By David Kosub

Below is what I shared with the Department of Parks and Recreation regarding my comments on the new playground proposed for the Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center. I encourage other community members to directly share their feedback with Peter.Nohrden@dc.gov. Feel free and share your thoughts in the comments section too.

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Good day Mr. Nohrden,

Thank you for meeting with members of the larger Lamond-Riggs community on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, to discuss the plans for the new playground located at Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center. I appreciated hearing about the plans under consideration and your willingness to encompass feedback from the community. As noted in the Upper Northeast element of the District’s Comprehensive Plan, “…much of Upper Northeast is starved for public parkland. More active recreational areas, playgrounds, athletic fields, and traditional neighborhood parks are needed.” So, this community discussion and project are welcomed.

I support the new playground project. Anything that gets our kids and families outside, playing in the fresh air, the better in my opinion. As requested during the meeting, please find below some additional thoughts for consideration.

·        Link the new playground with the existing splash park and other amenities in the existing play space. A safe passage between the two sites will be a vast improvement to ensure children and families do not need to dodge vehicles in the parking lot just because they want to play.

·        Install as much native landscaping as possible, with minimal sod grass, at the site, including markers indicating what plant species are present. This could make for a great learning tool informing the community about the flora all around them. More information about the landscaping plan in future meetings would be appreciated.

·        Clearly display the hours of operation for the playground on a visually appealing sign

·        Prefer the swing set over the zipline as it would allow more opportunities for children to play

·        Ensure the design of the new playground is one that is aesthetically pleasing and blends into the natural environment and neighborhood whenever and wherever possible. This could include choosing earth tone colors, public art, using building materials which are more environmentally friendly and long-lasting, as well as removal of unsightly existing structures and tall chain-linked fencing.

·        Ensure all playground materials are not toxic and hazardous (i.e. avoiding lead based materials and poured-in-place rubber surfaces)

·        Establish a relationship with the nearby school and recreation center to enhance the environmental quality, accessibility, maintenance, appearance, usefulness, and  “park-like” character of the site above what currently exists (see Policy 4.1.3 of the Parks and Open Space element of the District’s Comprehensive Plan)  

For your reference, the desire and need for a new playground has been a topic of interest in the community for many years. I personally have heard the issue raised at various community meetings, directly to city officials (go to 42 minutes in the recording of this LRCA meeting with Mayor Bowser in February 2018), and while chatting with neighbors. Moreover, the 2009 Small Area Development plan for our neighborhood called for more active recreation, such as playgrounds or trails. Though that specific recommendation was to work with the U.S. National Park Service, it is quite applicable for working with the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation too. As a testament to the community’s interest, below is a sampling of what was shared on our public neighborhood listserv in support of the new playground:

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Again, I appreciate your willingness to work with the Riggs Park community on this project to ensure we have the best playground possible that meets the community’s needs. To paraphrase from the 2004 Play D.C. master plan,

Our legacy of parks provides an extraordinary foundation and we owe it not only to our predecessors, but to our current and future residents to capitalize on and fully realize our rich heritage. We must continually invest in, and improve our existing parks and recreation centers citywide to provide quality and equity of service…we must strengthen the connections between parks and neighborhoods, and residents and their communities.

I encourage the Department of Parks and Recreation to send updates on this project, including future meeting announcements, directly to the neighborhood list serv to ensure as many residents are made aware as possible. Emails may be sent to lamond-riggs-community@googlegroups.com. I’m also willing to forward messages directly to the group on your behalf.

Thank you

David Kosub