Please sign petition in support of a Capitol Hill athletic facility at Stuart-Hobson MS

[Anonymous]

This will benefit not only one of the best middle schools in DC but also the community as a whole, which - as anybody enrolled in soccer and other athletic activities knows - is in dire need of space. And let's not forgo an opportunity to create synergies for all by tackling the acute parking problem in that area of Capitol Hill, near Union Station!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-youth-sports-playing-fields-on-capitol?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send+to+Friend

[Anonymous]

The petition argues for a sports field well, but doesn't outline the parking problem. How many spaces will be lost if an athletic field is put in? How many spaces would be gained by adding a level of parking? How costly would such construction be? What other parking options are available nearby?

[Anonymous]

Yes, please explain how this will "tackle" the parking problem near Union Station. Is there a parking issue compounded by teachers and staff parking in violation of RPP restrictions? Is there a movement to add resident only parking restictrictions, which would be far less costly? Can teachers not take Metro or the Circulator bus? The allure of sn additional athletic field sounds like subterfuge.

[Anonymous]

Also, please explain how (additional) funding for Sh will benefit other middle schools and middle school students in Ward 6? Didn't SH already get about $32 million for its modernization? How much will be left over for the rest of Ward 6?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The petition argues for a sports field well, but doesn't outline the parking problem. How many spaces will be lost if an athletic field is put in? How many spaces would be gained by adding a level of parking? How costly would such construction be? What other parking options are available nearby?

For me, it's sort of a no-brainer, in a rapidly densifying neighborhood, that - whenever possible - space is used in an efficient way, trimming and, yes, stacking wherever we can. Parking as well as athletic fields take up a lot of space. Between the two, I very much prefer athletic fields of course. And I'd be all for digging up every parking lot in this fine city and replacing them all with athletic fields and green space. Alas, as anybody who has coordinated sports teams knows, there is almost no getting around some vehicular traffic, if only the coaches hauling around equipment and balls. Yes, however "green" and "walkable" on thinks, I'm convinced every school needs a certain number of parking spaces to go with it. Even if every teacher takes trains and buses, and I'm truly not sure that's feasible in a profession where hauling around school materials is just a big part of the job, a school has a huge number of itinerant personnel (facilities management, special ed, ELL, specials, visiting athletic teams etc.). To imply that a school should just go ahead and replace parking space with athletic space is hogwash, and would really just put a huge burden on the surrounding neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The petition argues for a sports field well, but doesn't outline the parking problem. How many spaces will be lost if an athletic field is put in? How many spaces would be gained by adding a level of parking? How costly would such construction be? What other parking options are available nearby?

For me, it's sort of a no-brainer, in a rapidly densifying neighborhood, that - whenever possible - space is used in an efficient way, trimming and, yes, stacking wherever we can. Parking as well as athletic fields take up a lot of space. Between the two, I very much prefer athletic fields of course. And I'd be all for digging up every parking lot in this fine city and replacing them all with athletic fields and green space. Alas, as anybody who has coordinated sports teams knows, there is almost no getting around some vehicular traffic, if only the coaches hauling around equipment and balls. Yes, however "green" and "walkable" on thinks, I'm convinced every school needs a certain number of parking spaces to go with it. Even if every teacher takes trains and buses, and I'm truly not sure that's feasible in a profession where hauling around school materials is just a big part of the job, a school has a huge number of itinerant personnel (facilities management, special ed, ELL, specials, visiting athletic teams etc.). To imply that a school should just go ahead and replace parking space with athletic space is hogwash, and would really just put a huge burden on the surrounding neighborhood.

Is there a proposal available that contains numbers on parking spaces lost and gained, costs, size of the field? Does DCPS guarantee parking for school staff?

I imagine that the field would accommodate one practice/game at a time and therefore would not require much parking. Does Watkins field have dedicated parking?

Finally, I don't believe the neighborhood is "densifying" as the housing stock hasn't changed. As someone who lives and works in the general neighborhood and has a child in multiple sports, I understand the needs of the community from multiple perspectives and find this proposal to be a poor use of resources. Maybe some facts could convince me otherwise.

[Anonymous]

How much will it cost?

[Anonymous]

Densifying? Rapidly? Teachers above all require their own parking amenities?. Talk about mindless hype.

[Anonymous]

Why does Ludlow Taylor's field sit empty most of the time? It's two blocks from SH and there's a lot of parking around it, plus the school feeds to SH. Why cram a too-small field into a too-small space when there is ample space nearby? Pry the keys out of Cobb's fingers!

[Anonymous]

Would this money come from the school modernization pot? Or is there another pot of money available?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does Ludlow Taylor's field sit empty most of the time? It's two blocks from SH and there's a lot of parking around it, plus the school feeds to SH. Why cram a too-small field into a too-small space when there is ample space nearby? Pry the keys out of Cobb's fingers!

This is an excellent point. That field is HUGE at Ludlow Taylor and could be made really nice for a fraction of this new complex at Stuart. Also, Eliot Hine and Eastern have fabulous fields. Maybe Stuart is fine the way it is?

[Anonymous]

Watkins has a great field and it is used for peewee football more than anything else, by non-local families. What guarantee is there that this won't also happen at SH? Not football, per se, but maybe by some influential lacrosse league or some such. We don't have enough soccer fields or baseball diamonds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watkins has a great field and it is used for peewee football more than anything else, by non-local families. What guarantee is there that this won't also happen at SH? Not football, per se, but maybe by some influential lacrosse league or some such. We don't have enough soccer fields or baseball diamonds.

The Watkins field is a DPR facility. Watkins ES just happens to be next door. A wholly different story. By contrast, I do believe that the filed at Ludlow-Taylor belongs to the school and is in use as a school athletic facility and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Just a quick reminder that Stuart-Hobson's need for athletic facilities renovation is not contested and, as far as I know, the school modernization plan already has separate resources set aside for that purpose. Those facilities will be modernized and space added no matter what. The question is not 'whether' but 'how'. The question is rather, will parking spaces be built or eliminated in that process.
PP who lives in that area and asks for a compelling argument: I'd say you're pretty much first in line to benefit (or rather, not be harmed) from including an underground replacement of those parking spaces in the renovation plans. If you oppose that, you'll just see a more cars being pushed from the SH lot into street parking in front of your house. Not really all that advantageous in your situation I'd say.

[Anonymous]

So, it's either sign the petition to have a field with underground parking or have the same-sized field with street parking?

Then why the petition? Won't the budget be the determining factor? What happens if the petition isn't signed? Will the surrounding neighbors have a say? I don't understand what's at stake, I guess.