MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
June 6, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
Enclosed for consideration and adoption by the Council of the District of Columbia is proposed
legislation entitled the “Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2024”, the “Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Emergency Act of
2024”, the “Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Temporary Act of 2024”, and the
“Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Act of 2024”.
This legislation will officially designate the new park and recreation center at the site formerly
known as the McMillan Sand Filtration site located at North Capitol Street and Michigan
Avenue, NW, as the “Reservoir Park Recreation Center”. The 25-acre McMillan Sand Filtration
site is being redeveloped into a new mixed-use development, and a core component of the
redevelopment is the six-acre public park and recreation center with a pool, fitness center, open
green spaces, and meeting and gallery space for public use that will be designated by this
legislation.
The name “Reservoir Park Recreation Center” was selected to speak to the site’s long association
in the neighborhood with the adjacent water reservoir and the new name of the surrounding
neighborhood, Reservoir Park. On May 21, 2024, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5E
voted 5-1-0 in support of naming the new park “McMillan Park Recreation Center”. However,
naming this site “Reservoir Park Recreation Center” rather than continuing the association with
the name McMillan is due to deliberative efforts to disassociate with the problematic history of
the former Senator James McMillan, for whom the site was renamed named after it had been
operating for several years.
While the District has benefited from Senator McMillan’s efforts that led to the creation of the
original water reservoir, today’s District cannot look past his troublesome record which harmed
thousands of minorities in the United States and its territories and that spurred additional pain,
economic loss, and racial inequities which we are still working to rectify today. The “City
Beautiful” movement in the District, which he helped lead, also baked in segregation and
demolished African-American communities without building alternative housing.
We intend for the new park and recreation center to be open to the public in June. Approval of
the enclosed legislation will facilitate the installation of park signage before the park opens to the
public.
I urge the Council to take prompt and favorable action on the enclosed legislation.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser
Enclosure
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airmanPhil Mendelson
3 at the request of the Mayor
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5 A RESOLUTION
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8 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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12 To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to officially designate the park
13 and recreation center located in Lot 105 in Square 3128 as "Reservoir Park Recreation
14 Center".
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16 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
17 resolution may be cited as the "Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Emergency
18 Declaration Resolution of 2024".
19 Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to name the park and recreation center located
20 in Lot 105 in Square 3128 as "Reservoir Park Recreation Center".
21 (b) The twenty-five-acre site formerly known as the McMillan Sand Filtration site located
22 at North Capitol Street and Michigan Avenue, NW, is being redeveloped into a mixed-use
23 development.
24 (c) A core component of the redevelopment is a six-acre public park and recreation center
25 with a pool, fitness center, open green spaces, and meeting and gallery space for public use.
26 (d) The name "Reservoir Park Recreation Center" was selected to speak to the site's long
27 association in the neighborhood with the adjacent water reservoir serving the needs of the
28 surrounding community.
29 (e) Construction of the park and recreation center will be complete in May 2024.
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30 (f) The Reservoir Park Recreation Center Designation Act of 2024 is under review by the
31 Council. However, to allow the park signage to be installed before the park opens in June 2024,
32 it is necessary to officially designate the park and recreation center as soon as possible.
33 Sec. 3 The Council of the District of Columbia finds that the circumstances in section 2
34 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Reservoir Park Recreational
35 Center Designation Emergency Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading.
36 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
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