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The NorThwesT CurreNT

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Vol. L, No. 39

Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967

New Klingle Trail faces repair work

CLEANING UP

■ Transportation: Drainage

system among issues, city says

By GRACE BIRD Current Staff Writer

Last week, three months after the Klingle Valley Trail’s longawaited opening, the park was briefly closed for asphalt repairs caused by a fallen tree. But its problems don’t stop

there. Two August storms flooded the trail, indicating a faulty drainage system, according to Paul Hoffman of the D.C. Department of Transportation. In the coming weeks, Klingle Valley Trail’s drainage system will undergo large-scale repairs that will require extensive but temporary closures, Hoffman said. The 0.7-mile trail for pedestrians and bicyclists follows a longclosed stretch of Klingle Road

NW through Rock Creek Park, running from Cleveland Park’s Cortland Place NW below Connecticut Avenue to Porter Street. It took two years and $6 million to construct the trail — in large part, officials said, because of elaborate steps taken to avoid the drainage issues that left the old Klingle Road impassable. But more work is needed, according to Hoffman. Upcoming See Klingle/Page 5

Metrobus proposals see mixed reactions By KATHERINE SALTZMAN Current Correspondent

Brian Kapur/The Current

The Rock Creek Conservancy hosted a cleanup event at Piney Branch on Saturday for National Public Lands Day. A large group from Iglesia Ni Cristo on 16th Street NW participated in the effort.

Proposed changes to Metrobus service received mixed reactions at a recent public hearing held by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The Sept. 26 hearing featured 45 or so witnesses from across the region, including about four who commented on several planned changes affecting bus service in Northwest. The changes are part of Metro’s “State of Good Operations” process, which amends services and routes to improve efficiency and reliability in accordance with ridership density and new infrastructure. Jim Hamre, Metro’s director of bus planning, said the proposals aim to improve service reliability, reduce overcrowding, serve newly developed locations and accommodate changing roadways. Most changes would go into effect in June. See Buses/Page 21

Brian Kapur/The Current

Metro has proposed to cut the segment of the 96 route that runs between Cathedral Commons and the Tenleytown Metro station, sparking concerns.

Family, friends recall Wilson math teacher

Community leaders call for slower pace on Hearst pool

By ZOE MORGAN

■ Recreation: Critics say

Current Correspondent

From the time Joseph Buckley was a child, he had a love of exploration and learning that would one day bring him back to teach math at Wilson High School, his alma mater. Buckley began teaching at Wilson in 2010, and continued teaching throughout his more than fouryear battle with brain cancer, to which he ultimately succumbed at his Takoma home on Sept. 19. Buckley, who was 38, is survived by his wife Abena Apau-Buckley and their two young children. A memorial service was held in the Wilson auditorium on Sunday, where family and friends spoke about their memories of Buckley. Growing up in the Tenleytown area, Buckley attended Janney Elementary School, Deal Middle

city failed to study impacts

By GRACE BIRD Current Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Abena Apau-Buckley

D.C. native Joseph Buckley continued teaching at Wilson High School even as he battled brain cancer. and then Wilson High. After teaching in New York City for three years, Buckley returned to the District and taught at St. John’s College High School. Then, in 2010, Buckley returned to his alma mater. Apau-Buckley said her husband was drawn to helping students who had trouble connecting with the material, and wanted to show them that learning was See Teacher/Page 2

While the city is pushing ahead with plans to restore Hearst Park and build an outdoor pool where tennis courts are now located, community leaders continue to urge the city to take a closer look at the plans. The project’s first phase — which will restore the park and add various facilities, but which does not include the pool — is

nearing the end of its design stage. Speaking at the Sept. 19 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3F (Forest Hills, North Cleveland Park, Van Ness), Peter Nohrden of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation said that $5 million would become available to fund the restoration efforts on Oct. 1. He also announced that a hydrology study for Hearst Park would be taking place. General upgrades target Hearst Park’s outdated drainage system, which contributed to its tendency to flood. “We want to make sure that we don’t lose out and lose See Hearst/Page 5

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Council bill aims to cap parking meter costs that threaten some D.C. markets / Page 15

St. John’s field hockey team aims to capture third straight WCAC crown despite turnover / Page 9

Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/11 Shopping & Dining/15 Service Directory/20 Sports/9 Week Ahead/3

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