Feb 2011 Update on future Lovettsville Schools - a parent/citizen perspective
Stinger
SUMMARY:
· In December 2010, Jim McDonough successfully re-negotiated contracts with a group of landowners for LCPS to acquire 108 acres located northwest of the Lovettsville Fire Hall. The site is referred to as the McDonough Assemblage and is shown here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47845736. Previous Assemblage contracts, originally valid for one year from ~April 2009 to April 2010, were allowed by LCPS to expire with little to no action taken. The homeowners in the Assemblage are once more offering their land for future schools.
· The Assemblage is the 4th site in or adjacent to Lovettsville (compliant with the County's Comprehensive Plan) to be identified since 2006. Unlike three options previously dismissed by LCPS (Lovettsville Park, Shoene/Engle and Miller), the McDonough Assemblage has broad public support.
· Instead of approving LCPS’ continued efforts to acquire sites several miles from Lovettsville for future schools, including 36 acres of Mr. Cangiano’s Wheatland farm for $1.3M (as of Oct 26, 2010), we ask you to tell your representatives to be leaders and find the WILL to clear the WAY for a future Lovettsville high school at the McDonough Assemblage. School Board: lc...@lcps.org and Board of Supervisors b...@loudoun.gov
Thanks to Virginia law called the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/2010law.pdf , government must provide timely citizen access to public records. Despite LCPS’ current efforts to restrict citizen access to their files, interesting information has been obtained in the past. Associated examples follow.
LCPS HISTORICALLY UNTRUTHFUL ABOUT LOVETTSVILLE SCHOOL SITES:
LCPS representatives have recently indicated they do not have time or available funds for western Loudoun secondary school land acquisitions. And last week, a LCPS representative told citizens that condemnation will be required for the McDonough Assemblage option. However, LCPS has used the “condemnation” excuse untruthfully before, so we caution you to reserve your trust in that claim now. For example, here are untruthful excuses, including condemnation, made by LCPS representatives in the past that have successfully blocked selection of a Lovettsville high school site:
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May 28, 2008, LCPS' public presentation in Lovettsville stated, “the Lovettsville Park option requires additional acreage from Moores and Millers;” and, will “likely require condemnation of multiple properties”. NOT TRUTHFUL, as shown on two drawings prepared by LCPS contractors. This map http://www.scribd.com/doc/47845748 was presented to the public in May 2008 and shows access to schools on the Park through the Moore homestead on Lutheran Ch Rd. The other map withheld from the public http://www.scribd.com/doc/47846301 was revealed by FOIA in July 2009. It also was prepared by LCPS' contractor, and shows an entirely different access route off S. Loudoun St that does not align through the Moore’s home.
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On July 24, 2007 LCPS stated the Millers were not willing sellers. NOT TRUTHFUL. Here http://www.scribd.com/doc/47845756 is an excerpt of a contract the Millers signed in 2006 to sell their 156 acres for $4.95M ($31,935/acre), which was less than the February 2006 appraised value of $5.13M. Early versions of that contract show the Millers were anxious for their barn to be moved to the Lovettsville Park for preservation. Records also show Mayor Walker suggesting the barn be used for a performing arts center. Despite LCPS’ simultaneous $56,000/acre offer for Wheatland Farm and nearby properties (Danner and Grubb) for $40,000/acre, LCPS’ top offer to the Millers was $28,205/acre. And later LCPS references an appraised value for the Miller farm of $4M ($25,641/acre). LCPS' appraisal has never been found, despite hours of research of LCPS files. In Jan 2008 the Millers changed their position from their earlier 2006 “enthusiastic endorse[ment of] the idea of a school and a park on the property” and requested it be removed from consideration.
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In 2009, LCPS staff stated access to schools at Shoene/Engle was not feasible. NOT TRUTHFUL. VDOT officials state here http://www.scribd.com/doc/47973388 that LCPS did NOT ask them about access to that site. Further, a 2010 draft of the Lovettsville comprehensive plan included the possibility of a new bypass road through those same properties, paralleling Broad Street to the north from behind the Community Center west to the Post Office on Church St.
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In early 2007, LCPS staff stated Lovettsville does not have sewer capacity for schools. NOT TRUTHFUL. At that time Lovettsville was planning the 3rd module of their wastewater treatment plant. Lovettsville has historically maintained that the new module offers capacity, but the County will need to reserve it until the schools are needed and open. http://www.scribd.com/doc/47974050
· In May 2009, LCPS states road upgrades of $6.5M are needed to access schools on the McDonough Assemblage (Lutheran Church Road $3.4M and Fry Farm Rd $3.1M). REALLY? LCPS’ consultant’s preliminary estimate states Lutheran Church upgrades are estimated at $1.6M and Fry Farm road upgrades include 2400 feet of construction estimated at $1.8M. If only ONE access road serves co-located Woodgrove HS and Mountain View ES, it is not clear why TWO access roads (the 2nd road costing $3.1M) are needed for access to schools at the McDonough Assemblage.
· Why did LCPS wait until the year-long original McDonough Assemblage contracts were expiring in April 2010 before they requested more funding from Supervisors for HS-10 project studies?...This is despite their expenditures of limited taxpayer funding on Wheatland studies of over $400,000, 20 times the $20,000 spent in 2009 “evaluating” Lovettsville’s McDonough and Shoene/Engle sites according to http://www.scribd.com/doc/47854702. Interestingly, those 2009 studies costing taxpayers over $400,000 included LCPS’ paid upgrade of four of Mr. Cangiano’s residential wells to community well standards. Three of his wells were on land LCPS had a contract to purchase and were potentially valid expenditures for pump test preparation. However, as shown here http://www.scribd.com/doc/47845659, one Cangiano well was NOT on land under LCPS’ contract. That well, WLS-16, was improved (enlarged and deepened) such that yields increased from <20 gallons per minute (gpm) to over 150 gpm. We asked for the technical justification for improving a well on land not under LCPS'
contract. LCPS REFUSES TO ANSWER and are withholding from the public their correspondence with their groundwater study contractor EGGI (as discussed below).
