A D.C. park was made 'for the pleasure of the people.'
asserted
park → make → people
Trump's plan would change that
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
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plan → change → that
President Trump's express wish to take over the East Potomac Golf Links has thrust a municipal D.C. golf course into the national spotlight.
asserted
wish → take → spotlight
But locals rely on that area for much more than golfing — and worry the district could lose an invaluable recreational oasis.
uncertain
district → rely → oasis
The southern tip of East Potomac Park, known as Hains Point, is beloved by cyclists, runners, picnickers and birders for its waterfront views, cherry trees and Ohio Drive, the scenic three-mile loop around its perimeter.
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tip → know → perimeter
Runners use the wide, flat road to train; it's even a fixture of several major race courses, including the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday.
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it → use → Sunday
"It's such an important part of the fabric of this region, even though it's not very well known [beyond it]," said Elizabeth Kiker, the executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association.
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Kiker → know → Association
She herself took her now-husband on a bike ride on their second date 20 years ago.
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She → take → date
Locals describe Hains Point as a rare public resource in D.C.
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Locals → describe → D.C.
Congress created it in 1897, "to be forever held and used as a park for the recreation and pleasure of the people."
And yet, under the president's proposed golf course redesign, Hains Point as people know and love it may cease to exist.
uncertain
people → create → it
Trump said on Truth Social last weekend that renovations would keep the entire park closed for 15 months starting in November.
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renovations → say → November
But it's not clear what would be left when it reopens: The rendering he posted shows an 18-hole course spanning the entire peninsula — including the current playground and picnic area on its southern tip — with no road visible around the perimeter.
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he → leave → perimeter
The White House referred NPR to the Department of the Interior, which did not respond to NPR's questions about whether those features would be removed as part of the redesign.
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features → refer → redesign
The proposed renovations have so far been the subject of mixed messages from the administration: Trump said last weekend that work would begin in mid-November, then "immediately."
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work → propose → November
But government lawyers said in court Monday that they were not aware of a final plan.
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they → say → plan
Even so, the government abruptly downed hundreds of trees on the course with little warning earlier this month, which critics worry was a pretext for beginning renovations.
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critics → down → renovations
(The government says it was following up on recommendations from a 2019 landscaping report.)
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it → say → report
Judge Ana Reyes held a hearing on Monday to learn more about the tree-clearing and decide whether to block further work on the golf course.
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Reyes → hold → course
But it's not just the golf course that's at stake, as a group called Hains Point Runners told Reyes in the courtroom and a written brief.
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group → call → courtroom
In its 35-page brief, the group says federal law requires the National Park Service to identify and consider the "longstanding recreational uses of the Hains Point corridor" and ways to avoid harming those uses, before embarking on any work that would change it.
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that → say → it
"From the perspective of the running community, that did not occur here," lawyers wrote.
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lawyers → occur → community
Ashley Hawkins of Prince George's County, Md., runs at Hains Point every day, even in the snow.
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Hawkins → run → snow
She especially loves the river view and people watching: the families with fishing poles, binocular-wielding birders, people taking a leisurely drive.
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She → love → drive
"Running is so tied to my mental health," Hawkins said on a recent sunny morning, stretching before she hit the road.
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she → tie → road
"And no place in this area has given me the peace that Hains Point has."
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Point → give → that
Hawkins has been following the headlines about her beloved running route.
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Hawkins → follow → route
While she says she's still in denial about its potential closure, she sees the prospect as part of a pattern of Trump "bypassing" courts to advance his construction projects.
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Trump → say → projects
"But to me, this feels the most egregious, because he's taking away public space and trying to make it private," she says.
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she → feel → space
"It feels like one of the more king-like things that he's done so far."
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he → feel → that
Trump's proposal would combine the park's three historic — and historically affordable — courses into one 18-hole "championship-style" course, which has already raised concerns about who will be able to play on it.
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who → combine → it
Trump has said on Truth Social the golf course will "be open to the Public" while also able to host "world class tournaments" such as the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
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course → say → Open
He's called the current course "dilapidated, and of no further use or effect," dubbing part of it "Trash Island."
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He → call → it
What's at stake
Each spring, when D.C.'s iconic cherry blossoms bloom, Hains Point is a fan-favorite viewing spot for both locals and tourists.
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Point → bloom → locals
The annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile run takes roughly 20,000 participants around the peninsula for that very reason.
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run → take → reason
But race organizers are looking into backup options for next year given the rumored renovations, event director Rob Wolfe told NPR.
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Wolfe → look → NPR
In an email to prospective runners earlier this year, the organization said both the proposed golf course renovations and Trump's planned arch on nearby Arlington Memorial Bridge could significantly alter the course.
uncertain
renovations → say → course
It urged people to share their concerns with lawmakers and the National Park Service.
asserted
It → urge → lawmakers
Wolfe said the best race experience includes as many cherry blossoms as possible — ideally the ones that frame the park.
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that → say → park
But, he says, the park's future is "more important than our Sunday in April or Marine Corps Marathon's Sunday in October.
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future → say → October
"It's really important that people understand that if this roadway goes away, hundreds, thousands of people on a daily basis would lose out," he said.
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he → understand → basis
…and 44 more, not listed.
The Aporia
