Eckington-Bloomingdale Blogging

North Capitol Main Street "Clean Team Sentinels" kickoff

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:14:00 -0800

See this message from Garry Clark, Executive Director, North Capitol Main Street, Inc.:

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here: http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001pbUA9HXeQV8N9LbF_DZoxSbmuhPiUvQd6nL9lUjjmVRDsbt2kKg4i40UoQH6mk2Tze8HPe8BJDL38bGFLDJMLjbZwKFsnrpHD4tcbBnY2Lo%3Dv

NORTH CAPITOL MAIN STREET, INC.
Press Release
For Immediate Release

North Capitol Main Street, Inc. Announces Launch of the NCMS Clean Team Sentinels

Kickoff Event - Tuesday, November 24th 11A.M.

NCMS Headquarters - 1703 North Capitol Street NE

Washington, D.C. -November 18, 2009 - NCMS is pleased to annouce the launch of its first BID Liter Clean Team for the NCMS corridor. NCMS, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, designated by D.C. Main Streets and funded by the Department of Small and Local Business Development. NCMS focuses on the commercial neighborhood revitalization of the NCMS corridor. NCMS recently received the grant approval from the Department of Small and Local Business Development. The grant will completely fund the 1st year of operations. NCMS will utilize the services of Capitol Hill BID - Ready, Willing, and Working during this first year. The NCMS Clean team will work five days a week from 10AM to 6PM.

The clean team effort will encompass the following NCMS boundary:

Rhode Island Avenue between Second Street, NW and North Capitol Street, NE
(northern boundary); North Capitol Street between Rhode Island Avenue, NE and New York Avenue, NE (eastern boundary); New York Avenue between Second Street, NW and North Capitol Street, NE (southern boundary); and First Street, NW between New York Avenue, NW and Rhode Island Avenue, NW (western boundary)

Background on the Clean Team Vendor

"Ready, Willing & Working" (RWW) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation that provides work opportunities and supportive services to homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals. The program's holistic approach empowers men to break the cycles of homelessness, welfare dependency and criminal recidivism and achieve permanent self-sufficiency. Most of the participants in the program will never see a shelter or be incarcerated again. RWW also provides maintenance, cleaning and landscaping serves the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District and Barracks Row Main Street. RWW President Patty Brosmer says "The NCMS Team is trained and ready to go to work making the area cleaner and more beautiful. With an emphasis on enjoying what we do and a philosophy that we are "serving the public," we are looking forward making a big difference for those who live, work and do business in the NCMS area." You'll see them out in force Tuesday through Saturday, sweeping, weeding, mowing overgrown areas, mulching tree boxes and installing light pole baskets and commercial planters with seasonal plantings.

Be sure to attend the NCMS Clean Team Sentinels - Kickoff Event:

Date: Tuesday.November 24, 2009
Time: 11A.M.
Location: NCMS Office
1703 North Capitol Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002

NORTH CAPITOL MAIN STREET, INC.
Garry Clark
Executive Director
Phone 202- 905- 6039
Fax:202- 269- 0014
Email:gclark @ ncmsinc.org

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 11/15/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:37:00 -0800

Here's hoping the weather is a little less dreary tomorrow for Open Houses in and around the neighborhood.

Thanksgiving Basket Give Away to needy families -- Saturday, 11/21/2009 -- seeking donations

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:07:00 -0800

See this message from Dr. JoAnn Perkins of Bloomingdale's World Missions for Christ Extension Center:

We are in the process of preparing for our November 21st Thanksgiving Basket Give Away to Needy Families.

Would you please post this information on the website, for we are looking for persons and organizations to donate Thanksgiving Baskets for the families in our community?

And should they like to make a donation that would allow us to purchase a basket for a family, we could give them a tax deductible receipt for whatever they decide to give.

And we are also looking for volunteers, persons who might want to come out and help with the give away. Please see information below for details regarding the November 21st Thanksgiving Basket GiveAway.

Thanks,

joAnn Perkins

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Friend,

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we need your help BIG TIME!!! in being able to provide baskets to inner-city families needing food to feed their families a Thanksgiving meal.

With so many people needing food for their Thanksgiving meal, we ask that you consider partnering with us by making a tax deductible donation that will help us provide food to the families asking for our HELP!!!

For a donation of $25.00 you can help feed a family of four.

The Community Thanksgiving Basket Give Away

Theme: HARVEST SEEDS OF LOVE IN LIVES OF PEOPLE YOU MEET EACH DAY

Saturday, November 21st
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
315 Rhode Island Ave., NW
10:00am

Come join us as we give Thanksgiving baskets to those in need!

Mission Statement:

As a community-based organization, the EXTENSION Center’s mission is to provide educational training services that positively impact lives of children, youth and adults living in inner-city neighborhoods.
To accomplish our mission we sponsor 7 rallies, 6 educational training programs and Good Samaritan Emergency Compassion Relief Projects for people needing help
getting back on their feet.
Contact Us
Extension Center
1720 1st St. NW.
Washington, DC 20001
Phone:
202. 387. 3082
Extensioncenter @ verizon.net
www.extensioncenter-dc.org

Open Houses in and around Bloomingdale for 11/08/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:10:00 -0800

Open Houses!

interviewing neighborhood elders

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:19:00 -0800

See this message from Bloomingdale resident Melanie St. Ours:

Dear Neighbors,

I'm writing to enlist your help with my latest community-based performance endeavor! The piece we're working to create will be an original play that explores and builds connections between elders and young adults, weaving together elements of oral history and remembrance, and sharing vital wisdom that will help the younger generations build a sustainable future. We're very early in the process, but the topic is already starting to catch fire and ignite some wonderful conversations. I'd really love for the seniors among you to consider my invitation to be interviewed, and for the younger folks, it would be wonderful if you could talk with the seniors in your life to see if they'd be interested in contributing an interview to the project. Of course, I am happy to answer any questions that you may have before you make a decision.

Right now, my collaborator and I are conducting interviews with senior citizens, particularly those of the World War II generation, as part of our script-building process. This generation has seen such amazing things, from World War II and the Great Depression to the Civil Rights and Women's Movements, all of which have relevance to our current struggles. In addition to their memories of the "big events" that are recorded in other histories, they also hold a wealth of experiences, beliefs, strategies, lessons, and strengths that history books can never capture. It is from the richness of their ideas, memories, advice, and dreams that we're beginning to create this theater project.

My partner and I will conduct interviews one-on-one, or in a group, depending on what each participant prefers. Each interview will be recorded in a digital audio format, and will be used to build the script of the play. Additionally, the voice recordings may be played during the performances. Interviews can be scheduled in the afternoon, evening, or during the weekend, and will be conducted at the location of the interviewee's choosing. (We will travel to you.) The interviews are informal, and feel like comfortable conversations over a cup of tea. So far, they've been fun and enriching for everyone involved.

If you're an elder in our community with a story to tell, this is your chance!

It's also possible, for those of you who are interested in having these interviews as part of your own family history, to arrange to conduct an interview yourself. You'll need your own digital audio recorder and we'll provide you with a few simple guidelines to help make your interview a success. This is a really wonderful activity for after Thanksgiving dinner....

Please feel free to be in touch with me via email or telephone (443.812.9407) if you have any questions at all, or if you're interested in starting the process.
Thank-you, Bloomingdale, for all of your support!

Very best,

Melanie St. Ours

the end (for now)

IMGoph — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:40:00 -0800

i'm going to rip off the sign-off post from one of my favorite blogs, stop, blog, and roll. jaime, the founder and creative force behind the blog, was one of my primary motivators when it came time to start this neighborhood blog. when i moved here, she helped me set up bloomingdale (for now), and for that i'm forever grateful.

anyway, the short story is that i've moved out of bloomingdale. the third post on this blog explained that i called the blog bloomingdale (for now) because i believed my move to the neighborhood could be temporary. i said from the get-go that i would move if i couldn't find a house to buy in bloomingdale.

well, i looked, but there was nothing in my price range in the neighborhood. working for a non-profit doesn't allow one to afford the prices in this part of the city if you want a rowhouse (not condo). so, i looked far-and-wide for a place that fell into my price range. in the end, i bought a house in trinidad.

i've been in trinidad for two months now. i love it. this house is amazing, the neighbors are friendly (as friendly as bloomingdale, i dare say!), and i'm still a short bike ride downtown to work. it's been interesting learning the minute details of a whole new part of town.

the short of it is this: i lived in and loved bloomingdale for 3 years. i started this blog as my small way of serving the community. now that i no longer live in the neighborhood, it's time to hang things up here.

my heartfelt thanks go to everyone who supported this endeavor in one way or another - readers, commenters, lurkers, linkers, etc., and particularly sean and scott who have ran the bloomingdale blog in the time i've been here.

i'm going to leave everything up for posterity, and work on establishing something new in trinidad soon. i'll update this post when i have a new digital home ready to go.

thank you all. remember to be kind to each other, appreciate each day, and continue to work in any way you can to strengthen the community.

excited about Bloomingdale

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:28:00 -0800

See this comment by a Rhode Island Avenue NW resident:

I'm a Bloomingdalian who is excited to be in the neighborhood during what will in hindsight be known as the great resurgence... I was at a party and people actually knew Bloomingdale - some said they were actively looking to be in our neighborhood because of its proximity to downtown and because of all the development happening around us. These were folks who are actively looking to relocate from Adams Morgan and parts of Columbia Heights because of parking problems, increasing crime and proximity to downtown.
I was astounded - three years ago when I mentioned Bloomingdale folks looked at me like I was talking about a department store - no not Bloomingdale's... dummy, BloomingDALE, over by LeDroit Park...
With all the activity going on, continued development including the condos right across NJ Ave, and what's slated for the sand filtration plant I, for one, am not going any place.
If you've got a foothold here, you should think twice before uprooting and rolling out. This is actually a place that I love to be.

seeking referrals for radiator maintenance

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:49:00 -0800

A resident on the unit block of Seaton Place NW has this request:

Does anyone still use radiators for heat and have a company they use that they are happy with? I love my radiators and do not want to give them up, but am having a hard time finding people who still work on them.

HU is updating its campus plan -- care to take the campus plan survey ?

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:32:00 -0800

See this request from Maybelle Taylor Bennett, Director, Howard University Community Association:

I would appreciate it if you could circulate this message on your listservs and to your various networks.

As many of our neighbors are aware, Howard University is updating its campus plan in accordance with the Zoning Commission's requirement that such an update take place once every ten years. Part of this plan includes the development of the Howard Town Center, a project described in some detail in the DUKE Plan, enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia on June 21, 2005, which had a great deal of stakeholder input. Following the most recent selection of a developer for the Town Center, a series of meetings took place in August, September and October, where a number of neighbors became more familiar with the most current plans for the project. The Pleasant Plains Civic Association hosted the first meeting on August 31st. Commissioner Gail Holness of Single Member District 1B11, where the project is located, hosted a second presentation on September 14th. The LeDroit Park Civic Association included this presentation on their agenda on September 22nd, and ANC 1B included the presentation of this project at their October 4th meeting. Questions about the project were entertained and suggestions for the enrichment of the plan were received.

Howard University is continuing the data collection phase of its campus planning process, and as part of that process, we are engaging our neighbors in a more comprehensive way than we have in the past. This includes:

• participation in quarterly Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings, which have taken place continuously since 1998, and includes area residents, civic association leaders, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, church, business and community organization representatives in the area;

• participation in individual interviews of community members from these same groups, which were conducted in September, 2009;

• participation on campus plan working groups which will be organized once the campus plan team has collected and analyzed enough data to report back for review and discussion; and
• participation in a community-wide survey that is distributed on-line and in hard copy for those without computers.

With this communication, we are inviting our neighbors to fill out the survey attached in the link below:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229PW39UT5J

Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback on this survey. As the draft campus plan begins to come together, we will be making presentations at area ANC and civic association meetings, so that we can receive your feedback at that point as well.

We look forward to your participation, and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Maybelle Taylor Bennett
Director
Howard University Community Association
2731 Georgia Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Ph: (202) 806 - 4771
Fx: (202) 667 - 5964

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 11/01/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:52:00 -0700

Two pieces of legislation that can have a significant affect on the property values in our neighborhood are in process this week. Congress has passed an extension of the FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac higher loan limits through 2010. The President is expected to sign off on this quickly. This helps there to be affordable mortgage money available for the purchase of homes in the price ranges found in DC. The other very important legislation that has had much debate recently is the extension of the Federal Tax Credit for Home Buyers. The current proposed legislation extends the credit into next Spring. It also expands the people that it serves by increasing income limits and by allowing some current property owners to access the credit. Hopefully, a vote will be scheduled for next week.

And here are open houses for Sunday.

feedback on 1st St NW home that broken into and the resident who was "bound with wire and tape"

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:10:00 -0700

First, see this message from Bloomingdale resident Joe Levesque regarding this recent crime reported on the MPD-5D list:

HORRIBLE CRIME IN BLOOMINGDALE ON 1700 FIRST ST
NW
FIRST STREET NW, 1700 block, 1:25 p.m. Oct. 16.
A man entered a residence and assaulted a person. The person was then bound with wire and tape. The assailant fled with property.
I can't believe that someone in Bloomingdale had to endure being bound with wire and held hostage while a thief steals their belongings. That person must have been deathly frightened not knowing if they would be killed in their own home. Note that this happened around noon time! This same awful scene happened a few years ago on the 2100 block of First St NW. A home owner, a strong 30 yr old male, went into the alley at 8 PM to empty the trash. He was abducted at gun point by 2 men lurking in the alley, taken into his house, and bound and gagged in the kitchen. He had two dogs, one ran upstairs, the other was shot. The assailants started to haul items out the rear door as the owner sat tied on the kitchen floor, wondering if he also would be killed. Neighbors noticed this activity and called 911. Police arrested the scumbags. The two owners said screw this, sold their house and moved to Washington state. They didn't feel safe in their own home anymore. Keep your doors locked at all times and call police if something seems odd.

Now read this feedback from a resident on the unit block of S Street NW:

Just wanted to make a follow-up comment in addition to Mr. Levesque's on the home invasion/robbery. I was shocked that I first read about this in the Bloomingdale email! We get the MPD updates and didn't hear anything - being from a smaller community, an event like this would have been front-page news, followed up with tips on what happened, what the risk factors were, what citizens should be looking out for (suspect, description - where are the "wanted" posters with the suspect's description?), and what you can do to protect yourself - in your own home - at lunch time no less. I'm always shocked these crimes are taking place right next door to us in broad daylight or even at 9 PM when all of our neighbors are home. I realize it's hard to hear through the brick rowhouses and hard to look out if you only have windows in the back, but please take a moment to look out your window if you hear shouting and take a moment to call 911 if you see something suspicious! I sometimes feel I'm completely alone walking down the deserted sidewalk at night, yet I know I'm surrounded by people inside their homes and since everyone's decks and yards are out back, the main streets are devoid of neighborhood "eyes". I'd also like to get more information as soon as possible from our police force on this home invasion, what the risk factors were for this individual and what we need to be looking out for!!

