Monday, July 21, 2025
After almost two years of planning and delays, the renovation of Volta Park’s baseball diamond and other improvements is set to begin construction in the park at 1555 34th St. NW on July 21.
All entrances to the park will be closed, but the pool, recreation center, children’s playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts will be open and accessible from entrances on Q street and Volta Place NW (two staircases mid-block). The park and baseball diamond will be closed into the fall for the safety of the community, according to officials at the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation and the D.C. Department of General Services.
The Volta Park renovation project focuses first on regrading the clay infill on the baseball diamond. A French Drainage system to address the stormwater and erosion issues will be installed as well a new irrigation system for the baseball diamond and repairs to the seating area. Re-sodding the disturbed areas and over-seeding all grass areas will be the final stage of the project. The park will reopen when the grass has had sufficient time to root and stabilize, according to DPR.
“Losing use of the field through the rest of the summer and into the fall is a disappointment, of course,” Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Christopher “Topher” Mathews wrote in a newsletter. “But getting the field back into a good state is critically needed at this point. Please let me know if you have any questions or issues as the project gets underway.”
Town meetings to discuss and plan renovations to the park and playing field began with DPR and neighbors on March 1, 2023. Ambitious ideas and suggestions were narrowed down to a project mainly to renovate the baseball diamond and make it safer for players and onlookers and picnickers with small children. … and (unleashed) dogs. The D.C. government committed $700,000 to the project in 2024, and it has remained in the city budget.
“To answer one question I’m sure some people have,” Matthews wrote. “Yes, I believe the fence dividing the ball field from the de facto dog area is still part of the plan. I understand that there are still divided opinions on that element, but the reality is that the city insisted upon it. I hope that it comes to be appreciated as a means to help avoid conflicts over the [let’s face it] illegal off-leash dogs and people trying to use the ball field.”
Visit the DGS webpage for project details. DPR’s Customer Care Center number is 202-673-7647; regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Email contacts for questions about the Volta Park project to dprcustomercare@dc.gov. Commissioner Mathews’s email is 2E02@anc.dc.gov. Also visit Friends of Volta Park at voltapark.org.