Eaton Elementary kids will spend two years at UDC

The trailers in 2016, when they were being prepared for Murch students.

Van Ness will be welcoming Eaton Elementary kids this fall while their school at 34th and Lowell Streets NW undergoes a two-year renovation and modernization. They will move into the trailers on the UDC campus that had been Murch Elementary’s swing space from 2016 to 2018.

But first, the trailer complex at Van Ness Street and Reno Road will itself undergo a mini-renovation. Toussaint Webster, who works on facility planning and design for DC Public Schools, told the June 18th meeting of ANC 3F that the trailers will need some repairs and health and safety improvements such as air and water tests.

The trailers will also undergo a “right-sizing.” Webster said the Eaton swing space needs to accommodate about 480 students, which is around a hundred less than Murch’s enrollment was during its two years at UDC. Contractor Corenic Construction is performing the repairs, removing some structures and moving some into a slightly different configuration. The construction hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Like the Murch kids, Eaton students will have the option of taking school buses to and from school. Eaton is planning ten buses in the morning and eight in the afternoon. Webster says DDOT also works on a Safe Routes to School Plan for any new school opening, and this applies.

ANC 3F chair David Dickinson offered the metered spots on 36th Street as a possible option for teacher, staff and parent parking. They are currently underutilized, he said. He also requested a crossing guard at Van Ness and Reno.

This time, the Eaton kids won’t be the youngest on campus. CommuniKids, through DCPS, opened a UDC branch in January. It’s a public bilingual pre-K3 and pre-K4 program.

The website for the Eaton renovation will have periodic updates on the work on school and the swing space.