Friday Misc pt 2

Mari — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:10:00 -0700

the drug dealers are back in Bloomingdale

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:29:00 -0700

See this 10/27/2009 message from Bloomingdale resident Todd Crosby:

Was it my imagination, but I had thought that the street hoodlums that hang out on the corners had abandoned Bloomingdale last spring... until just the past few weeks. It was such a nice spring and summer: no bullets flying, no loitering drug dealers on the corners -- a great community. I thought that we had turned a corner and that those guys had given up on the drug markets in this community and had moved on.

However, in the past, literally, 3 weeks they've all returned.

Drug dealers hanging out in the old haunts, shootings in the same places...the helicopters...it's all back. What happened? Anyone know what the word on the street is? Did the police release a bunch back of the crew back into the community? Did some gangs just decide to retake the corners? It's like night and day.

It was a nice preview of what Bloomingdale can look without these street thugs plying their trade here. I'm a bit disappointed to see them back.

Bloomingdale resident Peter Frampton's letter to CM Thomas on Chancellor Michelle Rhee

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:44:00 -0700

Bloomingdale resident Peter Frampton asked me to post his Email to Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. and the subsequent reply.

So here you go.

From: "Thomas, Harry (COUNCIL)"
Date: October 27,
2009 7:40:13 PM CDT
To: Peter Frampton
Cc: Carole Frampton,
"Rodgers, Neil (COUNCIL)", "Pittman, James (COUNCIL)", "Nix, Susan (COUNCIL)"
Subject: RE: We support DC School Reform
thanks for your email and sharing your concerns.

From: Peter Frampton Sent:
Tuesday,
October 27, 2009 8:05 PMTo: Thomas, Harry (COUNCIL)Cc: Carole Frampton
Subject: We support DC School Reform

Dear Mr Thomas,

as residents of Thomas St NW, Ward 5, with two girls in the DC Public School system, we support Michelle Rhee in her efforts to reform the school system. Change was never going to be easy nor painless, but it is really making a difference in the lives of the children who are most dependent upon the school system to achieve their dreams in life.
Please support Michelle Rhee's efforts. She's doing it for the children.

Many thanks for your services to the city and in our Ward.

With kind regards,
Peter Frampton,
father of Chloe 7 and Lydia 5, who attend Ross Elementary.

Peter Frampton
Thomas St NW
Washington DC
20001 USA

Care to commment?

Let us review, once again, what the rules are for posting comments:

1) Identify yourself. A full name would be best, but at least include a first name.

2) Identify your neighborhood.

3) Totally anonymous posts will not be allowed and be deleted, regardless of the content of the comment. BOTH name and neighborhood name are required!

Thanks for honoring the rules.

"how can we get the police to focus on our area more?"

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:27:00 -0700

See this 10/26/2009 message from Bloomingdale resident Alexandra:

I feel like crime, especially dangerous/violent crime, has escalated in this neighborhood over the last few months. I don't dare walk my dog at night anymore. It also concerns me that I do not see many police cars patrolling the area, despite all the recent events. And I don't know what needs to be done at this point. Though a gated community is not the solution, perhaps something like private neighborhood security patrols or more video cameras should be considered.
What else can/should be done?
How can we get the police to focus on our area more? Please don't respond by telling me to leave the neighborhood - I live in Bloomingdale because I love it, but also don't want to feel like I can't leave my house in the evening (or the morning, for that matter considering that many horrible events have occurred during daylight) without a high chance of getting mugged or worse. My thoughts go out to all who have had to experience these ordeals firsthand.

New York Pizza's bullet-proof glass -- support or oppose?

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:19:00 -0700

The KFC at 2 Florida Avenue NE recently re-opened as a New York Pizza restaurant.

The interior is more or less the same as the KFC -- there is bullet-proof glass greeting the customer.

Some residents support the presence of the bullet-proof glass; others oppose it.

Here are some recent comments:

I was wondering --- Have any of those persons commenting negatively about these precautions ever had to work in one of these establishments and deal on a daily basis with all the different types of persons that come in to do business. Have they ever been the only attendant in one of these establishments. Until our neighborhood changes even more than it has, I applaud the business owners for taking precautions to take care of the safety of themselves and their employees.

Walk a mile in the shoes of the workers. Try to support these businesses so that we can have more establishments to service our needs locally.

-- Long time resident of 4th Street, Northwest

I would like to thank the posters who will not visit stores with glass, you are part of the reason that Luciano's on P and N. Cap is no longer in business. Before they closed, a few windows were broken and an ATM was ripped from the wall. In that environment, glass is a matter of personal safety. Comparing Big Bear which only has daylight hours to a place which is open until 1am on the weekends is a bit of a stretch. Five Guys is also in a bit of a better situation as there isn't a large population of vagrants camping outside. I would invite you to open up a minimally staffed restaurant without glass and see how safe that intersection is.

-- 1500 block of 1st Street NW resident.

What do YOU think?

And let’s review, once again, what the rules are for posting comments:

1) Identify yourself. A full name would be best, but at least include a first name.

2) Identify your neighborhood.

3) Totally anonymous posts will not be allowed and be deleted, regardless of the content of the comment.

BOTH name and neighborhood name are required! Thanks for honoring the rules.

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 10/25/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:44:00 -0700

The list is here.

Now Sunday! Bloomingdale House Tour shuffled from Saturday to Sunday

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:56:00 -0700

****Date Change****

Due to 80% chance of rain tomorrow, the Bloomingdale House Tour has been moved to Sunday, October 25. You still have time to purchase tickets! Details below...

The Bloomingdale Civic Association Presents "Victorian Secrets"

A Fund Raising House Tour

Sunday, October 25, 2009

1-5:00 PM

This tour features 8 private homes in the Bloomingdale neighborhood - from a home that once housed nuns, to a home with an incredible garden oasis, to a North Capitol Main Street board member's lovely abode, to the best rooftop view in DC! Afterwards, join the end-of-the-tour party at the Anna J Cooper house and enjoy fantastic food & the smooth sounds of jazz artist, and Bloomingdale resident, Maurice Lyles.

This is a fund raiser to benefit the Bloomingdale Civic Association's cooperative work and commitment to the citizens of this community.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of the tour (children 7-12 ½ price, under 7 free) and can be purchased at Bloomingdale Wine & Spirits, 1st and Rhode Island Ave., NW, Mon-Fri and at Big Bear Cafe on the day of the event.

You may also contact J.C. Blount, 202/986- 2772, J.C. Bond, 202/328- 3068 or Laurie Choice, 202/797- 7407 for additional information or to volunteer.

North Capitol Main Street Meet and Greet Fundraiser

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:27:00 -0700

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here: http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001oXhWNqUJKjwcoWg11hhavoMBhheQNDFlWK7nt8q2jChL1sxiEUJA6cFD9i0hGSUI159Kw1R-sMpfpw3eLe7EBCADqI-VH_AzOZbfhPsO12s%3D

North Capitol Main Street, Inc. Fall Meet and Greet Fundraiser
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22,2009
6:30pm -8:30pm
2035 2ND STREET NW
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001

You are Cordially Invited to the North Capitol Main Street, Inc. Fall Fundraising Drive. Thursday, October 22nd from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.

Come and enjoy this NCMS Happy Hour opportunity to help support NCMS' efforts in Eckington, Bloomingdale, Truxton Circle neighborhoods.

This is an open networking event for all local residents, business owners and professionals to network and make contacts. Please forward this invitation to friends and co-workers. Drinks and snacks will be available. Donations are appreciated!

Where: Parker Flats Condo's 2035 2nd St NW Washington, DC 20001

When: Thursday, October 22, 2009
6:30PM to 8:30PM

Hosts: North Capitol Main Street,Inc.
Parker Flats' Condo Association

Please Note: Donations will be appreciated!

Interested in joining the North Capitol Main Street Effort? What are we looking for? We need your help in obtaining project volunteers, new excited members, and potential board members.

Ready to start right away? Contact Garry Clark @ http://us.mc5.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=gclark@ncmsinc.org or call 202-905-6039

Get involved and help lead the way to neighborhood revitalization today! Garry ClarkNorth Capitol Main Street, Inc.

North Capitol Main Street is funded by the Department of Small and Local Business Development and D.C. Main Streets

UPDATE: meeting tonight to discuss possible destruction of boxer girl mural

IMGoph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:11:00 -0700

UPDATE: here's the word from someone who attended last night's meeeting:

Nothing accomplished. Pretty poorly run meeting and it didn't ask for community input. DCCAH said they've changed their policy but there's no mechanism to reverse what's done. Someone had actually asked police to see if it caused an increase in crime. They said there has been a 55% decrease.

ORIGINAL POST:
(i received this information in an email from sean over the weekend)

tonight's bloomingdale civic association meeting will include discussion about the boxer girl mural. there seems to be a lot of pressure on the city to destroy the mural and the mayor's office is considering it.

if you are in support of this mural, or at least in support of the artist and property owner, please come to the meeting. in general it seems that dccah has taken a lot of heat this year, especially with public art. i imagine this is a pretty important discussion.

more info and images in these links:

bloomingdale (for now)
adventures of hoogrrl!
washington city paper: housing complex

you do not need to be a member of the civic association or a neighbor to attend.

monday night.
7:00 pm
160 u street nw
st. george's episcopal church

i'm very clearly in support of art that challenges, art that makes you think, and art that helps give us a sense of unique place. the conservative, almost reactionary, response from some quarters to this art installation worries me. i feel successful destruction of this art will lead to further attempts to quash creative growth in the city.

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 10/18/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:23:00 -0700

Here is the list!

Sean Hennessey & Rania Hassan Art Events Newsletter Fall Edition

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:58:00 -0700

Hello friends, If you’ve been following us via twitter, blog, or facebook, you’ll know we’ve been quite busy in the art and craft world.We want to thank you all for visiting us at Crafty Bastards, Arts on Foot, and the Common Elements show. We really appreciate the support. Below is a list of current and upcoming events. We hope to see you soon!

Thanks,Sean Hennessey & Rania Hassan.

. News .

Rania was profiled in the cover story of the Washington Post Weekend on October 2 in an article titled Crafts With an Edge. Click here to read.

. Gallery Neptune .

Opening tomorrow night, Rania’s exhibit at Gallery Neptune will feature new directions in her Knit Together series in a two-person show with metal sculptor Joyce Zipperer.

The show opens tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, 7-9pm, and will run through November 14. According to dcist, and Daily Candy, you'll really want to see this show. Gallery Neptune5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 [2nd Floor]
A few blocks from Bethesda Metro Station [Red Line]
Click here for map

Gallery Hours:
Thursday–Saturday, 12-5 pm, also by appointmentPlease see web site for details and additional event information.

. James Renwick Alliance Day .
Rania and Sean are both participating in this James Renwick Alliance Craft Artist Exhibit and Sale.

From the web site: JRA Day is sponsored by the James Renwick Alliance, an independent national nonprofit organization that celebrates the achievements of America’s craft artists and fosters scholarship, education and public appreciation of craft art. The JRA was founded in 1982 and is the exclusive support group for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, our nation’s showcase of contemporary American craft.JRA Day
The Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase7931 Connecticut Ave NW, Chevy Chase, MDSaturday, 11am-5pm
map and directions

Admission:$5 for James Renwick Alliance members$7 for non-members
Free Parkingplease visit web site for details

. Artwork Online .
Our smaller pieces can be purchased online anytime and shipped anywhere around the world.

Rania's illustrated Moleskine and knit paintings are at: shoofly.etsy.com

Sean's experimental pieces in glass and concrete can be found at scenicartisans.etsy.com

. Follow Us .

Looking for more details about what we're up to? There are many ways to keep track of us, here are some of our links!
:: Sean Hennessey ::Email: art@wheresmycoffee.comTel: 202.550.4634Blog: : wheresmycoffee.comArt portfolio: dcsean.comTwitter: twitter.com/wheresmycoffeeFlickr: flickr.com/wheresmycoffeeFacebook: facebook.com/pages/Sean-Hennessey

:: Rania Hassan ::Email: darnknit@gmail.comTel: 202.320.9300Blog: goshdarnknit.comArt portfolio: raniahassan.comNotebook Portfolio: trunkt.org/shooflyTwitter: twitter.com/goshdarnknitFlickr: flickr.com/goshdarnknit.comFacebook: facebook.com/pages/goshdarnknit

Please be sure to visit event links posted above to make sure dates haven't changed since sending this out. Thanks for reading down this far, we hope to see you sometime soon at one of our events!

North Capitol Main Street Fall meet-and-greet fundraiser at Parker Flats

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:56:00 -0700

See this message from Garry Clark, Executive Director, North Capitol Main Street, Inc.

North Capitol Main Street, Inc. Fall Meet and Greet Fundraiser
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22,2009
6:30pm -8:30pm

You are Cordially Invited to the North Capitol Main Street, Inc. Fall Fundraising Drive. Thursday, October 22nd from 6:30PM to 8:30PM.

Come and enjoy this NCMS Happy Hour opportunity to help support NCMS' efforts in Eckington, Bloomingdale, Truxton Circle neighborhoods.

This is an open networking event for all local residents, business owners and professionals to network and make contacts. Please forward this invitation to friends and co-workers. Drinks and snacks will be available. A $25.00 donation is requested.

Where: Parker Flats at Gage School Condos
2035 2nd St NW Washington, DC 20001

When: Thursday, October 22, 2009
6:30PM to 8:30PM

Hosts: North Capitol Main Street,Inc.
Parker Flats' Condo Association

Please Note: a $25.00 donation is requested.

Interested in joining the North Capitol Main Street Effort? What are we looking for? We need your help in obtaining project volunteers, new excited members, and potential board members.

Ready to start right away?

Contact Garry Clark at

gclark@ncmsinc.org or call 202-905-6039

Get involved and help lead the way to neighborhood revitalization today!

Garry ClarkNorth Capitol
Main Street, Inc.

North Capitol Main Street is funded by the Department of Small and Local Business Development and D.C. Main Streets.

Stu Davenport's development company saves the day in WCP's Housing Complex

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:44:00 -0700

Have your ever read Ruth Samuelson's Housing Complex column in the Washington City Paper?

This week's Housing Complex column centers upon a Florida Avenue NW rowhouse renovation nightmare.

Who helped the hapless homeowner with some renovations when his original contractor failed to do so?

None other than Stu Davenport and his development company.

