For millennia, folks assumed that maggots would spring to life spontaneously in rotting meat. The theory that life can spring from non-life was debunked in the mid-19th century by the work of men like Louis Pasteur and John Tyndall.

The U.S. Supreme Court designated Secular Humanism as a religion in the early 1960s for a reason: because it is a system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. Confronted with a world literally crawling with living creatures, a person whose religion teaches that we are undesigned and unintended beings must grapple with an uncomfortable prospect: that at some point in the distant past, life must have sprung from non-life by pure accident.

Darwins vision of a single-cell organism inexplicably coming to life was as simplistic and fanciful as his limited understanding of the structure and functions of a cell. His musings were unrestrained by such worrisome considerations as the unfathomable precision and complexity of the DNA code associated with even the simplest of single-cell organisms.

How unlikely is it that the simplest of living organisms could have formed and come to life spontaneously? Well, just to put things in perspective, it is estimated that the number of atoms in the entire universe is 10 to the 82nd power. That amounts to one-hundred thousand quadrillion vigintillion atoms! Thats a lot! What are the odds of spontaneous generation occurring even once? Harold Joseph Morowitz, noted biophysicist at Yale calculated that the chance of the formation of the simplest of organisms is one in 10 to the 340,000,000 power! No amount of time will account for this event ever occurring! Ever!

Why is spontaneous generation impossible? Because each strand of DNA in every cell represents complex coding that defines every detail of the construction and function of the organism. A.G. Cairns-Smith, organic chemist and molecular biologist at the University of Glasgow, wrote, Mans library consists of a set of construction and service manuals that run to the equivalent of about a million book-pages together. E.H. Andrews, physicist and engineer at Queen Mary University of London, put it best: It is not possible for a code, of any kind, to arise by chance or accidentA code is the work of an intelligent mindThis could no more have been the work of chance or accident than could the Moonlight Sonata be played by mice running up and down the keyboard of my piano!

If you want to devote yourself to the religion of Secular Humanism, that is your business. But there is no justification for ridiculing anyone who refuses to accept the tenets of your faith. The scientific evidence clearly indicates that there is a Code-Writer of immense power and intellect and those willing to acknowledge the obvious have no reason to be ashamed.

Editors Note: Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of the Murray Ledger & Times.

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The religion of humanism spontaneous generation | Church Page - Murray Ledger and Times

The first of months of weekend closures of the Wiehle-Reston East station on the Silver Line is among Metro disruptions

The first of months of weekend closures of the Wiehle-Reston East station on the Silver Line is among Metro disruptions this weekend, as road work could also cause delays for travelers on this pre-Thanksgiving weekend.

On Metro, Wiehle-Reston East is closed, with shuttle buses to and from the Spring Hill station. Silver Line trains will run normally at other stops. Wiehle-Reston East is scheduled to be closed for 13 weekends through March as part of work to connect the existing portion of the Silver Line to the extension to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.

Track work also significantly slows Orange Line riders to and from Vienna and Dunn Loring. Only a shuttle train runs between Vienna, Dunn Loring and West Falls Church about twice an hour this weekend. Orange Line trains will run normally between West Falls Church and New Carrollton.

On the Red Line, single-tracking between Friendship Heights and Medical Center cuts trains to every 16 minutes this weekend. Additional trains run during the day between Glenmont and Van Ness.

There is no major work scheduled on the Blue, Yellow or Green lines.

Construction closures and changes continue on Interstate 295 in the District, along the toll lane construction area on Interstate 66, on Interstate 395 for finishing work related to the new 395 Express Lanes, and in many other areas.

On Interstate 66, closures include detours near Nutley Street for ongoing demolition of the Vaden Drive Bridge. A traffic change is also planned to start this weekend for traffic merging onto Interstate 66 from Route 28 southbound.

A planned closure of the ramp to Interstate 66 eastbound from Route 29 northbound in Centreville that had been scheduled to start this past week has been delayed until next year.

Sunday afternoon, the Redskins host the Lions at FedEx Field, although it is unclear how many people will actually show up.

Traffic is expected to start ramping up this weekend for long Thanksgiving getaways, with Tuesday and Wednesday evening likely to be particularly busy. Marylands tolled bridges and roads are expected to be busiest on Wednesday.

