Northwood News ♦ June 2007

North Four Corners Park Meeting on 12th of June

By Carole Barth

MNCPPC has called a meeting for June 12, at 7:00 p.m. at MNCPPC Headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave.).  At this meeting they will present and receive input on their assessment of soccer field needs and alternative design concepts for North Four Corners Park.  As you remember, last year the County Council ordered Park and Planning to take another crack at the plan and explicitly ordered them to fully develop a no-field alternative and to provide updated needs information for the Council’s consideration as part of the FY09-FY12 Capital Improvement Program.

The current budget process is winding down, which means preparations are beginning for the next budget cycle.  Still, a suspicious person might note that summer is traditionally the worst time to seek public input since most civic associations (including NFCCA) have a summer hiatus.  Indeed, we have complained several times during our four-year defense of the park that MNCPPC has a pattern of disappearing for long stretches only to come back to the community in a sudden hurry to wrap things up.  As usual, their outreach also leaves something to be desired.  Some of us (I don’t know how many) received this notice in the mail, yet the web page on our park plan, www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/silverspring/public_projects/ fourcorners_park.shtm [URL changed from printed newsletter], has not been updated since September of 2005.

In this case, however, the park meeting is set for the night before our next NFCCA meeting (June 13).  I know it’s a lot to ask people to attend two meetings in the same week, but I would like to show MNCPPC that we haven’t gone away and that we still care.  I would also like to take advantage of the chance for us to strategize as a community on the 13th.

I do not know what they will present on the 12th.  As I reported earlier, Mary Bradford (Parks Director) suggested putting the new soccer field close to University Avenue and building a wall between the new and old portions of the park.  They may feel that this, combined with removing the goal posts from the old field, is a compromise.  It may or may not be their new preferred alternative.  Although they were required to develop a no-field alternative, we do know their hearts aren’t in it.

I also don’t know if they will present any new needs information on the 12th.  Everything I can find shows that in general, they are still relying on the ridiculous LPPRP (Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan) document from December 2005.  However, we know that Park staff has in the past ginned up dubious information (Heidi Sussmans’s so-called survey of middle school students) to support their plans.  I will, of course, be trying to find out as much as I can between now and the 12th.

Please come to park and planning’s meeting on the 12th to ask questions and speak your mind.  Please write/email MNCPPC, the press, and elected officials.  Remember, MNCPPC characterized three years of united community opposition to their plans as “a few residents near the park do not support the approved plan,” so it’s important that a wider group hears our objections.  The Parks Department is located at 9500 Brunett Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20901.  The Planner is Heidi Sussmann and her email is heidi.sussmann@mncppc-mc.org.  The Parks Director is Mary Bradford.   ■