Go here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2009/10/14/florida-avenue-grilling/

an open letter to Pat Mitchell of north capital main street

IMGoph — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:30:00 -0700

editor's note: i've been meaning to post this for months, literally, but life intervened and kept me from doing so. my apologies to be dredging up something so old, but i still feel it's necessary to set the record straight...

on tuesday, july 21st, i posted a quick blurb about the planters in front of the dc mini market. in that post, i made an observation about the state of some of the planters in the sidewalk space there on first street, and i made a brief, not-well-elaborated recommendation for how i thought the space could be more welcoming for all the people who use it on a daily basis.

the blog post was picked up and mentioned in scott roberts' daily bloomingdale email, where it was noted that i had "squawk[ed]" about the planter. scott received the following feedback from neighborhood resident Rene Albacete:

To the person that complained about the planters in front of the mini-mart. Instead of complaining about it why don't you role up your sleeves and take it on as a community project and maintain the planters yourself? It's a small enough task for one person to handle or coordinate. I've personally taken on many such projects.

then, a couple days later, north capitol main street board president pat mitchell posted the following longer reply to scott's email listserv:

In answer to the Bloomingdale Squawker’s comments:

North Capitol Main Street, is working to revitalize the commercial corridors within the neighborhoods that surround its district. Currently, our Storefront Improvement Pilot Program requirements specify that the funding goes to actual façade improvement projects – glass, paint, security grates, signage and lighting. We have been working to convince and assist the business owners to take advantage of this free program. Many of the businesses have not been able to comply so far with the requirements of providing a “Clean Hands” and “Certificate of Good Standing” from the DCRA – a reasonable requirement if you’re going to receive grant funds, right? However, we have been successful, thus far, in signing up five businesses to receive the improvement grant. Our intent it so show significant physical improvements during this trial period with the goal of applying for larger, more substantial Storefront Improvement grants in the future.

TMI, you say? Well, maybe . . . but we take the Bloomingdale Squawker’s squawking as an opportunity to inform and invite you to, as long-time resident and community activist Rene Albacete so succinctly put it, “roll up your sleeves and get involved”. NCMS is a volunteer-driven organization that can only work for the good of the community if people are involved. Many small businesses need a lot of support and services in order to have them meet the expectations and better serve emerging neighborhoods like Bloomingdale, Eckington and Truxton Circle/Bates.

But here’s the good news: We have applied for and received a Clean Team Grant, specific funding to address clean, safe and beautification issues. Beginning next month you will begin to see Clean and Safe Ambassadors within your neighborhoods doing the work that is so difficult to get volunteers to commit to doing on a consistent basis, like picking up trash, sweeping the sidewalks, maintaining tree-boxes, watering plants, etc. We don’t know how long this program will be funded – we have a budget and funding for one year – but we certainly are going to take full advantage of it and encourage your support for the continuance of the program. The Clean team grant ensures that the business corridor remains clean and walk-able, and that all beautification projects such as tree boxes, flower pots and planters are maintained on a weekly basis. The service provider we have chosen for the Clean Team Program is Ready, Willing and Working, headed by Patty Brosmer of the Capitol Hill BID, a fantastic organization.

And to the Bloomingdale Squawker’s point of broken planters in front of the Mini Mart, as an example of good faith and how eager, Ready & Willing to Work the new Clean Team is, they have already removed the broken planters and mulched and pruned 5 yucca plants on the 1st Street NW corridor. (This is without pay – we’re waiting on the funds from DCRA to get them fully on board.)

We invite you to take a look and, more importantly, come out and support the businesses and your community this weekend for the First on 1st Art + Music Walk – Noon to 4:00 p.m.

For more details on the NCMS efforts, please contact Garry Clark @ 202-905-6039 or glark @ ncmsinc.org .

since my post was replied to in a public forum, i believe that another public forum, (like this blog) would be an appropriate place to reply to her comments.

first of all, allow me to address the name i've been given by Ms. Mitchell, i.e. "the Bloomingdale Squawker." i have posted to this blog, and other online media, using my screen name, "imgoph" (pronounced eye-em-gof, rhymes with "loaf") for years. my real name isn't something that i've used while writing this blog, and i believe that my selection of a nom de plume shouldn't be taken as an opportunity to call me names. it's a time-honored tradition in the united states, dating back to the writers of the federalist papers, for some writers to use a pen-name when publishing information or opinions that they would prefer are not easy to connect to one person. her repeated reference to me as "the Bloomingdale Squwaker" was clearly meant to be derogatory, and did the opposite of what she claimed to be trying to do, which is get members of the community excited to help her group make the north capitol street corridor the best it can be. shame on her for the unnecessary name calling.

now, to get to the heart of the matter, i believe that Rene Albacete and Pat Mitchell grossly misinterpreted the meaning and nature of my initial post on this topic, reading into it conclusions that i did not intend to be there. that is their right, but i intend to set the record straight now.

the point of my post was that the area on 1st street in front of the liquor store could be a vibrant "downtown" for the bloomingdale neighborhood, as i had taken to nicknaming the area. instead, one is often confronted with the local drunks who spend the day in this space panhandling, urinating on the sidewalk and on nearby homes, and harassing passers-by. these gentlemen are not hardened criminals, to the best of my knowledge, but they certainly lend an air of "don't bother investing here, the locals use it as an outdoor toilet" to the strip.

i lived on the corner of 1st and seaton for 3 years, and nearly every day i walked up and down that short stretch of "downtown bloomingdale," picking up garbage and other detritus that had accumulated in the gutters and on the adjacent sidewalks. i didn't ask for recognition—i was simply doing what i thought a good neighbor should do, and what i was capable of doing with my limited time and influence. since i have been able to use this blog as a platform to inform people about neighborhood goings-on, i thought it would be a good opportunity to start a conversation about how we can make that stretch better for the people who spend much of their time there. maybe if they saw that the area was being made better in a way that would both help them (by giving them a place to sit other than on the treeboxes) and everyone else (by helping businesses see that our neighborhood is worth investing in), it could be a win-win situation. i guess my comment didn't come across that way to Ms. Mitchell. for that, i apologize to her and also to my readership, because nothing demonstrates the failure of a writer more than the failure to communicate.

(with all that off my chest, i'll have more news about the direction of this blog very soon...)

From a R St NW resident who despises the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:11:00 -0700

Recent commment about the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market by Bloomingdale resident Joe Levesque:

I love the urban mix at our farmers market here in Bloomingdale:

Old fashion live fiddle music,

Ultra chique menu items with fab ingredients

FREE Bicycle repairs and tune-up

No wonder Bloomingdale Farmers market is the 7th favorite small market in the entire USA!!!

And here is some follow-up statements from a Bloomingdale resident on the 100 block of R Street NW, who has made unfavorable remarks about the Bloomingdale Farmers' Market in the past:

I resent the hijacking of our very small block for the privileged few who pay exorbitant prices to vendors who do not even live in our neighborhood or DC.

The tacky and illegal pcv/metal pipe and other homemade sign posts that litter our beautiful tree boxes so as to promote this dreadful market (these must be removed immediately as they are against city ordinance).

The arrogance of a few (including our ANC rep and owner of Big Bear) who does what's best for (his)business and NOT the the citizens of the 100 block of R Street NW. I am hoping someone will run against him during the next election.

What is the source document for claiming 7th in the USA?

I suspect the original poster meant chic and NOT chique. For many of the old time neighbors, however, BFM fiddle music and menu items are from chic!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And let’s review, once again, what the rules are for posting comments:
1) Identify yourself. A full name would be best, but at least include a first name.
2) Identify your neighborhood.
3) Totally anonymous posts will not be allowed and be deleted, regardless of the content of the comment.
BOTH name and neighborhood name are required! Thanks for honoring the rules.

Open Houses scheduled in and around Bloomingdale for 10/11/2009

Suzanne in Bloomingdale — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:05:00 -0700

Here is the list of scheduled Open Houses for Sunday.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – construction update

flatland — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:42:31 -0700

As Fall settles in, the progress of the Metropolitan Branch Trail construction could be viewed as a half-full/half-empty depending on the observer:

Asphalt has been placed from the Franklin St/8th St northern terminus down to the Rhode Island Ave overpass; and from T St down to just before R Street, but,
The gap from Rhode Island to T St appears to be waiting on significant grading work necessary to account for large drop-off on the western shoulder of the Trail.

Solar light-posts have been installed along the paved sections (and should be working at night already), but,
No fencing has been erected (save the small section down the 8th St ramp) to discourage vandalism and squatting. Broken bottles are starting to crop up along the paved sections and homeless storage is appearing along the Trail.

Access paths have been partially constructed at 8th St, S Street and T Street, but,
R Street and V Street access paths have yet to begun. The pedestrian bridge that connects the Trail to the Rhode Island Ave Metro Station is more than a year away.

Finally, the Trail nearing a milestone (a fenced, paved path from Franklin St to R Street), but,
The segment from R Street to just under the New York Ave overpass may not be completed until the Spring. This would mean the Trail will continue to not connect to any Metro Station and require users (after taken a large detour around Pepco and FedEx property) to still cross the Florida Ave/New York Ave intersection.

…

Franklin St/8th St access path

The last bullet-point is the most critical issue. It must be noted that DDOT has been working hard to move this impasse created by WMATA and has hinted (not promised) that the segment could be completed this November. They have also indicated their interest in completing the Trail as soon as possible by suggesting that the cold weather may not prevent completion of this short segment (assuming WMATA delivers their paperwork) since the asphalt is being produced just a few blocks away at Fort Myer Construction’s plant–allowing it to be delivered plenty hot for its placement.

Thanks goes to DDOT for devoting such efforts to a project that is tiny, in terms of monetary values, for their overall portfolio, yet extremely large, in terms of its value to our community.

george will appreciation society?

IMGoph — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:58:00 -0700

check this out—it would appear that kathleen parker, a not-that-great (read: she never really says anything of particular value) opinion writer for the wapo's opinion page, pays homage to george will's verbal tic of using the word "well" as a stand-alone sentence.

Well, as George Will would say.

here's the link the to second page of the article, where the above quote is located.

care to comment on the proposed revised regulations for neighborhood historic designation ??

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:59:00 -0700

See the message below from Capitol Hill resident Nancy Metzger and head of the DC Historic Districts Coalition.

The Thursday, October 22, 2009 Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) meeting agenda includes "taking comments" on the proposed revised regulations for historic district designation.

There has been heated and lively commentary on neighborhood lists regarding the topic of having neighborhoods historically designated.

If you feel passionate on this topic -- in opposition or support -- you are invited to participate in the discussion. One opportunity is the upcoming HPRB meeting.

REGULATIONS FOR HISTORIC LANDMARK AND HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATIONS

A final draft of new regulations for designating historic districts and historic landmarks has been published and the Historic Preservation Review Board will be taking comments at the October 22 meeting. These regulations have changed in important ways since the public participation issue was discussed last year at the Cheh-Bowser Bill legislative hearing.

At the Council hearing, many Historic Districts Coalition members and others in the preservation community testified about the importance of public participation in the process, but also suggested changes in the legislation that would have impacted the designation procedure. The complete regulations, showing corrections, can be accessed through the HPO web site.

Comments on the proposed regulation should be submitted, in writing, to Tersh Boasberg, Chairman, Historic Preservation Review Board, 2000 14th Street, NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20009.

Several key points:

· All property owners will be notified of pending designation and owners have the right to submit a statement to the Board before the hearing stating their objections or their support. (It appears that an earlier mail-back ballot idea has been dropped.)

· It would require a majority of owners expressing their opposition in written form to block the nomination. They could testify at a hearing but the staff would tally the written comments. If the Board feels that there is not broad community support, particularly as indicated by the written comments, then there’s a waiting period of 12 months before a nomination can be reconsidered. (The regs explicitly say the applicant doesn’t have to demonstrate universal support or support from those declining to register an opinion. This waiting period is a change from the much longer waiting periods suggested by the Cheh-Bowser bill but is in line with the federal regulations.)

· Although the regulations say listings in the DC Inventory can be amended or revoked, it also says properties may be removed only if they no longer meet the criteria for designation. ( So there does not seem to be a method to remove properties if they just become unpopular or inconvenient somehow.)

· There is a section that requires draft historic district guidelines for each individual historic district that must be distributed before a determination is made by the Board. (The guidelines would be revised later, taking into account comments from the Board and public, after the nomination is acted on. This follows the Foxhall Village adoption scenario.)

· In addition, there is a section that states the Board, Mayor’s Agent, and staff may use the Comprehensive Plan and the Historic Preservation Plan for “additional guidance on the listing of properties in the DC Inventory and on the review of construction affecting historic landmarks and historic districts.”

BACA votes to oppose LAYC at Cook School

Scott Roberts of Bloomingdale — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:23:00 -0700

I attended last night's Bates Area Civic Association (BACA) meeting held at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.

I took some notes.

Here are some of my notes, which should be classified as non-comprehensive and non- exhaustive.

The focus of the BACA meeting was the use of the JF Cook School on the unit block of P Street NW by the Latin American Youth Council (LAYC).

The local Truxton Circle / Bates area community in attendance overwhelmingly expressed opposition to the LAYC moving into the Cook School. The primary item of opposition appears to be the residential component of the school, which was not disclosed when LAYC came before the community on five occasions.

President Jim Berry said that the LAYC school will push back neighborhood retail development 30 years.

He invited the Mayor, who was in attendance, to look at the bigger picture – the methadone clinics, SOME, etc. “Your team didn’t look at the big picture. LAYC will have an adverse, disruptive presence.”

ANC 5C Chair Anita Bonds asked how we can support LAYC. “We are home to the Rayful Edmonds gang. We don’t want another gang in the neighborhood.” “If this is a done deal, you will have to help us determine how best this will work. We were hoping for retail.”

Bloomingdale resident Pat Mitchell commented that there is continued suppressing of retail opportunities. “There is not enough support to mitigate the offset of the social services.”

A number of students from LAYC (and parents? faculty? staff?) attended as well.

Residents challenged the RFP process used, which the Mayor defended.

Resident MaryAnn Wilmer asked why LAC couldn’t co-locate with the Phelps Vocational School. She stated that she strongly opposes LAYC coming in.

ANC 5C Commissioner Sylvia Pickney remarked that the school offers no benefit to the community.

Some guy in the rear of the room asked the Mayor what he would do to encourage economic development in the community.

The Mayor replied that the presence of social services does not hamper economic development.

The Mayor said that he would have his staff walk through the community in the next 30 days to address the issues raised at the meeting, such as the homeless, the intoxicated and the drug dealers hanging out the parks at 1st & Florida NW and 1st & New York Avenue NW.

The Mayor briefly described the Youth Build programs in Petworth and on Park Road NW. Both sites are near successful housing & retail developments. “I see this as a jar half full, not half empty. This doesn’t have to be either or.”

A female resident unknown to me commented that it was news that the school would have housing on the site – that was announced after-the-fact. Housing increases the scope of the project. She then described how buses drop off people from all over the city early in the morning in the neighborhood for breakfast at SOME and then hang out all day, etc., etc.

A 23-year-old student at LAYC spoke passionately about the school and how it has helped turned her life around for the better.

BACA President Jim Berry remarked that he would prefer to have the school available for economic development.

After the general discussion wrapped up – when the Mayor needed to depart – a number of meeting attendees, including most of the people associated with the charter school, also departed.

A woman who identified herself as someone with the school (principal? vice principal?) began describing the schools programs and benefits, but left the room upset and crying. She was clearly not happy that the school was not being welcomed into the community.

Then there was a reading of a resolution by BACA to oppose LAYC at the Cook School. The resolution was quite long, but I jotted down “saturation of social services.” The resolution asked the District to rescind the decision. The resolution passed. Similar resolutions were passed from the Hanover Civic Association and the Dunbar-Shaw Homeowner’s Association (which I have never heard of before). Only one resident at the meeting explicitly expressed support for the project.

It was noted that there was an interest in having an ANC 5C vote to support/oppose LAYC. Ostensibly, the vote was put on hold for a future meeting. So ANC 5C has not taken an official position (yet).

