County big wigs and neighborhood reps turned over some downtown dirt Wednesday morning to mark the official start of civic-center construction season.
“I know at times your patience has been tried, but we wanted to be sure that we had the right project, the right design, and incorporated the community spirit as part of this,” MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D) told community leaders gathered at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street. Construction on that gravel-strewn corner will turn it into downtown Silver Spring’s civic center and an adjacent veterans plaza.
Others were equally amped at the civic center’s pending construction. “This project is the final piece in downtown Silver Spring’s redevelopment,” Jane Redicker, with the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, told the crowd.
“The more people we get to enjoy this plaza, the more people we can get to shop here and contribute to county tax revenues,” she said.
It’s been a bumpy road for the project, made bumpier by a swath of grass carpet dropped on the site in 2005. The Turf (as it came to be known) was supposed to be a temporary thing. But when residents took to the open space, some in the hood began to question whether a paved plaza was the right idea.
After slugging it out in public forums and in front of the county planning board, the decision was made to move forward with the plaza and its planned veterans memorial and ice rink. Workers tore up the Turf two weeks ago.
In keeping with the veterans-memorial theme, Gary Stith, director of Silver Spring’s regional center, made this Joe Namath guarantee Wednesday: The plaza and memorial will be ready for dedication by November 2009.
“It’d be a tragedy if we couldn’t dedicate the plaza in time for Veterans Day,” Stith told Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board Monday. “They can finish the building later, but I’d like to get the veterans plaza done in time” for the Nov 11, 2009, observance.
The rest of the project should be done around the same time, Stith said Monday.
Photo: I wonder if this work crew has union cards. From left: Laura Steinberg, Impact Silver Spring; Jon Lourie, chairperson of Silver Spring’s urban-district advisory committee; Jerry Miller, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce; county council member Valerie Ervin (D-District 5); MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D); Darien Unger, chairperson of Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board; Gary Stith, director of Silver Spring’s regional center; Jack Hewitt, a veteran and member of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc; and Pete Esker, a veteran and member of the urban-district advisory committee. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
Updated Sep 10, 2008, at 8:10 p.m. to fill in blanks in the photo caption.
Updated Sep 13, 2008, at 12:45 p.m. to fill in the outstanding blank in the photo caption.
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“The more people we get to enjoy this plaza, the more people we can get to shop here and contribute to county tax revenues,” she said
In fact, many many people were enjoying the turf/plaza. In many more ways than merely ice-skating, not a breakout popular sport. A classic example of the inevitability of bureaucracy over reality.
Th ice rink area is designed to be multi-use during the parts of the year not appropriate for ice skating. Imagine concerts, enertainers, art shows, etc. under the shell that will cover the area. This has been publicized over and over and over again but many in the public cannot seem to get beyond the ice skating part.
And just like in NYC’s Rockefeller Center rink (or for a local example, Reston Town Center’s hugely popular rink), there will be large numbers of people, families & kids watching the ice skaters…it’s quite enjoyable in its own right.
Unidentified in order: Laura Steinberg- Impact Silver Spring and other organizations, Jerry Miller – Chair Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, extra hand on Jerry’s shovel between and behind Valerie (can’t be seen) Jane Redicker, President Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce.
Editor’s note: Thanks, Carmen! I’ll make changes to the photo caption. — JD (Sep 10, 2008)
In order for the off season events to occur at the ice rink (or even the skating, for that matter), this area is going to need considerable and long term effort. Booking events, set up, security, maintenance, etc. A nice grassy area needs a ground crew and maintenance.
The frequent negative posts about the plaza & multi-use space (ice rink) make me chuckle. I am reminded of something from my childhood perhaps some of the readers are old enough to remember.
On the Banana Splits Hour on Saturday mornings in the early 70’s there was a cartoon called The Adventures of Gulliver. The giant Gulliver and the the Lilliputians lived on an island. One of the little people was named Glum, who was very pessimistic and no matter what anyone proposed, he would slowly respond “We’re doooooooomed, we’ll neeeeveeer maaaaake it” (usually several times per episode). Other times he’d say “It’ll neveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer wooooork”.
Don’t belive me? Google “Glum” + “Adventures of Gulliver”
“Unidentified” is Jack Hewitt, U.S. Army (retired) and Board Member, Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.
Of special note is the fact that five of the individuals in the photo are current or former Board members of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., the community based non-profit organization that hopes to develop a portion of the exciting arts, entertainment and educational programming that will be associated with the new Civic Building and Veterans Plaza. The current SSTCI Board members are: Laura Steinberg, Jane Redicker, Jon Lourie and Jack Hewitt. Peter Esker, currently Secreary of the Walter Reed Society is a former member of the Board of the Silver Spring Town Center!
Editor’s note: Thanks, Alan! — JD (Sep 13, 2008)