This nameless park (dubbed Shepherd's Park) is located on the corner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Avenues is a lot of things to a lot of people.

The Horseshoe Player's group consider it the home base for their games.

Drug dealers consider it their open air office.

Patients from the nearby Saint Elizabeth's consider it their waiting room.

Delegate Holmes Norton (in a meeting last week with local bloggers) considers it "one of the worst National Parks in the District".

Children just don't consider it at all.

THE QUESTION OF THE DAY: What Should be done with "Shepherd's" Park?

The Advoc8te's Plan:

The Advoc8te would love to see this park finally get a real name. Perhaps "Freedom Park" since this is probably the only park in America located at the intersection of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Avenues.

Transplant the Horseshoe Player's club OUT of the park. This is nothing personal against the Horseshoe Players but despite their best of intentions (and my hopes) it just isn't working out. After a year that area of the park has just deteriorated further and despite their promises to the contrary the Horeshoe games have remained purely an adult sport and spectators (with or without the approval of the group) are bringing unauthorized items into the park such as furniture and trash. The pits themselves are not much to look at and are not adding to the "family friendly" feeling that we need to restore to the park.

How wonderful would that park look with a wrought iron gate? Fresh sod? Some tulips? New benches and park equipment? Some NEW and PROFESSIONAL signage?!!! Couldn't you just see summer movies being held in the park? Some kids playing on NEW swings? NEW playground equipment where the blacktop has been replaced with kid friendly mulch?

Why can't this be done? Even if there were no goverment funds or no public partnerships that could be established there are rescources available. ANC 8C has at least $25,000 at it's disposal with another $20,000 a year in quarterly allotments (if they could just file the paperwork on time) and if they finally terminated those $900 a month payments for empty office space we would get "Freedom Park" up and running in no time. Last year the National Park Service promised to have a new jungle gym installed. Who is making sure that is done?

What are your thoughts?

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