Today, Mayor Vincent Gray held a press conference at the official opening of DPR’s new central office at 1250 U Street, NW and highlighted the revamping of DPR’s operations to improve service delivery and conditions for employees.

EOM Contact: Rob Marus, (202) 727-6853
DPR Contact: John Stokes, (202) 288-7275

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Mayor Vincent C. Gray and DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Director Jesús Aguirre held a press conference at the official opening of DPR’s new central office at 1250 U Street NW and highlighted the revamping of DPR’s operations to improve service delivery and conditions for employees.

“DPR is an integral part the fabric of every community in the District and critical to the well-being of all residents,” Mayor Gray said. “Today marks an important step in the transformation of this agency into a focused organization that creates and promotes safe, educational, recreational activities, facilities and green spaces.”

Since 1940, DPR had been located at Mansion No. 10 at 3149 16th Street NW. In an effort to provide a better working environment for DPR employees and a place to better serve customers, officials decided to move the agency. The move brings together central office support staff in a way that will allow DPR to focus all central office operations on supporting programs.

The move coincides with the transformation of DPR into a high-performance agency that is focused on core values (Respect, Excellence, Constant Learning, Integrity and Service). The agency also has a new slogan: “Move. Grow. Be Green with DPR.”

• “Move” represents the multiple physical-fitness programs that DPR sponsors and supports
• “Grow” encompasses DPR’s personal-enrichment programs – including artistic programs, educational opportunities and other programs for District residents
• “Be Green” refers to DPR’s many environmental-stewardship initiatives.

The Mayor also took the opportunity to announce the wide array of DPR activities and events available this spring and summer, including DPR Summer Camp Registration; DPR Summer Jobs and DPR Aquatics Lifeguard Recruitment.

The press conference also marked the release of DPR’s 2012 Spring/Summer Guide. It is the largest DPR program guide ever and lists hundreds of activities for residents of all ages. It includes information on camps, pools, movie nights, aquatic programs, teen programs, senior services, nutritional services, therapeutic recreation and more.

“Here at DPR, we touch all areas of the Mayor’s agenda for the District – including education, job creation and training, public safety, engaging our young people and practicing fiscal responsibility,” Aguirre said. “The work to transform our agency is the result of extensive research into best practices by peer agencies and the necessity to continually adapt to our residents’ needs. We aim to become a national benchmark for how parks-and-recreation agencies function.”