Maret Athletic Fields

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that the certificate of occupancy was not issued for the new field. I was very actively involved to make that possible. Traffic is going to be hell near my house.

On what basis was it denied?

It just hasn’t been officially extended yet

Oh…pp implied s/he was responsible for its not being issued. Just wondering what the hold up is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The deal was pretty straightforward: the school used private funds to pay for the complete rehabilitation of a field that was in disrepair, due to lack of public funds. In exchange for the entire revitalization, the private school was able to use the fields for two hours a day during weekdays. The public cost was zero dollars and the “price” that the public paid was not being able to use the field that had already been unusable for two hours, several days a week, several months a year.

Um... you seem to have left out the part where DC bought the land for $15 million while Maret spent $700,000 to fix it up.

From the 1940s through 2009, the Jelleff Recreation Center was owned and operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. However, due to economic conditions, in 2009 the Boys and Girls Club began a request for proposal (RFP) process to sell the Jelleff Recreation Center. Before the process could be finalized, the District paid $20 million to acquire Jelleff and two other recreation centers, bringing the recreation center into public ownership. However, the field needed a significant amount of investment and maintenance to be usable year-round and in inclement weather.

Rather than investing the $2.5 million needed to build an artificial turf field to be administered by DPR like most other public parks, the District struck an agreement with Maret School, located almost two miles away in Woodley Park, in which the school would pay for the new field and other improvements in exchange for 10 years of priority rights to use the fields between 3:30 pm and 6 pm on weekday afternoons (2 pm on Wednesdays) during the fall and spring, all day the last two weeks of August, and 10 Saturdays a year

https://ggwash.org/view/73814/a-field-in-georgetown-forces-a-community-to-wrestle-with-the-impact-of-public-spaces-and-private-money#:~:text=It%20all%20started%20in%202009,round%20and%20in%20inclement%20weather.

Why should anyone believe a word you post? You clearly have some type of agenda.

DPR does not have the budget to renovate and maintain the field. Hardy is a Middle School and does not have the need for a field like a high school. Hardy can use Duke Ellington School Field but does not because there is no demand from Hardy for a large field.

DPR has a very small budget and DCPS has a huge budget. Oh I know let’s take $2.5 million out of Hardy’s budget for Jelleff field. Maybe Hardy can also pay for a new rec center(which is in really bad shape)? We all know what would happen if Hardy got control of the field. No maintenance and no accessibility. The field would sit unused during school hours, after hours, weekends and all summer.

The bottom line is Hardy does not use the field by choice. Hardy does not want to spend any money on the field. Hardy has the space available on the schools grounds to make a regulation field. Hardy has a field, a track, tennis courts and a large parking lot. Renovate Hardy’s outside area and build what you want. DCPS is not short of funds.

Maret lets the neighbors and sport clubs use its indoor and outside facilities at the school. Should that be stopped also?

the issue with the jelleff field was a no-bid deal orchestrated by then-Councilmember Jack Evans, whose kids were at Maret at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that the certificate of occupancy was not issued for the new field. I was very actively involved to make that possible. Traffic is going to be hell near my house.

Because Nebraska Ave is a quiet dirt road in the sylva setting or rural maryland

[Anonymous]

It's very unlikely they will get the field this season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that the certificate of occupancy was not issued for the new field. I was very actively involved to make that possible. Traffic is going to be hell near my house.

Card carrying member of the so-called “Friends of the Field”? I got it.

You’ve made yourself miserable for four years fighting the development of the field and you lost EVERY step of the way. The field will open soon so prepare yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's very unlikely they will get the field this season.

Can someone explain what the hold up is? Why hasn’t DC issued a CO?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The deal was pretty straightforward: the school used private funds to pay for the complete rehabilitation of a field that was in disrepair, due to lack of public funds. In exchange for the entire revitalization, the private school was able to use the fields for two hours a day during weekdays. The public cost was zero dollars and the “price” that the public paid was not being able to use the field that had already been unusable for two hours, several days a week, several months a year.

Um... you seem to have left out the part where DC bought the land for $15 million while Maret spent $700,000 to fix it up.

