President's Message
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Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to include additional media coverage of the Jelleff issue.
By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
On this Labor Day, I want to follow up on two issues of critical importance to Burleith:
Despite repeated pleas for information, I have heard nothing from city agencies, particularly DPR about what is going on at Ellington Field. We can't even clarify if any decisions over control have already been made. Community representatives have made it clear that we desperately need to have an open community meeting to ask various questions and get some answers—before any irrevocable decisions are made. I urge you to attend the ANC meeting on Tuesday and to email whomever might listen. I find it completely unacceptable that the process has been so murky and that the full community has not been involved even though we have been asking for over two months for such involvement.
The decision to give the private Maret School another special deal for access to the Jelleff Field is unsettling. The issue is gaining some traction as described in this September 1 Washington Post article by Hannah Natanson: “‘Why don’t we get the field?’: Use of playing field pits an elite private school against D.C. public schools.”
I urge you to reach out to various city agencies and elected representatives to make your voice heard. And if you haven't already, please sign the petition and share it with others.
Additional Media Coverage
“D.C.’s parks department is playing for the wrong team,” by Elizabeth Miller, Washington Post, September 6, 2019.
“A D.C. Private School Has Had Special Access To A Public Field For Almost A Decade,” by Natalie Delgadillo, WAMU/DCIST, September 2, 2019.
“The Legendary Public Rec Center in a Private School’s Pocket,” by Dave McKenna, Deadspin, August 29, 2019.