers; which they will then probably give backto HUD once the Bland units are rebuilt. Are these people on crack?
"If the previous writer is correct and nto receiving a HOPE grant means that ARHA will have to give up more to get EYA on board, there might be hope yet to disperse some more units (or maybe get Adkins back on the agenda?)."
I highly doubt they can get that grant if HOPE requirements are any indication. They would have to make much more of a dispersal than what they have done so far; they are just moving deck chairs to Arlandria and just redeveloping Bland would still leave a mess for the surrounding areas.
"Essentially, the City screwed our poor neighbors in Arlandria. The "mix" of public housing and market rate units there is an enormous joke. I feel really sorry for them."
Arlandria strongly resisted this whole idea, but again, Melvin and the other affordable housing "advocates" overruled all their citizen associations. Go back and look at the votes.
"The problem at the school looks like it's the overconcentration of kids who do not value education. Where are the parents of the J-H students?"
JH is nothing more than a glorified babysitting operation for the City and its poverty overconcentration. Ask a teacher in ACPS what they think of JH. I have; they had some very strong opinions that shocked me (and they were black).
"Celebrate Give Kids Good Schools Week
Give Kids Good Schools Week, Oct. 15-21, promotes the idea that everyone plays a role when it comes to quality public education."
From the promo I'd say the Jefferson Houston PTA should climb aboard. There's also a website: givekidsgoodschools.org
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