Hill Rag | August 2007 | A Center for Education and Community Life

A Center for Education and Community Life

by: Board of Directors, the Old Naval Hospital Foundation

The July 13 announcement from the D.C. Office of Property Management that their special review panel has formally recommended the Hill Center as the tenant of the Old Naval Hospital is thrilling news to all who have been involved with the project since 2002. It’s also wonderful news for Capitol Hill, which will finally have the center for community life we have needed for so long if the Hill Center is officially selected.

Please note that OPM has established a community comment period, which ends on August 24. It’s important now for Hill residents to voice their support in writing to aimee.ochetti@dc.gov. A full description of the Hill Center plan can be found at www.HillCenterONH.org.

In brief, the Hill Center will be a vibrant new facility for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and community life, offering a wide range of educational opportunities for people of all ages – toddler activities, after-school programs for neighborhood children, and adult classes in computer literacy, languages, music, drawing and painting, parenting, creative writing, ESL and GED classes, cooking, nutrition, and much more. Some of these courses and programs will be offered in partnership with established nonprofit organizations who need more and better space to expand their services, while others will be offered by the Center itself.

In addition, the Hill Center will provide much needed meeting, conference and performance space for community groups and other organizations, as well as office space for neighborhood nonprofits. The carriage house will become a family friendly restaurant offering service to the public as well as catering services for Hill Center gatherings and events – an important component of the Center’s financial sustainability.

We thank the hundreds of members of our community whose participation has been critical in the planning process for the Hill Center over the past five years. And we thank in particular the Programming Partners whose expanding programs will become available to many more residents at the Hill Center. Some who have already expressed interest in participating are the Shakespeare Theatre Company, FreshFarm Markets, Capitol Hill Computer Corner, the Capitol Hill Village, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, the National Academies of Science, the Washington Youth Garden, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project, Language, Etc., the Restaurant Association of Greater Washington’s Education Foundation, the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, and The Smithsonian Associates. This list, while large, is not exhaustive, and we look forward to including many other organizations as well.

As this process goes forward we welcome further ideas and support from all members of our community. And if our proposal is officially selected, we will move ahead quickly with the planning and renovation of the property so that we can open the Hill Center within two years. We will also launch a membership campaign to give all members of the community an additional opportunity to offer support and be involved. Together we will make the Old Naval Hospital site a bustling new gathering place for our entire community.


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A Center for Education and Community Life

by: Board of Directors, the Old Naval Hospital Foundation
The July 13 announcement from the D.C. Office of Property Management that their special review panel has formally recommended the Hill Center as the tenant of the Old Naval Hospital is thrilling news to all who have been involved with the project since 2002. It’s also wonderful news for Capitol Hill, which will finally have the center for community life we have needed for so long if the Hill Center is officially selected. Please note that OPM has established a community comment period, which ends on August 24. It’s important now for Hill residents to voice their support in writing to aimee.ochetti@dc.gov. A full description of the Hill Center plan can be found at www.HillCenterONH.org. In brief, the Hill Center will be a vibrant new facility for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and community life, offering a wide range of educational opportunities for people of all ages – toddler activities, after-school programs for neighborhood children, and adult classes in computer literacy, languages, music, drawing and painting, parenting, creative writing, ESL and GED classes, cooking, nutrition, and much more. Some of these courses and programs will be offered in partnership with established nonprofit organizations who need more and better space to expand their services, while others will be offered by the Center itself. In addition, the Hill Center will provide much needed meeting, conference and performance space for community groups and other organizations, as well as office space for neighborhood nonprofits. The carriage house will become a family friendly restaurant offering service to the public as well as catering services for Hill Center gatherings and events – an important component of the Center’s financial sustainability. We thank the hundreds of members of our community whose participation has been critical in the planning process for the Hill Center over the past five years. And we thank in particular the Programming Partners whose expanding programs will become available to many more residents at the Hill Center. Some who have already expressed interest in participating are the Shakespeare Theatre Company, FreshFarm Markets, Capitol Hill Computer Corner, the Capitol Hill Village, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, the National Academies of Science, the Washington Youth Garden, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project, Language, Etc., the Restaurant Association of Greater Washington’s Education Foundation, the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, and The Smithsonian Associates. This list, while large, is not exhaustive, and we look forward to including many other organizations as well. As this process goes forward we welcome further ideas and support from all members of our community. And if our proposal is officially selected, we will move ahead quickly with the planning and renovation of the property so that we can open the Hill Center within two years. We will also launch a membership campaign to give all members of the community an additional opportunity to offer support and be involved. Together we will make the Old Naval Hospital site a bustling new gathering place for our entire community.