By Chris Kain
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Mayor Muriel Bowser yesterday helped break ground on a new Douglass Community Center — the next step in an ongoing expansion of recreation facilities in Ward 8, where she and other officials are slated to cut the ribbon later this month at the new Anacostia Recreation Center at Ketcham.

“Ward 8 is getting its due in terms of upgrades and additions,” Bowser said at the groundbreaking. The existing center and outdoor pool closed last April in preparation for construction of the new, expanded facilities.

Replacing an outdated facility built in 1969, the $25 million Douglass Community Center project will encompass a new 13,550-square-foot, one-story center as well as upgraded outdoor amenities on the 6-acre site. The campus will include a fitness center, a media center, a commercial kitchen, multipurpose rooms, playgrounds, courts, a community garden, an outdoor pool and a splash pad.

“Fun fact: This pool will mean No. 8 in Ward 8 — the largest amount of pools in any ward,” Department of Parks and Recreation Director Thennie Freemansaid at the groundbreaking. She and the mayor highlighted the value of having varied recreational opportunities within close proximity for DC residents of all ages.

In his remarks, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White praised the investments at Douglass Community Center but faulted the decision not to include an indoor gymnasium in a project costing $25 million.

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