Tuesday, November 13, 2012

More on the Spingarn Closure

FileSpingarnHS_DC 
Image from Wikipedia 

Here's additional links to info on the proposed closure of Spingarn (and 19 other DCPS schools):

Washington Post: Twenty D.C. Schools Targeted For Closure

Take away:

  1. Current Spingarn students would move to Eastern, Dunbar, or Woodson.
  2. Current Spingarn STAY students would move to Ballou STAY, or Roosevelt STAY.
  3. DCPS plans to renovate Spingarn, eventually turning it into a career and technical education center
  4. "DCPS now enrolls about 45,000 students in 117 buildings; Fairfax County, meanwhile, has about four times as many students in 196 schools."

Take away: 

  1. This makes the car barn, which was already a pretty sure thing, even more of a sure thing.
  2. Spingarn could be closed for a few years.
  3. A streetcar training facility is still coming to the site.
  4. "The city is moving ahead with the planned training facility and could partner with other local schools, including the University of the District of Columbia for an adult-education program."
  5. As expected, the historic landmark application is not impacted by the closing, as the application is tied to the site, not the use.

Take away:
  1.  Carbarn still will have a training facility.
  2. DDOT will still work with DCPS & UDC.
  3. School closure has no impact on application for landmark status.

Greater Greater Washington: DCPS Closing 20 Schools, Including Spingarn

2 comments:

monkeyrotica said...

The superintendent says they expect the student population to increase over the next decade. So they're going to focus on keeping those closed schools ready for re-opening at some point in the future. So getting them on the market and redeveloped quickly as condos/mixed use doesn't seem to be in the cards.

inked said...

Agreed. It sounds like the District plans to sink some serious funds into Spingarn. They have been very clear that they intend to keep the building.