It’s all about the neighborhood
On Wednesday, August 25th, staff from the Department of Government Services (DGS) led by Director Keith Anderson, took Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and some of her staff on a tour of Powell Elementary to review a new, “temporary fix” for the school’s broken HVAC system. But when asked to clarify the fix… DGS has no answer.
There is no HVAC fix.
Read MoreBy the end of last term, parents and the Powell Elementary principal were afraid their long-time broken HVAC may not be fixed by the fall semester, forcing unvaccinated children to resume school in hot classrooms without proper air circulation. By May, DGS reported that after failing three times to complete a contract to fix the HVAC due to paperwork mistakes, they finally had a repair vendor contracted and would have the HVAC fixed before school started.
Now, DGS says they won’t be done on time.
Read MoreAs District schools finish their second pandemic year, and parents cautiously anticipate a return to normalcy next fall, families at Powell Elementary School are girding for a fight. The school’s HVAC system, which has been broken for the entirety of the COVID pandemic — even as some kids returned to in-person learning — is still inoperable. Parents and the school Principal are afraid it may not be fixed by the fall, forcing unvaccinated children to resume school in boiling hot classrooms without proper air circulation.
Read MoreThe Department of Parks and Recreation announced today that the Petworth Playground at 8th and Taylor Streets NW will temporarily close on April 19th until April 30th for construction.
Read MoreAfter many years of planning meetings, back and forth arguments over play-surface materials and a $2 million budget, the Petworth Recreation Center at 8th and Taylor Streets NW is officially open again.
Read MoreThanks to the advocacy of parents in our community, the renovation of the Petworth Playground will include a wood fiber surface instead of a poured-in-place rubber surface. We couldn’t be more excited for the expected reopening this summer. I know my family is going to appreciate the two adjacent playgrounds for different ages, the shade structures and birthday pavilion. The new surface will fit the nature theme nicely. And yes, for the first time, we will have swings!
Read MoreThe Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of General Services held a final community update meeting on renovations to the playground and park near the Petworth Recreation Center. Beyond the updates and a look at the final designs, there were many residents upset with the selection of poured in place surface materials.
Read MoreThe DC Council has passed two votes so far on approving additional funding for the construction and other changes needed to open the pool at Roosevelt High School for local residential use. Another vote and Mayoral approval still need to be done.
Read MoreDPR and DGS are holding another meeting on Monday, May 7th from 6:30-8pm at the Petworth Library (basement community room) to discuss the upcoming renovations.
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has $2 million dollars allocated by the DC government to upgrade the Petworth Playground at 8th and Taylor Streets NW. The process of planning the enhancements and changes has begun, starting with a meeting on December 7th with a group of residents. DPR laid out the timeline and set expectations for next steps. Here's an overview.
Read MoreTheodore Roosevelt High School has been closed since 2013 to undergo a $136.1 million renovation that replaces the crumbling sections of the building, restores historic architecture, and expands the facilities and technology, all revolving around a new central atrium. It’s pretty impressive. Read the article and see a large photo gallery >
Read MoreWard 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd and his staff made a visit to the Petworth Park (801 Taylor St NW) and Petworth Recreation Center this afternoon, along with John Stokes, the chief of staff for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
CM Todd was there to meet with local area parents to hear about concerns and requests for improvements at the park, as well as meeting with Recreation Center staff Clarence Anderson and Karla Kelley. Read more about the visit after the break:
Read MoreThe wilderness that is the Petworth Spray Park
I got a bee in my bonnet about the condition of Petworth Park. Talk about long grass! Petworth Park is in dire need of a hair cut.
I've been emailing the Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) about the spray park signage since end of May, trying to get the sign replaced. The sign was ripped down and tossed on the ground at the back of the spray park (slowly being swallowed up by the untended grass). After getting tagged with a few choice vulgarities and three months of emails from me to the Aquatics Director, DPR finally removed the sign yesterday and has committed to getting a new sign with updated information (like the correct hours of operation) as soon as possible. According to John Stokes, the deputy director of DPR, it should be installed by mid next week.
My other concern is that grass! It's overgrown throughout the park, and insanely high in the spray park, which presents more concerns. The tall, wet grass inside the spray is a haven for mosquitos. Toddlers and blood-sucking, welt-forming insects are not a good match.
I'm pleased to say that according to emails this morning from Donny Gonzalez from the Department of General Services (DGS), the mowing of the grass is going to be expedited and should be done by tomorrow.
I hope so -- public parks should be a haven for happy kids, not mosquitos.
Updated 9pm 7/28/15: The park has been mowed and all the grass is pretty short.
Petworth News, a neighborhood blog on local news, information & events about the Petworth area in Washington DC.
Petworth News is a news site about Petworth area neighborhoods in Washington DC, written by Drew Schneider and other amazing contributing writers. It features facts and objective reporting, as well as an occasional subjective point of view and opinion.
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