From the 1940s through 2009, the Jelleff Recreation Center was owned and operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. However, due to economic conditions, in 2009 the Boys and Girls Club began a request for proposal (RFP) process to sell the Jelleff Recreation Center. Before the process could be finalized, the District paid $20 million to acquire Jelleff and two other recreation centers, bringing the recreation center into public ownership. However, the field needed a significant amount of investment and maintenance to be usable year-round and in inclement weather.

Rather than investing the $2.5 million needed to build an artificial turf field to be administered by DPR like most other public parks, the District struck an agreement with Maret School, located almost two miles away in Woodley Park, in which the school would pay for the new field and other improvements in exchange for 10 years of priority rights to use the fields between 3:30 pm and 6 pm on weekday afternoons (2 pm on Wednesdays) during the fall and spring, all day the last two weeks of August, and 10 Saturdays a year

https://ggwash.org/view/73814/a-field-in-georgetown-forces-a-community-to-wrestle-with-the-impact-of-public-spaces-and-private-money#:~:text=It%20all%20started%20in%202009,round%20and%20in%20inclement%20weather.

Why should anyone believe a word you post? You clearly have some type of agenda.

DPR does not have the budget to renovate and maintain the field. Hardy is a Middle School and does not have the need for a field like a high school. Hardy can use Duke Ellington School Field but does not because there is no demand from Hardy for a large field.

DPR has a very small budget and DCPS has a huge budget. Oh I know let’s take $2.5 million out of Hardy’s budget for Jelleff field. Maybe Hardy can also pay for a new rec center(which is in really bad shape)? We all know what would happen if Hardy got control of the field. No maintenance and no accessibility. The field would sit unused during school hours, after hours, weekends and all summer.

The bottom line is Hardy does not use the field by choice. Hardy does not want to spend any money on the field. Hardy has the space available on the schools grounds to make a regulation field. Hardy has a field, a track, tennis courts and a large parking lot. Renovate Hardy’s outside area and build what you want. DCPS is not short of funds.

Maret lets the neighbors and sport clubs use its indoor and outside facilities at the school. Should that be stopped also?

the issue with the jelleff field was a no-bid deal orchestrated by then-Councilmember Jack Evans, whose kids were at Maret at the time.

It's also a lie that DPR did not have budget to renovate. DPR spent $20 million to buy the field. DPR has committed $28 million now to renovating Jelleff further. Maret spent a paltry $700K over a period of 10 years to renovate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The deal was pretty straightforward: the school used private funds to pay for the complete rehabilitation of a field that was in disrepair, due to lack of public funds. In exchange for the entire revitalization, the private school was able to use the fields for two hours a day during weekdays. The public cost was zero dollars and the “price” that the public paid was not being able to use the field that had already been unusable for two hours, several days a week, several months a year.

Um... you seem to have left out the part where DC bought the land for $15 million while Maret spent $700,000 to fix it up.

From the 1940s through 2009, the Jelleff Recreation Center was owned and operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. However, due to economic conditions, in 2009 the Boys and Girls Club began a request for proposal (RFP) process to sell the Jelleff Recreation Center. Before the process could be finalized, the District paid $20 million to acquire Jelleff and two other recreation centers, bringing the recreation center into public ownership. However, the field needed a significant amount of investment and maintenance to be usable year-round and in inclement weather.

Rather than investing the $2.5 million needed to build an artificial turf field to be administered by DPR like most other public parks, the District struck an agreement with Maret School, located almost two miles away in Woodley Park, in which the school would pay for the new field and other improvements in exchange for 10 years of priority rights to use the fields between 3:30 pm and 6 pm on weekday afternoons (2 pm on Wednesdays) during the fall and spring, all day the last two weeks of August, and 10 Saturdays a year

https://ggwash.org/view/73814/a-field-in-georgetown-forces-a-community-to-wrestle-with-the-impact-of-public-spaces-and-private-money#:~:text=It%20all%20started%20in%202009,round%20and%20in%20inclement%20weather.

Why should anyone believe a word you post? You clearly have some type of agenda.

DPR does not have the budget to renovate and maintain the field. Hardy is a Middle School and does not have the need for a field like a high school. Hardy can use Duke Ellington School Field but does not because there is no demand from Hardy for a large field.

