Reply to Murch meeting tonight on swing space

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Reply to "Murch meeting tonight on swing space"

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[quote=Anonymous]There was a VERY helpful and enlightening post on the CCDC listserv today that explained a lot of the NPS issues:

What many people may not realize is that one-third of the Murch campus is not just any old slice of National Park Service land but in fact part of Fort Reno and thus an NPS Civil War Defenses of Washington site. Since 1902 the federal government has had big, big plans to connect these hilly open spaces known as the Circle Forts into one big national recreation trail greenway. Consequently, in 1985 NPS had a conniption when the city erected a double-wide trailer known as the "Kaufman Wing" to alleviate chronic overcrowding. The city assured the feds that the trailer was temporary and agreed that nothing would be built there when it was taken out of commission. Straining any reasonable definition of "temporary," that trailer is still in heavy use. But when the city finally tears it down during Murch's long-overdue modernization, that space must by covenant revert to open play space. This is one of several restrictions on the Murch property that has created all kinds of design and logistical challenges over the years and in planning for impending construction.

To say that the best option for Murch students is to swing on-site reveals a lack of understanding about the limitations on the property and the scale of the project. The school's physical structure is doubling in size, necessitating that every square inch of open space, NPS or not, be dug up at some point over the next two years. Housing ~700 people on site in close proximity (about 10 feet in some cases) from construction poses significant challenges in terms of physical and environmental safety, traffic congestion (already a daily fiasco), instruction, school events, utilities, and recess. Believe me, the Murch SIT has badgered DGS about swing space and how to get NPS to the table since our very first meeting four years ago. Although NPS has held firm to its policy of no permanent buildings on their side of the campus, DGS considered it a major victory that they got the OK for a basketball hoop and soccer field. Despite magical thinking by DGS that NPS will also deign to allow the city to make improvements to the greenspace on the 3700 block of Davenport -- also part of Fort Reno -- suitable for temporary play or trailers, our community is highly skeptical. That field would require significant improvements to make it safe and useable for more than dog walking. Getting large groups of students across Reno Road several times a day just for recess would be a hassle and likely eat into instructional time. 
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