Forest Hills Playground Update

What is happening with the Forest Hills Playground? Will we get our new equipment for kids and adults this spring? Shilpa Khatri, a project manager with DC’s Department of General Services (DGS), gives this update in response to ANC 3F Commissioner Sally Gresham’s query:

Design-Builder RFP (Request for Proposal) is scheduled to go out end of January 2014.

Proposals from interested design-builders will be due to DGS 4-6 weeks from the day proposal is issued. Contract will be finalized within 2-3 weeks after the proposals are received.

Design-Builder will be on board in spring and further design development and construction will follow shortly after.

Some design changes such as additional benches, picnic tables, etc. requested by community members have been included in the design-builder’s RFP, which will be issued end of January 2014 and will be on DGS procurement website for public view.

So if all goes according to plan, it looks like work on the playground could begin in late March or early April. At community meetings last fall, the city’s outreach team said the renovation could take two to four months, so under the speediest scenario we’ll have a new playground by late spring/early summer.