Major ongoing work at the Bay Bridge will mean significant backups for anyone headed to or from the Eastern Shore. The right lane of the westbound span remains closed. Originally, under a more drawn-out schedule, the Maryland Transportation Authority had planned to reopen the lane for holiday travel.

The MDTA warns drivers to expect major delays in both directions for the next week. For anyone who must use the bridge, the best times are very early in the morning or late at night, the authority said.

There will be no two-way traffic on the westbound span.

Wednesday, Nov. 27 through Saturday, Nov. 30, the MDTA will not have any cash toll collectors at the bridge. Drivers can pay with E-ZPass or will get a bill in the mail. Rental car drivers without their own E-ZPass will face extra fees from rental companies.

The authority also suggests traveling very early in the morning or late at night to avoid major delays expected on Interstate 95 through and beyond Baltimore.

In Virginia, VDOT projects the busiest times will be:

Tuesday, Nov. 26: 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Interstate 95 and Interstate 66 in Northern Virginia.

Wednesday, Nov. 27: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Interstate 66 westbound from the Capital Beltway to Prince William Parkway, and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Interstate 95 northbound between Richmond and Fredericksburg.

Thursday, Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving): 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Interstate 95 southbound near Fredericksburg.

Friday, Nov. 29: 12 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Interstate 95 northbound in Northern Virginia.

Sunday, Dec. 1: The very worst of a bad day for driving is projected to be on Interstate 81 between 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

HOV or tolling rules on Interstate 66 inside the Beltway do not apply on Thanksgiving Day. HOV or toll rules always apply on the 495, 395 and 95 Express Lanes.

On Thanksgiving Day, Metro runs a Sunday schedule on rail and bus with trains only running between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.

The day after Thanksgiving, Metro runs a regular weekday schedule with normal fares and parking rules.

MetroAccess subscription trips are canceled both days.

Riders trying to get to BWI Marshall Airport from the D.C. area using public transit must take MARC on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving. Metro has cut back B30 bus service from Greenbelt to only run Monday through Friday when the transit agency is running a regular weekday schedule.

MARC does not run on Thanksgiving Day. The Friday after Thanksgiving, MARC only runs the Penn Line and only on an R schedule.

To Dulles International Airport, Metrobus Route 5A runs between LEnfant Plaza, Rosslyn, Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride and the Airport. On the way out, riders can also instead take the Silver Line to Wiehle-Reston East, where Fairfax Connector 981 and 983 go to the airport or an airport express bus is also available.

Wiehle-Reston East is scheduled to be closed again though Saturday and Sunday as part of the multi-month weekend closures for tie in work.

MTA Maryland Commuter bus does not run Thanksgiving Day or the day after, except Route 201 to BWI Marshall.

The day before Thanksgiving, most commuter bus systems run modified schedules to provide options for people leaving work early.

VRE does not run on Thanksgiving Day, and runs a reduced S schedule the day after Thanksgiving.

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Pre-Thanksgiving weekend Metro work, road closures - WTOP

Ray Welch|Daily News

If you travel throughout Middlesboro, you can see signs of progression with construction happening in several areas. Seen here is construction work happening on 20th Street. According to sources, the future building will be a storage facility.

Ray Welch|Daily News

If you travel throughout Middlesboro, you can see signs of progression with construction happening in several areas. Seen here is construction work happening on 20th Street. According to sources, the future building will be a storage facility.

Ray Welch|Daily News

New Heights Church is located on 15th Street next to the Middlesboro Mall. The new facility was built by volunteers who travel across the United States building new churches for communities. New Heights is waiting for final paperwork from the state to open their doors to the community.

Ray Welch|Daily News

This building is located next to New Heights Church on 15th Street. There is no proposed business that will be going into the building at this time, but the construction of a new building is Middlesboro shows that the city is continuing to move forward.

