“Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park (Willard Avenue and River Road). We will be cleaning the Little Falls Branch from River Road moving upstream to the the Somerset Pool. Park on Willard Avenue or in the small parking lot off River Road.”
Stop by between 9 am and 12 noon and stay as long (or as little) as you’d like!
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration has initiated a safety study along MD 190 (River Road) from Springfield Drive to Little Falls Parkway in Montgomery County. The purpose of the study is to improve pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ safety along approximately 4,000 linear feet of MD 190, which includes multiple driveways and nine intersections. The study is expected to be completed summer 2023.
The virtual meeting will be held on Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 6:30-8 p.m. Details are available on the State Highway Administration-District 3 Web page:
…attend by using Microsoft Teams Live or by calling 1-443-409-5228, Conference ID: ID: 302 157 731# on your phone. Those calling in will be able to hear the presenters and discussion but will be unable to see the presentation. We encourage you to use the meeting link posted on the District 3 Web page to view all meeting materials.
The public is being invited to give input (written, online, in person) about the Parks Dept’s Proposed Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Years 2025-2030 at an evening public forum in front of the Planning Board on Thursday 9.7.2023 at 7 pm.
This would be a good opportunity for you to express your concerns to the Planning Board about Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park — remember,
the two Parks-owned houses at River Road entrance will be torn this Fall and we don’t know what’s proposed to relace them;
we don’t know what long term improvements will be made to the park;
and, we don’t know if Parks can budget for another park to be built (perhaps near Western/Friendship Blvd).
The Parks Department has boarded the windows of the 1918 Jacob Horne bungalow at the corner of Willard and River Road. Once permits have been issued, it will be demolished to enhance the River Road entrance of the Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park.
Parks also owns the nearby brick house, but no plans for its removal are finalized.
“Every year, Little Falls Watershed Alliance joins forces with the Alice Ferguson Foundation to help clean the entire Potomac River watershed. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of trash will be pulled out of the River and its tributaries and feeder creeks.
“Come for an hour or two, come on time, come late, leave early or stay the entire time – whatever suits your schedule is perfect for us. We have bags and gloves to share. Come prepared to get muddy! Bring grabbers if you have some to reach trash in trees and other hard to get spots.”Come for an hour or two, come on time, come late, leave early or stay the entire time – whatever suits your schedule is perfect for us. We have bags and gloves to share. Come prepared to get muddy! Bring grabbers if you have some to reach trash in trees and other hard to get spots.
“Pre-approved for SSL hours for MCPS. Children under 14 must be accompanied by adult supervisor.
“Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park (Willard Avenue and River Road). Park on Willard Avenue or in the small parking lot off RIver. At this site, we will be focusing on the Little Falls creek between the Somerset Pool and River Road as well as the sidewalk along River Road and Willard Avenue.”
Built in 1898 by E.C. Reynolds, the house at 5320 Willard Avenue rises above the park path, once the tracks of the Washington and Glen Echo Railroad, following the contour of Little Falls Branch across River Road to Glen Echo Park on the Potomac River.
In 1995, the Parks Department purchased the house and property from the most recent owners and operates it as a rental property.
The house at 5320 Willard was built in 1898 by the Reynolds family. Its front porch faces River Road and originally had a long driveway through what is now the Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park.
In 1908, E.C. Reynolds was the surveyor for land owned by the Perrys, registered as West Friendship. Reynolds’ house is lot 4 in the photo below and marked in yellow on the survey completed withe the creation of the Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park in the 1970s.
Just west of Friendship Heights, MD, Willard Avenue Neighborhood Park is 5 acres of woodland with a path running beside the Little Falls Branch stream to a River Road entrance.
The park features a playground for young children, a half-court basketball hoop, picnic table, benches, and adult exercise stations.
The Friends of Willard Avenue Park is a group of neighbors seeking to preserve the park’s natural setting, enhance accessibility, and protect the watershed.
Friends of Willard Avenue Park 