Res 05-22
ANC 3F RESOLUTION URGING DPR TO MODIFY THE CONSTRUCTION
PLANS FOR BALL FIELDS AT FORT RENO NATIONAL PARK
Advisory
Neighborhood Commission 3F
North
Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, and Tenleytown
4401-A
Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Box 244
Washington,
D.C. 20008-2322
WHEREAS, after much discussion at several public meetings -- attended by representatives of soccer and baseball leagues, Wilson High School, civic organizations, historic groups, and members of the community who use Fort Reno Park for individual forms of recreation – and after consultations with sports departments and visits to ball fields throughout the metropolitan area, ANC 3F voted in Resolution 04-28 (October 2004) not to object to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation’s (DPR) Final Concept Plan for ball fields at Fort Reno Park, but gave further recommendations for how the ball fields should be developed and used; and
WHEREAS, the Final Concept Plan showed a 90’ baseball diamond with a space of at least 30 feet between the outfield and the reservoir fence; a championship soccer field placed over the baseball outfield with a 15’ grass buffer around all sides, as requested by ANC 3F in Resolution 04-21; a youth soccer field to the north of the baseball and championship soccer fields; a hooded backstop and 10’ high sideline fences around the baseball infield, but no fences around either soccer field; new trees and a new sidewalk in public space along Chesapeake Street, but no shrubs in this area; and
WHEREAS, ANC 3F’s further recommendations set forth in Resolution 04-28 included limiting the fencing to what was shown on the final concept plan, in particular no new fences around the soccer fields, so that the park would remain open to residents to engage in other forms of recreation when games are not being played; placing restrictions on permits to ensure the safety of ball players and others in the park, as well as good maintenance of the ball fields; preserving the tree canopy by saving as many trees as possible near the ball fields and replacing those that have to be removed; allowing DDOT to build the sidewalk in public space along Chesapeake Street; minimizing impervious surfaces; submitting the plans to other agencies for review as required; and resubmitting the final design to ANC 3F for comment; and
WHEREAS, at the outset, the Rock Creek Park Division of the National Park Service, which administers Fort Reno Park, established the following guidelines for development of the ball fields, consistent with the Final Management Plan for Fort Circle Parks and the Federal Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: (1) the park’s historic setting must be preserved to the fullest extent possible; (2) the sense of open space must be maintained; (3) people must be allowed to circulate freely throughout the park; (4) the underlying soil should not be disturbed; (5) no bleachers, lighting for night games, or artificial turf may be installed; and (6) safety fencing should be kept to a minimum -- guidelines on which ANC 3F relied in approving Resolution 04-28, as well as Resolution 04-21; and
WHEREAS, after receiving ANC 3F’s Resolution 04-28 and a November 11, 2004, resolution from ANC 3E supporting the Final Concept Plan, DPR proceeded to develop 50% construction plans for the ball fields, which it submitted to the DC Historic Preservation Office for Section 106 review some time in the spring or summer of 2005, but not to ANC 3F; and
WHEREAS, upon learning that the 50% construction plans included fencing around the north and west sides of the youth soccer field – fencing that did not appear in the Final Concept Plan and that ANC 3F had specifically asked in Resolution 04-28 not be installed -- ANC 3F approved Letter 05-06 to the Director of DPR, dated September 23, 2005, reaffirming its request that DPR not install fencing around the youth soccer field, but recommending that DPR improve the vegetative buffer along Belt Road as a safety barrier instead -- a solution that would not only keep the area open so that others could use it when soccer is not being played, but also enhance the natural setting and provide beauty and enjoyment for nearby residents and users of the park; and
WHEREAS, such fencing around the youth soccer field was neither requested by ANC 3E in its November 11, 2004, resolution supporting the ball fields, nor by sports organizations planning to use the field; the fencing would not stop all soccer balls that go out of bounds, but be a hindrance for retrieving those that fly over it; nor is such fencing used at other nearby soccer fields on steep slopes, like Stoddert Field and Carter Barron, which uses vegetation to stop soccer balls; and
WHEREAS, even though Letter 05-06 requested a response by October 7, 2005, DPR has never responded; and
WHEREAS, as ANC 3F found out later from the plans on file at the DC Historic Preservation Office, the 50% plans deviate significantly from the Final Concept Plan and ANC 3F’s further recommendations in other ways that would adversely affect use of the park, safety, accessibility, and the natural environment:
WHEREAS, these plans do not meet the guidelines established by Rock Creek Park for development of the ball fields; and
WHEREAS, although ANC 3F has invited DPR to its monthly meetings in September, October, and November 2005 to discuss these issues and the issues in Letter 05-06 in a timely fashion, DPR has failed to attend any of the meetings on the ground that it is waiting for the results of the Section 106 process, even though the issues we are raising relate primarily to use of the park and the park’s natural setting, rather than to historic preservation; and
WHEREAS, DPR did invite ANC 3F and Wilson High School to an on site meeting on November 10, 2005, but other interested members of the community were not invited; and
WHEREAS, at the November 10 meeting, ANC 3F commissioners learned that DPR has now developed 95% construction drawings, which it plans to present to the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for permitting once it receives Section 106 approval from the DC Historic Preservation Office, without consideration of the above issues raised by ANC 3F; and
WHEREAS, the 95% drawings not only fail to remove the fencing on the north and west sides of the youth soccer field, they show an additional fence on the south side of the field, so as to almost completely encircle the field[1] and place this area off limits to anyone else who wants to use it;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F strongly urges that DPR:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F requests that DPR enter into discussions with the ANCs and community to resolve these design issues and refrain from applying for building permits until the issues have been resolved satisfactorily with the ANCs and the community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ANC 3F urges DPR to submit the project to the National Capital Planning Commission for required review and approval.
Approved by a vote
of 6-0-0 at a duly noticed public meeting of ANC 3F on November 21, 2005, with
a quorum present (a quorum being 4).
/s/ Karen Lee Perry /s/
Frank Winstead
____________________________
_____________________________
Karen Lee Perry, Chair Frank Winstead,
Secretary