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Signs of progress: New buildings being constructed in city - Middlesboro Daily News - The Middlesboro Daily News

HURON Church council members, building committee members, staff from general contractor Picek Construction Company, Inc., and Rev. Tom Christenson sported the shovels as Hope Lutheran Church broke ground on a new addition to the church facility on Nov. 10.The church is located at 1667 Frank Avenue Southeast in Huron.Visioning on this project began as the church looked to our future in our current facility, says Hope Lutheran church council president Jared Reno. We put together two committees: one to envision what a transformed church building would look like, and the second to plan how to fund the facility. Those committees put in many hours going over potential plans and costs of those plans before presenting them to the church body, and this plan was the churchs top choice to move forward.Hopes new addition will allow for significant improvements in accessibility, expansion of fellowship area, expanded bathroom areas, and more direct access to the pastors and church secretarys office from the main entrance. The project will also include improvements to the sanctuary, chancel area, and the audio/visual system throughout the church, and other general upgrades.The new addition will run parallel to Frank Street and includes additional paved parking. Crews from Picek Construction have already completed work on the expanded parking and begun work on the footing for the addition, which has a general target of July 2020 for project completion.The catalyst for the project is to allow the church to be more accessible throughout by getting the fellowship area from the basement to the primary addition area, including an expanded kitchen and more usable space in the fellowship area, allowing congregants for events such as weddings and funerals more moving space during time in the fellowship area. The addition will also create a combination chapel and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant classroom/conference room. This will give Hope Lutheran a space for small baptisms or weddings with the ability to be changed into a ADA-compliant classroom for any Sunday School class that would have need for that room. Finally, ADA-compliant mens and womens bathrooms will be added.Moving the secretarys and pastors offices will allow for better service for the congregation as both will now be positioned near the main entrance to the building. This will allow for better service as well as providing the church better security. Coming into the main entrance will be through a new entrance that will provide double doors for security and weather protection.By moving current walls, the sanctuary and narthex will both be expanded. This will allow for added seating in the sanctuary and more space for fellowship before and after services.Hope Lutheran Church was initially formed in May 2011 and officially joined as a member church of Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC). Building committee co-chairman Tony Lorenz sees this expansion as a sign of the churchs intentions in the Huron community:Hope plans to stay in Huron a long time, and this addition is a commitment from our congregation to the faith community in Huron.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH and PICEK CONSTRUCTIONLeading groundbreaking ceremonies on the addition to Hope Lutheran Church earlier this month are, from left: Tony Lorenz, Larry Picek, Justin Picek, Reverend Tom Christenson and Jared Reno. In the second photo, to include the youth of the church on a wintry day outdoors, an indoor groundbreaking was held as well. And next, this architects rendition shows the addition to the Hope Lutheran Church structure, with the additional parking space. The new construction is the portion with the darker siding.

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Hope Lutheran breaks ground on addition - Plainsman

Parishioners including Msgr. Charles Domec, third from right, gather near the construction site of the Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Parish church building in The Woodlands in 1980. Courtesy Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Parish

The Woodlands' first parish was originally designated by the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in August 1979, and parishioners celebrated its first Mass in October 1979, according to Sts. Simon and Jude. The parish originally met at Interfaith of The Woodlands and Knox Junior High School prior to the construction of its church building on an 8.2-acre campus at 26777 Glen Loch Drive, The Woodlands, where it remains today. The church building opened in 1981.

According to the parish, its name was chosen as a compromise between its founding priest Charles Domec, who desired the St. Jude moniker, and regional diocese chancellor Rev. Joseph Fiorenza, who desired St. Simon.

Sts. Simon and Jude marked its 40th anniversary with a series of events in late October, including a service, fall festival, feast day and Mass. 281-367-9885. http://www.ssjwoodlands.com

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Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Parish marks 40 years in The Woodlands - Community Impact Newspaper

When Rosemary Anderson arrived to Our Lady of Lourdes School in 2011, it had just 90 students and was on the brink of closing. Now at near capacity with 231 students and a long wait list, the K-8 school in Denver just announced it is opening a second location this fall.

What caused the shift? A switch to classical education and strong leadership.

I was hired to bring in a change to revitalize the school, the 33-year-old principal said, who since her December marriage now goes by Vander Weele. The following year we began the three-year implementation process. The results of this project have been incredibly humbling.

Lourdes south campus will open in the old St. Louis School in Englewood. St. Louis, which was in operation 87 years, closed in May 2016.

It will be good to hear the voices of students echoing in the halls again, said Father Bill Jungmann, St. Louis Church pastor. On the Sunday it was announced, people were so excited they applauded.

