Public Meeting with NPS and Secret Service Tonight to Focus on Two Issues of Special Importance to Norton
WASHINGTON, DC – A public meeting tonight, July 9, 2013, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW), entitled "Open House on the President's Park South Project," will feature two issues that Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has been pressing hard to resolve. Among the issues to be discussed are the increase of traffic with the closure of E St. near the White House and another issue added at Norton's request. After constituents notified her office about trees planted around the Ellipse in President's Park, which prevent recreational activities that have taken place in the park for more than a decade, Norton met last month with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Secret Service, who agreed to discuss the issue at the upcoming meeting.
"Only after I got a classified briefing did I cease demanding that E St. be opened," said Norton. "Its closure has stopped up parts of downtown for years. The federal government must take responsibility for alleviating the traffic and pollution problems caused by the E St. closure. Tonight's meeting will focus on President's Park, but it must be about more than its renovation to accommodate the closing of E St. It must also be about a plan to mitigate traffic congestion. And it must be about the elimination of recreational space in President's Park, contradicting the very reason for our parks. With discussion, however, I'm confident that we can work with NPS and the Secret Service on solutions."
Norton and regional members of Congress have tried to reopen E St. without success. Now they are concentrating on mitigating the traffic problems generated by the closure. In addition, last month, Norton's office was contacted on behalf of the Wednesday Night Ultimate on the Ellipse regarding the newly planted trees around the Ellipse in President's Park. Because there was no public comment period before the trees were planted, Norton asked for an opportunity for public participation, and NPS and the Secret Service agreed to discuss the matter, among others, at this evening's public meeting. After the meeting, Norton's office will follow up with NPS and the Secret Service on possible solutions to the problem.
Published: July 9, 2013