parks

Field Renovation Completed at Walter Pierce Park – Is the Fence a Necessary Evil?

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in Aug. 2011 we saw how awesome the field at Walter Pierce Park (Adams Mill Road and Ontario Place, NW) in Adams Morgan was looking. Looks like the restoration is completed. One big change you’ll note are the pretty big fences. Do you think they are a necessary evil?

On the Adams Morgan listserv Mindy updates folks:

As I’m sure many of you have already seen, the field at Walter Pierce Park is now back online and ready for use (albeit with a permanent fence around it). According to DPR, the field will be open for free usage most of the time (unless otherwise permitted) and the gates will only be locked for maintenance purposes.

If you have an organized league, class, program, event that wants to use the field, you must apply for a permit from DPR (http://dpr.dc.gov/DC/DPR/Facilities+and+Permits/Permits+and+Reservations).

If you just want to play some Frisbee, toss a ball, or lay on it, and it is not permitted at the time you wish to use it, you’re free to do so.

Signage has been posted at the gates explaining the need for a permit and we’re working with DPR to make sure those signs are bilingual.

While there are a whole host of rules, regulations and requirements affiliated with athletic fields in the DPR system (available on their website), there are a few important ones that everyone should be aware of whether you have a permit to use the field or not.

1) Boisterous conduct, vulgar and profane language is prohibited.
2) Fields should not be used within 24 hours of significant rainfall.
3) No dogs are permitted, with the exception of registered service dogs.
4) Alcohol is not permitted anywhere in the park.

The field is currently permitted for the following dates/times:

Mondays through June 14 3:30pm-5:30pm
Tuesdays through June 14 3:30pm-5:30pm
Wednesdays through June 28 6pm -9pm
Thursdays through June 14 3:30pm-5:30pm
Thursdays through May 31 6pm-9pm
Saturdays through June 26 10:30am-1pm
Sundays through June 26 10:30am -1pm

Some folks have already complained about the excessive drinking occurring on the field on Thursday evenings. DPR and MPD are both aware of the situation.

If you have any issues with people using the field when they shouldn’t be, or issues with the conduct of those using the field, please don’t hesitate to contact the DPR Park Rangers: 202-441-2605.

Trust for the National Mall Announces Design Competition Winners

By Prince Of Petworth


Rendering via Nationalmall.org

From a press release:

The Trust for the National Mall today announced the results of the National Mall Design Competition at its 5th Anniversary Benefit Luncheon. The winners are:

Constitution Gardens: Rogers Marvel Architects & Peter Walker and Partners

Union Square: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol & Davis Brody Bond

The Washington Monument Grounds: OLIN & Weiss/Manfredi

The winning designs address not only the aesthetics of the National Mall, one of America’s 397 national parks, but also issues of sustainability, maintenance and operations, and visitor experience. They feature performance space, terraces, gardens, restaurants and an ice skating rink.

“The National Mall Design Competition concepts are grand, respectful, sustainable, and beautiful; in short, they are worthy to be a part of this important and iconic space,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “We look forward to working with our partners at the Trust for the National Mall to make these designs a reality in time for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.”

The winners were selected from a short list of twelve design teams comprised of nationally renowned architects and landscape architects. A Jury of design experts evaluated the designs on their functionality, sustainability and constructability, as well as the input of the American public.

“These designs will serve as role models of sustainability and best practices in urban parks,” said Caroline Cunningham, President of the Trust for the National Mall. “The National Mall is a public space of great historical and symbolic significance. These talented winners will help bring our nation’s front yard back to its former glory and improve it for the next generations to enjoy.”

The Trust for the National Mall will work with the National Park Service to begin the implementation of these projects. The National Park Service will begin the required historic preservation and environmental reviews with the public and various Federal agencies. Fundraising for the winning projects will begin immediately.

For all Competition information, please visit www.nationalmalldesign.org.