Mrs. Bigelow, an aide for 2nd 5th grade at Our Lady of Lourdes, helps a student with a problem. The staff at Lourdes, under the leadership of Rosemary Vander Weele and Father Brian Larkin, is largely credited with having helped turn the school around over the past seven years. (Photos by Andrew Wright)

Those familiar with Lourdes, credit Vander Weeles leadership with the schools dramatic success.

Shes cast a vision and has formed a team that also shares that vision and passion that is able then to see it happen, to realize it, said former homeschooling mother Karin Middleton, who with her husband Tom has a 12-year-old at the school. Their 15-year-old highschooler graduated from Lourdes. [Rosemary] would be very quick to say that she wouldnt be able to do this without [pastor] Father Brian Larkin, [vice principal] Ryan OConnor and the rest of the Lourdes team.

Ben Akers, a dean and theology professor at the Augustine Institute who with his wife Heather have a first-grader at Lourdesthe eldest of their four childrenagreed.

Rosemarys influence on the school is tremendous, he said. She turned around a school that was looking to close its doors and now they have to open their doors at another location. Thats a testament to her vision and bringing that vision into practice and communicating it to the teachers and parents and, really, just being a great leader.

A belief in Vander Weeles passion and ability to lead spurred former Denver auxiliary Bishop James Conley to broach hiring her in a last ditch effort to keep Lourdes from closing. The bishop, who now heads the Lincoln Diocese, shared the story at an educators conference last year.

I know a teacher, shes never had any experience as a principal, but she has a great heart and lots of energy and she has a great understanding of Catholic education, he recalled telling those set to shutter Lourdes. Why dont you appoint her principal of the school? If she crashes, in a year its closed.

Parents are realizing more and more that our culture is moving against Christianity and its become of the utmost importance to provide our children with the best education they can haveone that understands reality with a Catholic Christian mind. Father Brian Larkin

Archbishop Charles Chaput, then prelate of Denver, agreed to take on the risk of a rookie principal being the first to implement the classical modelwhich uses a three-part process of grammar, logic and rhetoric to teach students how to learn and how to thinkin a school of the archdiocese.

The first year was up and down a little bit, then slowly things started to take off, Bishop Conley said. [Rosemary] did a lot of PR work herself, and word got around. Understanding of classical-style education gained interest and here we are today.

When Vander Weele took the reins at Lourdes, she was just 27, and was the youngest principal in the archdiocese.

A Denver native with several degrees and 14 years experience in local Catholic schools, Vander Weele asserts that Lourdes resurrection from near death is due to her teams fidelity to the Lord and staying true to their mission at the school.

It hasnt been easy, she said about switching to the new curriculum. As a community, weve grown and learned about the richness of classical education.

Father Brian is extremely supportive, as was Msgr. [Peter] Quang, who hired me. To walk arm and arm with them and lead together has been a tremendous blessing. Ryan OConnor, the teachers and staff are just incredible. The success of this mission is due to them.

The culture of Lourdes is one that embraces the Catholic faith and combines with a classical curriculum of education. (Photos by Andrew Wright)

Lourdes south campus will start by offering kindergarten through second grade for the 2018-2019 school year, with plans to add additional grades as need demands.

Its a continuation of the mission and brand here, Vander Weele emphasized, explaining that administrators realized they needed to expand as current families alone filled grades K-2 at the Denver site for this fall, leaving no room for the 40 families on a waiting list.

The demand, she happily noted, has been overwhelming.

Were super excited to be able to serve more families, said Father Larkin. I think parents are realizing more and more that our culture is moving against Christianity and its become of the utmost importance to provide our children with the best education they can haveone that understands reality with a Catholic Christian mind.

Parent Middleton concurred.

This is a brilliant solution to make possible the Lourdes experience for more students that is actually retaining the Lourdes experience, as opposed to overcrowding classes and becoming something different, she said.

To learn more about Our Lady of Lourdes, visit lourdesclassical.org.

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New Lourdes church 'in harmony with the beauty of the Liturgy' - denvercatholic.org

"It'll pick up as it goes along," said Lynette Johnson, Winona Community Warming Center Outreach Coordinator for Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota. "Once word gets around we're open, more people will show up."

