Hearst Playground story in Current

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you look at an aerial map of Ward 3, in addition to the public courts (there are also a bunch of courts at UDC), there are also a ton of private courts at the various schools (which have private clubs etc).

Most of the courts sit unused for all but a few hours or days each year. Talk about wasted space.

And there are also several private pools in the immediate area of Hearst Park (Cleveland Park Club, Beavoir Swim Club, McLean Gardens, Vaughan Place, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the pool can be put into the area of a single tennis court and there are so many tennis courts available, why is the search focused solely on Hearst??? Let's look at all the tennis courts in Ward 3 before settle on Hearst.

Exactly. There are several tennis courts at Turtle Park, for example. That area is ground zero in Ward 3 for kids, and a pool would probably make the most sense there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The district has proposed 2 acres for the pool. An architect at last weekend's planning session said he could do it one acre. Either way, it destroys the field.

Or it could take a tennis court, or the backboard area, or the basketball court, or the parking area. Really, you have no fucking idea what you are talking about and are happy to walk around with a cloud of rain on you at all times.

Have you even been to Hearst Park? If you had been, you would know that there is no parking area. Clearly "you have no fucking idea what you are talking about."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you look at an aerial map of Ward 3, in addition to the public courts (there are also a bunch of courts at UDC), there are also a ton of private courts at the various schools (which have private clubs etc).

Most of the courts sit unused for all but a few hours or days each year. Talk about wasted space.

Thank your zoning board for that.

For about a decade the policy of the DC Zoning Board has been to require that when private schools seek a zoning variance to build athletic facilities, one of the stipulations of the variance is that they can only be used by students and employees of the school. So we have massive duplication of facilities, and facilities that sit vacant just about all of the time.

The irony is that the schools are much better equipped to handle public use of their facilities than DPR is. The zoning board insists that schools have adequate parking, and traffic management plans -- neither of which are required of DPR. So not only do we have athletic facilities that are sitting unused, we also have huge parking lots and garages that are often unused as well.

Not true. Sidwell Friends, St Albans and other schools all run or host summer camps and weekend sports programs that make extensive use of tennis courts and other athletic facilities. It's also worth pointing out that several area private schools, Beauvoir, St. Albans, have pools as do neighborhood associations like the Cleveland Park Club. So the available private facilities argument goes two ways.

[Anonymous]

During the day, there are lots of cars parked on 37th street.

[Anonymous]

For all that's holy, a pool is not a massive concrete parking lot. There is a minor amount of concrete surrounding so that people can sit around the pool - that's it. A tennis court takes up green space with hard surface too. A pool is not a blight on the neighborhood and a eliminator of amenities, it's a different amenity for the community. It's a place where you can find kids laughing and playing and ENJOYING the OUTDOORS. People on this site make it sound like a prison is being erected on this site. It's an enhancement that connects many families to their green space.

We go to Jeleff often, as it's the only option, but that's an old facility with no real pool changing rooms (in the basement of the adjacent building). 75% of the chairs are broken rendering them useless so you need to schlep all of your own chairs with you. It's often overcrowded with nowhere to even set up a chair. Have the people recommending it as the end game solution even been there? It's not a quick easy shot for many people in Ward 3.

Maybe we should eliminate all of the tennis courts and tell people to go play at Carter Barron because its not far (closer than Jeleff). I wouldn't suggest this because it's ridiculous. This is not an all or nothing decision. We can and should have both. I mean there are really a lot of cranky, grinches on this site who seem to be focused mainly on their personal adult needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all that's holy, a pool is not a massive concrete parking lot. There is a minor amount of concrete surrounding so that people can sit around the pool - that's it. A tennis court takes up green space with hard surface too. A pool is not a blight on the neighborhood and a eliminator of amenities, it's a different amenity for the community. It's a place where you can find kids laughing and playing and ENJOYING the OUTDOORS. People on this site make it sound like a prison is being erected on this site. It's an enhancement that connects many families to their green space.

We go to Jeleff often, as it's the only option, but that's an old facility with no real pool changing rooms (in the basement of the adjacent building). 75% of the chairs are broken rendering them useless so you need to schlep all of your own chairs with you. It's often overcrowded with nowhere to even set up a chair. Have the people recommending it as the end game solution even been there? It's not a quick easy shot for many people in Ward 3.

Maybe we should eliminate all of the tennis courts and tell people to go play at Carter Barron because its not far (closer than Jeleff). I wouldn't suggest this because it's ridiculous. This is not an all or nothing decision. We can and should have both. I mean there are really a lot of cranky, grinches on this site who seem to be focused mainly on their personal adult needs.

What this post points out is that

(1) If the Hearst pool takes up the footprint of just one tennis court, just where will they build the pool house?

(2) Once built, DC does a shitty job of maintaining its facilities.

[Anonymous]

The architect says he needs at least one acre. The plan calls for two acres. Why would DC spend $5 million planning what is a backyard pool?

[Anonymous]

I'm glad people finally concede it's a horrible idea to build within the Park.

[Anonymous]

When is the next meeting?

[Anonymous]

Some of us have kids and don't want the pool for environmental reasons.

[Anonymous]

If Cheh has her way, DC will be nothing but glass and concrete and plastic grass fields.

[Anonymous]

20:30 is right re DPR maintenance and staffing. We shouldn't build more facilities unless we commit to hire and train more employees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20:30 is right re DPR maintenance and staffing. We shouldn't build more facilities unless we commit to hire and train more employees.

Exactly. There are no funds to maintain, and existing pools are often not open due to maintenance and lack of staffing. They lean on neighbors to chip in to maintain and landscape and pick up the trash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Cheh has her way, DC will be nothing but glass and concrete and plastic grass fields.

Her approach seems to be Cheh's way or the highway.