WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Exelon Corporation and its local energy companies Pepco and Constellation announced a $5 million signature gift to support efforts by Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) to create the new 11th Street Bridge Park. Located on the piers of the former 11th Street Bridge spanning the Anacostia River, D.C.’s first elevated public park will connect two long-divided communities and repurpose an old, unused space to provide a new venue for healthy recreation, environmental education and the arts.
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William Von Hoene, Jr., Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Exelon Corporation (Photo: Business Wire)
“Exelon’s leadership supporting the 11th Street Bridge Park is an investment in the future of our city,” said Scott Kratz, vice president of Building Bridges Across the River and director of the 11th Street Bridge Park. “In addition to fortifying the community's physical and environmental health, the Bridge Park has become a model for community-driven equitable development efforts across the country.”
Exelon, Pepco and Constellation’s pioneering philanthropic commitment will support the creation of the park’s Environmental Education Center, a state-of-the art, environmentally-friendly public space designed to inspire the next generation of river stewards in the nation’s capital. The donation will also support collaboration between the power companies and park designers to help meet the community’s clean energy goals by providing the grounds with efficient, carbon-free energy solutions. Possibilities under consideration include electric vehicle charging stations, energy efficient smart lighting and clean energy workforce development programs.
“As the nation’s leading provider of clean power, Exelon and our energy companies Pepco and Constellation are proud to join BBAR in efforts to improve the District’s environment and contribute to fostering healthy, vibrant communities for generations to come,” said William Von Hoene, Jr., Exelon’s executive vice president and chief strategy officer and member of BBAR’s Board of Directors. “We hope this community investment inspires other companies, individuals and foundations to recognize the enormous potential that this new public space will have to literally and metaphorically bridge D.C.”
“I am so looking forward to the 11th Street Bridge Park,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. “There has never been a park like this in the United States! I also want to note the outstanding work of the Bridge Park team to bring affordable housing, workforce development, and investing in small businesses to ensure local residents can stay and thrive in place.”
The Environmental Education Center will be powered by solar panels donated by Constellation. Within the center, a 3,230 square foot multifunction room will provide space for up to 90 students to gather for lectures, film screenings or activities before exploring learning gardens populated with local flora and fauna. Programming for the center will be run in partnership with the Anacostia Watershed Society.
With this $5 million commitment, Building Bridges Across the River has secured over $111 million towards a $139 million capital campaign goal that includes both bricks and mortar for the park and investments in affordable housing, workforce development and small business and cultural equity strategies.
Design for the 11th Street Bridge Park began in October 2014 after a seven-month competition to create the vision for the project, from which the design team of OMA+OLIN was selected. The Bridge Park project also drew on an extensive community outreach and a consultative process, anchored by more than 1,000 stakeholder meetings for design, development and impact. Pre-construction began in 2016 and the Park is expected to open by 2023.
About the 11th Street Bridge Park
The 11th Street Bridge Park, a project of Ward 8-based nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River, will be Washington, D.C.’s first elevated public park. Located on the piers of the old 11th Street bridge spanning the Anacostia River, the Bridge Park will be a new venue for healthy recreation, environmental education and the arts. Park programming designed in collaboration with local residents includes: an environmental education center; outdoor amphitheater; urban agriculture; public art that tells the rich history of the region; café; and intergenerational play space. Beyond supporting the community's physical and environmental health, the Bridge Park also seeks to become an anchor for equitable development in our nation’s capital. Visit BridgePark.org/communityinvestments to learn more about the Bridge Park’s local community investments.
About Exelon
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of electricity and natural gas customers in the U.S. Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2018 revenue of $36 billion. Exelon serves approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 32,500 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About Pepco
Pepco is a unit of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. Pepco provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 883,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
About Constellation
Constellation, an company, is a leading competitive energy company providing power, natural gas, renewable energy, and energy management products and services for homes and businesses across the continental United States. We provide integrated energy solutions — from electricity and natural gas procurement and renewable energy supply to energy efficiency and distributed energy solutions — that help customers strategically buy, manage and use their energy. Today, approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies rely on our commitment to innovation, dependability, transparency and service.
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