Planning Actively for Recreational upKeep so Neighborhood Resources Elevate Communities (PARKSNREC) Amendment Act of 2025

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
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Statement of Introduction
Planning Actively for Recreational upKeep so Neighborhood Resources Elevate
Communities (PARKSNREC) Amendment Act of 2025
February 28, 2025
Today I am proud to introduce the Planning Actively for Recreational upKeep so Neighborhood
Resources Elevate Communities (PARKSNREC) Amendment Act of 2025, along with
Councilmembers Brooke Pinto, Robert C. White, Jr., and Wendell Felder. This legislation would
require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to provide transparency and predictability
in the agency’s capital improvement plan (CIP). Like the Planning Actively for Comprehensive
Education Facilities Amendment Act of 2016, which governs the District of Columbia Public
Schools CIP, the PARKSNREC Act will provide stability to District communities by requiring
the Mayor to include investments according to facility need and expected community growth,
provide full-funding cost estimates for projects, and fund projects throughout the 6-year CIP.
DPR operates and manages 14 indoor aquatic centers, 23 outdoor pools, 4 children’s pools, and
34 splash parks. It has over 100 playgrounds and over 200 small parks that vary in size. Many of
these community assets are significantly underutilized because they require repair and
refurbishment and often do not include features and activities that allow residents and children
with disabilities to fully participate. Current practice for directing capital investments is not
based on a standard that predictably prioritizes need among recreation facilities, and information
about the location, type, and availability of inclusive playgrounds is minimal. The PARKSNREC
Amendment Act seeks to address these issues.
This legislation will complement DPR’s Ready2Play Master Plan, which DPR initiated in 2020
to provide guidance on creating a unified District park system, promote climate-resilient and
environmentally sustainable parks and recreational facilities, improve DPR’s programs, and
facilitate customer care that is transparent and responsive to residents’ needs. Ready2Play’s
strategic goals include creating an ADA transition plan that prioritizes sites for future ADA
compliance work on a five-year cycle, aligning with updates to the Master Plan. However, it
does not fully address the need for recreational facilities to meet other federal accessibility
standards, such as those outlined in the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and Sections 504 and
508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The PARKSNREC Amendment Act of 2025 will improve transparency, predictability, and
accountability for DPR facilities by:
Christina Henderson Committee Member
Councilmember, At-Large Human Services
Chairperson, Committee on Health Facilities
Transportation and the Environment
COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA The John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20004
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• Requiring DPR to publish a real-time list of inclusive parks and playgrounds on their website, and to notify residents in real time when these facilities are unavailable. • Requiring DPR to develop a recreation facility CIP and submit it to the Mayor beginning in 2027 for inclusion in the District’s CIP, to ensure that recreation facilities upkeep and improvements are consistent with the DPR master facilities plan and the needs of the community. • Requiring DPR and the Department of General Services to annually survey recreational facilities condition, develop standardized recreational designs for citywide implementation. I look forward to working with my colleagues and DPR to fully consider this legislation and provide communities with recreation facilities that are timely renovated, reflective of community need, and accessible to residents with disabilities. By establishing accessibility benchmarks and improving equity and accessibility in the DPR CIP, we will vastly improve recreational facilities and opportunities for all residents in the District of Columbia.
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Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Christina Henderson 2
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Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Wendell Felder 6
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A BILL 10
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14
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To amend An Act To vest in the Commissioners of the District of Columbia control of street 19
parking in said District to require the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation 20
to notify residents in the event of the closure or removal of ADA-compliant and inclusive 21
playground and park infrastructure and to publish a list of ADA-compliant and inclusive 22
playgrounds and parks on the agency's website, to require the Department of Parks and 23
Recreation to adopt a multi-year Capital Improvement Plan and Budget in accordance 24
with the agency’s facilities planning document beginning in fiscal year 2027; and to 25
require the Department of General Services to develop a recreation facilities master plan 26
and specifications in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation. 27
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 29
act may be cited as the “Planning Actively for Recreational upKeep So Neighborhood Resources 30
Elevate Communities Amendment Act of 2025”. 31
Sec. 2. Section 6a of An Act To vest in the Commissioners of the District of Columbia 32
control of street parking in said District, approved July 1, 1898 (30 Stat. 570; D.C. Official Code 33
§ 10-137.01), is amended as follows:34
(a) New subsections (c)(3) and (c)(4) are added to read as follows:35

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"(c)(3) The Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR”) shall provide the public with 36
real-time information regarding the closure or removal of playground or park infrastructure 37
intended for residents with physical, sensory, cognitive, and other disabilities. 38
“(4) The Director shall publish a real-time list of inclusive and ADA-compliant 39
playgrounds and parks on DPR’s website, including the ward, address, description of the 40
playground, information or website links to sign up for the real-time updates required pursuant to 41
subsection (c)(4) of this section, and any other details the Director deems necessary.”. 42
(b) New subsections (f), (g), (h), and (i) are added to read as follows:43
"(f) Beginning in fiscal year 2027, the Director of the Department shall submit to the 44
Mayor for inclusion in the multiyear capital improvements plan required under section 444 of the 45
District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 800; D.C. Official 46
Code § 1-204.44), a recreation facility capital improvements plan (“recreation facility CIP”), 47
which shall include: 48
“(1) A description of DPR’s objectives to frame decisions within the recreation 49
facility CIP; provided, that these departmental objectives shall be revised each year to ensure 50