And I still don't understand the relationship of LAYC and Youth Build.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – DDOT drops the ball

flatland — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:14:55 -0700

UPDATE: As DDOT continues to keep silent on the matter, we are left with speculation on what happened to cause this huge delay to the project (Spring ‘10). Read two different explanations: a Rails-to-Trails Conservancy representative commented to this post here and the WashCycle commented to its own post here.

…

Having sailed by the July 22 contract deadline, and offering no reasons to the public for the delay, DDOT may have to finally fess up if the Trail gets delayed until Spring 2010!

The issue? Not securing right-of-way permits from WMATA for the section of the Trail from R ST NE to the New York Ave Bridge. DDOT cannot push blame onto a huge private entity like Pepco this time. No, this is an issue between two neighboring government agencies–one that DDOT should have addressed long ago and one it had experience with when the original segment of the Trail was constructed on WMATA right-of-way in 2003.

So what will that leave us with?

A trail that connects Franklin St to R St and a Trail that connects New York Ave Bridge to L St.
No trail access to either the Rhode Island Ave Metro Station or New York Ave Metro Station by the residents of Eckington or Edgewood.

…

I have hesitated asking for a “call to action” for the MBT’s incessant delays over the few years I have written this blog, but I feel now may be the time to try to seek help from fellow residents concerned about this trend.

To contact the Mayor’s office, via his chief of staff, Carrie Kohns, call (202.724.8815) or email her and the DDOT representatives your concerns. At a minimum, DDOT should provide a temporary path connecting the Trail’s R ST and New York Ave Bridge terminus so that its provides safe, off-street pedestrian and cycling access from the neighborhoods to the New York Ave Metro Station.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – Late Fall ‘09

flatland — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:52:42 -0700

More than a month after the July 22 contract deadline, Fort Myer Construction has yet to complete the Metropolitan Branch Trail and DDOT had yet to offer any update of the schedule to the public or the Mayor’s office. Today, the new website went live, but there is really no new information to anyone following the progress of the Trail.

However, DDOT did meet with Fort Myer today and relayed to me the following new estimated schedule:

Trail open: Late Fall

Trail completion (landscaping and other beautifications): Late Spring ‘10

Rhode Island Ave ped/bike bridge: Out for bid next year (meaning: likely 2011)

…

Again walking along the Trail site this past weekend, I can report only a tad more progress. The ramp up to 8th Street NE, underneath the Franklin Street overpass, is graded, but not paved. Grading has been done south to shopping center across from the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station.

Missing: All fencing; all paving; all landscaping; benches; safety phones; site-clearing south of R Street

Still present: lots of Fort Myer Construction materials and debris (from other projects); homeless people, their belongings and their waste under New York Avenue bridge.

Draft Rhode Island Ave ped/bike bridge

Other issues: Rhode Island pedestrian/bike bridge will not be completed before opening of Trail (Does anyone foresee a problem erecting a fence, blocking people from a shortcut they have been utilizing for over a decade? Fencing will be 6-8 ft aluminum–hopefully strong enough to thwart perturbed individuals); the on-again/off-again temporary access path to the Trail from Harry Thomas Way appears to be off the table–at least until development of the property.

Reasons offered (by DDOT) for delay: drainage issues (legal, not realized) onto neighboring land; right-of-way issues

…

D.C.’s homebuyer tax credit is a really good deal

flatland — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:32:45 -0700

While the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers is set to expire December 1, 2009 (but is likely to be extended), the similar, and ongoing, $5,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers in the District is not too shabby either. DCMud has put together a nice chart that compares the two existing credits and notes the potential advantages of the D.C. credit.

See the bolded notes below:

$8,000 Credit	$5,000 Credit
Anywhere in U.S.	Only in D.C.
Purchased principal residence by 11/30/09	Purchased principal residence in current year (subject to annual renewal)
Did not own a principal residence during preceding 3 years	Did not own a DC principal residence in D.C. during preceding year
Ineligible if modified AGI is $95,000 or greater ($170,000 if MFJ). Phase out begins at $75,000 ($150,000 MFJ)	Ineligible if modified AGI $90,000 or greater ($130,000 MFJ). Phase out begins at $70,000 ($110,000 MFJ)
Cannot claim if claimed D.C. First-Time Homebuyer Credit in any prior year	Cannot claim if eligible for First-Time Homebuyer Credit or if previously claimed the D.C. First-Time Homebuyer Credit
Repayment required if the residence is sold within 36 months	No repayment

'chuck brown way' not where everyone says it's going to be

IMGoph — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:45:00 -0700

if you go to chuck brown's website, or read this article at the washington examiner's website, you can see that they all say the unveiling of the 'chuck brown way' sign will take place on saturday (his birthday) at 7th and t nw, but this picture clearly shows the sign is ready to go at the corner of 7th and s nw (apologies for the clarity, this is the best we could do with jaime's phone).

sure, it's just a block down the street, but that has to matter given the official resolution passed by the council, right?

UPDATE: blogroll updates

IMGoph — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:58:00 -0700

UPDATE: after looking at things more closely, i realized there were many sites i left out of this update, so i'm including them here. in addition, i removed a few more sites after determining that they really haven't been active for quite a while. if they come back to life, i'll gladly add them back on the blogroll. i also alphabetized everything, with neighborhood blogs first, then other blogs alphabetized at the bottom.

added:

BeyondDC—not a neighborhood blog, but it covers a lot of topics that affect DC neighborhoods, so i've added this blog that i've long been following to the blogroll.
DC Address Coordinates—this blog, run by the DC GIS department, offers a fascinating look at how our building addresses are analyzed here in the city.
The Georgetown Metropolitan—this is an absolutely fantastic blog that gives daily news updates from georgetown, as well as interesting things like a series on architecture, discussion of neighborhood landmarks, and great photography.
Housing Complex—again, this is not specifically a neighborhood blog, but development in all of DC's neighborhoods gets very good coverage here.
Preserving DC Stables—a blog that advocates for the preservation of alley dwellings and businesses, which are (sadly) less common than they used to be in DC.
The WashCycle—the go-to blog for news about cycling in the DC area.

removed:

Columbia Heights News—this website hasn't been updated since last october.
Developments in SW DC—there were three blogs that i found almost simultaneously last year that covered DC's smallest quadrant. two of them seem to be thriving, but this one stopped updating in march. maybe 3 blogs was too much for southwest.
Eckington DC Living—another area that used to have three blogs, eckington, seems to have seen another one peter out. no posts since april.
Fifth and Oh—one of the many shaw blogs, fifth and oh hasn't posted since january (when it seemed a lot of shaw bloggers got very frustrated after the ANC elections led to continued gridlock on the commission.
The Goodspeed Update—i'm still following rob's blog personally, but he's moved to boston and doesn't really post about DC neighborhood issues directly anymore.
just.in.dc—i heart shaw—another shaw blog that became a home for twitter updates for a time, then stopped updating.
Treebox Vodka—still the greatest blog name of all time, treebox vodka hasn't updated since last september, and hasn't scheduled a cleanup since then.

ORIGINAL POST: i realized my blogroll was well past overdue for an update. there were a few blogs that have reached their end, and some new ones (some of them aren't really "new," but they're new to my RSS reader, so i wanted to make sure everyone was aware that there are more people out there talking about their DC neighborhoods).

removed:

ANC2C02 Forum—anc commissioner kevin chapple's site was taken offline after a complaint was filed that he was making a profit off of the site. it's too bad, it was an excellent resource. the negative energy side of shaw won this battle.
Off Seventh—after briefly coming back to life, it looks like brian has cashiered the blog for real.
Bloomingdale—this was one of my inspirations when i moved into the neighborhood. i wanted to be able to add to what sean was doing, without overlapping too much. i think we achieved that during the last few years. very sad to see his blog come to an end.

added:

Barry Farm (re)mixed—a blog covering the barry farm area, located between historic anacostia and st. e's west campus.
Bates Area Civic Association—covers news from the eastern part of shaw (truxton circle, bates, hanover).
Brookland Avenue—news and observations from brookland here in ward 5.
Convention Center Community Association Blog—news from the new and very active community association that covers the part of shaw near the convention center.
C Street NE Project—a narrowly-focused blog, discussing the efforts to make the stretch of c street near RFK into a neighborhood street instead of a pseudo-freeway.
Deanwood Denizen—only one post, so i don't know if this blog is really going to happen or not, but a voice from the far northeast part of river east would be very welcome in the neighborhood blogosphere.
in bloom—a new voice in bloomingdale. we lost sean, but we picked up elle! a very nice, clean design, i might add.
North Capitol Main Street—covering the commercial districts here in bloomingdale, eckington, and truxton circle.
Park View, D.C.—this blog covers one of the small neighborhoods that frequently gets swallowed up by columbia heights or petworth when people are talking about the areas along the green line north of the old city.
Rhode Island Avenue NE Insider—a blog that focuses on this long-neglected commercial corridor, from the rhode island avenue metro station to the district/maryland line.
Rosedale Citizens' Alliance—this blog covers the neighborhood south of benning road and east of capitol hill.
The Penn Brangler—the first blog covering the penn branch neighborhod of river east.
Ward 3 DC—this blog has a lot of territory to cover. it's kind of surprising that ward 3, with all it's civic activity, doesn't have more neighborhood blogs.

harry thomas will be at 1st and rhode island on tuesday

IMGoph — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:53:00 -0700

photo by darrow montgomery

harry thomas is holding informal constituent meetings this summer, and will be here to talk to folks from bloomingdale this tuesday.

the program, called “councilmember on your corner” will take place from 5 pm to 7 pm at the corner of 1st and rhode island, nw.

five of these events are scheduled, and this is the only one in our part of the ward (others were/are in queens chapel, brookland, lamond riggs, and carver langston).

a quote from his office:

“While I have an open door policy and meet with all residents who come to my office, not everyone has the flexibility or time to make the trek downtown,” says Councilmember Thomas. “Councilmember on Your Corner provides residents with an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with me without having to leave their neighborhoods. Plus, I enjoy being out in the Ward,” notes Thomas.

crispus attucks park clean-up day—saturday 8/22/2009

IMGoph — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:07:00 -0700

photo by scenic artisan

see this message from molly scott of the crispus attucks development corporation:

Happy Summer Bloomingdale!

Have you been to Crispus Attucks Park lately? Come see us grow! Neighbors have been working steadily throughout the Summer to keep it looking beautiful and we've had a lot of neighbors using the park- we even had a wedding there a few months ago!

Please help us keep it looking great- the Crispus Attucks Development Corporation is having an End-of-Summer Clean-up day on Saturday August 22nd from about 9 am till 2 pm. We don't want to keep people out in the Super-hot Summer sun, so come out early and maybe we can be done faster :)

We have a few projects to work on and maybe more to come:

- weeding
- mulching
- edging
- maybe re-laying some large flagstones in the Memory Garden

All are welcome, we'll have some snacks and drinks- come out and lend a hand!

Thanks!

-CADC

boycott neighborhood stores?

IMGoph — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:26:00 -0700

this note was included on thursday's bloomingdale listserv message:

From Bloomingdale resident Joe Levesque:

The little corner grocery stores are the worst offenders. Both the Flagler Market on W ST NW and the blue Mini Market (former A&L) on 2107 First ST NW are two offenders. I spoke to the staff of both stores two weeks ago, and asked them to water the new trees. They agree to. Now all the trees in front of their stores are dead. I even watered them myself, carrying 10 gallons of water 300 feet. When I returned from vacation after 10 days, I noticed that the 3 trees had died from lack of water. These trees would still be alive if the store owners had spent just 3 minutes each week watering them.

We should not support any stores that don't support our community. They are doing us a disservice. We should boycott them.

NOTE: Windows Cafe and Big Bear Cafe have both done great jobs improving the appearance of the neighborhood. They deserve our support!!

We should all report to Scott what other street trees in public spaces have died.

i figured a few photos would be appropriate here to illustrate what mr. levesque is talking about:

here's the micro-market at 2107 1st street nw. (it's kind of funny how timor is painted a bright color, too, but it doesn't seem to be as jarring as this place. maybe it's because of the windows.) the tree in front has clearly died.

to be fair, the house two doors down at 2011 has a dead tree in front of their house as well, so it's not just the businesses in the neighborhood that are neglecting to water their trees.

here's the flagler market at the corner of flagler street and w street nw. the dead tree that mr. levesque referenced is at the left side of the photo (on w street).

here's a closer photograph of that oak tree. note that it had one of the mayor's green team's ooze tubes there for watering, though it clearly wasn't being utilized.

again, to balance things a little (but by no means to let these people off the hook) here's a dead tree in front of the 9:30 club on v street.

so, would you boycott a store because they're not watering the trees in the public space in front of their store?

it seems like many neighborhood residents who might consider such a boycott would do so because of the cumulative effect of many other things that these stores do. perhaps the lack of care for the trees could be the thing that pushes you over the edge and makes you consider such a boycott.

what do you think? the comment section awaits...

empty parking space? nah, i'll just park in the bike lane

IMGoph — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:14:00 -0700

another day, another blocked bike lane. and this time, it's just ridiculous to the point of being nearly sublime.

there is a spot reserved for government vehicles in front of the mary mcleod bethune council house on vermont avenue south of logan circle. but this government worker decided that the posh space was just too good for him/her.

they decided to park in the bike lane instead, keeping any other government worker from being able to reach parking nirvana (and forcing cyclists to move out into traffic that frequently is exceeding the speed limit during the morning rush).

kudos to this worker bee for going above and beyond the call of duty.

bike lane, or parking lane?

IMGoph — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:25:00 -0700

just an observation from tuesday morning—is there a bike lane on vermont avenue just south of logan circle? i'm not sure. i can never tell because there are ALWAYS cars double parked there...ALWAYS!!!

'dirt drawing' from yesterday's '1st on first' art walk

IMGoph — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:29:00 -0700

these are probably being washed away by the rain this morning...

photos from today's 1st on first event

IMGoph — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 08:05:00 -0700

pulling the weeds and cleaning up the sidewalk on first street and mulching the treeboxes was the order of the day to start the morning.

setting up the stage behind windows for the music.

hanging out alongside windows once the stage was set up.

lawn art at 1st and randolph (it says 'the brain').

more lawn art at 1st and s streets.

art in the window at yoga district.

more information about 'first on 1st'

IMGoph — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:58:00 -0700

last wednesday, i told you about the art walk coming to first street on august 1st. here's some more information for those who have been asking:

Join North Capitol Main Street &

The Pink Line Project

NCMS partners with The Pink Line Project to bring you First on 1st Street in Bloomingdale, Art + Music Walk . . . featuring contemporary and cutting-edge yard sculpture (for puchase) from local artisans and International Music provided by Pep Rally for Peace.

Featured Activities

* Guided walking art tours
* International Music
* Art Hunt (participate in the Art Hunt and receive free beverages/discounts to local NCMS Bloomingdale businesses)
* Check out local businesses along the tour for free samples -- food, drinks.

First on 1st Art + Music Walk

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, freezbies (do that still do that?) . . . camp out in the park, enjoy the music, take the tour, stop and shop . . .

