parks

“Mayor Bowser Announces $4.7 Million Investment in Kingman and Heritage Islands; Southern Portion of Kingman Island to be Designated Critical Wildlife Area for Habitat Conservation”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Jim Havard

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, in honor of the Year of the Anacostia, Mayor Bowser announced significant conservation and investment commitments for Kingman and Heritage Islands. The Mayor directed the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) to designate portions of both islands as a State Conservation Area and the southern area of Kingman Island as a Critical Wildlife Area. The State Conservation Area designation mimics the federal covenant for the islands, restricting their use to environmental, educational, and recreational purposes. In addition, the Mayor also announced a new $4.7 million investment for educational and recreational improvements on the islands.

“Our goal is a fishable, swimmable Anacostia River, and over the past few years, we have made tremendous progress toward that goal. However, there is more to do, and these conservation designations and this new funding will help us get that work done,” said Mayor Bowser. “Efforts and investments like these are how we will become the healthiest, greenest, and most sustainable city in the world.”

Consistent with the Kingman Island & Heritage Island Planning and Feasibility Study, the new investment will support outdoor classrooms, bathrooms, and accessible routes and pathways for visitors to the islands. (more…)

“Volunteers will participate in a variety of events designed to bring together local communities to protect and enhance the public lands that surround Rock Creek.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

“Rock Creek Conservancy, in partnership with the National Park Service, and Montgomery County Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), is celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with their annual MLK Weekend of Service, a weekend full of events at 12 sites throughout the Rock Creek watershed. This multi-day volunteer event will address local environmental problems related to litter and invasive plant species while supporting a nationwide effort to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

Volunteers will participate in a variety of events designed to bring together local communities to protect and enhance the public lands that surround Rock Creek. Last year, the event mobilized 722 people who removed English ivy from 450 trees to protect Rock Creek’s tree canopy; removed invasive plants such as porcelainberry and wisteria to help native plants thrive; and cleaned up 390 bags of litter that had accumulated in and around Rock Creek and its tributaries.

This will be the fifth year that the Conservancy will host the weekend of service, which leverages the strength of local citizens to help tackle local problems and advance Dr. King’s dream of opportunity for all. (more…)

“Installation work on the L & M Street, NE underpass art parks starts Thursday”

By Prince Of Petworth

Awesome news from the NoMa Parks Foundation:

“In 2012, the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan envisioned “art parks” at the four points in the neighborhood where roads pass beneath railroad tracks. In 2014, an international design competition for the L and M street NE underpasses resulted in 248 design entries from teams in 14 different countries. The 10 finalist entries were presented to the NoMa community for input on aesthetic concepts and functionality, resulting in more than 370 public comments on the designs. In 2015, the NoMa Parks Foundation named Thurlow Small Architecture + NIO architecten’s installation Rain as the winning design for M Street, and Future Cities Lab’s installation Lightweave as the winning design for L Street.

Now, after years of planning, fabrication, and hard work, the NPF and the NoMa BID are pleased to announce that all is set to begin the installation of the L and M street NE underpass art parks. Below are some important details about construction work and disruptions to pedestrian and cyclist movement along these spaces over the next couple of months.

M STREET UNDERPASS — RAIN
Thursday, January 11

  • The sidewalk on the south side of M Street will be completely blocked off with fencing. The fence will not prohibit access to the bike-repair station next to the Metropolitan Branch Trail ramp.

    • (more…)

Swampoodle Park It Is!!

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by NoMa Parks Foundation‏

The people of both Alabama and NoMa got it right yesterday.

The park will be located at 3rd and L Street, NE. And once again – if you will it, it is no dream. The park should be open to the public in “early 2018” according to the NoMa Parks Foundation.

Proposed Names for NoMa’s First Park are: Swampoodle Park, Old City Corner, and 3rd and L Park – Vote for you Favorite

By Prince Of Petworth


rendering via NoMa Parks

From NoMa Parks:

“NoMa’s first park is under construction at 3rd and L streets NE, and 123 submissions from hundreds of community members have been narrowed to three final names. Please vote! The proposed names are: Swampoodle Park, Old City Corner, and 3rd and L Park. The first two were popular in the community submission process this summer; the latter has been the working name throughout the park’s development and was also suggested in the community submission process. Please view signage mock-ups with each name and take the survey here. The final contender will be recommended to the DC Council and the Mayor, who will make the ultimate decision.

The park at 3rd and L is an 8,000-square-foot space that will include plantings and gathering spaces; a vertical play structure designed for children ages 5 and up; and a space for dogs to run and play, complete with a dog agility ramp. It is built on the first parcel purchased by the NoMa Parks Foundation, which held multiple community meetings and received input from the public for two years to design the space to meet the neighborhood’s needs. (more…)

“National Park Service Seeks Input on Project to Improve Accessibility for the Thomas Jefferson Memorial”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Brandon Kopp

From NPS:

“The National Park Service is accepting comments from the public on a proposed project to improve physical, interpretive and programmatic accessibility at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial for visitors with mobility, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. Comments are being accepted at go.nps.gov/JeffersonAccessibility through December 1.

A public meeting to introduce and answer questions about the project will be held at the American Association of People with Disabilities office (2013 H Street NW) on Thursday, November 16, 2017 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. National Park Service officials will make a presentation about the project and be available for questions. Comment forms will be available. American Sign Language and CART services will be available at the meeting as well as a tactile model and audio description; additional accommodations can be made by contacting the National Park Service at 202-245-4660 or via email at [email protected].

There are a variety of barriers to accessibility that currently exist at the Jefferson Memorial, including car parking and bus drop-off; layout of walkways and sidewalks; means of accessing the chamber level of the memorial; and lack of accessible exhibit design, which together create an unequal experience for all visitors interested in learning about one of America’s foremost Founding Fathers. As a first step, the project will develop alternatives to improve, modify, and/or create universal accessibility at the site and analyze potential impacts of those alternatives on the historic fabric of the memorial and the surrounding environment. (more…)

“we have been eager to get this parkland in ship-shape for the local community as well as local wildlife”

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“We’re excited to announce that there will be a ribbon cutting this weekend at the Piney Branch picnic grove. Join us this Saturday as we celebrate the rehabilitation of the area, including the installation of a new grill. As the site of the only walkable picnic grove on the East side of the park, we have been eager to get this parkland in ship-shape for the local community as well as local wildlife. Now we can say we are well on our way!

Some of you have volunteered at this site before, and many of you have donated funds that have helped us rehabilitate the area. So, we’d like to invite all of you to the ribbon cutting! We’ll be kicking off the day with a volunteer planting at 9AM, followed by a picnic and ribbon cutting at 11AM. Please head to our events page to sign up and let us know you’re coming (and don’t forget to bring a picnic!) (more…)

Park picnic rules – not allowed to set up for a picnic on one of the picnic tables?!?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

“Dear PoPville,

Walking through Kalorama Park today when I overheard one of the Kalorama Rec Center staff telling a woman she technically was not allowed to set up for a picnic on one of the picnic tables. The woman had laid out a tablecloth and a few plates to hold it down and was explaining that her family would be there shortly. The DC Parks lady was adamant that this was not ok, though she would allow it this time, and saying that permission needed to be asked, or maybe that she couldn’t set it up without others being there? Are there rules I don’t know about here? (more…)

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