[RP TownTalk] Calvert Park--Riverdale Elementary School Park

[David Hiles]

My messages to this list are being moderated because I was judged to  
have violated the posting standards.
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If you want to look at a good map of the site, try:
http://maps.google.com/maps? 
oi=map&q=5006+Riverdale+Rd,+Riverdale,+MD+20737


Look at the playground inside the fence. Just outside the fence is a  
park section several times the size of the playground.  Kids can't use  
that park space during recess.  Current enrollment at Riverdale  
Elementary is 500+.  Why not expand the playground into a space similar  
in size to those found at University Park Elementary, Paint Branch  
Elementary, and Berwyn Heights Elementary?

The playground could be extended to either go to the edge of the  
gulley, or with a little more work, all the way to the edge of the bike  
path.  As usual, the school playground would be fenced.  The land  
outside the fence is owned not by our school system but by Park and  
Planning. A small section might be owned by our Town.

Playground expansion could serve three purposes:
	1) create a better space for burning off student energy
	2) increase the attractiveness/effectiveness of Riverdale Elementary
	3) fix problems caused by a poorly designed section of park

How could this happen?

The town could ask Park and Planning staff to review the site and work  
with school and community representatives to develop a plan.  The plan  
could include converting the gulley to a bottomless, covered-over  
culvert so where the gulley now stands, a large smooth grass playground  
would come into existence.  It could include the planting of new trees  
following a landscaping plan.


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For that matter, the gulley is fed by a stone-age storm water  
management system which is long-past due re-engineering for better  
water quality.  I'm talking about all those concrete troughs that run  
from University Park through Riverdale Park to the river.  I recently  
found out that Prince George's County is the home of Larry Coffman.   
Larry is a nationally known expert on designing ecological storm water  
systems.  He used to work for our county but is now a consultant.

Here is a link to a quick summary of Larry's approach.

http://www.ncsu.edu/wrri/conference/2005ac/pdf/Coffman_LID2.pdf

WE are who we have been waiting for.
http://riverdalepark.blogspot.com/


WE are who we have been waiting for.
http://riverdalepark.blogspot.com/