Hearst Playground story in Current

[Anonymous]

I count myself among the folks who would also enjoy having a pool in Ward 3! Maybe the Upshur pool can send some of their more restive patrons over to enjoy it with you, like the two adult ladies who were whipping each other with belts and pulling each other's hair and closed the pool early this past Sunday?
But why would anyone pick a fight and try to undermine the families and KIDS that already use the Hearst Rec facility? If the health and safety of DC kids isn't your top priority, what is? Sunning yourself? Perhaps on a deck made from the corpses of the century oaks lining that grass field?
I wish the people who keep arguing to "move the kids in the rec aftercare program into the school" knew what the heck they were talking about. There is already an afterschool program in the school, and it is privately run, not DCPS run. It costs $$ and is a hardship for many working families to afford. As had been pointed out here already not every family at Hearst has a SAHP or is walking from a $2 million mansion or even a nice condo in McLean Gardens.
The private aftercare program monopolizes the gym.
The Rec parents COULDN'T EVEN GET THE SCHOOL TO GIVE PERMISSION TO LET THE REC KIDS INTO THE GYM DURING THE SNOWSTORMS. One time they allowed the Rec kids to come inside on an emergency basis - when there was a GAS LEAK in the crummy old rec building!
When it is raining or too cold out, the rec kids have no place to play outside. The cooperation between Rec and DCPS ends at the playground apparently and neither the department lawyers nor the elected officials nor the current school principal seems to give two farts about it.
The cottage is too small, out of date, and lacks adequate facilities.
BTW there is also a preschool coop that operates out of that cramped cottage.
The park deserves a better rec building, that is all I am arguing. That should be the focus and the pool is secondary. I just do not see where they would put the pool without ripping up what is actually a very nice, park-like setting or maybe putting the east side creek into a drainage tunnel which seems dicey - doesn't that land belong to DC DOT?

[Anonymous]

The stone house is historic. They already tried an addition and it didn't pass. So they renovated. But it is still woefully short of what is needed on the site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's hard to criticize the need for the pool while defending the tennis courts. Tennis courts are a terribly inefficient form of recreation. 8000+ sq/ft of impervious concrete used by 2 or at most 4 people for hours at a time. Tennis courts are the Hummers of recreation. The number of people who would use the pool in one summer weekend is probably equal to several months use of the tennis courts.

Tennis courts are not being built in the middle of field. They are existing source of recreation. Not new construction....dumbass.

You make a distinction without a difference. If one of the goals of the project is to improve runoff, then the tennis courts will most definitely get looked at. Turf fields have great drainage, which is why the Seahawks use it.

DC could build clay tennis courts, but with how DPR maintains facilities, those would last about a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not happy with Mary Cheh. So that's at least one person. I suspect she is alienated a few others my driving around Ward three with her council member wand and designating various places for city facilities.

We now have three voters in our household. In the next election, Professor Cheh will be receiving an "F" from all of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For every Eaton parent who might be mad, you will have 2 or 3 Hearst, Mann, Janney and Murch parents who are thrilled.

Of course, 2 out of 3 Hearst parents don't even live in Cheh's ward.

The incoming PM4 class at Hearst is 82% IB. Get with the times.

Hearst overall is still above 70% out of boundary. Stick to the facts.

Your knowledge of the school is as outdated as your wishes for the park.

If you are correct, show it. Or is the Dysfunctional City Public Schools administration more outdated?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even with Janney, Cheh's record has been mixed. I remember when she favored deeding over part of the Janney playground so that some connected developer could build a "public private partnership" condo building. Only when the Janney community threatened to tar and feather her did Cheh pivot away from that scheme.

Yes, I remember. Cheh for a long time advocated giving away a big chunk of the Janney school yard to some favored developer, only to back away when she began to feel major heat from parents. At first she claimed that the nly way the school could be renovated was if the community "shared the burden" (sound familiar" and gave up landp needed for kids' recreation for a public-private partnership.

