Reply to DC Auditor Report on Duke Ellington

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
The second concept is cost overrun - the actual cost of the project minus the expected cost.  In this case, that overrun is >$100 million.  That is an outrage.  But the fact that it is in Georgetown has nothing to do with that.  It is because of overpriced and gold-plated construction.  Those same cost overruns would happen whether Duke was being rebuilt in Georgetown on Anacostia or downtown.  The project is not costing >$100 million more than expected because the land in Georgetown cost more than expected.

Got it?  There are lots of reasons for this cost overrun - none excusable.  The failure to move Duke across town is a red herring that has nothing to do with those cost overruns.[/quote]

When I said "high-cost," I wasn't talking at all about land values. I was talking about an expensive place to do construction. Different parts of the city vary tremendously in how much it costs to build things, Georgetown happens to be one of the most expensive parts of the city to build. Add on historic preservation, and the fact that there wasn't room on the surface for required parking, and you get a high-cost location.[/quote]

The rational thing would have been to move to a more central location (not meaning the downtown business district, but more central in DC and on the Metro).  DE decided to stay in Georgetown because they get off on the notion that they are some kind of beachhead in a "prestigious" location.   Gimme a break.[/quote]

PP - Any central location close to Metro would be expensive.  Or is there some magic, inexpensive, centrally-located, close-to-metro neighborhood in DC that you are aware of that the entire world is not?

Also, your contempt for the students and families at DE - and your outrage that they would want to stay in he location where the school has been located for 40 years -- is not dripping through, it is pouring through.  Read your words:  "they get off on the notion that they are some kind of beachhead in a prestigious location.  Gimme a break."   PP, are you Donald Trump?

And to those who are looking for more evidence of why I think race plays a role here:  Ellington is not the first school renovation project to go over budget..  But I don't remember hearing this kind of contempt for the students and families that attend say, Stoddert, or Janney.

Let's try this again people:  be outraged at the Council, the contractors, DCPS, and DGS.    Don't be outraged at the DE students and families.  [/quote]

No school in DC has has its renovation budget hit nearly 150% cost overruns and balloon to $200 million and climbing. Not one.  Ellington is breathtakingly unique, and with its insular governance structure, no one seems accountable.  This is a story of corruption and skimming in large gravy-train project or one of stunning incompetence and inept leadership and oversight.  Actually, tt's probably both.  As has been said before, you can always count on the ol' DeeCee crowd to try to play the race card when cronyism, corruption, mismanagement, waste, fraud or abuse are exposed and condemned.

And if you want to talk about race, why are there so few Hispanic students at Ellington?  The school's demographics are very mismatched to DC's today.[/quote]

Well said. Every single bit of it.

This has nothing to do with actual DE students, but much to do both with its board and of course DCPS/ DGS.[/quote]

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