Comments on: CSD: City Planning and Foresight Prevented School Flooding

By: CSD Snowflake

CSD Snowflake — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:16:13 +0000

I agree you do a great job of moderating, D.M. No wonder you won an award. Just when the digs were feeling a bit sharp, you came to my rescue! I didn’t even have to send an email. (Hadn’t thought of that; got to remember that technique for the future.) Thanks for helping a lady in distress. I guess I’ll stay in town after all.

By: "Naaman" Gibbets

"Naaman" Gibbets — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:12:31 +0000

DM–I see your point–always have, but the issue I have is thin-skinned people who want to broadcast their always-precious opinions but not want to hear an opposing view, or even a way off the mark dig. Yes, a “dig” is good way to put it. Keep walking the line, sir. Cheers.

By: CSD Snowflake

CSD Snowflake — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:18:58 +0000

Please refer to Nelliebelle’s pictures of flooding on Oakview!

I have yet to see a CSD school field that doesn’t have water problems, except the new DHS stadium. As I’ve said before in a post, selection of the original school sites must have ranked “tendency of ground to get wet and muddy” very high. Maybe it’s because that was the land left that wasn’t already zoned for residential construction?

By: fifi

fifi — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:06:09 +0000

DM – not an easy task and you do it well.

By: Decatur Metro

Decatur Metro — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:01:01 +0000

It’s certainly shades of gray Gibbs. I don’t pretend like this is a science by any means.

And for every person that finds little personal “digs” (can we agree to call it that?) entertaining, there’s someone who’s completely turned off by that sort of thing. I have the emails to prove it.

So I walk the line.

By: CSD Snowflake

CSD Snowflake — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:59:19 +0000

I’ve been to many many official and informal meetings with Marc and Valarie over the years and have lots of respect for them and thanks for their hard work. Haven’t been invited to any of their meet and greets yet but me or the hubby will definitely try to hit several candidate forums.

By: "Naaman" Gibbets

"Naaman" Gibbets — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:46:48 +0000

I’ll agree it’s a useless statement because usually people live in a place they want to live, but my point is it’s not really an insult–it’s true, he could have tried to lure her into an argument more creatively. The other question is who’s getting pissed-off and are they allowed to.

And what some call tailspins, threadjacks, or off-topics others call entertainment, discussion, or exchange.

By: fifi

fifi — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:39:10 +0000

Kids in the buildings, administrators in the trailers sounds great – no one can argue with that. Unfortunately it isn’t that simple. Like it or not, there are economies of scale when running schools. There are issues such as state funding allocations for teachers and support staff, cost of cafeteria and custodial staff, transportation costs, etc. Add on cost of additional specials teachers like PE , Art and Music, additional Special Ed and counseling staff . With College Heights students you need early ed specialists and social workers, too.

We can’t just gather up the overflow from crowded schools and move them into Westchester. Even if the administration was housed somewhere other than Westchester, there would be lots of possible obstacles to re-opening the school at this point. I am not saying it won’t happen but I am far from convinced that now is the time.

I don’t know what the ultimate decision should be for CSD but I do know it is more complex than some parents seem to think.

Snowflake, I will make an effort to meet these 2 candidates. Will you be attending meet and greets for Mark and Valarie ? I have seen both at work in CSD and the wider Decatur community for the last decade. They are fantastic public servants. I won’t say regardless of agendas because I don’t really get that concept. Doesn’t disregarding agendas make the election nothing more than a popularity contest ?