consistency with the DPR’s strategic plan, master facilities plan, recreation specifications, and 51
the needs of the community; 52
“(2) A description of the process and timeline used to develop the recreation 53
facility CIP, including community engagement; 54
“(3) A longitudinal and future analysis of neighborhood growth in areas 55
surrounding a facility, and the respective recreation facility capacity needs; 56
“(4) Recreation facility specific project recommendations on the timing and 57
funding for modernization of existing recreation facilities, new recreation facility construction, 58
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and other recreation facility capital improvements planned for the next fiscal year and the 59
succeeding 5 fiscal years; 60
“(5) For each project identified pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection: 61
“(A) A description of the scope of work to be done, schedule of achieved 62
and projected major milestones, and an explanation for any delay in meeting projected 63
milestones; 64
“(B) A justification for the modernization, new construction, or other 65
capital improvements supported by a recreation specification, DPR’s facilities planning 66
document, neighborhood growth projections, facility condition assessment, and the assessment 67
of need for use as a recreation facility; 68
“(C) A full-funded cost estimate of improvements, except, that for projects 69
slated for modernization, new construction, or other capital improvements in years 4 through 6 of 70
the recreation facility CIP, it may include rough order of magnitude estimates of improvements 71
based on the required general design and longitudinal and future analysis completed pursuant to 72
paragraph (3) of this subsection; 73
“(D) A cost estimate of improvements planned for the next fiscal year and 74
the succeeding 5 fiscal years and a detailed explanation for any proposed increases over 10% 75
from the prior-year recreation facility CIP estimate; 76
“(E) The estimated cost of annual maintenance and operations of the 77
improved recreation facility; 78
“(F) The lifetime expenditure for the facility; 79
“(G) The name, address, and ward of each facility; 80
“(H) The type of recreation facility; 81
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“(I) If the facility is not owned by DPR, a description of which agency and 82
jurisdiction has ownership; 83
“(J) A breakdown of project funding by agency and jurisdiction within the 84
proposed recreation facility CIP; 85
“(6) For capital improvement projects for small capital investments for which 86
funding is distributed to more than one facility, the recreation facility CIP shall include: 87
“(A) A proposed spend plan for the upcoming fiscal year, identifying 88
which recreation facilities will receive investments and the approximate value of investments; 89
“(B) A breakdown of the previous year’s expenditures for this project line 90
identifying recreation facilities that received investments, the value of the investments, and, if 91
spending deviated the previous year’s spend plan, an explanation as to why the investments did 92
not proceed as planned; and 93
“(C) If the facility is not owned by DPR, an explanation of which agency 94
and jurisdiction has ownership of the facility, the amount of money an agency or jurisdiction 95
provided for the project in the previous fiscal year, and has budgeted for the upcoming fiscal 96
year. 97
“(g) The Mayor shall submit the recreation facility CIP with funding for projects in all six 98
of the years for which the CIP covers to allow for adequate planning and community feedback. 99
“(h) For purposes of subsection (f) of this section, the term “recreation specification” 100
means a formal document or detailed description outlining the scope, objectives, design, 101
operational requirements, and cost estimates of recreational facilities and services and provided 102
offered by DPR which serves as the basis for budgeting, resource allocation, and compliance 103
with legal and community standards. 104
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"(i) For the purposes of this section, the term “recreation facility” means all facilities 105
administered by DPR.”. 106
Sec. 3. The Department of General Services Establishment Act of 2011, effective 107
September 14, 2011 (D.C. Law 19-0021; D.C. Official Code § 10-551.01 et. seq.), is amended by 108
adding a new section 1031a to read as follows: 109
“Sec. 1031a. Recreation facilities master plan and specifications. 110
“(a) In collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR”), the 111
Department shall conduct an annual survey to update information on the condition of each 112
recreational facilities administered by DPR, including whether each facility is compliant with the 113
Architectual Barriers Act of 1968, approved August 12, 1968 (82 Stat. 718; 42 U.S.C. § 4151 et 114
seq.), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, approved July 26, 1990 (104 Stat. 327; 42 115
U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1968, approved September116
26, 1973 (87 Stat. 355; 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.). The survey results shall be disaggregated by 117
facility, made publicly available, and transmitted to the Council Secretary, to the Council 118
chairpersons with oversight jurisdiction over the Department and DPR, and the Office of the City 119
Administrator. 120
“(b)(1) Beginning on January 1, 2027, the Department shall, in collaboration with DPR, 121
develop recreation specifications for recreation facilities. 122
“(2) The recreation specifications shall include standardized designs for recreation 123
facilities, the number of which shall be determined by the Department. 124
“(c) Hearings for public comments and community feedback may be held at the 125
discretion of the Department and DPR. 126
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“(d) The Department and DPR shall submit a document detailing the number and 127
description of the standardized designs developed pursuant to subsection (b) of this section to the 128
Council Secretary and to the Council chairpersons with oversight jurisdiction over the 129
Department and DPR by May 1, 2027. 130
“(e) For the purposes of this section, the term: 131
“(1) "Recreation facility” means all facilities administered by DPR. 132
“(2) “Recreation specification” means a formal document or detailed description 133
outlining the scope, objectives, design, operational requirements, and cost estimates of 134
recreational facilities and services and provided offered by DPR which serves as the basis for 135
budgeting, resource allocation, and compliance with legal and community standards.”. 136
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 137
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 138
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 139
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 140
Sec. 5. Effective date. 141
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 142
Mayor, action by Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review as 143
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 144
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)). 145