Dear Friends of Crispus Attucks Park,
I know it’s been quite a while since we’ve sent out a general news update about the park. My apologies – administrative minutiae and planning for the Sacred Space have gotten the best of me lately. Because of the delay, some of this news is a little old. And, as it happens, the old news isn’t all good news. But there’s still plenty to get excited about. Read on…
IN THIS ISSUE:
- To Fence or Not to Fence?
- From Fence to Trellis?
- Water Lines in the Park?
- Alley Repaving
1. SAD NEWS ABOUT THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
Many of you have read with anticipation about our ongoing
struggle to install the playground equipment we were awarded through a grant
from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through
Unfortunately, it turns out that we won’t be able to install the play equipment after all. The problem was that the park site was once a telephone cable yard, and HUD was concerned that the soil in parts of the park might not meet the strict environmental standards required for installation of a play area. CADC board members worked with Howard to get a preliminary assessment done, only to discover that a full and much more expensive environmental review was required. The cost of such an assessment was well beyond our means. Meanwhile, Howard now risked losing over $1 million in HUD grant funding for other worthy projects in the Bloomingdale/LeDroit area if it delayed a final action on our playground equipment any longer. The decision was made to forfeit the playground equipment.
Obviously, this is discouraging news. CADC board member Marilyn Lashley worked hard to secure this grant, and we were all excited about having a special place in the park for young children and their parents.
At the same time, I think it’s important to look at this as an opportunity. CADC remains committed to having a safe place in the park for little ones and their parents. As the first step in our Sacred Space planning process, we have already begun to think about overall park design. We can now think fresh about the kind of kid-friendly space we want to create. Yes, prefabricated playground equipment would be a nice amenity, but might this not be an opportunity to create something different, unique, inspired?
2. SACRED SPACE PROJECT UPDATE AND TIMELINE
On a brighter note, here’s an update on the Sacred Space
project. For newbies to this email list, the Crispus
Attucks Development Corporation was awarded a $65,000 grant from the TKF
Foundation (www.tkffdn.org) in Spring 2005 to create a
"Sacred Space" within
The following is a time line of important milestones for this project,
completed and upcoming. Please note that if you want to provide input into the
first stage of the sacred space design process, the DEADLINE IS JUST A FEW DAYS
AWAY!:
- April 2005 ------------------- Grant
awarded
- Spring 2005 ----------------- Landscape Architect Sylvia Palms joins the
project
- August 2005 ---------------- Community &"kick-off" meeting for
Sacred Space Project
- December 10, 2005 --------"Charrette #1":
Conceptual Planning Meeting
- January 4, 2006
------------ "On-Line Charrete" begins
- January 9, 2006 ------------ DEADLINE foor community input for On-Line Charrette
- January 28 (tentative) ---- "Charrette #2":
Sacred Space Design Meeting**
- Spring 2006 ----------------- Constructiion and Planting
- September 2006 ----------- Ribbon Cuttinng
**For instructions for providing feedback through the On-Line Charrette, visit www.crispusattuckspark.org and follow the highlighted “Sacred Space” link.
3. INDEMNITY LEGISLATION LANGUISHING IN COUNCIL
Do you realize that it costs a significant amount of money just to keep the park open, even if we don’t do anything to it? That’s right, because it’s a private park, we have to pay for insurance for the property every single year. And the hybrid nature of the park (i.e., private ownership/community access) makes coverage very expensive. At the same time, because we’re not a homeowners’ association, we can’t require that homeowners on or near the park pay even a small annual fee that could help cover this cost. So far we have relied on the dues paid by board members, donations from a handful of generous neighbors, and the limited proceeds from our Annual Yard sale. The result: A large share of the money we take in every year goes to insurance instead of to park improvements or programs.
Those who attended the Sacred Space Kick-Off meeting in August may remember that we were hopeful about a piece of legislation that Councilmember David Catania had introduced on our behalf in the DC Council. Bill B16-0324, “The Crispus Attucks Park Indemnification Act of 2005,” would significantly reduce our annual insurance costs, enabling us to invest our money in the park itself. We last heard that the bill had been referred to the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Councilmember Phil Mendelson.