ARTISTS
LisaMarie Thalhammer (the muralist behind Boxer Girl)
BK Adams
Margaret Boozer
Peter Wood
Chris Tousimis
DECOY
Patty Firestone
Amber Robles-Gordon
Ten Miles Square
Serinity Knight
Megan Blafas
Ann Bouie

PERFORMERS
Gospel Rap Vocalist Michael Trotter
R & B Hip-Hop Vocalist Senetra Bridgette
Ethiopian Sound Sensation of Tek X Millennium

Plus . . .
Kenneth Smith
3rd Generation Band
Melanie Roberts
Joy Dion
Fatso Hip-Hop
Tameka

For info: 202-905-6039

North Capitol Main Street, Inc. is funded through the DC Main Streets Program under the Department of Small and Local Business Development.

UPDATE—police activity on rhode island avenue in bloomingdale

IMGoph — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 05:41:00 -0700

UPDATE: whatever the situation really was is unknown to me, and it would appear to be over with. false alarm? who knows. but the police have cleared out and traffic is back to normal.

ORIGINAL POST: lots of police activity on rhode island avenue between 2nd street nw and north capitol. eastbound rhode island avenue traffic is being rerouted onto seaton place and 2nd street.

rumor is that there is a suspicious package at north capitol and rhode island. updates to come when i get more concrete information.

flooding at scott circle

IMGoph — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:40:00 -0700

this afternoon, this was the view looking south down 16th street towards the white house from a point just south of scott circle. you can see that the road was closed off. why?

here's why. a whole bunch of water!

now, ddot just redid the circle a few years ago. dug everything up, installed new drainage, etc. why isn't the water draining then? i have a sneaking suspicion that the drains aren't being kept clear of debris. it's called maintenance, people. it's a shame that dc isn't so good with that. we build new roads, new buildings, new infrastructure, then just walk away and let it fall into disrepair...

parking rules still don't apply to everyone

IMGoph — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0700

i just finished a 3 and a half week stint serving on a jury in a civil case in the DC superior court system. spending every single day at the e. barrett prettyman courthouse gave me an appreciation for the mess that passes for parking around the courthouse complex. i saw a lot of examples of police cars like the one above, parked in a crosswalk, double-parked, or blocking an intersection.

this story has been discussed in the press recently, and it doesn't seem to have a solution, outside of digging out more parking underneath john marshall park, because i'm pretty sure that these police aren't going to be convinced to take public transportation to the courthouse.

WATER YOUR TREES!

IMGoph — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:32:00 -0700

trees are dying all around the city. see this post from yesterday. the lack of rain we've had since late june is esepcially stressful to the young, newly planted trees lining our streets.

just because we had a very wet may and june doesn't mean that the ground has stayed wet around the roots of these young trees. street trees need 20 gallons of water a week, and they need it now. go outside tomorrow when you have 5 minutes and pour a bucket of water over the roots of the tree in front of your house. if you have an outdoor hose, run it out there and soak the roots for a few minutes. keep doing this for the rest of the summer!

these pictures show a tree at 14th and R streets nw, with an 'ooze tube' around the base. unfortunately, there's no water in this ooze tube. it serves absolutely no purpose if it's not filled with water.

you can see that this ooze tube says "the mayor's green summer job corps" on it, as well as a logo for ddot. it's great that the city is installing these ooze tubes on trees, but let's be real for a minute here—they need to fill them up upon initial installation and coach the people who live next to these trees (or the adjacent businesses) how to use them.

as it stands, these are just pretty brown plastic doughnuts that serve absolutely no purpose...

please, mayor fenty and the dc government, invest a little more effort into the trees you've spent so much money to plant along our streets. it's criminal to not take care of such a valuable investment!

bloomingdale art and music walk - august 1

IMGoph — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:57:00 -0700

i promised a post about the 1st street art program that was being sponsored by the north capitol main stret group. here's the flyer:

The Pink Line Project, in conjunction with North Capitol Main Street invite you to:
First on 1st, Art + Music Walk
Saturday, August 1st, noon to 4 pm
Along First Street NW (between Florida and Rhode Island Avenues)

For More Information contact:
Garry Clark
Executive Director
gclark@ncmsinc.org
1703 North Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-905-6039

watha t. daniel-shaw library construction update

IMGoph — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

here's what the construction at the watha t. daniel-shaw library looks like right now. it's a hole in the ground, sure, but it's progress!

eventually, there's supposed to be a live construction camera here. nothing exists for this project yet, but you can look at other DCPL construction projects around the city.

ashtray, planter, garbage can—all of the above?

IMGoph — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

the planters in front of the dc mini market are frequently used as garbage cans (i haven't seen plant life in some of them for ages). apparently this one got tipped over and shattered. it sure would be nice if north capitol main street, as part of their storefront improvement project, could help make the area in front of this store a more inviting place.

here's a recommendation—some benches or tables. if there are going to be people hanging out in front of the store all the time, might as well give them a place to sit...

a tale of two trees

IMGoph — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0700

ok, this is really about more than two trees. it's really about two sets of trees, but i liked the dickensian title, so there you go.

first, look at these cherry trees in the median of rhode island avenue between 11th and 12th streets in logan:

click on the images and take a closer look. these trees are all mulched, have clearly been watered, and are thriving. now, look at these trees between 7th and 8th streets in shaw:

they're almost dead. no much, no water, the leaves have yellowed up and are falling off.

why did this happen? the trees are all on district land, and no property owner was obligated to take care of these trees. but, the people who live on the 1100 block of rhode island avenue clearly took the time to care for the trees that they see out their front windows. they care.

you just can't say the same for the poor trees on the 700 block. 7-11 clearly isn't interested in aesthetics. the people who live on this block haven't taken the initiative to adopt the trees either. they're likely doomed to die, unless they get some serious and sustained water immediately. isn't this something that the mayor's conservation corps could and should help rectify?

the (formerly) purple house at 1st and U

IMGoph — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 -0700

the house on the southeast corner of 1st and u streets nw (featured to illustrate a city paper article about emergency and transitional housing in ward 5) used to look like this:

after a paint job, it's looking much nicer! (click on the photo and take note of the red trim around the doors and the new crosswalks on 1st street).

update on the beautiful house at 4th and florida

IMGoph — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:57:00 -0700

dc metrocentric brings word that the amazing home on the northwest corner of 4th and florida nw is under contract (not sold yet, though). sure hope this building can be brought back to its the glory of its heyday. they didn't have a photograph of the fencing that has gone up around the building, but i captured it in a couple shots last friday. here they are:

tonight's bloomingdale civic association meeting—notes

IMGoph — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:05:00 -0700

here are some rough-and-tumble notes from tonight's bloomindale civic association meeting (which was attended by nearly 50 people!):

there will be no august meeting, the next one is in september
cassandra costley handed out information about the selective service, where she works. her job entails finding jobs for conscientious objectors (like mennonites or quakers) if there was a draft.
massie ritsch, a neighborhood resident who lives on the 200 block of rhode island and is the deputy assistant secretary for external affairs & outreach at the department of education, gave a short talk about goals for the department in the coming years. he specifically mentioned that either the secretary (arne duncan) or an assistant secretary would hold a 'listening session' in the district in the fall to hear from DC parents about schools. he took a couple questions from the audience, which focused on charter schools.
aakash thakar of eya gave a quick presentation of where things stand with the mcmillan project. basically, they are still working to have something approved by the council at the end of the year, finalizing the deal that will allow them to go forward with the project. it was noted that clint jackson from the mayor's office was invited but did not show. i thought it was notable that this was the first time that i heard any of the principals from the development groups mentioning light rail or circulator buses as a transit option for the area.
in what was (i believe) the most interesting news of the evening, barbara wilson, who lives at 2203 1st street nw, gave an update on the status of neighbor's complaints regarding the 'boxer girl' mural at 73 w street nw. apparently, the money for a mural was initially meant to paint something at 1st and rhode island (here?), but due to challenges, that didn't happen. the owner of 73 w then gave permission to have her house painted instead. alice thompson, from the mayor's office of community relations & services, stated that the mayor's office had contacted the muralist and asked them to "change" the artwork. the muralist has not been back in touch with the mayor's office...
leah lemoine from the district department of the environment gave a quick presentation about the river smart homes program. dc residents can sign up for grants of up to $1200 towards rain barrels, landscaping, pervious paving, and other means to help keep water from running off your property. this is especially important in bloomingdale given the propensity for basement flooding in the neighborhood after moderate rainfall.
cassandra costley talked about feral cat colonies in the neighborhood. efforts continue to trap and release cats to keep them from reproducing. residents are reminded to contact the humane society, who will come to the neighborhood to do the work necessary to trap cats, give them the necessary medical attention, and safely return them to the neighborhood. she reminded us not to leave food out for cats for a long period of time, as it attracts rats. a thomas street resident let us all know that his 1.5 year old english bulldog died as a result of eating rat poison-laced peanut butter that a neighbor left in the alley to bait cats. everyone was reminded not to try this, as it's illegal (ed.-besides being pretty damn immoral)
vicki leonard from harry thomas' office spoke, mentioning some of the councilmember's recent activity.
john salatti wanted to let people who live around crispus attucks park know that he'd be sending letters to people regarding animal issues around the park. the department of health has been looking at the situation there, and homeowners who are not maintaining their property will receive tickets for creating situations conducive for harboring pests. john also asked everyone to remember to water street trees. in addition, he is working with the city to identify up to a dozen new parking spaces in the neighborhood, is happy to help people get speed humps on their blocks (everyone seems to like them), is looking to get a new backboard for the basketball courts at 2nd and w, and is having block meetings with individual blocks in his SMD. there will be a neighborhood safety walk this friday.
alice thompson announced that there has been a lot of clean-up activity in the neighborhood lately, and that photos of new crosswalk striping will be coming to this blog in short order.
gerry clark from north capitol main street announced the "1st on 1st" art program (this will get its own post soon) which will be taking place on august 1st from noon to 4 pm.
bertha holliday announced that planning is underway for the fall bloomingdale house tour. the theme will be "the victorian secrets," and will take place on october 24th. tickets will be $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the event, with between 15 and 20 houses participating.
the civic association's beautification committee is looking for more members.
the north capitol collaborative announced that, on august 12th, they would be taking 63 neighborhood families to cameron run park for a back-to-school event. they are headquartered at 113 q street nw.

4th of July in Eckington

flatland — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:37:31 -0700

4th of July in Eckington

A little belated, but I did want to share with the outside world how many Eckingtonians watch the 4th of July fireworks each year.

The hilltop location of Eckington already provides rooftop viewing of the Washington Monument. However, it is always more fun to watch (and listen to) fireworks with a crowd, so many head up to even higher ground at McKinley High School. Sitting in the newly renovated football stadium, we have an excellent view (and listening location) of the fireworks on the National Mall (note the Washington Monument to the left of the fireworks). We have good crowds that fairly represent the diversity of our neighborhood.

There were plenty of “pre-game” fireworks to entertain the patiently-waiting kids. We also had our first streaker (albeit, all the way on the far end of the field).

Look forward to even bigger crowds in the years to come.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – construction progress

flatland — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:21:30 -0700

This past weekend, I walked along the Metropolitan Branch Trail route from T St NE up to Franklin Street in order to gauge its construction progress. As you can see, a finished Trail by the July 22 contract deadline appears to be questionable.

MBT at Franklin Street overpass

MBT - Looking South (Capitol hovers over the tracks)

The work on the Trail began at the Franklin Street overpass with what appears to be an 18-ft wide path. A 150-200ft ramp is to be built to connect the Trail to the roadway.

The narrow gravel base does not yet extend to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station (see image) and the cleared pathway ends just after the station. After which the propose route is littered with large debris piles and Fort Myer equipment and materials. And this just gets you to T Street.

End of gravel bed

This does not give me great hope that the Trail will be completed by July 22nd as stipulated in the contract. My guess is that the DDOT and Fort Myer Construction’s work on past and future projects will persuade DDOT from enforcing any penalties or pressuring the contractor to expedite the work.

An email has been sent to DDOT for their comment, but I do not expect a reply.

That being said, however, it is still inspiring to walk along the route, see an area ignored by the city for so long, and envision what IS going to be here in the coming months. There will be an uninterrupted path from Franklin Street to L Street with views of the elevated Metro track, at-grade rail tracks and our nation’s Capitol. Let’s hope it is done right.

MBT - Looking North

MBT - view of elevated tracks

MBT - View of Capitol and NoMa tower cranes

Optimism unfounded?

flatland — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:51:33 -0700

“Realist” posted a well-thought comment in response to my, evidently, glowingly optimistic view of our neighborhood. I am not attempting to dismiss his/her perspective to the masses, but rather to offer a glimmer of hope to those who may share such views of their neighborhood–it is troubling to hear anyone view their home negatively.

The first “reality” that Realist present is crime–evidenced by the highly visual episodes in the past year. Any transitional neighborhood has its share of crime. What is more important is the effect of this crime on its inhabitants. Except for one or two innocents, this violence was “bad” on “bad,” and while it certainly did not do wonders for the image of the neighborhood, it had limited to no effect on “good” Eckingtonians. One killing is always too many, but “crime” is not the first issue that comes to my mind when I look for problems or obstacles to growth in our neighborhood (though I have no stats to back up this, perhaps unfounded, nonchalance).

The second concern is something I will call “turnover”–the departure of residents who are, we’ll just label as, “unhelpful” (note: this is neither a demographic nor “old guard” categorization) to be replaced by newcomers who will immerse themselves in the neighborhood. I hesitate to use the word “gentrification” not because of fear of the term, but due to its confinement as an asset-appreciation term–my “turnover” term eoncompasses the appreciation increase from the former resident to the new resident.

Realist offers skepticism that the neighborhood’s “poverty, ignorance, violence, poor physical and mental health, and many other aspects of human nature” can change due to a entry bar he/she sets as $500,000. But I feel this is much too high. The great thing about Eckington right now is that there are plenty of single-family homes that, when they appear on the market, can be obtained for less than $400k or even $300k in liveable condition. I should know–we bought one in January 2007. We have Capitol Hill friends who are floored by the amount of space they could obtain for the buck in our neighborhood.

The market slowdown could not have come at a better time for the neighborhood. Perhaps on the verge of having many of our rowhouses converted into multi-unit condos (which would have most likely turned into rentals in this market), we have maintained, for the most part, the same stock of single-family rowhouses that are sure to interest the next wave of homeowners (many who will purchase before the end of the year due to the $8,000 tax credit in the stimulus bill). We are also not limited to NoMa employees, in terms of filling our coffers. The prices are still affordable to Federal employees and white-collar workers near the Red Line stations of Chinatown, Metro Center, Farragut North and Dupont Circle should take a close look at our Red Line neighborhood (if they have good information–BRANDING–or unbiased Realtors).

As for the overall housing market picture, interest rates will have to increase, but a factor that has kept inflation low in the previous year–oil prices–will be one of many factors (along with recent suburban housing collapse (which could scare some buyers); financial stresses on local governments; demographic changes in suburbs; generational persuasion-shifts, etc.) that increases the attractiveness of the urban city. And not everyone wants to live in condos in Chinatown/Penn Quarter or lofts in Dupont/Adams Morgan.

