Councilmember Nadeau made the following remarks ahead of the Committee on Facilities Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Markup on Monday, May 18.

Thank you, Chairperson Lewis-George, for the dedication you and your team have shown in crafting this budget report. This fiscal year posed significant challenges for our District, but I am heartened to witness my colleagues’ commitment to prioritizing essential services for our residents. 

With this budget, the committee has made investments in all eight wards, serving every population from our youngest to our most senior. There are a few areas I’d like to highlight.  

Schools:  

Regarding the Department of General Services and its work in supporting schools, I commend this Committee for its diligent oversight of work order response times, particularly concerning school maintenance and readiness. I am hopeful that this Committee’s $315,000 investment of one-time operating funds for School Readiness efforts in FY26 will facilitate initiatives aimed at improving work order backlog and response time.  

When our kids don’t have working water fountains or bathrooms or are learning in an environment with rats and roaches, they don’t want to be in school. When safety issues like non-working cameras, broken locks and doors, and broken railings or bleachers aren’t addressed, it undermines student morale, educator effectiveness, and student and educator safety. 

Schools should be clean, well-maintained, safe environments so our students can focus fully on learning and being kids. Ensuring that DGS is functioning as efficiently as possible is no easy feat. 

Parks:  

The FY27 budget is truly a collaboration between the Committee on Facilities and the Committee on Public Works & Operations when it comes to addressing long-standing issues with one of DC’s hottest topics – parks and recreation.  

The Committee on Public Works and Operations proposes several reallocations and transfers to the Committee on Facilities in its budget markup to make strides toward a healthier and safer city: 

• Reallocation of $1,365,000 in capital funds within Ward 1 Department of Public Works projects for the modernization of Park View Recreation Center. 

• $500,000 in capital funds to support implementation of the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant Vision Framework for Public Realm Design in Ward 1. This would include prioritizing investments in streets, parks and plazas to make them safer, more welcoming, and better able to support local businesses and community culture.  
• $3 million to support a full build-out of new park facilities and improvements to small parks in the Lower Georgia Avenue cluster in Ward 1. 

The Committee also transferred:  

• $235,000 in one-time operating funds for FY26 to expand hours of operation and programming for DPR rec centers, giving youth all-important resources and opportunities for positive experiences during more hours of the day. 
• $400k in recurring operating funds to support the expansion of DPR rec centers, for a total investment of over $1.6 million over the financial plan.  

I also want to commend CM Lewis-George for her deep commitment to our residents. She added:  

• $200,000 in funds to the Department of Disability Services for residential disability service providers to support our residents with disabilities; 
• $1.74 million in recurring operating funds for expansion of DPR recreation centers. 

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis-George, for your thoughtful policy decisions, and my sincere gratitude to your staff for their tireless effort. I look forward to seeing the priorities in this budget realized in the coming year.