GU, Park Service Agree To Trade Land For Possible Potomac Boathouse Site
By Tina Morin Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown University recently signed an agreement with the National Park Service to exchange university land holdings for space along the Potomac River, putting Georgetown one step closer to building a boathouse for both the crew and sailing teams.
In a press release, University President Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J. said, “Georgetown’s long-held dreams for a new boathouse are one step closer to fruition.”
According to Head Crew Coach Tony Johnson, head crew coach, the agreement, signed on Oct. 20, is still somewhat tentative. Both sides have 180 days to look at the prospective pieces of land, he said.
Johnson added that if the land Georgetown is considering, which is located on the Potomac right below Healy Towers and next to the Washington Canoe club by the Key Bridge, is in fact suitable for a boathouse, they will most likely want to continue with the agreement. If not, the Park Service will keep the land.
The agreement is also contingent on whether the Park Service finds Georgetown’s land, which lies just east of campus, suitable to its needs and is willing to go through with the agreement, Johnson said.
However, Johnson indicated that he thought the Park Service would want this land because it is surrounded by other parkland and is located in the area of the Potomac Palisades. As such, Johnson said it was ideal for a park.
The Communications office’s release echoed Johnson’s optimism. “The National Park Service will benefit because ownership of the Palisades land will allow them to continue with their efforts to beautify the land in that area,” it said.
Johnson said of the deal, “There are a lot of advantages. This would be something that would allow the program to expand and to have a complete facility.it will help the Georgetown Crew team immensely.”
Currently, the Georgetown crew teams rent space at the Thompson Boat Center, sharing the space with other groups and teams, Johnson said. According to the Communications office, the sailing team docks their boats at a marina on Dangerfield Island near Reagan National Airport in Northern Virginia. Acquiring the new land would allow the teams to have their own boathouse and to benefit from the advantages of that ownership, including the ability to expand the programs.
Tom Rinaldi, (COL ’01), a member of the crew team said, “A new boathouse, I think, would be great for expanding the program. Right now we have to share the boathouse with a couple of high schools, and having our own boathouse would really be helpful in making Georgetown’s Crew program even more competitive.”
Rinaldi said a new boathouse would substantially increase Georgetown’s boat storage space and could include a weight room and a rowing simulator. He noted that crew powerhouses Harvard, Princeton and Yale all have their own large boathouses.
“This is a vital step forward for Georgetown, and a terrific opportunity for the approximately 150 dedicated, young students who compete on the Rowing and Sailing teams each year,” O’Donovan said in the release.