Hearst Playground story in Current

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"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."

This is a huge concern for me about a new pool operated by DPR. It doesn't even take care of the existing facilities. My kid plays soccer at Jelleff and that pool is a quarter filled with green slime for more than half the year. If there was a body at the bottom of it, nobody would know until pool is drained in May.

This is what blows me away about the whole situation: if you were a private sector manager, and your company owned a facility, and your boss told you that the company was going to do a $12 million expansion, but the neighbors didn't like the way you'd been operating the existing facility, wouldn't step one be addressing the existing operating concerns? If only for six months or so? Isn't that Public Relations 101? Oh, and if the last time you expanded you'd made some promises to the neighbors, and hadn't exactly kept them, wouldn't it be a good idea to start honoring them until your project gets approved?

I've been to public meetings at both Hearst and Palisades in the past few weeks, and DC officials will make all sorts of promises about future operations, but when people ask them about current operations they act like they'be being asked to do the impossible. And then they wonder why people don't believe them.

Not to mention that according to the NW Current report on the recent meeting held at Hearst Park, DPR officials went out of their way to indicate that they were not the ones to choose the Hearst site. It was Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.

[Anonymous]

The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

But wouldn't the politics of a pool at Hearst be about the same as a pool at Jelleff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

It's like how Metro is putting the vast majority of the brand new cars on the Green Line... shows respect for "the community."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

Not sure that this is DC's attitude. But some posters on this thread have expressed the attitude that the Hearst tennis courts are expendable because users can just buy into private tennis clubs at independent schools, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

Facilities that are less utilized will stay in better shape.

I live near the Takoma pool and it's chronically understaffed and has a long list of deferred maintenance needs. Same for the DPR poll on Capital Hill. Our 'less served' communities (compared to all of Ward 3) are definitely not getting any preferential treatment.

[Anonymous]

I was born and raised in Ward 3 and I find it kind of stunning that people are complaining about unequal treatment. Wilson, Janney, Deal, Stoddart, Hearst have all had major improvements. The playground at Hearst is really great with a new turf soccer field, basketball court and climbing equipment. Sometimes I think its wonderful although sometimes I wonder where all the money is coming from. But these improvements are long needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

Not sure that this is DC's attitude. But some posters on this thread have expressed the attitude that the Hearst tennis courts are expendable because users can just buy into private tennis clubs at independent schools, etc.

That was in direct response to the attitude that the public should buy memberships at the hotel pools, or the Cleveland Park Club or Montgomery County Community pools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was born and raised in Ward 3 and I find it kind of stunning that people are complaining about unequal treatment. Wilson, Janney, Deal, Stoddart, Hearst have all had major improvements. The playground at Hearst is really great with a new turf soccer field, basketball court and climbing equipment. Sometimes I think its wonderful although sometimes I wonder where all the money is coming from. But these improvements are long needed.

And they generally came after schools and parks in other parts of town were renovated first. The unequal treatment goes no further than the outdoor public pool map on this link

http://dpr.dc.gov/page/aquatic-facilities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The maintenance of Jeleff does suck, but that seems largely political. The pools that sit vacant in Wards 7 and 8 seem to be maintained like gems. I sometimes wonder whether they round up all of the broken chairs on Memorial day and dump them at Jeleff and G'town pools so that the "less served" communities have things that actually work. These. Is the attitude that the rest of us can buy into private pools? I'd do that if the waiting list didn't put us at a point of entry that coincides with my kids leaving for college!

Not sure that this is DC's attitude. But some posters on this thread have expressed the attitude that the Hearst tennis courts are expendable because users can just buy into private tennis clubs at independent schools, etc.

That was in direct response to the attitude that the public should buy memberships at the hotel pools, or the Cleveland Park Club or Montgomery County Community pools.

The point is, no one wants to lose existing public park facilities and features like tennis courts, fields, a playground and large shade trees, even while enhanced public swimming options may be desirable as well. Mary Cheh says that all will be wonderful, everything will fit and nothing will be sacrificed at Hearst. It would go a long way if she showed the community the preliminary plan, to move this from the Land of Make Believe to something, uh, more concrete.

[Anonymous]

So rather than be all doomsday, why not wait and actually see the plan when it is released. You are creating all sorts of strawmen arguments against nothing for no reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So rather than be all doomsday, why not wait and actually see the plan when it is released. You are creating all sorts of strawmen arguments against nothing for no reason.

Because the plan, apparently, is not to release a plsn until it's too late. That's Mary's preferred practice for getting community input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So rather than be all doomsday, why not wait and actually see the plan when it is released. You are creating all sorts of strawmen arguments against nothing for no reason.

Agreed. I'd like a pool and I live in the neighborhood (and I have kids at Hearst Elementary). But I would be willing to no longer support a pool after seeing a proposal that just didn't seem to work. Certainly lots of worthwhile things could be done with the money that has been set aside for the park, including better drainage on the lower field and shading in the upper playground (and any renovation of the cottage that Historic Preservation was willing to let DPR do). Heck, I would even suggest that if the proposed plans don't seem up to snuff, the money go to other purposes around the city. Certainly affordable housing and renovating schools is a higher priority.

I guess (after 46 pages of back and forth) I would suggest that folks wait to see what is actually being proposed before completely ruling it out. I am sure that lots of people will still be upset even if a reasonable plan is offered, perhaps with good reason. But can we agree that this stage not much more is to be gained from arguing until we see a plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So rather than be all doomsday, why not wait and actually see the plan when it is released. You are creating all sorts of strawmen arguments against nothing for no reason.

Agreed. I'd like a pool and I live in the neighborhood (and I have kids at Hearst Elementary). But I would be willing to no longer support a pool after seeing a proposal that just didn't seem to work. Certainly lots of worthwhile things could be done with the money that has been set aside for the park, including better drainage on the lower field and shading in the upper playground (and any renovation of the cottage that Historic Preservation was willing to let DPR do). Heck, I would even suggest that if the proposed plans don't seem up to snuff, the money go to other purposes around the city. Certainly affordable housing and renovating schools is a higher priority.

I guess (after 46 pages of back and forth) I would suggest that folks wait to see what is actually being proposed before completely ruling it out. I am sure that lots of people will still be upset even if a reasonable plan is offered, perhaps with good reason. But can we agree that this stage not much more is to be gained from arguing until we see a plan?

Sorry 44 pages...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So rather than be all doomsday, why not wait and actually see the plan when it is released. You are creating all sorts of strawmen arguments against nothing for no reason.

Because the plan, apparently, is not to release a plsn until it's too late. That's Mary's preferred practice for getting community input.

The Purple Witch's Guide to Participatory Democracy