MORE WASTE Wrote:
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> DID YOU KNOW?
>
> The Fairfax County School Board looking to buy
> Gatehouse II for administrative staff regardless
> of huge fiscal shortfalls, economic uncertainty
> and potential furloughs for county employees
>
> The Fairfax County School Board recently proposed
> the purchase of a newly renovated facility for the
> County’s school administrative staff, called
> Gatehouse II.
>
> The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously not to
> approve the purchase saying it wanted “proof of
> cost savings of Gatehouse I before moving forward
> with the second phase of the school system’s
> consolidation.”
>
> School Board is reworking their numbers, trying to
> figure out a way to obtain approval from the Board
> of Supervisors to purchase the facility.
>
> WHAT YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW…
>
> Gatehouse II will actually cost $273 million
>
> The School Board presented the following requests
> to the Board of Supervisors on September 22, 2008
> regarding the proposed purchase:
> Approve a new bond issue, not to exceed $130
> million, for permanent financing of the Gatehouse
> II acquisition, with debt service on the permanent
> bonds projected to be $8.2 million per year,
> starting in Fiscal Year 2013.
>
> Renovate, vacate and transfer the following
> facilities to Fairfax County:
> o Leis Center
> o Sprague Center
> o A portion of Wilton Woods Center
>
> Renovate the following facilities, consolidate
> school staff and services in the facilities but
> retain the buildings for possible future use as
> schools:
> o Devonshire Center
> o Dunn Loring Center
> o Lacey Center
>
> The following facts are provided to FairfaxCAPS by
> construction industry experts:
>
> Using the $130 million projected for permanent
> financing and a capital construction/activation
> factor of 1.1 (typical for FCEDA School Bonds), we
> would actually pay $273 million for this project.
> What are the additional costs of all of the
> renovations to vacated properties and why are they
> not listed as part of the overall project cost and
> business case?
>
> There is no data on the costs of the renovations
> upon vacating these properties in the business
> case. Devonshire Center, alone, is expected to
> cost $5.8 million in renovations. The business
> case only mentions the savings anticipated from
> lease revenue.
> Yet the School Board claims that Gatehouse II is
> self funding:
>
> “Self-Funding: The purchase, renovation and
> operation of the BPG building is self-funded
> through the consolidation of the 14 status quo
> FCPS owned and leased administrative
> properties. No direct school operating or capital
> funds are impacted.”
> The business case fails to provide return on
> investment (ROI), the internal rate of return, net
> present value and payback period calculations for
> the entire project to support true cost/benefit
> analyses.
> Where is the Appraisal for Gatehouse II?
> FairfaxCAPS submitted Freedom of Information Acts
> (FOIA) to both the School Board and the Board of
> Supervisors requesting a copy of the appraisal for
> Gatehouse II.
>
> We have not heard back from the Board of
> Supervisors, however, the School Board’s attorney
> provided the following explanation as to why our
> request was denied:
>
> “We have checked with personnel from the Fairfax
> County Public Schools, and we have been advised
> that the School Board did not send any such
> documents to the Board of Supervisors. Staff is
> aware of only one document that was prepared by
> the School Board staff for presentation to the
> Board of Supervisors. That document was prepared
> to present the proposed acquisition of an
> administration building to the Board of
> Supervisors in a closed session.”
>
> Michael Long
> Senior Assistant County Attorney
> Fairfax County
>
> WHAT YOU CAN DO…
>
> Write to your Board of Supervisors representative
>
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/board/ and
> to your School Board representative
>
http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/members.htm and ask why
> our tax dollars are funding a new building for
> staff, instead of new schools and desperately
> needed school renovations for our kids.
NO TAJ MAHAL FOR DALE AND THE SCHOOL BOARD. We need this money for the students, not Gatehouse II.