Realist also offers pessimism over the Metropolitan Branch Trail–worrying that it will become a mugger’s paradise or an after-school hangout for McKinley High students.

I understand there have been some incidents between students and residents in the past, but the school is new, and the selectivity is increasing. The Class of 2008 was the first graduating class with students who has attended the school for all 4 years–98% of these students applied and were accepted to college, including Stanford, MIT, Columbia, Cornell and Duke. I find the current crop to be quite respectful and communicative with us “adults.” If they do find the MBT to be a nice location to hangout after school, I sense, but could be wrong, they will be more more helpful as a set of eyes on the Trail rather than a nuisance.

As for muggings, the size of this problem will inversely correlate with the amount of traffic on the Trail. If my rosy predictions of residents switching en masse to the Trail for their daily route to the Metro (or, soon-to-be, regular Harris Teeter shopping), Catholic University students commuting to campus from thier Eckington homes, nonresident bikers using the Trail as part of their communte to the City, dog owners from Eckington and Capitol Hill North (“Old City”) using the Trail as their primary dog-exercise routine, etc. do not materialize, then this may become a large problem. It depends on us.

I plan on writing a series of posts on the MBT as the countdown to its completion nears. I am also going to continue the practice of only posting items relevant to the neighborhood. The entire purpose of this blog/website was to serve the void in the internet of Eckington information and I tried, save for one or two slips, to refrain from posting non-relevant items–which keeps this number of postings down. If you use an RSS reader, then you are alerted when there are updates, and I am attempting to use Twitter to keep those who are interested even more up-to-date.

I always welcome comments, and anticipate those who will poke holes in my assertions or chide me for failing to include more positives.

State of the ‘hood Address

flatland — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:11:48 -0700

update: read the lively comments to this post (we’re such passive-aggresionists (sic)–we just need a bar in the ‘hood where we can argue over beers.)

…

On the heels of Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas, Jr’s “2009 State of the Ward Address,” I bring you a report more specific for our neighborhood, Eckington:

…

The previous 12 months may not have produced a large number of changes and additions to the neighborhood, but in terms of “Before and After” Eckington looks a lot different.

The KFC at the corner of Florida Ave and North Capitol St closed its doors, its bulletproof glass counter, and its vast parking lot after 28 years due to the rising property values. Although the site remains vacant, and while rumors that an independent pizza restaurant may fill the location shortly give pause to the enthusiasm of the neighborhood’s first sit-down restaurant, the significance of this closing cannot be ignored.

New banners were hung from lightposts along a few defining streets. The confusion of visitors to our area probably reaches its apex at the intersection of Florida Ave and North Capitol St where 3 different banners–Eckington, Truxton, Bloomingdale–hang. More on this issue later.

…

The Metropolitan Branch Trail began its slow, interrupted by half a decade, movement as the defining characteristic of the east side of Eckington. Pepco finally signed over its 2-block stretch of land, allowing the awarding of the contract to design and build the stretch of the Trail from Franklin Ave. to New York Ave bridge. Work began in May at the northern end and must be completed by July 22.

The MBT has received a lot of attention on this blog, due to its transformative potential that many predict will benefit the neighborhood. It will provide a common route that will promote interaction between residents–particularly those from the northeast and southeast–where regular encounters had been lacking (due to the multitude of paths home via the grid pattern of our streets). It provides a uninterrupted path across the entire neighborhood and, via a defined path along sidewalks, connects our neighborhood to Catholic University, Union Station, and the National Mall.

With an actual trail in place, rather than a design proposal, efforts to connect the Trail to the Capital Crescent Trail, providing a complete circular path around the western portion of the city, will be provided with new steam. A developer of two office buildings being constructed on the corner of K St have proposed connecting to the elevated section of the Trail, including paying for new connections into the Union Station Metro. This would most likely provide the District with the impetus to complete, as in the orignial MBT plans, the 1-block elevation of the Trail from L St to K St along the so-called “Burnham Spine.”

Eckingtonians most likely hope that the Trail will highlight the unmoving eyesore east of Harry Thomas Way. This vacant lot, part of the tract of land Pepco purchased after the initial 1994 MBT plan, and upon which it build its new substation in the southern section, does not garner much attention currently. A scenic trail on one side and new residentual development on the other side will bring new attention to this plot of land that has no hope of being developed for commercial reasons anytime soon. Very early plans of the MBT envisioned this tract of land as an urban park, but died when the lot was purchased by Pepco.

The notion that a residential development could be financially viable that borders a power substation and a trainyard, sits almost underneath a major overpass, and entails over $40 million for the purchase of the land alone, is absurd. Pepco paid over $67 million for the entire lot, of which a tiny portion sits its substation (which is the reason it bought the land),but, as a large utility compaany, could hold this land for over a hundred years if it gets no offers that satisfy its internal rate of return.

A neighborhood without a park

Granting the District a right-of-way to this lot, in the same way it did for the MBT, would allow Pepco to retain ownership of the land and permit the city to construct a park on otherwise unused, overgrown land. The limited funds that would be required to construct the park would be more than paid back by the increased property values of the neighborhood–especially the new development across the street.

If one was to construct a circle of greatest diameter in the District without including a park, Eckington would fall directly in its center. This should be a large posterboard, which our councilman brings to every meeting regarding development, improvements funding, parks and recreation (oops!).

…

Whereas once the residents of the western section of Eckington had no reason to venture across North Capitol Street, much less saw any redeeming value in this area that shared the same name, the arrival of the MBT and the rise of NoMa will change both. This leads into the discussion of NoMa, the business district that begins in the southern tip of Eckington and proceeds south to Union Station.

NoMa had affected most of us Eckingtonians in the past year with the opening of 4 new restaurants. Five Guys was first, and while its menu is limited, its hours are generous: 11am – 10pm, 7 days a week. Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli and Sisters Pizza & Mussels followed with a more diverse set of offerings and Au Bon Pain rounded out the quartet this past spring with outdoor seating. Pound has its devoted clientele and is now open on Saturdays.

…

If one had not walked down 1st Street NE in a couple of years, the first thing that would be noticed upon the trip today would be the immense amount of shade. Once a forgotten street of vacant lots and parking lots, the strip has been home to numerous tower cranes as developers have gobbled up these tracts of land. While most projects to-date are office buildings, there are 2 hotels, a residential complex on 2nd, and a Harris Teeter grocery.

The hotels and residential units provide life in the neighborhood in the evening and weekends–a vital component that sometimes gets ignored in rapid developments (such as K Street NW). The Harris Teeter–slated to open mid-2010–will primarily draw residents from Capitol Hill north to Eckington, many of whom will be pedestrians with their urban collapsible grocery carts. This also provides another meeting locale for Eckingtonians as we learn each other from such frequent encounters and will offer other residents a sneak peek into our ‘hood.

NoMa is certainly not done making an impact on our neighborhood. The development of the new headquarters for NPR just commenced–extending the reach of development up North Capitol Street–and the Florida Ave/New York Ave intersection, infused with grant money to NoMa for its study, should be around the corner.

…

Yes, there was some unfortune in the past year. XM was merged with Sirius, and while the now New York-headquartered company states its intention to keep his D.C. facility running, there is no substitution for having the pioneer rooted squarely in our backyard. The St. Martin’s affordable housing development broke ground dispite years of opposition from neighborhood residents–their efforts to limit the impact, however, will provide some mitigation. I will leave it to commenters to list any other items that were unhelpful to the progression of our neighborhood.

…

Finally, I will ask that this upcoming year be marked by a renewed enthusiasm in our neighborhood and a reunification of the two sides of North Capitol.

Perhaps there was a time when the west side of Eckington was justified in distancing themselves from the east. But as housing prices of the east have risen–2007 marked the first time a greater number of $350,00-plus homes were sold in the east than in the west–and as amenities, both in Eckington and NoMa, have begun to crop up in the east, there is reason for the “Bloomingdale” moniker to pass into the distance. Branding efforts are more effective for a unified Eckington and the whole should be greater than the sum of its parts. I proposed a tongue-in-cheek campaign to promote branding as well as community pride and hope to followup on the idea.

Map displayed in National Museum of American History

We live in an historical area of the nation’s capital–we should be protective of its assets while open to certain changes that may alter the landscape. Here’s to another productive year in the progression of our neighborhood, Eckington.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – update on missing access path

flatland — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:27:48 -0700

DDOT has responded to my further inquiry about the missing access path:

“There has been no change to that planned connection at ‘Q’ street, but it is not in the ongoing construction contract because we do not yet control that land. I believe the developer was going to provide the land but they have yet to buy the whole parcel from PEPCO. We will talk to PEPCO again about how to make that connection in the meantime.”

I can understand the situation DDOT was in at time of contract letting offered limited recourse. I do think the public should have been informed of the change. And I certainly think DDOT should have been more proactive with Pepco about still securing this path (which is over vacant property) before we had to raise it to their attention.

That being said, I am slightly encouraged by the tone of this response and, again, will keep you updated on their progress.

At least we now have a promised action (DDOT contacting Pepco) that will happen and a reaction (Pepco’s response) that will have to result–we will no longer be in the dark about where the roadblock exists and will know where to direct pressure if needed.

Metropolitan Branch Trail – the ever-changing desgin

flatland — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:56:32 -0700

As I alluded to in the previous post, it appears that the design plans for the Metropolitan Branch Trail have again undergone a significant change–albeit without any public disclosure.

MBT - R street to NY Ave section

Above is the proposed Trail layout from Randolph to the New York Ave Bridge as provided in the draft plans on the metbranchtrail.com website. As you can see, there is an access point at R St and one just north of the Pepco building. Evidently, the R St access point is now the last access point south to the Metro Station.

The reason I learned of this change is upon my pestering of the MBT folks at DDOT to construct a temporary access path along the proposed path in the draft layout (just north of the Pepco building). Being told that DDOT would need permission from Pepco to construct such, I inquired why, since they were supposedly ceding the land to the District for this access point anyways.

DDOT informed me that this access point was no longer part of the plan.

First issue: DDOT has in their hands the final design plans of the MBT, yet they have not published the drawings or even listed the modifications from the original draft layout on the metbranchtrail.com or DDOT websites.

Second issue: Residents south or R St as well as XM employees will have to walk several blocks out of their way to use the R St access point. As this will result in longer travel times than simply crossing New York and Florida Avenues, many will skip the Trail–preventing pedestrian traffic at this intersection from their full lowered potential.

We’ll have to see what the next MBT “surprise” is….

garden. 4/30

Lana

Yesterday we won a green award, and today we had our first garden harvest! well, sort of. I plucked a radish out of the ground and ate it.

photos:

I had no idea that they poked their tops up like that.

radish, fresh from ground.

Beautiful, just before being eaten. This was a French Breakfast Radish, from Seed Savers Exchange. Very tender and buttery.

Overall, lots of exciting garden growth over the last week. For instance, I think we’re actually growing arugula instead of a patch of weeds:

Aaaand we have lettuces!

More pictures, as always, here.

DDOE Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards

Lana

update: here’s a picture!

We were one of the winners!

Please join us and all the other winners (list below) in an Awards Ceremony/Press Conference outside our cafe tomorrow at 10:30am.

Mayor Fenty and Director George Hawkins will both be handing out the awards. We’re so honored to have won and to be in such good company!

List of winners:
Akridge

Big Bear Cafe, LLC

Casey Trees

Circle Yoga, LLC

Clean Currents, LLC and Latino Economic Development Corporation (joint award)

Green Builders Council of DC and Miller & Long Company, Inc. (joint award)

The Fairmont Washington, D.C.

Flow Yoga Center

GreenShape, LLC

Guest Services, Inc.

Live Green

Natural Body Spa & Shoppe - West End

Poste Moderne Brasserie

Restaurant Nora

The Tower Companies

Willard InterContinental Hotel

Zipcar

garden, as of yesterday

Lana

The most rewarding change has been the radishes (above). They look like real plants.

Other than that, the lettuces have come up:

the nasturtiums:

and the snap peas:

Beets are also coming along, but still look boring:

And the kale is starting to exhibit some leaf distinction:

***

Today I’m planting the onion seedlings I’d started earlier indoors. Unfortunately, the eggplant and peppers I’d started died, so I’ll be getting transplants from Caitlin and trying again next year.
All the other plants (corn, tomatoes, bush beans, etc) will be planted in May, once the weather is consistently warmer.

DC Community Heritage Grants Available!!!

dcavocado — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:46:00 -0700

From DC Community Heritage Project's intern:

I am an intern with the DC Historic Preservation Office helping out with the DC Community Heritage Project. I thought some of your readers might be interested in applying for one of the DC Community Heritage Project grants due on May 1. The program is offering up to $2,000 for nonprofits working on projects to document and preserve DC's heritage.

We are having a grant workshop next Tuesday, April 21 at the Southeast Neighborhood Library form 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. If you'd like any more information you can get in touch with Albert Shaheen at grants@wdchumanities.org or you can find more details at the Humanities Council of Washington, DC website.

Thank you for your help and I hope you can pass this information along to folks who might be interested.

Best,
Eli Pousson

Seeking Adult Mentors!

dcavocado — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:26:00 -0700

Now who doesn't like promoting community service? At the request of Margie Hoerrner, the following is a shout out to people who want to become mentors as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Mentors Inc. programs.

Are you interested in making a difference in the life of a child? Consider becoming a mentor.

I am organizing a community mentoring program, in collaboration with Big Brother Big Sister, and Mentors Inc., for children ages 8-18 years old, in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of NW Washington DC. I’m currently seeking adult (21+ years old) mentors who are looking to make a difference in the life a child. Time commitment is one hour per week.

Please come to our community information meeting to learn more.

What: Community mentoring information meeting

Who: Adult mentors, 21+ years old, interested in making a difference in the life of a child.

When: Monday, March 30, from 6:30 - 8:00pm

Where: Florida Avenue Baptist Church, 623 Florida Avenue NW
***Please note that you will have to enter the building via the rear entrance off of U Street, at the corner of U and Bohrer (one block west of 6th Street NW).

RSVP: Margot Hoerrner, (202) 341-5686, hoerrner@gmail.com

43 Seaton Place, NW

dcavocado — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:25:00 -0700

I'm posting this listing for 43 Seaton Place, NW, at the request of the seller.

Check the place out at http://www.43seaton.com/

Looks quite lovely, doesn't it?

Rooting DC 2009. The 2nd Annual Urban Gardening Forum

dcavocado — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:14:00 -0800

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009

Who: Are you a community gardener in Washington, DC? A teacher with a schoolyard garden? A member of a garden club or block club interested in beautifying your neighborhood? Involved with a non-profit leading a gardening program? Or, are you interested to get involved with such community projects? If so, you are invited to attend this forum designed to bring DC Gardeners together to reconnect. Join us to share resources and foster partnerships between those who are working towards common goals of a greener, healthier DC!

REGISTER here. http://www.rootingdc.org/
Keep Rooting DC Free: DONATE here. http://www.rootingdc.org/donate
VOLUNTEER! Contact Liz Falk at 7thStreetGarden@gmail.com
to help either the weeks prior to the event and/or during.

