Comments on: Library bridge comes up lame in committee vote

By: Jennifer Deseo

Jennifer Deseo — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:40:54 +0000

Two of the ADA-accessible alternatives pitched by the department of general services were presented at the public forums.

The first requires the building to be raised one story to allow five designated parking spots to sit on the ground floor. The department of general services rang this up at no less than $3 million (on top of the building’s construction cost).

The other alternative was to dig an underground garage beneath the library building. This would cost something million dollars, too. (Don’t remember the projected figure, but it was up there.) But architects on the project said it couldn’t happen anyway: There wouldn’t be enough space to build the entrance ramp.

At Tuesday afternoon’s meeting with county council members, the planning department proposed head-in parking along Bonifant to serve as designated spaces. They estimated this would cost $450,000. The department of general services said it would cost $2 million. Who knows.

By: JKS

JKS — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:17:52 +0000

Full details cannot be given in this limited space. (Unfortunately, Greater Greater Washington, which usually does a good job, had terrible reporting in this case.) The long and the short of it is that General Services, which will build the Library, has costed out the different ways of providing handicapped parking. These alternatives were not well presented at the Committee meeting. But before the full Council, on 28 July, you will hear what all this costs, and notice that the bridge is reasonable.

You may still get a wholly ideological-political vote by the Council, of course, but let’s hope for some reason on the part of some Council members.

By: Craig Orez

Craig Orez — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:14:18 +0000

JKS — please explain, more details,

By: JKS

JKS — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:01:51 +0000

To secure a sufficient number of handicapped parking spaces without a bridge, given the expected library use by the disabled and given ADA requirements, will cost far more than $700K or $800K. It’s pure economics (vs. Planning Board and Council politics). Watch what’s going to happen and you will see–and pay.

By: wombat

wombat — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:02:55 +0000

Well, they didn’t used to stop it, when we first moved here. We would bring our cross-country skis. But then one year we showed up and the police were there waiting to shoo people away.

By: Sligo

Sligo — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:53:37 +0000

Did they ever allow that?

When I was a kid, there was a hole in the fence along Dallas Avenue that we used to sneak through to go sledding. One of the best sledding places and there was no one there. I always assumed it wasn’t permitted.

Really the tragedy is when Holy Cross expanded and killed the most popular sledding spot in all of Silver Spring. I used to trudge half a mile through snow to sled there.

By: wombat

wombat — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:26:17 +0000

“the continued nonexistence of the Fillmore concert hall.”

Oh right! I’d forgotten all about that.

You can’t get me worked up about the golf course though. It was all over between me and the golf course years ago when they stopped letting people sled on it when it snows.

By: carlos

carlos — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:00:25 +0000

Glad the bridge was nixed- we need feet on the street.

By: tj

tj — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:54:19 +0000

I also applaud the fiscal restraint of the Council. In addition to the Wayne Ave garage, there is also a small County lot on Bonifant St next to Mandalay. The number of handicap reserved spaces could also be increased there also. Instead of spending $420,000 for 5 parking spaces, the county could spend a couple of hundred dollars on handicap parking signs and increase the number of handicap spaces in two county owned garages each located right across the street from the site of the future library.

By: faffingmyway

faffingmyway — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:39:45 +0000

Craig – very reasonable option.