Twenty-three years after the National Park Service (NPS) finalized the first management plan for Glen Echo Park, the agency is starting the process of updating the plan to guide future improvements to the arts and cultural landmark.
The park service is inviting community members to participate in the first phase of the process at an upcoming virtual meeting, according to a Nov. 12 NPS press release. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Dec. 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and kicks off a 45-day public comment period.
The meeting can be joined from this link.
During the meeting, community members can share their thoughts on potential improvements to the park, the release said. Areas of focus are expanding arts and cultural programming, accessibility improvements, sustainability initiatives and addressing wayfinding and circulation challenges in the park, according to the release.
In addition, the plan will consider modifying existing facilities and building new ones as well as expanding management areas for Montgomery County and the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, according to NPS.
“The goal of the amendment is to ensure Glen Echo Park continues to thrive as a premier center for arts, culture, and education,” the NPS release said. “As NPS plans for the future, it is essential to hear from the public to ensure that community needs are met while preserving the park’s rich history.”
‘Foundational’ for future park planning
Katey Boerner, the chief executive officer of the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, told MoCo360 Tuesday she was happy to start the process of amending the 2001 management plan.
Boerner described the management document as “foundational” for any future planning for the park.
“We can’t begin any formal master planning or work on improving the park until that’s done,” she said. “… We’re in a time where programs have been running, they’ve been very successful, but there is still what I’m going to call, ‘black hole areas,’ areas of deficit in the park that need to be addressed.”
She explained that the park has not had major renovations since the early 2000s and some areas of the former amusement park that were not renovated are “still in disrepair.”
For future programming, Boerner noted that the partnership wants to see improvements to the facilities that are being used.
“We’d like to see everyone who’s presenting program here to have top notch facilities in which they can do that. Instead of struggling with the shortcomings of facilities,” she said.
Boerner also said climate change was a concern of hers and an area of improvement she looked forward to tackling.
“We had a storm a year ago that knocked out a bunch of trees and fell on a building. I think that’s one obvious consideration. Things aren’t the same,” Boerner said, referring to a severe storm that caused widespread damage to the park in July 2023. The storm took down more than 15 large trees and damaged structures in the park including the historic Dentzel Carousel, the Spanish Ballroom and the Bumper Car Pavilion.
Glen Echo Park has a rich history dating back to 1891, when it was first developed as a National Chautauqua Assembly to teach sciences, arts, languages and literature, according to the Glen Echo Park website. By the early 1900s the site turned into the Glen Echo Amusement Park, which served the Washington, D.C., region until 1968, the website states. Additionally, the park’s 102-year-old carousel has a history of its own. According to the park’s website, the carousel was installed in 1921 and is one of the only 135 functioning antique carousels in the country and the only remaining ride from the amusement park era.
Overall, Boerner said the public should not be concerned about the amendment process.
“This is not a harbinger of anything terrible to come. It is really what’s needed to ensure that as we improve the park, or make any changes or adjustments, we have this guiding document,” she said.
“Every single partner in the mix is here to ensure the integrity of the historic district, the environmental needs, to support programs that are cherished and loved,” Boerner added. “Anyone walking around can see there’s still needs. It’s a big place with a lot of areas, so the next step will be to make the plan to make sure it can be fully achieving the vision within that framework.”
After the virtual meeting, the public can submit comments online at this link until Jan. 24.
