We are re-posting portions of this article from November 2017 due to the recent news of an unsolicited proposal received for the redevelopment of the UVA/VATech campus.  The current lease of the property is $1/year. UVA/VaTech Deal The UVA/VaTech building deal was the winning offer from Falls Church City and Fairfax County in a regional competition to relocate the grad center from its former Merrifield location to its current site.   UVA/VaTech has a 40 year lease for $1 per year that started in 1995 and expires in 2035. The universities have an option to purchase the property in 2021 (26th year) for $3,350,000 minus aRead More →

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Remember interim’s School Superintendent Schiller’s February 2017 advice to build a single-phase high school for $ 60 million? What if we followed his advice? Let’s say he was off and it would cost $ 70 million. And, let’s not build a school for 1,500 students like he suggested, but a smaller school for 1,350 students. Also, don’t build an expensive 5 story school. Build a cheaper-style 2 story school that we can expand upon. Q: What are the advantages of this approach? A1. We save $ 50 million dollars and borrow $ 50 million less. A2. We can afford to keep the 10 acres ofRead More →

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Citizens gathered this past Sunday in the GMHS auditorium for another Q&A session on the referendum.  The session began with a pitch for a new school from Peter Noonan, Superintendent of Schools, citing research that indicates better outcomes for students with high ceilings and better ventilation. This was followed by financing details by City Manager Wyatt Shields.  School Board candidates Greg Anderson,  Alison Kutchma, Richard Crispin, Shannon Litton and Shawna Russell were in attendance.  Good questions were posed and more back up and tax implication information was requested.  FACTS will post the information requested when it becomes available. The session was videotaped. Click here forRead More →

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Falls Church FACTS is co-sponsoring the Community Issues Forum (CIF) for City Council and School Board candidtates:  7:30 PM, Wed, September 27th – City Council Candidates: Marybeth Connelly, Ross Litkenhous, Spencer Parsons, Dan Maller, David Snyder, & Dan Sze 7:30 PM, Wed, October 25th – School Board Candidates: Greg Anderson, Richard Crespin, Alison Kutchma, Shannon Litton, Shawna Russell, and Lawrence Webb Both events will be held at the American Legion Hall Post 130, 400 North Oak Street, Falls Church, VA 22046 For question please contact Sally Ekfelt at Ekfelt@gmail.com        Read More →

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Below is the statement read by Mr. John Leimone to City Council during public comment on Monday, July 24, 2017.  Mr Lemoine has worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank and the International Monetary Fund. I strongly support the VPIS recommendation in the well-argued letter to you (City Council) to postpone any decision on a GMHS referendum until citizens have been thoroughly and honestly briefed on all aspects of this project, which because of the costs involved, poses an existential threat to the City’s future financial stability. Underlying this position are at least 4 major concerns: The Council and City Manager have glossedRead More →

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In November, we will probably be asked to approve a referendum for a $120 M (Million) bond issuance to finance construction of a new high school. The debt service will be approximately $7.08 M every year for 30 yearsi. Some people have warned that paying for increasing School system operating costs will be more challenging than the bond debt payment. The counter thinking is that new development and a modest real estate tax increase will pay for the need of our Schools. During the past few weeks, the City has held some meetings and issued some reports that provide enough data to allow anyone toRead More →

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