My commute was impacted rather severely by the innocent yen for a sausage sandwich that was experienced by a PennDOT engineer, yet the Inquirer today talks about an even larger bill to repair and maintain the 50-year old U.S. Interstate Highway System.
Sounds like the Morrisville school system, except that thousands of commuters do not use the school here, just a few kids that we can safely farm out. Who cares what those kids and their parents think: Just lower my taxes!
For the people who voted in the Stop the School candidates, let's re-ask the question I've been posing: What's Next?? It's pretty clear that you voted to lower your taxes. Have they dropped yet? Well, fast on the heels of the $2.4 million dollar squander to give back the bond money, it's nearly time for the Emperor's budget to be unveiled.
The budget and your taxes will be a bit lower, I'm sure. But how much? And what will we have to show for it? The $4.5 million dollar open-air sports complex pretty much looks like it used to, except that the grass grows a little faster due to the dumping of post-board meeting waste in the fields. Expect for the grass to be REALLY green around the time the budget comes out.
Just imagine...you're still paying the same taxes, but if the school had been allowed to be built, it would be just about half completed. For all the distress about the high taxes and how the school would bankrupt us, I guess you were right. We still have the high taxes, and the cost of the school that never was is bankrupting us.
Showing posts with label bad construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bad construction. Show all posts
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Bridge to a New School Redux
Do you remember the collapse of the bridge in Minnesota? I blogged about it way back on August 3, and it directly addressed the issues of age, lack of adequate maintenance, and lack of follow-up.
Apparently, the final reports are being assembled and written. A "design flaw" is the apparent conclusion of the report.
The official, who was briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board, said that investigators found a design flaw in the bridge's gusset plates, which are the steel plates that tie steel beams together.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is expected to issue an advisory later Tuesday urging states to check the gusset plates when modifications are made to a bridge -- such as changes to the weight of the bridge or adding a guardrail, said a federal official with knowledge of the plans.
Currently, such calculations are done for the entire bridge, but not down to the gusset plates, the official said. [Ed Note: What is waiting inside the Six Million Dollar Shell? This board's need for speed is a recipe for further disaster.]
Last August, Peters advised states to consider the additional stress placed on bridges during construction projects. An 18-person crew was working on the bridge when it collapsed.
Nearly three months later, Peters told a gathering in Washington of a "working theory" of a poorly designed gusset plate and a heavy load of construction materials.
The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990.
Do you see any other parallels here?
Apparently, the final reports are being assembled and written. A "design flaw" is the apparent conclusion of the report.
The official, who was briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board, said that investigators found a design flaw in the bridge's gusset plates, which are the steel plates that tie steel beams together.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is expected to issue an advisory later Tuesday urging states to check the gusset plates when modifications are made to a bridge -- such as changes to the weight of the bridge or adding a guardrail, said a federal official with knowledge of the plans.
Currently, such calculations are done for the entire bridge, but not down to the gusset plates, the official said. [Ed Note: What is waiting inside the Six Million Dollar Shell? This board's need for speed is a recipe for further disaster.]
Last August, Peters advised states to consider the additional stress placed on bridges during construction projects. An 18-person crew was working on the bridge when it collapsed.
Nearly three months later, Peters told a gathering in Washington of a "working theory" of a poorly designed gusset plate and a heavy load of construction materials.
The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990.
Do you see any other parallels here?
Saturday, January 5, 2008
High School Students and Cold Classrooms
I really like this...I received an email from a student at the high school telling me that one of the teachers in the A Hall at the high school had to move their class to another room both on Thursday and Friday because there was insufficient heat available in the room. This is not confirmed by a second source, so I will not reveal any more details. If anyone wants to tell more about this, or any other items, savethemorrisvilleschool@yahoo.com is open 24/7.
I'm very pleased that there's high schoolers reading this blog out there. You are the new voters. Get involved now. The teachers, staff, and the students know the real everyday condition of the schools. Politically, if they want to keep their jobs, the teachers and staff really do need to keep quiet. More than one whistleblower has paid the price. Responsible criticism and accurate reporting of issues by students is still allowed.
We parents may have to pay the taxes and make them run, but it is your school too.
I'm very pleased that there's high schoolers reading this blog out there. You are the new voters. Get involved now. The teachers, staff, and the students know the real everyday condition of the schools. Politically, if they want to keep their jobs, the teachers and staff really do need to keep quiet. More than one whistleblower has paid the price. Responsible criticism and accurate reporting of issues by students is still allowed.
We parents may have to pay the taxes and make them run, but it is your school too.
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