A community meeting is set for Jan. 14.

It's been many months since the last update on plans to renovate the Rumsey Aquatic Center, so I wanted to share where things stand and what’s coming next.

Last spring, the Executive rolled out initial designs that missed the mark. They didn’t reflect what neighbors had asked for, leaving many of us disappointed and frustrated. Since then, I’ve been clear: this project has to be done right and deliver what the community needs.

Over the past several months, I’ve pushed hard for changes – pressing DPR and DGS for clearer communication, better designs, and the funding necessary to make a full renovation possible, including a second level with additional community amenities. I’ve worked closely with neighbors and stakeholder groups throughout, and I want to specifically thank ANC6B and the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee for standing with me and continuing to push for a better outcome. That collective advocacy made a real difference.

Following renewed outreach to DPR and DGS, I met this week with agency leadership for a detailed briefing on updated plans and designs. What I saw represents a major shift from where things stood nine months ago. The new designs appear to be responsive to community feedback and better aligned with what neighbors have consistently said they want and need from this space.

DPR has also just announced a community meeting to share these updated designs with the public, get feedback, and provide a revised timeline for construction:

Rumsey Aquatic Center Community Meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 14
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Eastern Market North Hall (225 7th St. SE)

RSVP here

You may also have seen preliminary renderings (also pictured in this email) that were recently posted by DPR and DGS with the DC Historic Preservation Office. Some highlights from the updated designs include:

• Two pools on the first floor to better support different uses: an eight-lane lap pool and a separate, smaller programmatic pool with a zero-entry feature. Because the pools will be on separate systems, water temperatures can be set independently, reducing conflicts between lap swimming, lessons, water aerobics, and other programs. Portions of the lap pool will still be used for programming occasionally when class sizes are too large to fit in the second pool area, but this should greatly reduce conflicting uses that have plagued the current layout.
  
  
• A fully equipped first floor with lobby space, locker rooms, showers, changing areas (including a family entry point), mechanical and staff spaces, a first aid room, and a flexible meeting room.
  
  
• A significantly expanded second floor, nearly triple the size of the earlier proposal. Plans now include a dedicated fitness room, parent/spectator overlook area, multiple meeting rooms, senior center programming with a dedicated terrace overlooking the plaza, and multipurpose spaces (including food service and an incubator space). Both stairs and an elevator connect the two levels.
  
  
• Improved connections to the surrounding neighborhood, including preserving the North Carolina Avenue plaza used for weekend markets, transforming the alley into a well-lit, more pedestrian-friendly promenade oriented toward Eastern Market, and opening up the C Street side to feel more welcoming and connected rather than isolated behind a brick wall.

I’ve also emphasized the importance of using the lobby entrance as a way to tell the story of this site and pool, including the important history of Dr. Rumsey, for whom the pool is named.

At next week’s meeting, DPR and DGS will walk through the updated designs and share a new timeline, which currently anticipates construction beginning in the fall of 2026. If the presentation next week reflects the final designs, I believe we’ll be able to say this is a meaningful win compared to where we were last spring and proof that sustained community advocacy matters. The meeting is hosted by DPR, so I don’t yet know whether a virtual option will be available. I plan to attend and speak briefly at the start.

I hope you’ll consider joining us and helping spread the word so neighbors who care about this project have a chance to participate. As always, I’ll continue to share updates as more information becomes available.

– Charles Allen