Georgetown University Student Association Established in 1989
On the topic of a new Georgetown Boathouse, the National Park Service issued a “Feasibility Study To Implement A Non-Motorized Boathouse Zone Along The Georgetown Waterfront.” Click to view more information on the overall project.
The National Park Service (NPS) is examining the feasibility of implementing a non-motorized boathouse zone along the District of Columbia’s side of the Potomac River waterfront upstream of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. The NPS will be studying what structures and facilities can be accommodated within this non-motorized boathouse zone that are related to waterfront, access to the river, and are consistent with the necessary and appropriate uses for this zone.
In order to advocate on behalf of the Men and Women’s Crew Teams, GUSA, after consultation with university administrators, attended a public meeting on the Georgetown Boathouse. We also issued a comment on this matter, which can be read below. We remain actively seized on this issue, and we await the next National Park Service Report.
May 23, 2013
Mr. Peter May, Associate Regional Director
National Capital Region, National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive SW Washington DC 20242
Dear Mr. May:
We wish to thank you and the National Park Service for conducting the feasibility study and for allowing public comment on this important matter. After reviewing the Georgetown Nonmotorized Boathouse Zone Feasibility Study and attending the May 22nd Public Information Meeting, the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) has several insights to offer on behalf of university students.
GUSA serves as the formal, elected representative of over seven thousand Georgetown undergraduates. In this capacity, we represent the interests of the men’s and women’s crew teams, both of which have a significant stake in decisions made by the National Park Service relating to the Nonmotorized Boathouse Zone. We also work closely with other student government bodies throughout the District to advocate for the needs of students.
On the whole, our organization stresses that the National Park Service should prioritize the needs of nonmotorized boat users, and that any decision should expand existing opportunities for such users to a degree to meet the dramatic growth in demand.
Georgetown University students, especially student-athletes, are extremely interested in a new boathouse. The present Thompson Boat Club facilities are extremely overbooked, which not only limits Georgetown rowers, but also the hundreds of high-school rowers from local communities. Therefore, rewarding the interest in a new boathouse for Georgetown University will result in tangible community benefits for all by freeing up significant space at Thompson’s. Furthermore, Georgetown students are highly involved in volunteer activities that benefit countless people throughout the District, and GUSA would ensure that this spirit of volunteerism applies to the new boathouse facility. In this vein, when the new boathouse is built, the university has plans to develop programming that will enrich the lives of youth that would not otherwise have had exposure to rowing and other sports, which it cannot pursue within the current restraints of Thompson Boathouse. The university is also exploring programming that would enable members of the Wounded Warriors Program to benefit from the facility as well.
In terms of available sites, after reviewing the alternatives, GUSA firmly believes that the high-density option is the only choice that provides anywhere near adequate space for nonmotorized boat users. Other options fail to take into account the existing high demand for facilities to support rowing programs, and any of them would run contrary to the long term efforts to meet that demand.
Upon review of the high-density option, as currently designed, we are concerned that boathouses which could be located at Sites A and D would likely be too small to accommodate the high levels of demand associated with university rowing programs. Site C, with the divide envisioned as necessary for access to the sewer line in place, also appears impractical. Site E is potentially large enough to accommodate nonmotorized boat users; however, we understand that might be encumbered by a land exchange agreement . All of these factors raise serious concerns that we fear could significantly limit options for Georgetown University to build a boathouse to meet the needs of our long-standing rowing programs for men and women.
Regarding Site B, participants in the March 3, 2012 Public Stakeholder Workshop discussed moving the Washington Canoe Club, which has fallen into disrepair, upstream to or toward Site A. Elizabeth Merritt of the National Trust for Historic Preservation testified at the workshop that the historic integrity of the structure could be preserved if it were moved.
If the Washington Canoe Club were relocated and repaired, a boathouse large enough to accommodate the needs of nonmotorized boat users could then be built on a combination of parts of Sites A and B. GUSA supports this option, as it would make it possible to preserve the historic integrity of the Washington Canoe Club while providing adequate space to meet rising levels of demand for other users.
The Georgetown University rowing program is the oldest program in the city with a rich history of medals at Dad Vails, Eastern Sprints, IRAs, and NCAAs, and its interests need to be taken into consideration when developing the NMBZ. Building a boathouse for Georgetown’s programs will not only allow it to thrive but it will open up space and opportunity for programs rowing out of the Thompson Boathouse. Furthermore, through our volunteer efforts, students have a strong positive impact on the community, which would extend to the construction of a new facility. GUSA immensely appreciates the efforts of the National Park Service thus far to keep the public informed on this matter, and we look forward to future cooperation.
Sincerely,
Nate Tisa
President
Georgetown University Student Association