This winter, there's room for more at the Winona warming center, located in the basement of Community Bible Church in downtown Winona. The church, seeing the need and working with Catholic Charities, donated more space in its basement to be used for the warming center.

Then, Habitat for Humanity of Winona-Fillmore Counties and Ames Construction worked to make that extra space function as a safe environment for adults in need of a warm place to sleep.

Amanda Hedlund, executive director for the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, said her crews built shelves, painted rooms and generally helped do the minor construction and renovation needed to convert the space into a welcoming place for homeless individuals.

"We sent our senior retired volunteer crew down here," she said. "They work Wednesdays and Thursdays and John (Corcoran, Habitat's construction manager) might have arranged a few sessions and get them out of their comfort zone."

A big helping hand came last spring from Ames Construction, Johnson said. The company that renovated Winona's Highway 43 bridge signed up last December to bring a meal to guests at the warming center one night. From there, Ames Construction reached out to ask if it could help with any building needs.

Johnson said the construction firm, donating its time and talent during a slow period of bridge construction, built a wall to create a secure space for storage bins for guests. Ames also converted the old kitchen space into bathrooms doubling the bathroom space in the center and converted the old sleeping space into a kitchen and lounge area.

"We had a lot of electrician and plumbing costs," Johnson said. To meet those needs, Catholic Charities created a targeted fundraising campaign for the project. Another Winona manufacturer, Alliant Castings, did a matching program.

With so many groups and individuals pitching in, much of the work was completed by the time Ames Construction needed to focus again on the bridge. It was then that Habitat's crews filled the gap and finished what was left.

Hedlund said donated doors were custom fit into spaces. Door trim was donated then stained by students at Minnesota State College-Southeast from the construction degree program. A handicapped-accessible tub was installed, the laundry room was completed, floors were finished and, just in time for the Nov. 1 opening of the warming center for the winter, the job was done.

"We had our first snow five days in," Johnson said, "so I was glad we got it all done."

Community Bible Church donates the utilities which, considering that includes laundry, is not insignificant, Johnson said. And there's a sign-up online for people to come share a meal with those in need.

"That's something that's hard to get, a good, home-cooked meal, when you're in this situation," Johnson said. In fact, people can sign up online at http://www.ccsomn.org then click "Warming Centers" under the program tab.

Most guest are adults who lost their home either through eviction or other reasons, Johnson said. Many have a job, and most just need a temporary shelter during the cold months.

"These are people who are trying to rebuild their lives, and they just need a helping hand," Johnson said.

Originally posted here:
Construction company, volunteers help bridge gap for the homeless in Winona - Duluth News Tribune

Volunteers are ripping away wood from a burned-out building in Grand Falls-Windsor,gutting the town's oldest church structurefor the first time since it was built in 1910.

St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church is being renovatedafter it was damaged in a fire in October. Bob Thompson, chair of the church's board of managers, says it's the biggest renovation in the church's 110-year-history.

"We're eliminating everything now, taking it right back down to the studs," he said."Ceilings, floors, walls and everything. Upstairs and downstairs."

Thompson is pledging that the church will be rebuilt, and the board is getting by with big help from its friends a local contractor, Triple-A Construction, has volunteered its labour to help reconstruct the historic building.

Others are coming forward as well, including a group offeringto restore some furniture that was damaged in the fire, as well asthe pulpit and communion table.

The building caught fire on Oct. 18.Thompsontold CBC News that investigators have been unable to determine the cause. Although the fire was contained to one area of the building, smoke damage spread, and Thompson said just about everything needs to be removed.

Even the steeple was taken offthe church building, and will be repaired on the ground.

"All the interior was completely damaged," he said.

On Wednesday, volunteers were ripping out fire-damaged wood. Norm James, the head of Triple-A Construction, said he hopes to have the repairs done in a year.

"It just hit me that we needed to do something to help out," he said."I just figured it would be a nice thing, a nice gesture to approach Bob and have a talk to the church board, which we did. And so we just took it on."

In the meantime, parishioners are meeting elsewhere the next service will be held at an Anglican church building in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Thompson said without volunteers, it would be much harder to get the church repaired.

