There’s an old adage among reporters: Never let facts get in the way of a good story.
To this I would add a codicil for columnists: Never let the other side of a controversy get in the way of a good rant.
Critics might complain that I adhere to both self-deprecating laws of journalism, but I actually attempt to base my reporting on facts, and I try to see both sides before I write. Which leads me to admit that sometimes I can be blinded by one side.
Take, for instance, my column two weeks ago on the proposed Georgetown University boathouse along the Potomac River. For more than a decade Georgetown has been trying to build a boathouse for its crew team on federal parkland by Key Bridge; every environmental group under the sun has lined up against it; the National Park Service is about to give it the green light — or the yellow light for more study.
After my first column, trashing the current boathouse plan, I took myself down by the river.
Let’s begin with trashy, which describes the current state of the riverbank where the Capital Crescent Trail meets the parking lots under Key Bridge. The culprit here is the historic Washington Canoe Club.
Bikers or hikers entering the trail are confronted by the club’s padlocked gate and a large green dumpster. Facing the trail, the canoe club has erected a chain-link fence that’s covered with dead vines. Did I mention the barbed wire on top? Through the vines and fence, boats block the view of the river.
The canoe club opposes the Georgetown boathouse, of course. The new facility would make the canoe club look shabby and uninviting.
Between the canoe club and the Georgetown property, a jungle blocks access and views to the Potomac. The university would clear the space for public access, according to its plan.
True, as critics say, the proposed boathouse is huge, but the land around it and all of its river frontage would be open to the public.
Walking the hundred yards where the boathouse would face the trail, I could not see the river through the jungle. I walked up to the tow path above to see if it would block the view. My guess is its peak would block a few of the buildings in Rosslyn.
We’re not talking wilderness where the C&O Canal meets the city under Key Bridge. There is an authentic, ramshackle sweetness to Jack’s Boat Rental, where the canoes and kayaks are stacked along the ancient dock. The Potomac Boat Club looks as it did 100 years ago. Like the Canoe club, it is private, and lies on federal park land.
So as a cyclist, a hiker, a father whose daughter rowed for her high school team, as a guy who likes to sit by the Potomac and watch the Mallards dally and the 727’s fly overhead, I have to ask: If Georgetown builds its boathouse, will it make it easier to see the river and get to its banks?
I think — yes.
Harry Jaffe has been covering the Washington area since 1985. E-mail him at [email protected].