Unfortunately, right now this legislation is probably the
LOWEST PRIORITY for
Now I’m not telling you all this to complain. I don’t think the bill is dead. It is very clear, however, that this legislation is going absolutely nowhere unless we ORGANIZE and start making some noise at the Council. And for this we need VOLUNTEERS. Right now the park board is very short-staffed. Board Members are either too busy with other park projects or unavailable because of work commitments. I have begun drafting a letter to Councilmember Mendelson. If you would like to help with that, or in getting signatures from neighbors, or if you have other ideas, please contact me at jacorea@aol.com or 202-550-2631. THANKS!
4. PARK IMPROVEMENTS:
Here’s a brief update on some physical improvements you may have noticed or will hopefully see in the future:
- To Fence or Not to Fence?
By now many of you have noticed that the chain link fence no longer graces the west and southwest edges of the park. The fence was removed so we could install 6x6s along the perimeter to act as a retaining border to stop run-off into the alleys. This project, which is not quite finished, is an experiment. Some neighbors were concerned – quite legitimately based on historical experience -- that removing the fence would invite dumping, parking, or other unwanted activities in the park. So we agreed that if removing the fence caused such problems, we would put something back in its place. I’m happy to report, however, that so far we’ve seen no such increase in these unwanted behaviors. Let’s all continue to monitor things…
- From Fence to Trellis?
In the mean time, people have been asking me whether we’re going to do the same thing to the rest of the park. While nothing has been decided for sure, consider a couple things. First, replacing the current fence with, say, a wrought iron fence would cost a fortune, way more than we could afford without a massive multiyear capital campaign. Second, for all its faults, the existing fence is a historical relic, and actually has some character if you look close enough. While the chain link “fabric” is unsightly and in bad shape, many of the I-beam posts are in excellent condition, and might date back to site’s industrial beginnings in the early 1900s.
One idea our Landscape Architect suggested is to reclaim and re-use this industrial relic and turn it into something beautiful. Specifically, by removing the chain-link mesh, removing any bent posts, perhaps painting the good ones, and repairing/replacing the cross bar along the top, we could have a ready-made trellis bordering much of the park. Vines tightly growing up and along the posts and crossbar would create a series of green “gateways” into the park, and would serve as a demarcation between the park and the alley. Another selling point for this idea: it would be CHEAP!
By the way, a quick note about parks and fences. We learned at the December 10th Sacred Space meeting that urban designers and planners today view fences in a way that is counterintuitive to many of us. That is, fences, especially ones with locked gates, tend to attract rather than discourage crime and unwanted activity in outdoor spaces. Much of this is psychological: a fence creates a “we’re in, you’re out” atmosphere, and stands almost as a dare to someone to get around or over it. In contrast, an open space invites use. A space that is well used is a space that is safe. “People, not fences, make a space safe.” In other words, the more people who use the park regularly, the smaller the chance that individuals will be up to no good in the park. Food for thought? Or perhaps fodder for discussion?
- Water Lines in the Park?
CADC is investigating what it would take to re-establish the water lines that used to run to the old CAMPA building before it burned down and was razed. If you’re interested in helping with this effort or have suggestions or insights, drop me a line.
- Alley Repaving
CADC is also pursuing getting on the city’s radar screen to have the alleys re-bricked. According to the city’s plans, the western alley isn’t scheduled to be re-bricked until 2009, and the other three alleys aren’t even on the 5-year plan. We want to be moved up on the list. Perhaps there’s someone who owns a home abutting the park who’s interested in spearheading this little project?
That’s all for now. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch (contact info below) if you have ideas, questions, or concerns, or want to get involved somehow.
Thanks!
John
John Corea, President
Crispus Attucks Development Corporation
jacorea@aol.com
202-550-2631
www.crispusattuckspark.org
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