WHO SUPPORTS THE MCDONOUGH ASSEMBLAGE?
In addition to SmallTownSchools, support has been voiced by the LBA-Lovettsville Business Association and CLASS-Citizens for Lovettsville Area School Solutions. In the past, Supervisors Sally Kurtz and Jim Burton expressed their support of the site. More recently, according to the John Wood, Chairman of Loudoun's Economic Development Council, Mayor Walker also supports the McDonough Assemblage. He shared with us that the Mayor showed him the site when he came for a tour of Lovettsville. He further noted that continued Town growth is likely due to the "economic engine" of the nearby MARC commuter train to DC.
WHO BENEFITS FROM AVAILABLE OPTIONS?
As you receive information from various sources, ask yourself, what does SmallTownSchools have to gain by misrepresenting information gathered? And conversely ask what do developers potentially have to gain by taxpayers' investment in Wheatland area schools, particularly considering the significant other Cangiano land holdings in that immediate area?
Lovettsville area middle and high school sites, and particularly the McDonough Assemblage, make more sense than Wheatland sites because:
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Our children, families and community will enjoy a myriad of benefits (shorter commutes, access to community services in Town, proximity to emergency responders, etc..) with a future Lovettsville high school coming in 6 to 10 years.
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The McDonough Assemblage is within range of Town utilities, eliminating taxpayer funding to build and operate the stand-alone water and wastewater treatment plants required for Wheatland schools. -->These utilities belong in/near densely populated Towns where more will benefit and investment returns can be earned.
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Town residents could see tax relief as the County becomes a partner paying for Town utility services (water/sewer) and as the Town's commercial tax base grows with new business opportunities schools will bring. An increase in Town revenue could fund sidewalks. Nearby schools will improve eligibility for grant money http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/state/network/virginia#program.
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Future Lovettsville schools will bring local jobs to the community.
- The promise of a future high school coming to Town likely will energize the stalled New Town Center commercial development - one reason many young families have moved here. Schools in Wheatland will benefit existing businesses in Purcellville because they will be closer and offer more opportunities than Lovettsville businesess. Further, Wheatland schools will benefit those with stated interest in bringing new commercial development to Wheatland.
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The proposed Lovettsville bike trail runs very near the McDonough Assemblage, making hike/bike access between the schools and New Town Center very feasible.
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The carbon footprint and transportation costs associated with Lovettsville area students being transported up and down 287 to LCPS' preferred school sites in Wheatland for generations are staggering.\
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Will there be Lovettsville area traffic in the future with these schools? Yes, but there will be traffic NO MATTER WHERE these schools are built, with much of it going through Town anyway because most of the students live in or east of Town, as shown on this student distribution map http://www.scribd.com/doc/47845348 (enlarge to see numbers showing multiple students for each symbol). Fear of Purcellville-type traffic is simply NOT valid because, unlike Lovettsville, Purcellville is the social and economic nexus of western Loudoun and is situated along the densely populated Route 7 corridor.
CURRENT EFFORTS
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On November 9, 2010, we submitted this http://www.scribd.com/doc/47847146 Audit Request of LCPS' Planning Department to the School Board with 20 citizens standing in support. Contrary to statements made by School Board At-Large rep Tom Reed and Dr. Hatrick, the Audit Request did NOT accuse any LCPS staff member of criminal activities. However, it included several pages of LCPS files with identified irregularities and asked direct questions related to those records.
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LCPS REFUSES TO ANSWER ANY of the Audit questions and Dr. Hatrick states in this CONFIDENTIAL memo http://www.scribd.com/doc/47847822 that the Audit packet "was reviewed and found to demonstrate no irregularities." What do you think?
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To find answers for ourselves, we are currently trying to obtain access to more information being withheld by LCPS. We have requested the Loudoun County General District Court’s help in this matter with a Writ of Mandamus pro se (a one-page form filed WITHOUT an attorney, which simply asks the Court to order LCPS provide access). http://www.scribd.com/doc/47972543
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Instead of using their own full-time staff attorney, LCPS hired an expensive outside legal counsel, a partner in a Fairfax County law firm (with expertise in Government Immunity) to represent them in court against an individual concerned citizen/parent. For example, their attorney has prepared seven letters between Jan 20, 2011 and Jan 28, 2011, with this one transmitting a log of 900+ pages of privileged documents citizens are not allowed to see http://www.scribd.com/doc/47848426 and this one presenting issues/costs for email searches http://www.scribd.com/doc/47972259
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The trial is set for February 15, 2011 at 11am.
It is said, “where there is a will, there is a way”. We ask you to please join us in support of the McDonough Assemblage by telling your leaders to end LCPS' good-old boy, developer-friendly, land-use molding political agenda; and, to move swiftly with the will to make way for a future Lovettsville high school.
Please know we sincerely appreciate the continued encouragement provided by many of you; and, invite any questions, concerns or comments you may have.
Sincerely,
Sarah Stinger
SmallTownSchools
P.S. If you would like to see additional documentation to support statements provided herein, please do not hesitate to ask.