Project Updates

Southern Regional Tech/Rec Complex

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Southern Region Technology and Sports Complex were held in December 2009. The facility will be located on a 15-acre piece of property and the project involves the design and construction of a 32,000-square-foot facility consisting of two high school size gymnasiums with an elevated walking track, a fitness center, an aerobics area, a computer room, an environmental science learning room, a media room, a multipurpose room, meeting rooms, and an internet café. The building design is registered with the USGBC and is designated to meet a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating, which includes a green roof above the facility entrance. For more information about the facility call Southern Area Operations Division at 301-203-6000, TTY 301-203-6030.

Anacostia River Park Trails

Trail enthusiasts will be excited by the design and construction of two related trails linking Prince George's County to Washington, DC. A 1.5-mile section of the trail will link the Bladensburg Waterfront Park to the Kenilworth Aquatics Gardens and eventually to the National Mall. A second .90-mile section of the Anacostia River Trail will link to the West Hyattsville and Fort Totten Metro stations and connect to the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Washington, DC. Design of the Prince George's County trail sections have begun. The new trails are being funded in part by the State of Maryland.

Fairwood Community Park

fairwood community park The Fairwood community, located near the intersection of MD 450 and MD 193, is set on a tract of land with a distinguished history. From the birthplace and childhood home of Oden Bowie (34th Governor of Maryland from 1869-1872) to the cradle of the Maryland thoroughbred horse racing industry, this area is steeped in tradition.

The proposed 30-acre Fairwood Community Park reflects the formality of the magnificent estate homes that once occupied this site, but with a punch of fun to attract residents of all ages and interests. Incorporated in the design are a double allee of trees along Gathering and Dining Plazas, a history walk with interpretative elements, turf fields for organized play, an amphitheater with a performance stage, and a play area that features new and innovative play elements that will entertain all age groups.

The Fairwood Community Park will begin construction in the Spring of 2010, with completion of the park amenities scheduled for Fall 2010. Fields will be primed and ready for play Spring 2011.

Fort Washington Forest Community Center

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is coordinating the final construction phase for the new Fort Washington Forest Community Center, a 22,300-square-foot facility located on Fillmore Road in Fort Washington, Maryland. The new community center is adjacent to the Fort Washington Forest Elementary School and will share a gymnasium with the school. The community center also will include a multipurpose room, fitness and game rooms, computer lab, and space for arts and crafts classes. When the new community center opens, it will be one of 43 community centers operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation throughout Prince George’s County.

The Fort Washington Forest Community Center has been delayed by ongoing construction-related disputes. Although M-NCPPC is aggressively resolving the disputes, at this time it cannot predict an opening date for the community center. After the disputes are resolved, M-NCPPC will provide an anticipated opening date for the community center.

Glenarden Community Center/Theresa Banks Aquatics Center

This complex is closed for renovations and improvements, with a projected reopening date in 2010. During the interim, a wing of the current center will be demolished and a new, larger gymnasium will be added. The existing gym footprint will be redesigned to include spaces typically found today in a staffed Community Center. While the community center and aquatics center are closed, all classes will be relocated to other facilities. Please contact the center directly, or the Central Area Office at 301-218-6700 if you have any questions.

When the complex reopens, the community will have:

New meeting rooms, multipurpose rooms, a fitness room, a game room, and an arts and crafts room;
New handicapped (ADA) accessible bathrooms;
New entrance, lobby, and a collegiate-sized gymnasium;
New landscaping and accessories; and
The pool will have new glazing systems.

In addition to a fabulous new community center and improved aquatics center, additional outdoor work is scheduled to begin after the complex has re-opened. The ball field will be upgraded and a new lighting system installed. Existing play equipment will be replaced with an equivalent play environment of innovative, creative and fun play structures.

Green Branch Athletic Complex

Sports enthusiasts in the Bowie area and countywide will be excited to know that great progress has been made in planning the new sports complex to be located just south of the Prince George's Stadium--home of the Bowie Baysox. The portion of this complex which is currently under design will include three championship-sized softball fields, three combination soccer / football fields, a central restroom / concession building, accessible play areas designed to serve multiple age groups, picnic pavilions, and plenty of parking. Landscaped rain gardens and a pedestrian trail that will weave through the western side of the complex will add interest and learning opportunities. Updates will be forthcoming as project milestones are reached.

North Forestville Community Center

M-NCPPC is completing the final construction phase for the new gymnasium addition at the North Forestville Neighborhood Park/School. This new facility is a 13,000-square-foot expansion of the existing North Forestville Elementary School located at 2311 Ritchie Road in Forestville, Maryland. The new facility will be comprised of a gymnasium, which will be shared with the School, multi-purpose meeting space, a new entry lobby, a mezzanine, rest rooms, staff office space, and storage.

The new facility, previously projected to be completed in April 2009, has been delayed by ongoing construction-related disputes. Although M-NCPPC is aggressively resolving the disputes, an opening date for the new facility has not been established. After the disputes are resolved, M-NCPPC will provide an anticipated opening date for the new facility.

Ridgeley Rosenwald School

The historic Ridgeley Rosenwald School, located at 8507 Central Avenue in Capitol Heights, Maryland, is one of Prince George’s County’s designated historic sites, and is recognized as an important landmark in the movement to educate African American children. This school is a legacy of the Rosenwald School Building Program. Julius Rosenwald, former president of Sears Roebuck, established and funded this philanthropic program that worked cooperatively with African American communities to build schools in poor, rural African American school districts in fifteen southern states in the early twentieth century. Grant monies from the Rosenwald Fund were matched by donations of land and labor from the local communities, resulting in a total of 4,799 schools built by and for African Americans.

This single story, hip-roofed, wood-shingled Ridgeley Rosenwald School was constructed in 1927 on two acres of land sold to the Prince George’s County Board of Education (BOE) by an African American woman named Mary Eliza Ridgley. The Ridgeley Rosenwald School was utilized as an elementary school until desegregation. It was then used as a storage facility and as a special education center until 1957. A multi-agency project team has been planning for the rehabilitation of Ridgeley School since 2004. The rehabilitation of this historic facility is now under way and is scheduled to be completed by December 2010.

The goal of this project is to rehabilitate the Ridgeley Rosenwald School from a state of disrepair, and through adaptive reuse, transform it into a vibrant educational facility that will serve as a new heritage museum and meeting place for the community.

This project involves stabilizing the original school building structure and restoring the historic architectural exterior and interior features to recreate a typical historic classroom setting, while providing spaces for community educational exhibits, events, and meetings. This project also includes new landscaping, historical markers, signage, parking, and other site improvements.

Upon completion of its restoration, the Ridgeley Rosenwald School will be open on a regular basis and will provide programs to educate the public. A portion of the building will be interpreted much as it was when the school was in operation, with historic memorabilia and collections representative of the school’s fascinating history. Other areas of the building will be available for meetings and scheduled public use and programming. Anyone willing to share information, photographs or collections about the Ridgeley Rosenwald School should contact the Black History Program at 240-264-3415.