Reply to DC Auditor Report on Duke Ellington

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The parking thing isn't unique to Ellington. DCPS says they must install one at Murch because of zoning, and will be destroying a playground to do it. Doesn't Janney have one too?

Now supposedly the city is saying no more underground parking garages but in the initial waves of building they were de riguer (similar to kilns at elementary schools).

[/quote]

Underground parking isn't always a waste of money. It depends.

What is clear is that it is a waste of money in this case. The school should have been moved to a more central, metro accessible location.

The reason it was not is because its political backers like the prestige of the current site and saw the sensible suggestions to move it as being part of The Plan.

That's as far as I can determine. It is a total scandal, reminiscent of Barry- era DC. 
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Actually, parking isn't a waste of money, that is why it is such a huge issue in zoning. The fraud and waste here is in the cost of the parking.

The zoning in effect for this project would have stated 2 spots for every 3 adults employed in the building, so probably about (135 * 2/3) = 90 parking spots (BTW that seems like a super high staff ratio for a public school with 500 kids, especially the high number of non-teaching staff). Where on this planet does parking, even underground parking, for 90 spots cost $60 million dollars, or $666,666 per parking space? Is just doesn't. The average cost per space in DC is something like $40,000 per space. The whole thing should have cost less than what they are paying for a single parking space.

The problem is not that they HAVE underground parking; the problem is in what they are PAYING for it. This is the problem on all of the school projects. You have to have parking, and sometimes given the site constraints and size of the school, you may even have to have underground parking; but you don't have to pay over half-a-million dollars per spot to get it. This is where we can smell fraud, waste, and abuse.[/quote]

Agree with this.  The issue is not having parking, it is the cost.  These schools are not located downtown where there are public parking garages and believe it or not, not everyone can take a Metro bus or train from their home to work.  It is ridiculous to think that is the case.  Many of these teachers live outside the city and have their own families to get home to in a timely manner.  We shouldn't force them to take public transportation just because we pay them on the city dime.  If that is the case, make all the Council members and Mayor take public transportation too.  [/quote]

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