New Skate Park Officially Opens at RFK this Weekend

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“RIBBON CUTTING & OFFICIAL OPENING

Maloof Skate Park at RFK Stadium
Saturday, May 5, 2012
2-3pm
~~~
Featuring
Demo with Palace 5ive Skate Team and
D.C.’s Own Darren Harper, “ the official skateboarder of Washington, D.C.”
~~~
RFK Stadium – Lot 3
(FREE parking in Lot 4)”

Dear PoPville – Can We Drink Alcohol at the Georgetown Waterfront Park?

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

I wondered if you/your readers know if one can drink alcohol in the Georgetown Waterfront Park? It’s such a nice green space/area to watch the boats that a bottle of vino would go nicely with a picnic and the view!

The Georgetown Waterfront Park is part of the National Park Service and therefore I don’t think you can legally drink alcohol there. You can find all the regulations for the park here.

Memorial Park Project RFP for the 2009 Metro Red Line train crash

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of Red Line Metro Collision June 22, 2009 by @technosailor

From the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities:

The purpose of this RFP is to commission an artist, landscape architect, or design team to develop an artistic concept for a memorial park and to fabricate the artistic elements to be included in a permanent memorial. The memorial is intended to honor the remembrance of the nine victims, first respondents and others whose lives were altered by the 2009 D.C. Metrorail Red Line train collision. The selected artist, landscape architect, or design team will work in collaboration with the District Department of General Services (DGS) to install all artistic elements of the permanent memorial park.

The memorial park should allow for meditation, remembrance, reflection, hope and renewal. Accommodations are inclusive of an entrance marker, public artwork, seating, play area, pedestrian walk way, landscaping and solar lighting etc. along with other environmentally sustainable features.

The memorial will be located within the existing park land area, just beyond the corner of South Dakota and New Hampshire Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20011

ELIGIBILITY
This commission is open to Artists, Architects/Landscape Architects, and Design Professional teams. All members of the team must be practicing, professionals residing in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.

BUDGET
The design and artwork fabrication budget is $200,000, which must include the site specific design honorarium (awarded to three semi-finalists), artists’ fees, and costs associated with the design, fabrication, transportation, insurance and documentation of the artwork.

Renderings for Proposed Public Parks in NoMa

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

In short, the Public Realm Vision Plan focuses on the four following sites:

The Plaza: A public gathering space at First and L Streets, NE

The Tracks: A recreation and train-watching venue between the railroad tracks and Second Street, NE at K Street, NE

A casual neighborhood park at Florida Avenue and N Street, NE

The Gateway: To enliven and add color to the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues and First Street, NE, the plan envisions large, colorful obelisk-type structures greeting residents and visitors on their way to and from NoMa and Washington, D.C.

Legislation has been introduced by Councilmember Wellsin the DC Council that would provide the needed funds.

The 5pm Post – ‘Repurposing Space’ Showcase April 15th

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

The DC Box Collective, Wangari Gardens and Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, bring you ‘Repurposing Space’, a showcase of three ways local organizations are working to reuse vacant or underutilized land in the District.

Wangari Gardens is a newly planned community garden space, orchard, rain garden, and community grounds located on 2.7 acres. The DC Box Collective is working on adapting used shipping containers to fit the needs of under-resourced District neighborhoods. Tumbleweed Tiny Houses have been one of the earliest promoters of tiny home living, and have inspired plans for a DC tiny house alley community launching this summer. On site will be a model of the Tumbleweed Fencl, a 130 square foot tiny home on wheels perfectly suited for infilling urban backyard or alley spaces. Visitors are encouraged to come learn firsthand about all three exciting initiatives.

The event will take place April 15th, Noon-5pm @ Wangari Gardens. The gardens are located west of the Washington Hospital Center/Children’s Medical Center, bordered by Irving St. NW, Kenyon St. NW, and Park Pl. NW. A minimum $5 contribution is requested for a tour of the Fencl. All proceeds to benefit the sponsoring organizations.

UPDATE: The event is now Sunday only.

Meridian Hill Park Fountain Filled!

By Prince Of Petworth

For me, Spring doesn’t officially launch until the great fountain in Meridian Hill park gets filled in Columbia Heights.

What an awesome weekend to enjoy it.

And now a dignified Jeanne D’Arc keeps watch:

Friday Question of the Day – Should Rock Creek Parkway be Rerouted?

