Gwen Southerland comments on McMillan

See this message from Stronghold resident Gwen Southerland:

                                

From 1990 to 2006 to the present 2012, McMillan is still untouched. This, however, may be a good thing, because the District of Columbia wants to place high-density, mixed-use development on an historic preservation landmark. Sadly, they know not what they do, and have no meaning of McMillan's gift of life to the nation's capital for over 80 years, she gave us very clean water, purified by the sands of time. But the site itself seems to fight back against a development plan that would literally destroy her. If the city and its desperate consultants, EYA, have their way, the massive and mysterious underground belly and her mighty crown jewels of those staggeringly majestic towering silos, may themselves, be history...real history as in gone forever. Indeed, we want our city officials to be smart, intelligent of laudatory oratory, but we want them to have a sense of what defines historic value. And, we'd like them to have a genteel sense of aesthetics too, as in why not preserve contiguous open green space. Such that is found on the McMillan site. The British often sing "God save the Queen," but the song, and cry, of many is "God save McMillan." But the plot thickens. According to some, the McMillan site itself, seems to be saying 'leave me alone' as it has been noted that never in the city's history, has a development site brought so much contention between city, community and the spirit of the site. Some have remarked that the site itself is spiritual and for those who are either pro or con for development, they seem to become somewhat, if not deranged, a bit crazed. Some have even suggested that we may want to leave the site alone. They intone "McMillan's fighting back." Perhaps, even me, myself, seem to have an out-of-body experience at the thought of bulldozers and cranes bouncing amongst and ripping out her circle of squared 2,200 manholes. One would surely want to be careful tampering around with her dignity, as they just might find themselves mired in 2,200 reasons of why not to mess with McMillan.