March 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 41

ty " program. " This was a 'home field' for our partners in
the program, the United Arab Emirates Embassy in D.C.,
and we could not have picked a better location than Marie
Reed or better partners than the D.C. Schools and D.C.
Parks District.... It's amazing what can be achieved when
folks work together for the good of the community. We are
proud to be friends and partners and look forward to years
of great soccer ahead, " Gary Hopkins, director of City
Soccer in the Community, says.
It was also decided to include the renovation of the amphitheater and other areas surrounding the soccer field, for
which the Department of General Services (DGS) managed the design and construction. This marked the start
of the Marie Reed renovations project in early 2013. Once
the scope of the project was finalized, there were many
challenges to tackle in a short span of time. In addition
to budget, schedule, permits, site access and issues related
to staging, the project team devoted significant attention
to the level of coordination and management required to
accommodate the project's many stakeholders. Successful
execution and timely project delivery was possible only
through extensive collaborative efforts by local and international partnerships, including the UAE Embassy in
Washington, D.C., Manchester City Football Club, DGS,
D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, D.C. Public
Schools and the Adams Morgan community.
" This is an exciting project for the Department of General Services, as it presented us with an opportunity to
participate in an international partnership to elevate the
quality of life for children who attend Marie Reed, along
with families and residents in the Adams Morgan community, " says Brian J. Hanlon, DGS director. " This gift will
truly make this site a place for children and their families
to enjoy for years to come. "
Some of the improvements to the site included replacing the amphitheater seating with new precast segmented
masonry blocks, artificial turf, permeable seating areas,
and new and safer-access stairs. The field received a new
artificial turf walking track, ornamental fencing and new
pavers for the patio. A professional arborist also was engaged to protect the existing trees.
" In a very short timeframe, the team dealt with many
project challenges, listened to the community's concerns
[related to the site] and worked hard to accommodate
them, for which the community is very grateful.... The
community was heard, " Simpson says. " From idea to
opening was less than 12 months. That's incredibly fast, "
Marie Reed Principal Eugene Pinkard adds.

The children of Marie Reed Elementary School already are holding their after-school programs on this
field, while Adams Morgan has begun using the new
space with equal enthusiasm, planning activities such as
movie nights and tree-planting initiatives. " This will be a
game changer for our students and our school community, " Pinkard continues. " The soccer field will transform
our curriculum and make a valuable space into a worldclass facility. "
Regardless of socioeconomic background or ethnicity, every Marie Reed child and community member has
equal access to the new facility and children's soccer
coaching programs. Renovating or modernizing facilities such as those at Marie Reed not only proves to be a
resource for children and the community, but also acts
as a catalyst in reducing a community's socioeconomic
discrepancies.
Shilpa Khatri, LEED, AP, PMP, is a Project Manager for Brailsford &
Dunlavey (skhatri@programmanagers.com).

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