Prince William County Schools (PWCS) intends to build a new elementary school adjacent to Chinn Park and the residential communities near Prince William Parkway and Trowbridge Drive. To date, the only information provided by PWCS is a one-page planning summary that does not fully explain what could happen when PWCS purchases only 14.9 acres of a 21.7-acre property, just enough land to squeeze in a new school and leave the rest available for additional private development. The community is concerned.
We have met with PWCS and they have provided only verbal assurances on some of the community’s concerns. Many questions remain about potential stormwater impacts, noise impacts, and traffic congestion issues. Of special alarm is the extremely small buffer shown between the proposed school and both the surrounding community and Chinn Park.
We appreciate PWCS looking at ways to increase the buffer, but it took the Prince William Conservation Alliance to point out that a required emergency access road would decrease the effectiveness of the buffer. We hope this was just a PWCS oversight, but it feels we are only being told what we want to hear in order to allow things to move forward. PWCS could very well purchase this property and ignore any well-intentioned verbal promises in the future claiming “unforeseen circumstances.” PWCS needs to know what they are working with before making any promises and they should be comfortable enough to document them.
Another disappointment in all this, the Prince William County School Board. They are justifiably trying to find a new site, but appear to be letting their desperation override the community’s greater needs. It still has not been explained why the property at Gar-Field High School was rejected. This site makes much more sense since it is already owned by PWCS and is within the area where school overcrowding is a problem.
We need PWSC and the school board leaders to look beyond doing the minimum. They need to do what is right for the overall community. An investment needs to be made to validate the worthiness of the proposed site and allow PWCS to stand behind promises. Only then could the community consent to a school. The new Colgan High School is proof that PWCS has the means and the will to do just this. We want the same here.
