Defending the Overhaul of D.C.'s Stoddert Elementary School

Regarding Jerry Floyd's July 22 letter, "Budget Priorities in Cash-Strapped D.C.":

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and his administration deserve praise, not criticism, for the ongoing renovation of Stoddert Elementary School in Glover Park. This project will have enormous benefits for the roughly 300 children who attend the school and for the neighborhood as a whole.

The project is a great use of city resources -- exactly the kind of spending that will help the District now and in the future. It will update a cramped, outdated school with a modernized building that everyone in Glover Park can be proud of.

The new building was carefully designed to enhance the historic structure and fit with the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. It will retain our neighborhood's green space and serve as a living laboratory of green building and energy-saving technologies for our children.

This project, which has been discussed in our community for years, is a win for everyone. It creates jobs now and will improve our children's education and our neighborhood for generations. It has broad support in our community. When completed, it will be one of the best educational and recreational facilities in the area.

We can thank the mayor for keeping his promises and for keeping this project on track and on time.

BRIAN A. COHEN

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner

Glover Park/Cathedral Heights

Washington