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

I am interested in the city and region getting better use out of their waterfront assets. The city is slowly starting with improvements in Georgetown, Navy Yard, and SW Waterfront, but I think there is more they can do. To help, I think the city should to reroute the Rock Creek Parkway from in front of the Kennedy Center onto existing roads. The existing roads in the area could handle the traffic with a few fairly simple upgrades to the intersections. Then the area north of the Lincoln Memorial and West of the Kennedy Center currently used by Rock Creek Parkway could be converted into parkland for everyone to enjoy. The area under the Kennedy Center overhang could even be used for some creative recreation or retail. I believe this would actually simplify traffic by removing some of the web of confusing roads in this area. I’ve attached a simplified picture showing how the road could be rerouted (pretty straightforward).

I know that there are people that will complain that this cuts off the Kennedy Center even more, but the fact is that Kennedy Center is already cut off. This proposal would do nothing to make that better or worse. Covering the road east of the Kennedy Center to integrate it better with Foggy Bottom could be a longer term goal, but it is expensive and would not happen for may years. This proposal could be done relatively simply and relatively quickly.

Actually, the National Park Service is already working on a plan:

Kennedy Center/Potomac River Pedestrian Access Improvement Project. Under this proposal, FHWA would provide pedestrian access between the Kennedy Center River Terrace and the Potomac Riverfront in Washington, DC; providing a direct link between the Kennedy Center and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Trail, which is administered by the NPS. The purpose of the project is to improve access between the Kennedy Center River Terrace to the Potomac Riverfront. The action is needed because physical barriers and safety concerns currently discourage pedestrian traffic between these two resources.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NPS and FHWA are preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to identify alternatives and assess the potential impacts of the proposal. Concurrently, the agencies will conduct consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

So for the FQotD – do you think this will actually happen? If so, when do you think it’ll actually be implemented? Do you think there are other “waterfront assets” that should be improved upon?

Wangari Gardens – New Garden Park Coming to 2.7 acre space of land by Washington Hospital

By Prince Of Petworth

Well this is freaking awesome.

From an email:

We are really excited to tell you about Wangari Gardens, a new garden park that is being established in Washington, DC, on a 2.7 acre space of land that is bursting with creative potential! With a mission inspired by the legacy that Professor Wangari Maathai left behind, we are in the brainstorming, planning, and outreach stages of things right now, trying to get as much input as possible from the community about how the space can best be used to benefit everyone. Some of the main ideas include a community garden, a playground, a fruit tree orchard, a butterfly/sensory garden, a walking/wheelchair trail, a rain garden, an outdoor classroom, and a dog park.

The most immediate plans are to begin constructing raised beds for the community garden on March 18th, with a park opening date set for April 1st. In order for this to happen, we need your help! There are endless opportunities for volunteering your time and skills, whether it be through fundraising, planning, building, planting, teaching, etc. Check out the attached flier for upcoming volunteer dates!

If you are interested in being a plot-holder in the community garden, please see the attached application.

If you would like to donate to the Wangari Gardens project, you can do so through a tax-deductible donation on Paypal, accessed through our website (this should be working in the next day or two). Your donation goes straight to the project through Groundwork Anacostia, an amazing environmental justice organization in DC who has agreed to be our fiscal agent.

We are so excited to get this project going, but understand and wish for it to be a fluid creative process, involving as many people and opinions as possible. All input is much appreciated. Feel free to use this flier to spread the word about Wangari Gardens, especially to those who live nearby the park site. We have some upcoming outreach days to make sure that all of the neighbors know what is going on, but the more people talking about it, the better.

Find out more information: www.facebook.com/wangarigardens
www.wangarigardens.wordpress.com (under construction)

Find the site!!
Wangari Gardens is located on a 2.7 acre space, bordered by Irving St. NW, Kenyon St. NW, and Park Pl. NW. It is north of Howard University, west of the Washington Hospital Center/Children’s Medical Center, south of the US Soldiers’ Home, and east of the Parkview and Pleasant Plains neighborhoods. The site is in Ward 5, but borders Ward 1.

outreach email flyer

Wangari Gardens Garden Plot-holder Application

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