Where: At the beautiful and historic Carnegie Library, 801 K Street NW.
When: 10 am - 4pm, a light lunch will be provided.
How Much: Just like last year, this event will be FREE and open to the public!

Firehouse Restaurant Update

dcavocado — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:58:00 -0800

This is an old pic before $100,000 of work was done on the building(although it still looks the same to me the last time I passed by it). Apparently, it is now for sale as the Bloomingdale blog notes. Brian Brown, the owner and developer of the property, posted an update on the Eckington listserv explaining what is going on:

I would like to give the neighborhood an update on the Firehouse restaurant project. Since many people joined this list midstream I will backtrack a little so everyone is on the same page.

Several years ago Nextgen Development was awarded the Firehouse via RFP where we were to be the developer and Mike Benson (operator of St Ex bar and café) would be the operator. Near the end of a year planning stage Mike Benson and his partners dropped out for personal reasons. Over the next 14 Months we met with approximate 20+ qualified operators and while there was interest from many operators, most were frankly afraid to take the chance of opening a restaurant in an untested neighborhood. Near the end of the 14 months we met Twyla Garett of Martini 2020 who upon looking at the site and the neighborhood potential rapidly moved forward to commit to the project. Nextgen proceeded to complete the acquisition and moved forward on the project. Unfortunately for Nextgen Twyla signed that agreement just as the financial mess hit nationwide. As a result four or five months after she signed the agreement the financing she had lined up disappeared and she defaulted on her agreement.

In spite of that default Nextgen made the decision to move forward on the project while we looked for a new operator. We committed to spending between $500,000 and $750,000 of our own funds while we searched for a new operator. (Note: this does not include the $100,000 in interest payments we have made to date while we carry this project) The work performed to date on the site is as follows:

95% completion of the exterior building restoration.

We addressed some environmental issues we became aware of

We completed 90% of the non-structural demo required for the project

We spent $250+k completing the architectural and structural plans.

We initiated structural stabilization of the building

Bid out most aspects of the critical systems so we could move quickly when we find the right operator.

During the time we were doing the above work we have continued to search for operators. While we have gotten close to signing a new operator over 7 times, each time something would surface near the completion of the deal that undid it. I will share two such situations here. One operator we found was in a financial cash position to move forward however one of the conditions they were looking for some nominal help from the city for their first 5 years of operation to make their numbers work.. Unfortunately while we had every indication from the city that this would happen (including legislation being introduced to that effect) however the deteriorating local economy killed the city’s ability to deliver that help in fiscal 2008 and that deal died. Subsequent to that opportunity collapsing we signed a letter of intent with another operator, and started working through the operating agreement, however 1 week after we signed that agreement their financing partner collapsed. (Their financing partner was Lehman Brothers)

During the time we have been have been marketing the space we have gotten a number of operators that expressed interest only if they could purchase the building as part of the transaction. In the past we declined to consider that because we wanted to make sure that we could fulfill our commitment to the community of delivering a restaurant on the first level of the building.

After discussion with several bankers regarding how restaurants are currently being financed we have come to realize that in today’s financial instability that the only likely way that a restaurant will get financing on this type project is if they use the building as collateral to complete the build out. While this was not true in the past the problems banks are having has resulted in it being nearly impossible for any other option.

To that end we have changed our marketing strategy to bring this project to market. Shortly you will see a lease/sale sign appear on the building. This is also being placed in Co-star, Loop net as well as the MLS as a sale/lease. The hope is to bring in an operator that previously might have rejected it because they could not lock in their costs by purchasing part or majority ownership of the project at the time they build-out the restaurant. It may be that we may just become general contractor on this project. Our intent is to still to find a way in spite of the financial environment to try to move this project forward. We are trying to think outside the box to keep this process moving. We have also reached out to the Council members’ office for advice/options also. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Brian Brown

The Inaugural Concert

dcavocado — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:35:00 -0800

On Saturday night, a friend of mine called me and told me she had a spare VIP ticket to the concert and asked if I wanted to go with her. Of course I said yes! Here are some pics on flickr from our pretty awesome seats.

We even had better seats than Virginia Senator Mark Warner! He sat behind us.

An Urban Neighborhood on the Rise

dcavocado — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

I thought this Washington Post article was generally positive and presented an accurate portrayal of Eckington.

Kudos to Mary Ellen Slaytor, the article's author. She had contacted me through this blog to get my thoughts and I'm glad that she was able to get a variety of viewpoints from the diverse Eckington population.

ANC 5C Meeting Tonight

Kris Hammond — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:12:00 -0800

Tonight is my final meeting as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. Since this is the December meeting, it will be short and end with a community social event.

The following are some highlights:

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.Trinity University, Main Hall
Michigan Ave at Franklin St, NE

Feature Presentation 7:20 – 8:00 pm
DC Department of Transportation: Traffic Planning Related to Various Development Projects in ANC5
CGabriela Vega and Alan Fye, Planning and Policy Office
Gloria Bosse-Kouabo, Traffic Calming Division

Community Update Meeting Concerning St. Martin's Apartments

Kris Hammond — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:53:00 -0700

This evening I attended the community informational meeting hosted by the St. Martin's Steering Committee and ANC Commissioner Mary Lois Farmer-Allen (5C06) at McKinley Technology High School. Construction will begin this month on the St. Martin's Apartments, which will provide 178 units of workforce and low-income housing at 116 T Street NE.

Approximately 25 people were in attendance at the beginning of the meeting. Father Michael Kelley of St. Martin's Catholic Church made some brief comments, thanked the community for its input, and asked for prayers for the safety of the construction workers. Commissioner Farmer-Allen made a few comments, then developer Neal Drobenare introduced some new people who will be involved with the construction.

Drobenare announced that there will be a 2-year construction period from ground-breaking to final completion of 178 units and 176 underground parking spaces.

The heaviest period of truck traffic will occur during the first 6-week period of the project; after that time, traffic will be greatly reduced. Construction will begin every day (5 days per week) at 7 a.m. The truck traffic will be split between those trucks driving north from the construction site towards Rhode Island Avenue and those trucks that will travel south along 2nd Street N.E., then down Eckington Place N.E. R Street residents have expressed numerous concerns about heavy traffic in the past, and with a question I confirmed that no trucks will be traveling down the 100 or unit blocks of R Street N.E.

For two months, one block of Todd Place will be designated a no-parking zone. With this notification, one resident posed some pointed questions about parking. This was surprising because I recognized this resident as being one of the strongest supporters of the project among those who lived close to the site prior to regulatory approval.

Another individual charged that it appeared as though the construction workers were being favored over the residents. A complicating factor over which St. Martin's had no control was the absence of a representative from the D.C. Department of Transportation who was supposed to be present. Drobenare pointed out that although some parking would be temporarily lost, other zones that are currently designated as "no parking" would be freed for use.

At one point, Drobenare said that the plan had been put together with the advice of all the area civic associations. At that moment, a woman stood up and walked briskly from the room, apparently angry. Other residents indicated either during the meeting or afterwards that Drobenare's manner was offensive. Personally, I don't think that Drobenare said anything out of line, but given that I am lawyer (as he is), perhaps I didn't sense what some residents did.

Because the DDOT representive was not available, many uncertainties remain. One thing for sure, however, is that Hyde School will need to find a replacement for the 40 off-street parking spots it will lose during construction.

Drobenare stressed that residents with concerns during construction should come to St. Martin's first before posting a comment on a listserv or the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. The main contact will be Michael Blaylock (superintendent@st-martins-apts.com) and the construction manager will be Jim Brown (301-423-6000). The relevant contact information will also be posted on-site.

One resident asked whether the project was sufficiently capitalized to endure the current economic chaos in the credit markets. Drobenare assured the audience that there would be no problems with funding the project.

Votes Cast at Last Night's ANC Meeting

Kris Hammond — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:09:00 -0700

I'd like to offer a rationale for some of my votes at last night's 3.5 hour ANC 5C meeting (it was an exceedingly long meeting, but constituent Ted McGinn was present the entire time). My colleagues didn't seem to understand and were amused that I was often the only "no" or "abstain" vote.

A quick aside: Terrance Judge of the Metropolitian Basketball League gave ANC 5C an appreciation plaque as a thank you for the Commission's grant that assisted the MBL with its basketball tournament. I don't ever recall an appreciative gesture to the ANC like that before, thanks Terrance.

The first Commission vote was on the Planned Unit Development (PUD) Request for St. Paul’s Housing Development. Commissioner Silas Grant urged that the Commission voted down approval for the project because he and several community members had concerns with the amenities package proposed by St. Paul's, in part because it was supposedly inadequate. I have a problem with the amenities package concept (also known as legal bribery or extortion in some circles).

Normally I would vote with deference to the Commissioner with a particular interest in a project, and likewise I would vote begrudingly in favor of an amenities package where the developer and residents agreed. Here they disagreed and the entitlement mentality reared its head.

The developer offered 25 affordable housing units in an environment in which we are facing a housing crisis with ever-dropping housing prices, and shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for various community projects and benefits. Detractors wanted millions.

The project construction will bring jobs earmarked for D.C. residents to our area. The people who move in will expand our tax base. We're fortunate that the developer is still moving forward with the project given the economic crisis currently gripping the country. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt this week.

I was the only Commissioner to vote against Silas's proposal.

Then Ted McGinn sought a vote on his WiFi Network Proposal (ANC single member district 5c03) and several commissioners thought it would be a conflict of interest to proceed at this time because Ted is running for my seat on the Commission. So the Commission voted to defer a vote until... Ted is actually a commissioner and might actually have a conflict of interest. All they did was deprive SMD 5C-02 of a vote on the project. I voted to abstain because I have endorsed Ted for the office.

And what is the project Ted is chairing? Its predominant purpose is to bring the internet to the poor and connect them to the wider community. Ted gains no economic benefit, only bragging rights. And he's not a commissioner... yet.

The evening didn't slow down. Next came an emergency vote request by KIPP Public Charter School concerning its proposal for Cook Elementary School. This matter has been around for a couple of months, but this item went on the agenda only days ago. I tried to get Paul Ruppert on the agenda out of fairness, because he has a competing proposal.

The presentation didn't go very well for KIPP, I think they had technical difficulties. Commissioners properly zoned in on the fact that the community had not had a chance to weigh in on the proposed use (I for one had little notice that ANC 5C would become involved in the matter). The Commission voted sensibly to defer a vote until residents have had a chance to hear the proposals of all. I found this to be the best possible resolution, because both of the leading proposals are high-quality and informed residents should make this judgment call.

At this time, I went over to talk to Alex of KIPP and Paul to let them know that I valued both of their projects, and that we should work out a time for presentations to residents. By the time I made my way back to my seat, another vote was already being taken on the PUD Extension for the 4th and Rhode Island NE Project. Having heard virtually none of the brief presentation, I voted to abstain and my colleagues were amused. But how could I cast a completely uninformed vote?

Some of the most contentious moments were left for last. Chairwoman Bonds was moving towards closing the meeting when a resident asked to address a community concern. Bonds noted that the community concerns portion of the meeting had been at the beginning but gave this T Street N.W. resident the opportunity to speak. And she then spoke perhaps more eloquently than anyone else that evening.

The resident was very concerned about an upstart business's application for a tavern license. Parking, noise, trash, extended operation hours, and higher crime were the stated concerns. Fair enough, but the residents would-be brief comments turned into a resolution for ANC 5C to back a challenge to the liquor license. The resolution obviously had not been on the agenda and the tavern owner had been given no notice of the impromptu resolution affecting his rights. I voted no on the challenge due to due process concerns.

Residents can and will challenge this liquor license and seek concessions. We ought to respect our businesses (there are too few) enough to give their owners the opportunity to present the other side. The resolution passed, but I believe that other commissioners were on board with me on this one.

Finally, our treasurer gave the latest estimated figures on ANC 5C's net worth: $15,572 in checking and $147,416 in savings. I hope we can trust Industrial Bank to stay afloat.

Big Bear Celebrates Its First Year Anniversary

Kris Hammond — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:45:00 -0700

There was beer, there was roast pig, and eventually there was wild dancing.

It all took place tonight at our very own Big Bear Cafe, celebrating its one-year anniversary of existence in Bloomingdale.

After achieving a zoning change in the near future, the next stop for Stu and Lana: a liquor license.

Agenda for this Tuesday's Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C Monthly Meeting

Kris Hammond — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:02:00 -0700

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Catholic University Pryzbyla Center
off McCormick Road, NE (behind the Columbus School of Law)
7:05 – 9:00 p.m.

Part I: Community Concerns and Reports ------ 7:05 p.m.

1) Call to Order …………………………………………….… Commissioner Bonds
2) Roll Call …………………………………………………... Commissioner Daneker
3) Approval of the July 2008 Meeting Minutes ….………… Commissioner Salatti
4) Acknowledgement of Community and Guests ………….. Commissioners Day and Holloway
5) Treasurer’s Report ………………………….….……….… Commissioner DeFoe
6) PSA and MPD5CAC Update …………………..…………… Robert Brannum, 5D-CAC President
7) Community Comments .………….…………. Moderated by Commissioners Grant and Daneker
8) Remarks from the Office of Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.
9) Comments by Alice Thompson, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services

Part II: Outstanding Business ------- 7:30 p.m.
Commission Vote on PUD Request for St. Paul’s Housing Development (5C09)

Progress Reports on Outstanding Grants ……………………… Commissioner Day
Project Reports, Vote on WiFi Network Proposal (5c03) and New Proposals for Consideration

Part III: New Business ------- 8:00 p.m.
Emergency Vote Request: KIPP Public Charter School Proposed for Cook School Site (5C02)

Emergency Vote Request: PUD Extension for 4th and Rhode Island NE Project (5C08)

ANC 5C Single-Member District Projects and Meeting Announcements --
Metropolitan Bike Trail Construction (5C03)
Youth Mentoring (5C05 and 5C09)
Operation Crackdown (5C05)
Traffic Studies (5C04 and 5C11)
Residential Property Emergency Identification Project (5C01)

Resolutions: Commemorative, Administrative, Programs and Issues

Part V: Committee of the Whole Executive Session -------- 8:50 p.m.

1) Pay Bills ………………………………………………………….. Commissioners Day and DeFoe
2) Items for October 2008 Meeting Agenda ……………………………………………
Abdo Project CUA South Campus Project (5C10)
Update on Construction of City Charter School at former Armstrong Trades School (5C02)
Update on McMillian Project Planning (5C07)

Meeting Adjourns ……….. 9:00 p.m.

Chillin looking at some pics.

CitySlurp — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0700

So I am home in Ellicott City, MD just looking at some pics from the past few weeks of people coming to vist and people just hanging out here. I sure do miss alot of my DC friends but it seems that for the most part once you move they tend to fade away. I'm sure both sides are at fault for this, maybe I will try re connect with them this weekend.

Moving to Ellicott City

CitySlurp — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:12:00 -0700

So, I just finished moving from baltimore and a month before that washington DC to Ellicott City, Maryland. The reason for the move is my place in baltimore was just a really bad apartment and now I can save money for bills and not be soo stressed out about them. Sorry this blog is not worded right, but I am tired and just wanted to post this to keep everyone updated.

