Date: 05/28/2021

Subject: A walk in the Park

From: The Ad Hoc Design Committee

The faithful have drawn a line in the sand, absolutely no new construction in the Kensington Park. Any attempts to defile this sacred ground will be rebuffed by the Kensingtonian weapon of choice, expensive and time-consuming lawsuits. End of story.

Way back in the mid 1950s, the park was created on a small 1.22-acre parcel of land acquired from the Richmond Board of Education for a community building, parking lot and play area. Since the park’s creation it has been expanded and reconfigured with new buildings added and old buildings removed or remodeled. The most recent construction project was the Community Center upgrade last year.

Practitioners of the real estate arts advise property owners to make investments in maintaining and upgrading their property. Since the Kensington Police Protection Community Service District is searching for a suitable home for the police department, maybe the district should be looking at property they already manage. Why pay rent and improve someone else’s property?

Can Building E be the solution? The building could be brought up to the required specs to house the police department and the administration staff. The existing unused Annex building could be remodeled to provide space for the KCC’s many programs along with sharing space at the upgraded Community Center.

The parking area below Building E would need to be enlarged and the access to a portion of Windsor Avenue improved. And the civic minded residents along Windsor Ave. could be persuaded to park in their driveways more frequently to provide better street clearance.

Believe it or not, some folks in our community have threatened to mount fierce campaigns against any new construction in the park. Remember their resistance to the proposed Public Safety Building? But it appears they are just a little late with their objections since improvements and building in the park has been ongoing from its very inception.

Making threats does little to honor all the people who worked to help make the park a reality. Why spin your wheels making ominous threats when construction in the park has been a constant from the very beginning? Can I get an amen?

“Humans merely share the earth. We can only protect the land, not own it.” (Chief Seattle, Suquamish)

Note: Be advised, satire may have taken a walk in the park.