New Outdoor Pool for Alexandria?
17 04 2008Northern Alexandria has always been an interesting mix of million dollar historic row homes on one block and subsidized project style homes on the next. Alexandria for the most part has done the right thing and resisted the temptation to demolish these projects and let developers build new high-end housing.
Now the City of Alexandria is investing in the infrastructure to support all the residents, but especially those with lower income by building the Charles Houston Rec Center on Wythe Street.
The Architect Lukmire Partnership has designed a space that includes a new gym, dance room, fitness room, boxing room, children’s game room, computer lab, outdoor swimming pool, senior center, preschool program, and a community meeting room.
The building will support extensive community outreach as well as after school programs to keep kids off the streets. It will also incorporate green building features, such as a vegetated green roof and energy efficient HVAC systems and lighting. The new center is scheduled to open in late winter of 2009, so you kids will have to wait till next summer to use that outdoor pool!
Now, if we could just get the District to follow Alexandria’s lead!
It has always stumped me as to why we have so few community rec centers — and outdoor pools! Fairfax County has a wonderful network of such places, well kept and convenient.
dc doesn’t have the same kind of space as northern VA, and they have tons more regulations and community input issues that have to be dealt with.
that’s why some folks from dc trek down to VA for the community amenities.
but us DC locals have other benefits that VA folks cram the roads to go for…….
i live in dc, and there is no way in hell that i would move to virginia for a public pool, noisy suburban kids, and bad drivers.
Hey DC’s got public pools, noisy kids, and bad drivers too!!!
Don’t sell us short like that Mr. Poo!!!
true, true.
i take back the comment, and refrain from listing all the other reasons i would never move to the burbs. :o)
After 27 years living — even with my loud kids! — I don’t see myself moving anytime. According to my mom and dad, also longtime DC residents, our fair city actually once had loads of rec centers, neighborhood sports leagues run by the city, etc. I think it’s fine to reach high for such city services. We settle for mediocre and half-done way too much.