Crispus Attucks Park News -- April 13, 2005
Dear Friends of Crispus Attucks Park,
There are a LOT of things going on in our Community Oasis. To be part of the excitement, or for more information about one of the items below, contact the person listed, or contact John at 202-550-2631 or jacorea@aol.com. Contact information for board members is also available on our website, www.crispusattuckspark.org.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. TKF “SACRED SPACE” PROJECT – IT’S OFFICIAL
No doubt many are curious about the grant win I reported a few weeks ago. To recap for those who missed it, the TKF Foundation has awarded Crispus Attucks Development Corporation a $50,000 grant to create a “sacred space” at the east end of Crispus Attucks Park. The idea behind the “sacred space” concept is to help people connect to the natural environment. TKF hopes that by enhancing natural spaces, there will be an increased sense of community and human connection. To read about the five elements of sacred space design, visit:
http://www.tkffdn.org/design/design.shtml.
This week we submitted the signed contract to TKF, along with our “before” photos of the space. The location of the sacred space, while not finalized, will probably be the eastern-most quarter of the park.
What’s the next step, you ask? Given the other planning and park programming we are doing (see items 2-7 below), we don’t expect to really begin the process of designing the TKF space until late spring or early summer. At that time, a representative from TKF will work with us as we hold a series of charrettes, or community meetings, to discuss alternative designs for the space.
In the mean time, we could use some help from a Landscape Architect, particularly one willing to provide low cost or pro bono assistance on some fundamental design questions. Anyone with a potential referral should feel free to contact me or another CADC board member.
2. DC PREP CHOOSES CRISPUS ATTUCKS PARK FOR YOUTH SERVICE DAY
- BEGINS AN ONGOING PARTNERSHIP WITH CADC
CADC is thrilled that students from DC Preparatory Academy Charter Middle School will be leading a clean-up and beautification project in Crispus Attucks Park this Saturday as part of Youth Service Day. The students received a grant from Serve DC for the project, which is part of their instruction in community leadership.
In case you haven’t seen the flyer, the event is THIS Saturday, April 16th, from 9am – 1pm. Please come out and make this a community-wide event. For more information contact Austin Neal at Austin_Neal@comcast.net, or 202-281-8019. Also, PLEASE BRING GARDENING TOOLS IF YOU HAVE THEM!
Even more exciting, we expect this to become an ongoing partnership between DC Prep and Crispus Attucks Park, where the students become stewards of the park! For more information about DC Preparatory Academy, you can visit www.dcprep.org.
3. BOARD ADOPTS GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF PARK DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT[DAN1]
The first question people ask about the park is invariably this one:
“So, what are the plans for the park?”
Many of you are aware that we have had several “conceptual design” drawings done over the years. The most recent of these, which is actually posted on the park’s website (http://www.crispusattuckspark.org/ConceptualPlan.jpg), was developed primarily as a study for the TKF grant proposal, and not for the entire park. As a first step toward a coherent design for the entire park, CADC has developed and approved a set of guiding principles for the development and design of the park. These principles are broad, but they provide us with important guidance as we make incremental changes to the park each year. To review the new guidelines, visit: www.crispusattuckspark.org/GuidingPrinciples041305.html.
With these in place, CADC’s Design Subcommittee has begun the task of developing three alternative design options for the park. We hope to have some preliminary drawings ready for people to view at the Yard Sale on May 21st.
At the same time, we are also putting together a staged park development plan. Having a plan that is staged will help us prioritize improvements, and will be critically important to our upcoming fundraising efforts (see item 4 below).
4. CADC TO LAUNCH MAJOR FUND DRIVE – FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE FORMING
The TKF grant for the sacred space project is truly a blessing. I hasten to point out, however, that TKF expects us to provide at least partial matching funds toward the project. And that’s just for one quarter of the park! We have big plans for this park, and bringing these plans to fruition will require a large capital investment.
To this end, we are forming a Fundraising Committee, and we will need volunteers. Many volunteers. Some initial thinking has been done but we need YOUR creativity and energy! The tentative date for our kickoff fundraising meeting is Tuesday evening, May 3rd. If you think you might like to get involved, call me at 203-550-2631 so I can talk you into it.
5. PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, REDUX
If you’re wondering about the playground equipment we expected to have installed by now, CADC is actively working with HUD and Howard University on the environmental review that is required before we can give the green light to installation. If all goes well, this will be completed later this spring. We will keep you posted. To those of you who are parents of young children: thanks for your patience!
6. MOVIES BY MOONLIGHT?
Over the past couple of years, several people have independently suggested that we have outdoor movie nights in the park. I know there are many people who love this idea. Is there anyone out there willing to help make it happen? Contact me or another board member to discuss.
7. GET THOSE YARD SALE REGISTRATIONS IN!
To everyone who wants to sell at the 2nd annual “Bloomingdale’s Biggest Yard Sale” on May 21st, register soon to take advantage of the reduced Early Bird registration fee. Getting your registration in as early as possible will help us tremendously in the planning process. The registration form can be printed from:
www.crispusattuckspark.org/Yard_Sale_Promo_2005.html.
If you have any questions, contact Reggie at 202-236-2307.
[DAN1]We didn’t really have development in our title. Just an FYI