Shepherd Park question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

Seems like a lot of this falls on Brandon Todd, since he was the one who sought out this solution to Shepherd's incomplete renovation (and has touted this in all his glossy flyers during election season). Unfortunately, he can't really be held accountable now that he's no longer our Ward 4 rep on the council.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

Seems like a lot of this falls on Brandon Todd, since he was the one who sought out this solution to Shepherd's incomplete renovation (and has touted this in all his glossy flyers during election season). Unfortunately, he can't really be held accountable now that he's no longer our Ward 4 rep on the council.

Brandon Todd can't give away DCPS land. There had to be someone else with authority to do so.

P.S. Please wake up and see how our new Ward 4 rep, Janeese Lewis George, is failing to advocate for Shepherd to keep its aftercare program, the Shepherd field, the Shepherd Park library, or Shepherd Park feeder patterns to Deal and Wilson. I have no doubt that Brandon Todd would be advocating for us if he was still our rep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

Seems like a lot of this falls on Brandon Todd, since he was the one who sought out this solution to Shepherd's incomplete renovation (and has touted this in all his glossy flyers during election season). Unfortunately, he can't really be held accountable now that he's no longer our Ward 4 rep on the council.

Brandon Todd can't give away DCPS land. There had to be someone else with authority to do so.

P.S. Please wake up and see how our new Ward 4 rep, Janeese Lewis George, is failing to advocate for Shepherd to keep its aftercare program, the Shepherd field, the Shepherd Park library, or Shepherd Park feeder patterns to Deal and Wilson. I have no doubt that Brandon Todd would be advocating for us if he was still our rep.

This is the part that I don't get- there is tons of "I told you so" on the list serve from members who said that the parents should not have agreed to give away part of the land in exchange for a deal with DPR- but if they don't have the power to use the new community center for aftercare then they certainly don't have the power to give away the land. They could certainly advocate one way or the other but someone at DCPS must have actually signed off here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

Seems like a lot of this falls on Brandon Todd, since he was the one who sought out this solution to Shepherd's incomplete renovation (and has touted this in all his glossy flyers during election season). Unfortunately, he can't really be held accountable now that he's no longer our Ward 4 rep on the council.

Brandon Todd can't give away DCPS land. There had to be someone else with authority to do so.

P.S. Please wake up and see how our new Ward 4 rep, Janeese Lewis George, is failing to advocate for Shepherd to keep its aftercare program, the Shepherd field, the Shepherd Park library, or Shepherd Park feeder patterns to Deal and Wilson. I have no doubt that Brandon Todd would be advocating for us if he was still our rep.

This is the part that I don't get- there is tons of "I told you so" on the list serve from members who said that the parents should not have agreed to give away part of the land in exchange for a deal with DPR- but if they don't have the power to use the new community center for aftercare then they certainly don't have the power to give away the land. They could certainly advocate one way or the other but someone at DCPS must have actually signed off here.

+1. PP here, and that's exactly my point. Someone at DCPS had to have authorized giving away DCPS property to DPR to make the deal. Where is that official or their successor now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with two (tiny) kids at shepherd, I’m following with interest. My takeaways are: why the hell isn’t there a written agreement??!?!?!!!! But also, if people are speaking as the “voice of the community,” are they speaking for themselves? Or do they have a true bead on what people want? Because if it’s just a handful of people wanting to work out at the community center during the day, then it doesn’t seem worth blowing up aftercare. I agree that the community should get a voice. I’m just not sure I want SPCA to be that voice, given they’re unelected and prone to such histrionics on the listserv.

+1 to all of this. Who were the government people who brokered the deal and how was this so botched? A group of parents can't give away DCPS land to DPR.

I have no plans to ever use Shepherd Elementary aftercare, but I still see the need for the school to have exclusive access to the community center (jumped up name for what's essentially a school gym and cafeteria with a couple other small rooms) to provide safe aftercare. But no one from the SPCA ever asked me what I think.

Seems like a lot of this falls on Brandon Todd, since he was the one who sought out this solution to Shepherd's incomplete renovation (and has touted this in all his glossy flyers during election season). Unfortunately, he can't really be held accountable now that he's no longer our Ward 4 rep on the council.

Brandon Todd can't give away DCPS land. There had to be someone else with authority to do so.

P.S. Please wake up and see how our new Ward 4 rep, Janeese Lewis George, is failing to advocate for Shepherd to keep its aftercare program, the Shepherd field, the Shepherd Park library, or Shepherd Park feeder patterns to Deal and Wilson. I have no doubt that Brandon Todd would be advocating for us if he was still our rep.

That’s true, Brandon Todd ONLY cared about certain people in SP. He didn’t advocate for Takoma at all which has been immobilized for 3 years by Pepco and Washington Gas - and then Todd immediately becomes a lobbyist for Washington Gas. Janesse went OOB to Wilson, so it’s not like really cares one way or the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure whether this is the appropriate sub-forum, but I’ll try here. Can any Shepherd Park residents (or otherwise) enlighten me about the Shepherd Park Citizens Association? They seem well-liked/powerful? But they often claim to speak for the community and I’m wondering how they assess community views on issues. And yes, I’m a coward for asking on an Internet forum.

Why don't you reach out to the leadership? The only times that I have heard them "speaking for the community" is when there was a community meeting that was open to everyone.