"We have insurance, but it's not going to be enough insurance to completely do everything that's needed to be done here, right, so the volunteer help and the volunteer time and labour is going to be well worth it," he said.

"It's going to be money that we don't have to pay contractors full price to do the work, right? So it's going to be a great, great help."

According to the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, the church building was constructed in 1910, the year after the town's paper mill opened.

Bob Thompson said the very first church service performed in the developing town took place in thisbuilding.

And although the congregation has dwindled down below 100,from a high of more than 300 Thompson said the church has been such a big part of community life that people are coming forward to help out.

"This church has been here so long, it's in the character of Grand Falls-Windsor," said Lucien Forbes, a senior parishionerin the church who also works with the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society.

Forbes is volunteering himself, and said there will be no problem finding more volunteers in the community.

"Ifwe did lose it, it would have been a shame.It would have been an empty space here that everybody was pointing to."

And even as the volunteers used chainsaws and hammers to break up the damaged sections, Forbes said it wasn't hard to appreciate the history in the building.

"You know, the old woodwork. I think I pointed out that beam that looked like it was done by a shipbuilder, the way he shaped it. And no doubt they were shipbuilders in those days that were carpenters that built the first churches," he said.

"I'd say most of it was volunteer work at that time, too. So we're just carrying on."

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The oldest church in Grand Falls-Windsor is stripped to the studs - CBC.ca

The Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sarajevo, one of the national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), has attracted people of all religions from around the world for over a century, especially during the touristic season, for its beauty, spiritual and historical significance. One of the most famous visitors was Pope John Paul II, who was visiting in 1997. The Pope showed great appreciation of Sarajevo, but also of BiH, so it is not surprising that his monument is located right in front of the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

This place of worship still attracts a large number of tourists from the East and Middle East countries, and often visitors from Turkey, South Korea, Japan, but also a large number of people from our region.

The greatest credit for the construction of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sarajevo goes to Archbishop Josef Stadler and architect Josip Vancas.

First construction works, that is, excavations, began on August 25th, 1884, and the foundation stone was laid on November 20th, 1884 at 9 oclock.

The stone laying ceremony itself was simple, with the former President of the State Government Baron Ivan Appel hitting the ground three times with a golden shovel.

The Cathedral was completed in September 1889, and has been rebuilt several times so far, Radio Sarajevo reports.

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The Story of the Cathedral: 135 Years since the Foundation of the most beautiful Church in Sarajevo - Sarajevo Times

A $2.6 million project to renovate Benjamin Banneker Park will close the park and a portion of the W&OD Trail starting the week after Thanksgiving.

The project, which was given the green light in September, will widen the trails from 8 to 12 feet and upgrade the athletic field, playground, picnic area, dog park and more.

The park closure and trail detour were originally advertised as starting this week, but everything is still open, for now.

We are giving people a two week notice to make adjustments, said Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Susan Kalish. The trail and park will close December 3. Weve provided detour recommendations on sandwich boards around the park as well as online. We are putting up a banner at the dog park directing people to the web to find an alternative dog park.

Not everyone is happy about the trail detour, which will redirect pedestrian and bike traffic from the park near the East Falls Church Metro station to the busy intersection of N. Sycamore Street and 19th Street N., which has traffic lights and pedestrian crossing signals.

Many of us are caught off guard with the total closure of the trail between the creek and the soccer field for the duration of the project, said Kelly Alexis, a local resident, in an email to county staff that she also sent to ARLnow and other concerned residents.

Arlington County has provided only one re-route option funneling all pedestrian and bicycle traffic to the most congested possible intersection; passing across the entry and exit to the EFC Metro Kiss-and-ride lot, Alexis continued. This was not part of the plan that was presented to us at the open meetings and has a major impact on bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

In response to a request to complete trail construction first, before the other park changes, a county staffer said that was not a viable option for a number of reasons. Among them: the need to fence off the trail from the rest of the under-construction park thus creating asafety concern for users who would then have very limited egress through a long confined corridor in the park if they were endangered or injured.

Kalish said she is not aware of any plans to make changes to the detour.

Construction is currently expected to wrap up between July and September of 2020, according to the county website.

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Benjamin Banneker Park and Trail Closing Next Month - ARLnow