Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood

Covering Forest Hills, Van Ness, North Cleveland Park and Wakefield

  • About Us
    • About Forest Hills Connection
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Donate
      • Donate & Subscribe
      • “Scoop the Poop” Signs
  • Classifieds
  • News
    • ANC 3F
    • Business
      • Business in Brief
      • Out to Eat
      • Shop & Eat Local
    • Getting Around
      • Metrobus and Rail
      • Pedestrian Updates
    • Elections
    • Main Street
    • Neighborhood in the News
    • Opinion
    • Parks and Streams
    • Real Estate
    • UDC
  • Style
    • Food
      • Farmers Market Finds
    • History
    • Meet the Neighbors
    • Neighbors Recommend
    • Services
    • Things To Do
      • Local Attractions
    • Travel
    • Featured Photos
  • Home Front
    • High-Rise Life
    • In the Garden
    • In the Kitchen
  • Backyard Nature
    • Local Wildlife
    • Wildlife Photos
  • Kids & Pets
    • At School
    • At Play
    • Kids Write
    • Pets
  • Calendar

Hearst Park and pool team introduced; community will be asked for design ideas

May 19, 2016 by FHC

Hearst Park

by David Dickinson
ANC 3F01 commissioner

The District of Columbia’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Department of General Services (DGS) have commenced the formal community outreach and design phase for the Hearst Recreation Center (known as Hearst Park). The park is bounded by Hearst Elementary to the north, Quebec Street, NW to the south, 37th Street on the west side and Idaho Ave, NW on the east.

An aerial view of Hearst Park, from the May 10th presentation.

An aerial view of Hearst Park, from the May 10th presentation.

DGS and DPR held their first community meeting on May 10th for the purpose of introducing their team, including the architectural firm Cox, Graae + Spack. (View the May 10th meeting’s slideshow.)

Advertisement

The “Hearst Campus” – including the recently renovated and expanded elementary school (a great success story that evolved with community input) and the upper playground and artificial turf soccer field – continues to evolve and now our community and the city have the opportunity to influence this jewel of a park.

As evidenced at the May 10th meeting, there are a variety of park attributes that neighbors seek and many who also seek to “protect the trees” and the associated green space. The DPR/DGS/architectural team was made aware of certain concerns including a full opportunity to evaluate various park design options (e.g. the location of a possible swimming pool and attached pool house), address street traffic and parking in light of other developments in the area, opportunities to use the amenities year round, and the critical need to address the Hearst recreation cottage that serves school children and the community.

The DPR/DGS/architectural team plans to conduct several community-based design input sessions in the coming months to address the opportunities and concerns noted above, along with others the community brings forward.

At the May 17th ANC 3F meeting, DGS Community Outreach Coordinator Jackie Stanley said the community will lead the design process.

“We have not designed the park or the pool,” she said. “We come empty-handed” to the first community design meeting.

That meeting, Stanley said, will take place the first or second week in June. Announcements will be posted in the community listservs and via Forest Hills Connection.

The team also plans to inform the public through periodic updates to the DGS website where city-wide construction projects are listed – see dgs.dc.gov/node/1135096 for Hearst Park.

Forest Hills Connection is produced by volunteers, and supported by you. We appreciate your support – financial and otherwise. Here’s how to donate.

Filed Under: News, Parks and Streams

Comments

  1. Bill says

    May 19, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    I hope the neighbors are open to the idea of a pool. We could really use an outdoor pool in the neighborhood. It would be a shame if it were shouted down for NIMBY issues. There isn’t another place one could logically go in the area.

  2. Stacie says

    May 28, 2016 at 10:36 pm

    For those who think an outdoor pool area can only be used a few months a year, I present…

    Lasker Pool and Rink
    Overlooking the Meer at the top of Central Park, this free, public pool can accommodate a whopping 1,824 people at a time in the summer, when neighborhood kids and tourists alike queue up along Central Park North to get in and cannonball. Then, once the lifeguards go off duty after Labor Day, Lasker transforms into a full-fledged ice-skating rink for the winter. (Unlike to swim, there’s a small fee to ice skate, but the crowds remain constant anyway.) Park programs, too, span the seasons, so the summer brings free swim lessons for kids, while adult pick-up ice-hockey leagues start up when the temperature drops.

About Forest Hills Connection

  • Who we are
  • How to advertise
  • How to donate
  • How to submit a story idea
  • Contact us
  • Tweets by foresthillsnews

    Subscribe to Our Blog

    Receive an email alert whenever we publish a new article.

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Arrives in your inbox around mid-month.


    Newsletter Archive         

    Connect With Us!

    Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on RSS

    Local Links

    • Schools, Services and More
    • Restaurants

    Latest Comments

    • Green Eyeshades on Snags for DC seniors scheduling first Covid vaccines include a clunky web portal, and at one vaccination center, more appointments than doses
    • Roberta Carroll on Burger King says it “has to say goodbye” to Van Ness
    • George on Burger King says it “has to say goodbye” to Van Ness
    • Green Eyeshades on Snags for DC seniors scheduling first Covid vaccines include a clunky web portal, and at one vaccination center, more appointments than doses
    • Ronald B Kahn on Burger King says it “has to say goodbye” to Van Ness

    Archives

    About Forest Hills Connection | About Forest Hills Neighborhood Alliance | Who We Are | Contributors
    Submissions Policy | Contact | Advertise | Donate
    © Forest Hills Connection | Site by: VanStudios