New DPR-FFF Partnership Agreement Will Focus on Landscaping
Posted: November 8, 2022.
Our new partnership agreement with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is less extensive in scope than in previous years, and will mostly concern landscaping improvements on the passive recreation space that is now officially Rebecca Coder Park, and on the rear-field area closest to the 2501 M Street building.
Friends of Francis Field (FFF) will not be undertaking any improvements on the large field space used for athletics, since the District government has allocated $3 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget for renovation of that space, as well as a proposed expansion of the dog park.
(See "Community Engagement" article on this website.)
The new DPR-FFF agreement was signed by DPR Director Delano Hunter on October 18, and is a three-year extension of the partnership that began in 2013.
The "Partnership Plan" of the agreement changes with each renewal, as projects are completed and new plans are approved.
The new plan was first submitted to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A in June, and supported with a unanimous resolution, which can be found on this website. ANC support is one of several requirements for the partnership.
The agreement also supports the continuation of the "Francis Tree Lab" with FFF, the Casey Tree Foundation, and the D.C. Department of Transportation's Urban Forestry Division, if the parties wish to continue it.
A copy of the new plan is also on this website. The term runs from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025.