ANC 6D Resolution in Support of Bringing Paddle Sport Rental Facility to Diamond Teague Park Presented on: November 19,

2012 Presented by: David Garber, ANC 6D07 Vote Count: 6 for, 0 against, 0 abstaining WHEREAS; Diamond Teague Park is a waterfront park that includes a boardwalk, open grass, piers, and a water-level put-in dock located at the foot of 1st Street SE on the Anacostia River; and WHEREAS; the 2011 Diamond Teague Annual Report calls the park woefully underutilized, adding that District residents are not visiting the park, let alone utilizing it as the only put-in for canoes, kayaks, and other paddle sports which the park was designed for; and WHEREAS; when the possibility of bringing paddle sports rental to the Anacostia River has been mentioned in personal interactions, in email communications, and on social media, DC residents have responded with extreme enthusiasm; and WHEREAS; the 2011 Diamond Teague Annual Report specifically recommends bringing a paddle sports rental vendor to the park, saying that Diamond Teagues single greatest asset is its location and its ability to put residents on the water now, and that the parks environmental pier was specifically designed as a put-in for residents personal canoes and kayaks but that virtually no District resident is utilizing this amazing free resource; and WHEREAS; We have been in talks with park stakeholders and the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to release a public Request for Proposals to bring a paddle sports vendor to Diamond Teague Park since April of 2012; WHEREAS; We have been in regular contact over the past two months with both the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells and members of his staff, and have received positive feedback on the idea from both offices; WHEREAS; the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D acknowledges the need for further activation of Diamond Teague Park, has heard resident support for better paddle sports access on the Anacostia River; THEREFOR, BE IT RESOLVED; that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D supports bringing a paddle sports rental facility to Diamond Teague Park, and strongly urges the release of a public Request for Proposals by the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to bring a paddle sports rental vendor to Diamond Teague Park in time for the spring 2013 paddle sports season.