Letters

Construction at 301 University stirs emotion

Editor’s note: while the City ultimately declared the building at 301 University Ave. in Hillcrest “not historic,” our Jan. 15 story “Walgreens construction halted” led to a lively – and sometimes tense – discussion on our website. Construction has resumed, with plans to open a full-size Walgreens drug store tentatively set for later this year. Below are several comments; follow the entire conversation on sduptownnews.com.

The architecture that was hidden under the ugly blue facade looks amazing. I was saddened to learn the plans for yet another drug store to be added to the already saturated market in this area, but if they could re-imagine their design to incorporate this timeless architecture (that is already featured just blocks away at Crest Cafe, and would add a welcome consistency), I could actually get behind their plans then. I hope we are lucky enough to see pictures of what used to be, and hope that any new plans will incorporate the “Streamline Moderne” architecture. And shame on Walgreens Corp. for designating 1972 as the date the building was originally built, when I’m sure a quick fact check would have revealed otherwise. It seems like they actively tried to deceive the community, and if so, they deserve any headaches that come with this stop work order.

—Eric, via sduptownnews.com

Historical significance is a wonderful thing to preserve, but even more so are private property rights. I think it is completely inappropriate for any group to try to tell an owner what they can, should or must do with their private property. How pervasive this arrogant and un-American practice has become. No one other than the property owner should interfere with a lawful development of private property. Community planning groups have gone from being advocates of community cooperation to being pirates of real and personal property. Talk about big brother!!! It disgusts me to think that intelligent and “civic minded” people don’t see the destructive role they play in undermining our constitutional rights.

—Nancy, via sduptownnews.com

It is the wrong place for a parking lot, and we really don’t need another drug store right there. Where is their parking going to be? If it is not underground it is not a good use of land in that location. What does the community “need” there? … I miss the office supply, the variety store, the sewing store [and] the little produce shop, all lost over the last two decades or so. What do we need to make this a walkable, livable neighborhood for the residents in contrast to the population that comes to dine and party?

—Diedre, via sduptownnews.com

It is unfortunate that a few individuals have caused community development progress to be halted once again. This corner has been in need of redevelopment for years. To suppress the efforts made to turn this into a new building that will house a new business and create new jobs, seems counter productive.

—Emily, via sduptownnews.com

For years the building has been a view of urban blight. Anything done with that site would be an improvement. SOHO has done a lot of good things for preservation but sometimes they really do go overboard. Just because something is old does not make it historically significant. Just like the cable channel AMC stands for American Movie Classics; but most of what they show aren’t classics, they’re just old movies.

—G. McGinn, via sduptownnews.com

This eyesore nightmare of a building is now mostly demolished, and an even uglier, bigger nightmare than before. We don’t really need another drugstore at this site when CVS is a block away, and Rite-Aid is two blocks, but many of us in the community were happy to see something happen here. I really wish Mr. May and friends would mind their own and let the property owner do whatever it wants with this monster.

—Joseph, via sduptownnews.com

Public schools critical; active involvement necessary

First, full disclosure: I’m a friend of Andy [Hinds, SDUN Parenting columnist], living in Fairfax County, Virginia, so he’s heard a bit of our experience. But let me share it here, to boost what he and others are doing in San Diego [see “Hidden in the heart of North Park: Thomas Jefferson Elementary,” Vol. 5, Issue 2].

Although Fairfax is one of the wealthiest counties in Virginia, we happened (without realizing it – we didn’t even check!) to move into the economically poorest elementary school district in the county, a Title I school where 83 percent qualify for federal free and reduced meals. The majority of children are from immigrant families, with 54 percent receiving additional English-language help.

Two-thirds of students are Hispanic, with the rest evenly split between Asian, non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic African-American. Unlike the school in Andy’s neighborhood, apparently, our school did have a reputation, an unfortunate one (this was eight years ago). We heard that test scores were terrible, that the school focused mainly on teaching English to immigrants, that there was extremely high student turnover, and that white kids felt “uncomfortable” there (my spouse and our kids are Chinese, by the way; I am white).

None of what we heard was true. All of this information came from well-meaning and otherwise liberal-minded people who had never set foot in the school, who had never sent their children there. So we checked the stats: test scores were low for Fairfax, but not without promise, especially given the English-language handicap. Student turnover was just above the county average; no big deal.

We talked to white parents whose kids did attend, and they praised their teachers’ care and their kids’ positive experience with the school’s diversity. We visited the school ourselves and found it to be a wonderfully comfortable and welcoming place: artwork decorating the halls, smiling kids happily going to class – seriously, this was a comfortable place to be.

We also had heard that parent involvement was low. True, PTA meetings were sparsely attended and fundraising was weak. But parents were involved in all sorts of other ways: walking their kids to and from school, sitting down to breakfast with them at the school, and attending parent-teacher meetings, family resources workshops, parent-child reading events, and large-scale events like International Night.

Finally, a new principal brought in a new, collaborative teaching model that focused attention not only on what each class needed as a whole, but also what each individual student did well and needed more help with, so that test scores (to the extent that these mean something) rose dramatically. Graham Road Elementary School has been in the top 10 percent of Virginia elementary schools for several years now. And all this while maintaining a strong art and music program, despite budget cuts. We have excellent visual arts, band, orchestra, chorus and an award-winning percussion ensemble. And, yes, we have also increased fundraising, though we realize this will never be the most important part of parent involvement.

The lesson here for all parents facing the Kindergarten jitters: visit your local public schools. Ask for a tour from the principal and a meeting with some of the teachers. Seek out parents whose children attend. Ask about the many ways parents can be involved in education, not just PTA [and] fundraising. Look for attributes in children other than test scores. Ask about enrichment, music, arts.

And finally, assume that diversity is good for your children, no matter what their background. Public schools have played a critical role in the development of American democratic society, one we all need to sustain by our active involvement and engagement.

—Phillip Troutman, via sduptownnews.com

Congratulations to Crest Cafe

Great article. I’ve lived in San Diego for 25 years (originally from Philly) and sorry to say I’ve never been in the Crest Cafe though I’ve been by it many times [see “Crest Cafe turns 30,” Vol. 5, Issue 2]. This article has convinced me that I need to pay a visit in the very near future. The Crest Cafe sounds like a very charming restaurant. I’ll be looking forward to stopping by. Congratulations on such a long success!!

—John Slotter, via sduptownnews.com

Thanks Cecelia, Luis and Ruben for decades of great food!

—Nancy Moors, via sduptownnews.com