If we told you once, we told you twice . . .

the Wootton Community does not want a cell tower.

This is the second time the Wootton community has told Dr. Doran that cell phone towers, cell phone compound, generators, and other accessories are not welcome.

Really, honestly, truly Dr. Doran, we don't want it.  How many times do we have to tell you?  We told you in 2004, and we are telling you again - NO.

Many of the parents in the audience tonight (remember, it was a COMMUNITY meeting) have young kids - in elementary and middle school, even preschool.  Some community members don't currently have ANY kids in Montgomery County Public Schools.  This was your chance to meet them, and you blew it.

You said this was an opportunity - what type of opportunity?  What is the community benefit?  Our cell service is fine.  Kids can't use cell phones in schools anyway - are we missing something?

For some reason, you mentioned the artificial turf field - that one you said you advocated for.  Great, another long term chemical hazard.  So - to a new parent or community member, your big accomplishments are that you advocate for an artificial turf field and see an opportunity in a cell tower?

Your job is education - not fundraising or making the cell phone companies richer.  The County Council just fully funded the MCPS budget - and you need more money to do what?

If you want to be a business person, go ahead.  But Wootton HS and its cluster schools need a principal who is an educational leader, not someone who looks for placing yet another chemical hazard in our neighborhood.

Here are some pictures from tonight's meeting.

Wootton's Patriots Go French

 

Thomas Sprigg Wootton must be rolling over in his grave. Dr. Wootton was a famous for the role he played in the Revolutionary War, and is credited for founding Montgomery County.  You can read about his background here, from the website of the high school in Rockville that bears his name.   From the article in Wootton's Common Sense:

Wootton was an ardent Revolutionary during the war against the British Crown. When George III of the British Empire tightened his control over Boston after the Boston Tea Party, Wootton was one of the ten men to present a resolution to Annapolis to cut off all commercial ties with Britain.
Throughout the Revolutionary War, he collaborated with Colonel Zadok Magruder in organizing neighborhoods for the war effort. Magruder High School in Rockville is named after the Revolutionary Magruder.
Beyond his contributions to the fight for independence, Wootton continued to play an active role in the development of the new country, helping to draft Maryland’s Constitution and the state’s Bill of Rights.
 

The school is so proud of its historical connection.  Wootton students pride themselves on being called "Patriots," and proudly wear the school colors of red, white, and blue.

So - what would Dr. Wootton think of his Patriots pending installation of  a Field Turf Tarkett athletic field?

He would be very sad, and not simply because his school did a no bid contract and thus likely spent more money than necessary for the plastic grass.  Field Turf Tarkett is a member of the Tarkett group, a French company.  From their website:

Headquartered in Nanterre, France, Tarkett is owned by two shareholders – the Deconinck family (heirs of the Allibert family) and active in the Group for many generations and private equity funds affiliated with KKR (50%) since January 2007.

So, not only is the company privately owned, its not even American.

How ironic that a school in the heart of the Nations Capital, named for a revolutionary war hero, doesn't buy American.

C'est dommage.  What's next?  Will the Wootton Marching Band play La Marseillaise at football games too?