Blog posts are the personal views of Letty Hardi and not official statements or records on behalf of the Falls Church City Council​ 

Dear Friends,

As we head into election weekend, this week’s post will include my final round up of information for the GMHS Bond Referendum. If you are undecided or have questions, I encourage you to read, click, and share with your friends and neighbors. I believe the most important part of this process is to be well informed before you vote. If you missed last week’s post, I included a round up of candidate information too.

**If there is the possibility that you will be unavailable to head to the polls next Tuesday, you may qualify for one of the many reasons to vote in person absentee. Today and tomorrow are your last opportunities!**

I appreciate all of the substantive discussions I’ve had in your living rooms, bus stops, coffee shops, parks, street corners… Next Tuesday’s referendum vote is one gate in the long course that has preceded us and should there be a yes vote, the next step in a long planning process ahead. You have my commitment that there will continue to be a transparent, deliberate process with many opportunities for public input. Regardless of the outcome, we are all neighbors in one little city and I hope to see this level of thoughtful debate and civic engagement as we move forward together.

Best,
Letty

GMHS Bond Referendum Info:

• GMHS Referendum 101 – presentation slides and video from the September 10 Town Hall

• Bond Referendum Language

  QUESTION: Shall the City of Falls Church, Virginia, contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed one hundred twenty million dollars ($120,000,000.00) for the purpose of paying the costs incident to constructing, expanding, reconstructing, renovating, equipping and/or reequipping, in whole or in part, a new or improved High School and part of a middle school in the City of Falls Church, and shall Ordinance No. 1976 of the City authorizing the issuance of such bonds be effective?

• School Info – What will the school look like? How many students will it hold? How will my student be impacted? (Perkins Eastman School Feasibility Analysis)  www.fccps.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=56034&pageId=1146682
• Previous Options – What were the other options considered? Why not repair and renovate?  docs.google.com/document/d/1ALs2bKh6kl7mxXev2AZIJ7TV-TzE7F_8lz82zRihl1M/edit?usp=sharing
• Comparisons of school construction costs – how does $120M for a new high school compare to other projects in the region?  www.fccps.org/news/costcomparison
• Financing Plan – How will we pay for this? What will it cost me?  www.fallschurchva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8867
• Full CIP & Tax Rate Modeling (note that while there are comparisons for the Full CIP vs Modified CIP, the Full CIP is what the Council re-adopted this past July, with the addition of the placeholder $120M for GMHS):  presentation slides and video from July 19 Town Hall
• Economic Development – What kind of development could happen on the 10 acres? Will we lease or sell the land? How much is the land worth? (Alvarez and Marsal Economic Feasibility Analysis):  www.fallschurchva.gov/%20/DocumentCenter/View/8861
• Risk analyses + economic development roadmap – (1) www.fallschurchva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9059  (2) www.fallschurchva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8952
• For even more information, check out the project websites:
  • FCCPS: www.fccps.org/campusproject
  • City of Falls Church:  www.fallschurchva.gov/1599/High-School-Campus-Project

Letty’s Blog Posts Covering GMHS:

• History of the GMHS project & timeline ahead (for visual learners, FCCPS recently published a similar history in slide format): www.lettyhardi.org/updates-from-letty-september-15-2017-gmhs-recap/
• FAQs #1: www.lettyhardi.org/updates-from-letty-september-22-2017/
• FAQs #2: www.lettyhardi.org/updates-from-letty-info-round-up-1-october-27-2017/
• Fact vs Fiction: www.lettyhardi.org/updates-from-letty-september-29-2017-fact-vs-fiction/
• Risks & Mitigation: www.lettyhardi.org/updates-from-letty-october-20-2017/
• If you have concerns about mixed use development on the GMHS campus site, check out these two sources of data:
  • Mixed use development financial report – the most up to date fiscal info for the nine mixed use development projects in the City: choosefallschurch.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/435
  • Where do students live? www.lettyhardi.org/wpc/uploads/2017/09/Students-per-housing-type-2016-10-31.pdf

What’s Coming Up:

• In Person Absentee Voting is underway. Today and tomorrow are the last days to vote in person absentee. There are many reasons why you could qualify to vote in person absentee, so take a look and see if you qualify and head to City Hall.
• Today, November 3 – GMHS Economic Development Working Group (730 am, City Council Chambers)
• Today, November 3 – Economic Development Committee Meeting (915 am, Oak Room)
• Tuesday, November 7 – Election Day
• Monday, November 13 at 730 pm – City Council Meeting
• Looking Ahead – Monday, December 4 – Joint City Council & School Board Work Session – FY19 Planning