| | | Council parks accord sets stage for Rosedale work to restart | | December 21, 2009 |  | | | Staff Writer | | Residents surrounding what is set to become the new Rosedale Community Center at 17th and Gales streets NE may soon see work resume on the now-dormant project.
“Our intent there is to make sure things are set up as quickly as possible,” said Charles Allen, chief of staff for Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells. “We want [the city] to move forward quickly.”
The delay stems from problems with the way the contract for Rosedale and other park projects was granted. City law requires the D.C. Council to review all contracts over $1 million before they are ratified, which did not happen in this case. The projects, including Rosedale, totaled close to $100 million, with Rosedale’s as the most expensive at $16 million.
But funding was redirected from the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning Economic Development to the semi-independent D.C. Housing Authority, without council oversight. The Housing Authority awarded the contracts to a fraternity brother of Mayor Adrian Fenty.
When the shift was discovered last month, work on the projects stopped, and the council delved into a flurry of combative hearings and froze the funds.
The council last week voted to return funding for the individual projects, including Rosedale, to the embattled parks department. Actual construction will be overseen by the Office of Public Education Facilities Management, headed by Allen Lew, who has won wide praise for his performance in getting numerous facilities renovated or built on schedule.
Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells added an amendment to the new contract calling for the parks department to finish negotiations with Lew’s office within 30 days.
“We thought 30 days was pretty reasonable to try to iron out whatever [they need to],” Allen said.
He said Rosedale community activists, who who recently staged a protest at the now-vacant site calling for the council to act, seemed pleased with the council’s move this week.
“They seem, from what I’m hearing, very positive,” he said. “They feel this is a way that the work is done with all deliberate speed. I think this reflects that there’s a high level of confidence in Allen Lew and his ability to get the work done.”
Fenty, Wells and other city dignitaries held a groundbreaking at the Rosedale site in October, marking the start of construction of a brand-new 22,000-square foot structure and a 4,000 square-foot library. Preliminary work began before the project was halted due to the contracts hoopla.
The old Rosedale Recreation Center was shut down in August to prepare for the project. Some of its programs are now being run out of the nearby old Gibbs Elementary School building.
Staff writers Ian Thoms and Elizabeth Wiener contributed to this report. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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