Bates Area Civic Association

Scott Roberts’ speediness in posting his account of the Monday night BACA meeting has spared me the necessity of doing likewise.  I’m assuming that everyone has read Scott’s piece, and/or heard about the meeting or was there. So I thought I’d post some thoughts and questions:

• What were the criteria for evaluating the proposals for the Cook School and what were the scores for LAYC/Youthbuild and KIPP? Mayor Fenty referred frequently to the “process,” in terms that suggested, at least to me, that he considered it a model of objective assessment. Maybe one of us knows something about the evaluation system. If not, would it be worth finding out?
• The resolutions seeking reversal of the decision aside, is there an appeal system built into the process? Can the City Council reverse it?
• On a more practical note, I’m curious why LAYC didn’t appear before us until it had been awarded the contract. Perhaps LAYC had made pre-award presentations to the ANC. But the failure to show up at BACA during the evaluation process sure didn’t help its case. Was this an oversight? Or did LAYC foresee that the project would be controversial?
• The decision to bring Youthbuild students to the meeting was unfortunate. Virtually all the project critics made a point of complimenting the organization’s work – and the students themselves, in one case. But they clearly took the neighborhood opposition personally, which was understandable, and inevitable.
• Though the LAYC issue had nothing to do with the conflict over the city Parks and Recreation director I  also found it unfortunate that a neighborhood resident questioned her citizenship as a way of criticizing her appointment (she’s Latina, and the Council has now vetoed her appointment). One BACA member has wondered on this blog if the LAYC’s name explains the neighborhood’s opposition. I don’t think that’s the case, but the raising of the citizenship issue could make someone wonder.

Lastly, the Cook School conflict overshadowed a few items that never got covered. Among them: citizen access to Dunbar High School sports facilities; and nuisance and vacant properties.