The School Board’s Ann Wasson virtually dismissed Landscape Architect Kent Worley’s criticisms of the Ordean High School site as the rantings of a crank. Mr. Worley has just replied. One of them surely is a crank.
Here’s a sample with Board Member Wasson’s sneering dismissal followed by Mr. Worley’s reasoned reply.
Worley’s commentary was typical of some of the full-time facilities plan critics who have emerged: Shoot first and discover facts later.
Now, Ms Wasson, you know this is not true. First of all I know the property, streets, homes, woods, creek and more after living one block from Ordean Middle School for 37 years, and I know its capabilities as a parcel of land, and I am here to tell you that the district is far ‘exceeding the carrying capacity of the land’, That is exactly what a land planner or landscape architect is responsible and obligated to advise. The land, the streets, the setbacks, the scale, the limited program of athletic facilities, the extensive million dollar retaining walls, the extensive underground water reservoir construction, the off-site parking, the lack of future building expansion space, the placement of service/delivery/garbage loading dock at a primary fronting street across from home sites—all these go to illustrate the ‘exceeding the land’s capacity’ to properly deal with needs of such an intense facility.
