District Of Columbia 2025-2026 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill B26-0132 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
3	3	OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
4	4	THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
5	5	1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
6	6	WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
7	7
8	8
9	9
10	10	February 20, 2025
11	11	Nyasha Smith, Secretary
12	12	Council of the District of Columbia
13	13	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
14	14	Washington, DC 20004
15	15	Dear Secretary Smith,
16	16	Today, I, along with Councilmembers Mathew Frumin, Christina Henderson, Robert C. White, Jr.,
17	17	Janeese Lewis George, Anita Bonds , and Wendell Felder, am re-introducing the “Expanding
18	18	Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space Act of 2025.” I previously introduced
19	19	identical legislation in Council Period 25, B25- 477.
20	20	This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to establish a program in partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) to expand safe and sanitary community access to recreational facilities in every ward on evenings and weekends, outside of
21	21	the hours in which the facilities are in active use by the schools and student activities.
22	22	Recreational facilities at DCPS schools should be, and often are, utilized by the public during
23	23	evening and weekend hours, when not being dedicated to school- and student- related activities.
24	24	However, safety and sanitation concerns can deter use or, in some cases, lead school administrators
25	25	to close access outside of school- and student-related activities. School administrators have
26	26	expressed the need for dedicated security and custodial services and personnel during public, non-
27	27	school hours, to ensure safe and sanitary environments and the ability to open recreational spaces
28	28	to the community.
29	29	Community use of recreational facilities at DCPS schools goes beyond the traditional scope of
30	30	responsibility for principals and school administrators, yet these facilities represent a valuable asset
31	31	to the surrounding neighborhoods if they can be used by the community. This program would
32	32	alleviate the unfair burden placed on schools when they are asked to function as a community
33	33	recreational facility, and indeed want to allow community use, but must absorb the costs of doing
34	34	so from school funds.
35	35	The Expanding Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space Act of 2025 requires
36	36	DPR to enter into an annual agreement with DCPS to determine the hours of community use at
37	37	participating DCPS sites, at times that would not interfere with school- and student-related
38	38	activities. Critically, DPR will also commit to provide security and custodial services as necessary
39	39	to allow the safe and sanitary use of recreation amenities.
40	40	In selecting participating schools, DPR will consider sites that would increase access to
41	41	recreational space for communities that have experienced historical disinvestment, high levels of
42	42
43	43	traffic incidences, crime and public safety challenges, and high rates of weight-related chronic
44	44	disease; are located in recreational facility gap areas; could serve as flexible use space during
45	45	renovations of other nearby recreational facilities; and are nominated by residents or school
46	46	leadership for participation in the program (however, nomination is not a requirement).
47	47	Additionally, DPR would be required to establish at least one site in each ward.
48	48	Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Committee and Legislative
49	49	Director, Linn Groft , at lgroft@dccouncil.gov.
50	50	Thank you,
51	51
52	52	Brooke Pinto
53	53
54	54
55	55
56	56	____________________________ _____________________________
57	57	Councilmember Matthew Frumin
58	58	Councilmember Brooke Pinto
59	59
60	60
61	61	_____________________________ _____________________________
62	62	Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Christina Henderson
63	63
64	64
65	65
66	66	_____________________________ _____________________________ Councilmember Anita Bonds Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
67	67
68	68	_____________________________
69	69	Councilmember Wendell Felder
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73	AN ACT 1
74	74	2
75	75	____________ 3
76	76	4
77	77	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 5
78	78	6
79	79	________________________ 7
80	80	8
81	81	To require the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish a program in partnership with 9
82	82	District of Columbia Public Schools to expand safe and sanitary community access to 10
83	83	recreational facilities in every ward on evenings and weekends, outside of the hours in 11
84	84	which the facilities are in active use by the schools and student activities. 12
85	85	13
86	86	BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 14
87	87	act may be cited as the “Expanding Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space 15
88	88	Act of 2023”. 16
89	89	17
90	90	Sec. 2. Establishment of Partnership between DPR and DCPS for Security and Custodial 18
91	91	Services during Hours of Community Use. 19
92	92	(a)(1) The Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR") shall establish a program 20
93	93	in partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools (“DCPS”) to expand safe and sanitary 21
94	94
95	95
96	96
97	97	community access to recreational facilities in every ward on evenings and weekends, outside of 22
98	98	the hours in which the facilities are in active use by the schools and student activities. 23
99	99	(2) Incorporating experience and lessons learned from implementing the 24
100	100	Community Access to Recreational Space Pilot Program funded in Fiscal Year 2024, DPR shall 25
101	101	enter an annual agreement with DCPS to determine the hours of community use at participating 26
102	102	DCPS sites, at times that would not interfere with school- and student-related activities. The 27
103	103	agreement shall address the following issues: 28
104	104	(A) Hours of community use at the site; 29
105	105	(B) Signage to be posted indicating community use hours; 30
106	106	(C) Communication process and procedures when a school needs 31
107	107	to hold a special event at the recreational facilities during the hours previously determined to be 32
108	108	open for community use; and 33
109	109	(D) Description of security and custodial services at the site to be 34
110	110	provided as described in subsection (b). 35
111	111	(3) In identifying participating sites, DPR shall: 36
112	112	(A) Establish at least one program site in each ward across the 37
113	113	District; 38
114	114	(B) Consider sites that would increase access to recreational space 39
115	115	for communities that have experienced historical disinvestment, high levels of traffic incidences, 40
116	116	crime and public safety challenges, and high rates of weight-related chronic disease; 41
117	117	(C) Consider sites located in Recreation Center Gaps, Playground 42
118	118	Gaps, Fields Gaps, Basketball Courts Gaps, and Tennis Courts Gaps, as identified by the 43
119	119
120	120
121	121
122	122	Ready2PLAY Parks and Recreation Master Plan or most updated Parks and Recreation Master 44
123	123	Plan; 45
124	124	(D) Consider sites that could serve as flexible use space during 46
125	125	planned renovations of other nearby recreational facilities, especially where renovations may be 47
126	126	extended and will create a temporary Recreation Center Gap, Playground Gap, Fields Gap, 48
127	127	Basketball Courts Gap, or Tennis Courts Gap; 49
128	128	(E) Establish a process by which residents and school leadership 50
129	129	may nominate sites for program participation; and 51
130	130	(F) Consider nominations by resident and school leadership, 52
131	131	provided that nomination shall not be a requirement for participation. 53
132	132	(b) During all evening and weekend hours in which the facilities are open to the 54
133	133	public, DPR shall facilitate security and custodial services as necessary to allow the safe and 55
134	134	sanitary use of public recreation amenities, either directly, through a District agency partner, or 56
135	135	through another third party. 57
136	136	Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 58
137	137	The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 59
138	138	impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 60
139	139	approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1- 301.47a). 61
140	140	Sec. 4. Effective date. 62
141	141	This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 63
142	142	Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30- day period of congressional review as 64
143	143	provided in section 602(c)(2) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 65
144	144
145	145
146	146
147	147	24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1- 206.02(c)2)), and publication in the District of 66
148	148	Columbia Register. 67
149	149	68