Here's a
Post article on protests against the selling of empty school buildings to developers. One of the buildings in question is Ivy City's Crummell School. The school sits on the edge of a large lot that the city currently uses for parking school buses. I have a few photos, but they are not with me at the moment.
5 comments:
These types of protest simply encourage the District hanging on to these buildings in their semi-abandoned state, because you can't get consensus on what an appropriate community use should be.
The city is still sitting on a large number of excess schools -- after various different iniatives to dispose of them, give them to charter schools, etc. -- that will never be used for anything school or government-related, but apparently it is more important to find an appropriately community-enhancing use for the buildings than finally get round to selling them off and garner the schools some funds to make the schools that actually aren't abandoned stop looking that way too.
Of course, I live in a converted school, so surely I'm not the right element for the neighborhood and should hold my peace.
Shocker- Adrian Fenty is in the pic with the demonstrators. I agree with the previous poster. Why the heck are people fighting to save a crumbling abandoned building while we have schools with actual children in them that need the help?
Whether it be sold for private use and revenue or dedicated to a public service something should be done. To advocate for the status quo is just silly.
Maybe they could sell the schools and use the proceeds to go to fixing the current schools. Crummell school, however, is historically signficant. It would be a great site for a museum given all of its history. However it is too bad people wait until it may be developed in a more positive way-for any purpose-to say anything. Speaking of Fenty--who do you think will be the best candidate to preserve H street's interests. Fenty worries me. I heard Mayor Williams on an NPR show, I got the impression that of all the candidates he thought would be in line with his current policies-Linda Cropp would be that person.
Cropp is probably the closest to Williams.
Fenty will be terrible for H Street, ditto for Michael Brown.
I am doubtful Marie Johns would be a great option either.
Not sure about Orange but he did have folks going door to door in the area last Saturday dropping lit.
I am hoping for a darkhorse candidate yet to emerge out of the current administartion.
There isn't much point in hanging on to those schools. I think it is a positive step to sell those to developers to build condos. If you can build the tax base in DC then there will be funds for better schools. Not to mention that you can earmark the funds to maintain the schools that are still functioning.
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