[Anonymous]

At the time, Janney was slated to be renovated next year - 2017. It was a way of moving beyond the school modernization plan. Ultimately, except for the $1,000,000 Fenty wasted on the awful library, it worked out well.

That was fine political gamesmanship that the Janney parents appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Tennis is an elitist sport and inefficient land use, and to previous commenters points, NCS, Sidwell and St Albans have private courts people can pay to use, if they want.

Beauvoir has a beautiful pool. You can pay to use it.

[Anonymous]

Mary Chehney...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Tennis is an elitist sport and inefficient land use, and to previous commenters points, NCS, Sidwell and St Albans have private courts people can pay to use, if they want.

Beauvoir has a beautiful pool. You can pay to use it.

You raise a good point. I encourage you to go look at the Beauvoir pool this weekend. When you see the crowds there you will clearly see the need for another outdoor pool in Ward 3. All the chairs are taken about 15 minutes after opening and the pool is packed. Thank goodness for the adult swims!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Tennis is an elitist sport and inefficient land use, and to previous commenters points, NCS, Sidwell and St Albans have private courts people can pay to use, if they want.

Beauvoir has a beautiful pool. You can pay to use it.

You raise a good point. I encourage you to go look at the Beauvoir pool this weekend. When you see the crowds there you will clearly see the need for another outdoor pool in Ward 3. All the chairs are taken about 15 minutes after opening and the pool is packed. Thank goodness for the adult swims!

If they put a pool in Ward 3, put it in a location where the trade-offs of existing facilities and green landscape won't be a stark as at Hearst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the time, Janney was slated to be renovated next year - 2017. It was a way of moving beyond the school modernization plan. Ultimately, except for the $1,000,000 Fenty wasted on the awful library, it worked out well.

That was fine political gamesmanship that the Janney parents appreciated.

"Fine political gamesmanship"?! but thanks for posting, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Most of it recall it as arrogant dismissal of the Janney community's concerns by our council member, followed by a craven flip flop when the political heat finally got to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Tennis is an elitist sport and inefficient land use, and to previous commenters points, NCS, Sidwell and St Albans have private courts people can pay to use, if they want.

Beauvoir has a beautiful pool. You can pay to use it.

You raise a good point. I encourage you to go look at the Beauvoir pool this weekend. When you see the crowds there you will clearly see the need for another outdoor pool in Ward 3. All the chairs are taken about 15 minutes after opening and the pool is packed. Thank goodness for the adult swims!

If they put a pool in Ward 3, put it in a location where the trade-offs of existing facilities and green landscape won't be a stark as at Hearst.

Where do you think there is DC land where the people currently using it or living around it won't make the exact same arguments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the time, Janney was slated to be renovated next year - 2017. It was a way of moving beyond the school modernization plan. Ultimately, except for the $1,000,000 Fenty wasted on the awful library, it worked out well.

That was fine political gamesmanship that the Janney parents appreciated.

"Fine political gamesmanship"?! but thanks for posting, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Most of it recall it as arrogant dismissal of the Janney community's concerns by our council member, followed by a craven flip flop when the political heat finally got to you.

What part of "she leapfrogged your renovation ahead of all the other schools in front of you by almost a decade" are you complaining about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the time, Janney was slated to be renovated next year - 2017. It was a way of moving beyond the school modernization plan. Ultimately, except for the $1,000,000 Fenty wasted on the awful library, it worked out well.

That was fine political gamesmanship that the Janney parents appreciated.

"Fine political gamesmanship"?! but thanks for posting, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Most of it recall it as arrogant dismissal of the Janney community's concerns by our council member, followed by a craven flip flop when the political heat finally got to you.

What part of "she leapfrogged your renovation ahead of all the other schools in front of you by almost a decade" are you complaining about?

Comrade Cheh likely will have serious opposition the next time that she runs.