DPR has a very small budget and DCPS has a huge budget. Oh I know let’s take $2.5 million out of Hardy’s budget for Jelleff field. Maybe Hardy can also pay for a new rec center(which is in really bad shape)? We all know what would happen if Hardy got control of the field. No maintenance and no accessibility. The field would sit unused during school hours, after hours, weekends and all summer.

The bottom line is Hardy does not use the field by choice. Hardy does not want to spend any money on the field. Hardy has the space available on the schools grounds to make a regulation field. Hardy has a field, a track, tennis courts and a large parking lot. Renovate Hardy’s outside area and build what you want. DCPS is not short of funds.

Maret lets the neighbors and sport clubs use its indoor and outside facilities at the school. Should that be stopped also?

the issue with the jelleff field was a no-bid deal orchestrated by then-Councilmember Jack Evans, whose kids were at Maret at the time.

It's also a lie that DPR did not have budget to renovate. DPR spent $20 million to buy the field. DPR has committed $28 million now to renovating Jelleff further. Maret spent a paltry $700K over a period of 10 years to renovate.

There is a word that explain the difference between what maret got and what it paid , it is called kickback.

[Anonymous]

The new field is not up to code, that was the easiest way to delay de project.

[Anonymous]

St. John's turf fields are 3 blocks away. Their games attract 20X more fans than a Maret game. Traffic is not an issue.

[Anonymous]

Maret cannot use their own field. Love it. A bit of divine justice. How did all the kids of public schools felt about restricted access to jelleff ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so glad that the certificate of occupancy was not issued for the new field. I was very actively involved to make that possible. Traffic is going to be hell near my house.

On what basis was it denied?

It just hasn’t been officially extended yet

The city is saying there is some small issue with the perimeter, then they will issue the certificate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. John's turf fields are 3 blocks away. Their games attract 20X more fans than a Maret game. Traffic is not an issue.

This! Do people understand how small Maret is? They don't even have a JV for most of their sports. Additionally, they only people who attend the games (outside of homecoming, maybe) are the players parents. As mom who has sat through most of her kids' games, were' talking like a handful to maybe MAYBE two dozen people who are available and interested in watching a high school sports game at 4 p.m. on a tuesday.

Where was all this outrage when St. John's put in lots of turf fields and a massive sports complex in the last decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. John's turf fields are 3 blocks away. Their games attract 20X more fans than a Maret game. Traffic is not an issue.

This! Do people understand how small Maret is? They don't even have a JV for most of their sports. Additionally, they only people who attend the games (outside of homecoming, maybe) are the players parents. As mom who has sat through most of her kids' games, were' talking like a handful to maybe MAYBE two dozen people who are available and interested in watching a high school sports game at 4 p.m. on a tuesday.

Where was all this outrage when St. John's put in lots of turf fields and a massive sports complex in the last decade.

SJC has a fairly decent-sized parking lot and only borders the neighborhood on one side.

I think the neighbors have acted like complete d**ks over the Maret fields, but just pointing out some technical differences.

Luckily SJC's football team plays so many games against national opponents and only 2 home games against local opponents. As you might imagine, there are few visiting fans when they play a team from Georgia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St. John's turf fields are 3 blocks away. Their games attract 20X more fans than a Maret game. Traffic is not an issue.

This! Do people understand how small Maret is? They don't even have a JV for most of their sports. Additionally, they only people who attend the games (outside of homecoming, maybe) are the players parents. As mom who has sat through most of her kids' games, were' talking like a handful to maybe MAYBE two dozen people who are available and interested in watching a high school sports game at 4 p.m. on a tuesday.

Where was all this outrage when St. John's put in lots of turf fields and a massive sports complex in the last decade.

SJC has a fairly decent-sized parking lot and only borders the neighborhood on one side.

I think the neighbors have acted like complete d**ks over the Maret fields, but just pointing out some technical differences.

Luckily SJC's football team plays so many games against national opponents and only 2 home games against local opponents. As you might imagine, there are few visiting fans when they play a team from Georgia.

Agree there are differences, but I also think people are vastly overestimating the traffic issues. Additionally, there is TONS of street parking in and around the area. Lafayette doesn't have parking, and the area is much more congested, but hosts little league games all the time with likely more parent fans than most HS games- it's all fine.