Guest Commentary:'Mt. Daniel Project': Next Step in Getting it Done

By Ruth Brock

(Ruth Brock is a member of the Falls Church City School Board.)

An expansion of Mount Daniel, our primary school for grades K-1, is critical to relieve serious overcrowding that is eroding the morale of the school’s dedicated staff and hampering the delivery of educational services. The plan being developed includes four classrooms, additional smaller rooms to meet special education needs, significantly improved parking and storm water drainage and, yes, a bus turnaround to separate vehicular and bus traffic. Opponents of the plan have claimed that the plan is ill-conceived and minimally considered by the Board; they also claim that the Board is not “listening to their concerns.” Neither is true.

The School Board has been grappling with facilities issues since 1999. The decision to build a middle school at George Mason came after years of work by Board, staff, and community members. While the new Middle School should provide relief at both the High School and Thomas Jefferson, there would still be an acute space need at Mt. Daniel. Therefore, the referendum approved last November included $1.7 million for a small addition at Mt. Daniel.

The lack of parking and poor traffic flow at Mt Daniel are well-known to generations of Falls Church parents. The School Board had planned for additional parking in 2000, but action was delayed because of consideration of a more extensive project. In 2003, after reevaluating demographic projections for Mt. Daniel, the Board concluded that four additional classrooms would serve the school for several more years. p>The $1.7 million estimate was based on a calculation of square footage costs for new classrooms and an updating of an internal estimate made several years earlier for the cost of providing additional parking spaces; it was not part of the formal contract discussions with our construction partners.

The project has evolved from its original conception. As the specifications for the new classrooms were developed, the staff believed that several small support spaces should be added to meet special education needs. The Board also agreed the project should address the storm water challenges. In addition, Board members, despite concerns expressed by our annual safety audits, remained committed to appropriately preserving the pedestrian short cuts across the site.

The Board contracted with PPA to develop a schematic design to achieve these multiple goals. An Architect’s Advisory Committee was appointed by the School Board to work with the architect to develop the plans. The committee included the usual appointees under Board policy and, at the request of local Fairfax County Supervisor Joan Dubois, three Fairfax County neighbors.

This committee first met on July 7, to view the schematic drawing. The plans included the bus turn around, which was being recommended by the architect, the Board’s construction consultant, and the school’s leadership. Another meeting was held on July 19, for members of the Mt. Daniel neighborhood specifically to view and comment on the proposal. On July 20, the preliminary schematic design which had been modified based on earlier responses, was presented to a joint meeting of the School Board and the Architect’s Committee.

The design process is ongoing as the Board listens to community comments. In fact, substantial portions of three formal School Board meetings have been devoted to listening to public comment on the project. Four members of the School Board met with neighbors at the site, so that neighbors could walk them around and demonstrate their concerns. The School Board has held two joint work sessions with members of the Architect’s Advisory Committee, which includes the three neighborhood representatives. The Board also plans an informal forum at the request of the neighborhood representatives on the architect’s committee on October 19, for neighbors and community members to share comments and questions.

In making its final decisions about the project, the Board must listen to many constituencies. Educational professionals have defined their program needs. Architects and engineers, including individuals with traffic and storm water expertise, have provided a plan to deal with design and site issues. The Mt. Daniel staff feels very strongly that the plan presented—including the bus turnaround— will work effectively for them.

Yes, there is a well thought out plan. Yes, the School Board has done a lot of listening. But, can everyone be satisfied; almost certainly not. However I know that my primary responsibility is to insure that, to the best of my ability, the children of Falls Church, and those who most directly serve them, get the facilities and tools that they need to continue to receive the top quality education that our community expects.