Murch- Getting screwed again?

[Anonymous]

"Great. $10 million less for the rest of us, and now you all are going to go after more."

Who on earth is "you all"? It sounds discriminatory. Seriously I hope you're speaking to DCPS and DGS and not the Murch community, because Murch is being shagged here. Murch parents had no desire to ask for more money, Murch parents just want a safe school to be built that is large enough for the bloated enrollment it faces and the tiny parcel of land it's bound by.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. $10 million less for the rest of us, and now you all are going to go after more.

What about Ellington? Does this mean they will need to cancel the private saunas and hot tubs? For the dancers, you know.

Please tell me that is a joke. I can't stomach 6-year-olds eating in classrooms with mice so a 16 year old can have a sauna at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. $10 million less for the rest of us, and now you all are going to go after more.

What about Ellington? Does this mean they will need to cancel the private saunas and hot tubs? For the dancers, you know.

Please tell me that is a joke. I can't stomach 6-year-olds eating in classrooms with mice so a 16 year old can have a sauna at school.

joke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have the same questions. I can't go to the meeting. Can someone please clarify what on earth the problem is. They said it was $10 million, and now the Mayor gave the money --- so what is the issue?????

We'll find out tomorrow hopefully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does it seem like DCPS and DGS are trying to come up with excuses not to move forward on this project? Could it be that DCPS can't fully promise that the UDC swing space is a go and doesn't want to admit that? Has anyone seen an actual agreement with UDC?

Nah. They do this budget BS to construction/renovation projects all the time. Murch's project has just had so many challenges that it makes this seem personal. But I think what we're seeing here is run-of-the-mill incompetence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. $10 million less for the rest of us, and now you all are going to go after more.

What about Ellington? Does this mean they will need to cancel the private saunas and hot tubs? For the dancers, you know.

It's also a joke that they are spending $200 million and rising to keep Ellington in its present location. For that money, they could have built a completely modern new performing arts school, more centrally situated in DC to be more convenient to more students, nearer to Metro and ideally located near a performing arts facility. Think, for example of the SW Waterfront District. And NW could probably use another general high school, so it makes sense as several council members have proposed, that the current Ellington building be repurposed as Western High School (which it was). But no, the Ellington community has a bee in its bonnet about staying in Burleith (which they call Georgetown, and consider staying there as a "prestige" thing), and think there's some nefarious racial agenda to move the school to a better location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does it seem like DCPS and DGS are trying to come up with excuses not to move forward on this project? Could it be that DCPS can't fully promise that the UDC swing space is a go and doesn't want to admit that? Has anyone seen an actual agreement with UDC?

Nah. They do this budget BS to construction/renovation projects all the time. Murch's project has just had so many challenges that it makes this seem personal. But I think what we're seeing here is run-of-the-mill incompetence.

D.C. still stands for Dysfunctional City.

[Anonymous]

DGS is just incompetent period. Look at the Roosevelt project and now Powells Phase II project is being pushed back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. $10 million less for the rest of us, and now you all are going to go after more.

What about Ellington? Does this mean they will need to cancel the private saunas and hot tubs? For the dancers, you know.

It's also a joke that they are spending $200 million and rising to keep Ellington in its present location. For that money, they could have built a completely modern new performing arts school, more centrally situated in DC to be more convenient to more students, nearer to Metro and ideally located near a performing arts facility. Think, for example of the SW Waterfront District. And NW could probably use another general high school, so it makes sense as several council members have proposed, that the current Ellington building be repurposed as Western High School (which it was). But no, the Ellington community has a bee in its bonnet about staying in Burleith (which they call Georgetown, and consider staying there as a "prestige" thing), and think there's some nefarious racial agenda to move the school to a better location.

Yep. another great example of where race-based stupidity takes us

[Anonymous]

I think the Ellington project is over $300 million now, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the Ellington project is over $300 million now, actually.

Where have you seen an update on this project?

[Anonymous]

The NW Current reported today that there is a $20 million shortfall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The NW Current reported today that there is a $20 million shortfall.

Just remember: DC taxpayers fund 100 percent of Ellington's capital costs (renovation). They fund about 85% of Ellington's annual operating budget. They have no say in school overnight. Neither the mayor nor the school chancellor nor the DC council has the right to appoint any members of the Ellington board of directors. There is basically zero accountability.

[Anonymous]

The $20 mil shortfall is for Murch, not Ellington.

[Anonymous]

I hope someone will post about the community meeting here. I want to hear how DGS and DCPS explain themselves when they compare the nickel and diming they are doing to Murch when compared the the blank checks they've been writing for other renovation projects.