A decision on the fate of the Wilson School has been delayed again by the Arlington School Board.
For the better part of this year, the School Board has been discussing ways to turn the Wilson School into a revenue generator for the many big construction projects on the schools’ docket.
But the Board’s consideration of the Wilson School’s future has stirred debate within the community about what should become of the historic but long-vacant property owned by Arlington Public Schools. Some activist groups want to see affordable housing built on the site while others want the site to be used as an arts center and still others want the site, located in the densely-populated Rosslyn neighborhood, to remain an open space.
Consequently, the School Board has been unable to come to a final decision despite receiving Superintendent Robert Smith’s recommendations on the Wilson School issue in mid-April.
"I don’t know where the School Board is on this," Board Member Frank Wilson said. "I don’t even know where Frank Wilson is on this."
THE ITEM that was before the School Board last week was a provision that would have allowed Smith to work with County Manager Ron Carlee on determining the best use of the site, which is located adjacent to a county-owned fire station.
The Superintendent has, in the past, recommended that the two sites be combined and then leased to a private developer to maximize the revenue potential of the Wilson School, which was most recently assessed at more than $10 million.
However, this item never came to a vote. The Board decided that it did not want Smith talking with Carlee on this matter before the Board itself came to a consensus.
"I don’t support this recommendation in its current form," said Board Vice Chair Ed Fendley. "I’d like to see any changes at this site to prioritize the public good. That means we must find the best educational benefits for the site."
Board Member Sally Baird expressed concern that school staff was assuming that revenue would eventually be generated by the site.
"I don’t think we can count the dollars before they’re already there," Baird said.
In the end, the item was tabled to the Board's Sept. 6 meeting. But Board Member Libby Garvey said that she was unsatisfied with the Wilson School’s status quo.
"[The site] needs something done with it," she said. "It’s such a valuable property that could do so much. Not doing anything with it doesn’t seem right."
DESPITE THE MEETING being held in the middle of August, when many in the Washington area are on vacation, several concerned citizens attended and spoke their minds to the Board.
Many of the speakers resented what they saw as the schools placing financial concerns over what was best for the community.
"From day one it has been the position of the staff to make the most bucks on the Wilson School," North Rosslyn Civic Association president Mark Antell said. "This recommendation has got it exactly backwards."
"We recognize that money is important," Patricia Darnell, vice president of the Radnor Heights/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association, said. "But it should never be the overriding factor."
"People look differently at the Metro corridor," said Stuart Stein, referring to the area above the Metro’s Orange Line from Rosslyn to Ballston. "They look at us as a source of revenue."