What a beautiful day, FINALLY, for picture-taking. So first up is a complete update of the exteriors in the Nationals Ballpark Construction Gallery. I'll post before long all sorts of new shots I took today from all the demolition going on North of M, and some other shots as well, but hopefully these will appease you until I can get those others posted.

From an Anacostia Waterfront Corporation press release (not yet posted on their web site): "JBG Companies will present $4 million to help fund neighborhood improvements in the Near Southeast neighborhood, including Washington Canal Park and Diamond Teague Park, at a ceremonial event scheduled for Monday, April 30, 2007 at 11:00 am. The ceremony will take place at the planned site for Washington Canal Park, located at the corner of 2nd and M Streets, SE. Participants in the check presentation ceremony will include District Mayor Adrian Fenty, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and AWC Interim President and CEO Neil O. Albert, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, and Ben Jacobs, President of JBG Companies, who will present a ceremonial check to District officials and AWC. JBG Companies, developer of the new U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters building on M Street, SE, is contributing $2.5 million toward development of Washington Canal Park and $1.5 million toward the development of Diamond Teague Park." And, this additional bit of info about Diamond Teague Park: "The park is being completed in a partnership arrangement with surrounding land owners for area-wide benefit and use. The park's first phase will incorporate interim improvements to include a ferry landing [emphasis mine] and esplanade. Future improvements will include connecting the Ballpark District to The Yards (formerly Southeast Federal Center) with the construction of the Anacostia Riverwalk adjacent to the river bank site currently occupied by the DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA)."

A small blurb from WJLA: "A construction worker who fell down while working on the top level of the new baseball stadium in Southeast will be OK after the D.C. fire department performed a high-angle rescue. Fire spokesman Alan Etter says the 23-year-old man injured his back when he fell over at about noon. A back injury requires that the person first be stabilized and then be brought down with a crane and a basket. Firefighters got up on an apparatus. Etter says the injury isn't life-threatening and the man will be fine."

From a few days ago... The Examiner has a piece on "Saving the Planet While Playing Games", centered on how the Nationals stadium is going to attempt to earn LEED certification, "which means it has to accumulate at least 26 points on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scorecard compiled by the U.S. Green Building Council." Quoting: "During a recent tour of the Nationals' construction site, project manager Naeemi beamed about his five sand filters - huge underground bunkers that will purify water from the ballpark before it trickles into the troubled Anacostia. The ballpark also will have low-flow plumbing fixtures that will save an estimated 3.6 million gallons of water per year. The construction materials will have a minimum of 10 percent recycled content. An education program will encourage fans to recycle their trash. High-efficiency field lighting will use roughly 21 percent less energy than the lights at a typical ballpark. A subway station is about a block away, which means fewer people will drive to the games. There are plans to plant vegetation on a portion of the roof to keep it cooler. And it's all affordable. The green upgrades account for less than 1 percent of the $611 million ballpark budget."

Today's District Extra in the Post has a feature on DDOT's Sign Fabrication Shop, pegged to how the group is working to plan and manufacture the many new signs that will be needed throughout the city to guide fans to the new Nationals ballpark. (And pick up a hard copy--there's a lot more photos that aren't displayed with the online version.) A highlight: "A sign-planning team has been set up that includes transportation department officials, policy and planning groups, engineers, outside consultants and the team's owners. The group estimates that 298 signs will be needed, mostly 12 feet by 15 feet, to guide motorists from the Interstate 495 Beltway and Baltimore-Washington Parkway to local roads leading to the stadium."