The new Thurston building

And now, something exactly *nobody* has asked for, my thoughts on the new Thurston construction:

• Apparently they're breaking ground in March? I'm no expert on construction, but surely that means it's a done deal--and has been for a while now.
• A new building will be a huge benefit for the school. From my brief time on the PTO board, I know they've done some creative things to keep the old building working. But let's get our schools facilities that are great from the start.
• I live a few hundred feet away. I like taking walks there, watching the herons, and the geese, and the skaters. And it looks to me like the pond is probably going to be fine, a little different, but OK. But even if it couldn't be saved at all--fundamentally, it's on school land, and always has been, and the school board's primary responsibility *has* to be to staff and students, not to me as a neighbor who enjoys taking walks there.
• In general, Ann Arbor does great on parks. (At least on quantity. I sometimes worry about whether we're doing as good a job at maintaining them.) Schools have been more of a struggle. I'd rather not have to choose between them, but if push comes to shove, education comes first for me every time. It doesn't sit well with me to prioritize park use over school use on school property.
• Cities take up something like 2% of US land area. If you're concerned about losing forests--good!--please spare some thought for agricultural policy. Or for suburban sprawl--but even there, I'm not worried about the amount of land used so much as the expense (in terms of energy and carbon emissions) required to spread our infrastructure (especially transportation) over wider and wider areas.
• The impulse to care about the small patches of green we see around us daily is understandable, but when it comes to cities, I think we really need to be focused on ensuring they serve everyone efficiently and well. Parks are an important part of that! But that doesn't mean they need to be insulated from change. Like a lot of natural areas in cities, the landscapes we're talking about on the Thurston property are relatively young, and human-made, and can be remade if necessary.

Anyway, I think we're all going to be OK. I'd rather focus my activism elsewhere. And with that, I'll try to shut up on this subject....