Are "Gentrifiers" Close-Minded?

dcavocado — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:25:00 -0700

Commenter AfroDC made the following comment to my post about Sursum Corda from December of last year:

Wow, it really is amazing to have confirmation about what African-Americans suspected of White people living in our neighborhoods. Your close-mindedness is sad. What's even worst is that you and your "hubby" are two reaons why 500 families will be displaced. The inhabitants of Sursum Corda, yes black and yes, some are drug dealers, weren't given the same opportunities as you or have the luxury to bike through and criticize someone else's neighborhood. Thank you again for confirming this for me, it helps me when we gather at nights to do our "kill-whitey" rituals.

In all honesty, I'm not losing sleep over this comment. I've engaged in this conversation many times before and frankly don't have the energy or time to write a long blogpost to defend myself nor do I think I even need to. But I thought I'd dedicate a post to the comment since I do think it's important that neighborhoods talk about these issues as they inevitably come up on a regular basis and especially whenever change comes into a neighborhood.

Announcement Concerning Another Term

Kris Hammond — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:29:00 -0700

Dear Neighbors,

I write to inform you that I will not be seeking re-election this November to the position of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.

The decision to announce a run for office comes with the implicit promise to the voters that the candidate will strive to complete the full term to which he or she is elected. I could not in good faith make this promise because I am looking to transition to a new job within the year, either as a prosecutor or a counsel at a private firm. The new job, possibly requiring geographical relocation, would likely require a level of time and attention that would be incompatible with ANC duties.

Fortunately, there is a person who I am confident will keep the momentum going in the right direction by serving as your next ANC. That person is Ted McGinn. He understands that our area needs economic development that reflects our neighborhood’s character. He interacts well with people of all backgrounds and incomes. He is a clear communicator who is also incredibly well-informed. Ted’s track record of service to this community is impeccable. I have asked Ted to run for the office of Commissioner, and he has agreed to take on this latest challenge.

It has been an honor to serve as a Commissioner in the District of Columbia.

Best,

Kris Hammond
Commissioner, 5c-02

Walk-through with DC Police Department this Thursday

Kris Hammond — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:33:00 -0700

If you aren't on a neighborhood listserv and/or didn't receive one of the 500 flyers dropped this past weekend... I am holding a community walk-through with the D.C. police department this Thursday August 7 at 7 p.m. We'll meet at the corner of P Street N.W. and North Capitol Street N.W.

The purpose will be to raise awareness, promote community spirit, fight crime, and pinpoint problem properties, trash issues, and city maintenance matters. The plan is for half of us to walk north and half to walk south with foot beat police officers and D.C. government representatives.

The walk-through I hosted on May 30th was very successful. However, only one person living south of Florida Avenue showed up, so I want to focus this time on the area south of Florida.

Special thanks to the following individuals who each dropped at least 100 flyers each: Allison Gallaway, Gretchen Franke, and Ted McGinn.

Attendance at James Bond Film Festival in NoMa

dcavocado — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:36:00 -0700

I've received some inquiries as to how well attended the James Bond in NoMa event has been. The picture above of the July 17 Moonraker showing should answer those questions. According to the Real Estate Bisnow article accompanying the picture, NoMa BID President Liz Price says the film festival has attracted about 200 people per show.

I actually haven't gotten around to watching a show as I am never available on Thursdays but anyone has any other experiences they'd like to share about the shows?

A Visit to a Gun Store

Kris Hammond — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0700

A recent Washington Post article states the current situation with respect to gun ownership in the District of Columbia:

With few exceptions, it is not yet possible for a Washingtonian to legally obtain a handgun because there are no licensed dealers in the city (although officials expect there will be eventually). Federal law bars a dealer in one state from selling a pistol to a resident of another state unless the gun is shipped to a dealer in the buyer's home jurisdiction, where the purchaser can take delivery.

Last night, in anticipation of eventually acquiring a firearm, I ventured with a friend of mine to a gun store in Virginia. The closest one we could find with a good selection was Gilbert Small Arms in Lorton, Virginia. Jack gave an hour of his time to walk us through the mechanics of guns and gun safety.

Constitutionally-speaking, the most troubling portion of the recently-amended D.C. law is the requirement that a resident maintain a gun lock on the gun until the moment that he or she has notice of an "imminent threat." One must hear window glass break or someone coming up the hallway steps before one is permitted to fumble in the dark looking for the gun lock key and bullets to load the gun. Loading bullets in the dark is not easy. The new law does not respect self-defense rights. A recommendation that individuals voluntarily lock their firearms would make more sense.

We discussed with Jack what to do about a household with children in the home. During that discussion, it occurred to me that a revolver (permitted by D.C. Council) does not have a safety latch, one need only load the gun and pull the trigger. Using the semi-automatic (banned by D.C. Council) requires one to pull a "slide" back, not an easy thing for a youngster to do. In addition, semi-automatics have a safety latch.

And... could a gun go off accidentally? Jack explained in great detail why a gun can be thrown across the room, land on the floor, and never go off. It's all about the position of the firing pin.

Can a revolver (permitted by the D.C. Council) shoot bullets just as fast as a semi-automatic pistol (banned by the D.C. Council)? Answer: yes. The only difference is that a semi-automatic operates on a magazine and holds more bullets.

Personally, I prefer a revolver, at least at the outset, because it is easier to operate and requires less maintenance. But, at Gilbert at least, sales of semi-automatics outnumber sales of revolvers at least three-to-one. Clearly many people are comfortable with semi-automatics and prefer to use them.

Finally, there are some federal regulations with which to contend. Buying a firearm out of state requires the out-of-state seller to ship the gun to an in-state dealer overnight, at a cost of $45. Call it a tax or whatever, it certainly raises the price of a gun. While that may be fine with the City Council, are not the poor entitled to exercise their constitutional rights as well?

Attempting to retain as much as the old law as possible is a waste of public money when done in a half-hazard unconstitutional manner that will attract litigation. The Council should carefully consider what laws and regulations will truly respect the citizens and their rights to self defense, while at the same time keeping guns out of the hands of people who should never possess them.

North Capitol Main Street Seeks DC Main Street Status

Kris Hammond — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:23:00 -0700

July 21, 2008

Phyllis R. Love, Assistant Director
Office of Commercial Revitalization
Department of Small and Local Business Development
441-4th Street, NW, Suite 970N
Washington , DC 20001

Dear Ms. Love:

I urge you to act favorably on the application of North Capitol Main Street, Inc. (NCMS) to be designated as an official DC Main Street in accordance with the DC Main Streets Program. My ANC single member district includes North Capitol Street between New York Avenue and T Street.

I have met with several current and prospective business owners over the past two years. The potential of the area is evident, but, due to years of neglect, North Capitol Street continues to reside in an economic purgatory. However, residents are ready to “buy local” and support small businesses. What is needed is a focused, organizing force to offset the current economic turbulence.

Having had numerous interactions and discussions with NCMS in the past, I am well-positioned to inform you that its leaders are intelligent, forward-thinking, and very capable of advancing the objectives of the DC Main Streets Program. Please feel free to contact me at (202) 302-7343 if you have any questions concerning the views of residents in my district.

Sincerely,

Kris Hammond
Commissioner

Eckington Civic Association Summer Clean-up

Kris Hammond — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:40:00 -0700

This past Saturday morning, I again joined fellow neighbors in the Eckington community with the bi-annual Eckington Civic Association trash clean-up (my entry on the previous clean-up can be viewed here).

The event kicked off at 9 a.m. with Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee. The organizer Charlene McCullers told everyone to just put in an hour and then call it a day due to the heat.

I teamed up with R Street resident Justin Darrow to cover North Capitol Street N.E. and parts of Lincoln Road, T Street, and Seaton Place.

Due to North Capitol Main Street's efforts, there are new iron treeboxes on North Capitol Street... but the tree boxes were full of trash and weeds. The tree box pictured here is an example of one we cleaned out. I think that keeping the tree boxes well-maintained will set the tone for the rest of the street. North Capitol Street is particularly hard to keep clean due to all of the transient traffic that passes through every day.

Although some people a ban on single sales of alcohol would decrease trash, I think that benefit has been overstated. During the brief clean up, I picked up one beer can, one vodka bottle, and one brandy bottle. But, as in the past, the little plastic "barrels" that hold children's sugar water took first place, I picked up four of those and countless single-serving potato chip bags.

How I live.

CitySlurp — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0700

I don't do anything quietly. I set out to challenge myself and to challenge others to think outside their safety zones. I make bold moves, and not everyone is going to get what I am doing. I have to do whats right for me. I have to be able to say at least I went for it and followed my heart.

Mount Vernon Newest resident

CitySlurp — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:36:00 -0700

Young Leather Alpha Cub moving to Mount Vernon in Baltimore from Eckington, Washington DC. Not sure what I will blogging about but mostly about living in the gay getto in Charm City.

Moving from Eckington DC to Baltimores Mount Vernon

CitySlurp — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:29:00 -0700

So my new job is having me travel alot up by baltimore and north of it, so I am going to move to baltimore, Thanks Eckington for the good times, I hope you have bright future ahead of you.

Changes

PalacePool — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:52:00 -0700

It has been a long time since my last post, but just wanted to mention that there is progress in Eckington.

I noticed today that the KFC is closed. What is going on there?

The firehouse (formerly going to be EC12) is undergoing renovation.

WASA has replaced lead water pipes leading into homes.

There are flower baskets on the street lights on Lincoln Rd.

There are fewer vacant houses

that is some incredible progress. If now there were less murders and assault with deadly weapons.

Au Bon Pain Coming to NoMa Marriott

dcavocado — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:21:00 -0700

So my blog has been on vacation for the last month or so but I'm hoping my postings will be start to pick up again.

That said, Au Bon Pain will be opening up at the Marriott Courtyard (which is also looking like it's coming along well for its expected opening next year).

And if you haven't noticed their signs up yet at the ATF retail space, we had reported that Five Guys was coming to NoMa. It has actually been official for the last couple of weeks.

Community Celebrates New York Avenue Basketball Court

Kris Hammond — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:45:00 -0700

Playing catch-up today with the neighborhood news....

Two weeks ago today, I joined community leaders, Ward Five Councilman Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr. and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy L. Lanier for New York Avenue Basketball Court Ribbon Cutting and the Metro Basketball League's season opener. All who spoke recognized the contribution of Pulte Homes, who funded the construction of the basketball court. Terrence Judge, President of the Metropolitan Basketball League and Joyce Robinson Paul of Hanover Area Civic Association also spoke.

During my two minutes at the mike, I elaborated on the virtues that the game of basketball: it teaches teamwork, it reinforces the benefits of hard work (winning) while at the same time imposing penalties for violating the rules-- which is to say, it teaches some of life's lessons. As you can see from the photo taken by Bloomingdale resident Sara Kaufman, those present listened intently... well, at least Chief Lanier (far right) appeared to do so.

Ban on Single Sales of Alcohol Proposed

Kris Hammond — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:13:00 -0700

A proposed ban on single sales of alcoholic beverages is the latest legislative buzz eminating from the City Council. Are such bans truly effective when combating the underlying problems of littering and public drinking, or should we work harder to enforce existing laws? It sounds like an easy solution, but does it discriminate against the poor?

I've been knocking on doors and asking. Feel free to share your opinions here (if you want your opinions to influence me as a Commissioner, please sign your post with your street block). Does anyone know where banning single sales has worked in some other jurisdiction? A Google search yielded few hits beyond the D.C. proposal.

Please see this message on from Robert V. Brannum:

Ward 5 Roundtable Discussion Announcement

On Tuesday, 27 May 2008, at 7 p.m., DC City Councilman Harry Thomas, Jr. will be holding a roundtable discussion on the sale of single containers of alcoholic beverages in Ward 5. Legislation has been introduced for Wards 4, 7, and 8 to prohibit the sale of an individual container of the package if the capacity of the individual container is 70 ounces or less, as well as prohibit the division of manufacturer’s package of more than one container of beer, malt, liquor, or ale. The meeting will be held at the Isle of Patmos Baptist Church, 12th Street and Rhode Island Avenue, NE. The contact number and e-mail address for Councilman Thomas is 724-8028 and http://us.f634.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=hthomas@dccouncil.us.

Robert

Robert Vinson Brannum
Chairman, 5th District Citizens' Advisory Council, Inc.
202-256-8452
202-328-7611 fax

Art at the Bear Marks Another NCMS Success

Kris Hammond — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:38:00 -0700

Last Saturday's North Capitol Main Street's (NCMS) 5th Annual Fundraiser dubbed "Art at the Bear," held at Big Bear Cafe was a "rousing success."

A quick note concerning people who were acknowledged at the event . . .

NCMS Business of the Year is Big Bear Café, accepted by Lana Labermeir, proprietor.

NCMS Volunteer of the Year is Sara Kaufman.

Vicky Leonard-Chambers received a Special Appreciation Award for past service to the organization.

By the way, that's Pat Mitchell, NCMS President, bestowing those awards.

Agenda for May 20 ANC 5C Meeting

Kris Hammond — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:13:00 -0700

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C

MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE AND AGENDA

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

All Nations Baptist Church
North Capitol St. and Rhode Island Ave., NE
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Part I: Community Concerns and Progress Reports ------ 7:05 p.m.

1) Call to Order ………………… Commissioner Bonds
2) Roll Call …………………………Commissioner Salatti
3) Approval of the April 2008 Meeting Minutes

4) Acknowledgement of Community Leaders and Guests

5) Treasurer’s Report ……………………Commissioner DeFoe
6) MPD Update …………………………… PSA 501 Officers
7) Community Concerns ……………………………………… Moderated by Commissioner Wright
8) Remarks from the Office of Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.
9) Comments by Alice Thompson, Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services

Part II: Outstanding Business ------- 7:35 p.m.

Update on Grant Applications ……………………………… Commissioner Day
For action: Metropolitan League Grant Application (Summary Presentation)
Progress Report/Updates: Harriet Tubman Memorial, Bloomingdale Community Mediation,
Kick-boxing Tournament
Update on Celebration Honoring Area Youth Athletics …… Commissioners Grant and Salatti

Part III: New Business ------- 8:00 p.m.

· Update on Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) Activities,
Alice Harper, 5D Community Relations Specialist
· Update on Catholic University Campus Plan ……… Craig Parker, University Counsel
· Progress Report on Community Issues …………….
…Single Member District Meeting Highlights ……… Commissioner Holloway (5C12)
· Proposed Zoning Changes for 1700 First St, NW …. Commissioner Davenport
· Update on Soldier’s Home Development …………… Commissioner DeFoe
Note: Questions and Comments by Commissioners followed by Community Comments

Part IV: Committee of the Whole Executive Session -------- 8:45 p.m.
1) Pay Bills ………………………………………………………….. Commissioners Day and DeFoe
2) Items for June 2008 Meeting Agenda
Meeting Adjourned .……………………………………….. 8:55 p.m.

Bloomingdale Farmers Market Starts This Weekend!

dcavocado — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:51:00 -0700

Sundays, May 18-November 23
10 am - 2 pm.
First & R Streets NW, next to the Big Bear Cafe

Go!

Greyhound moving on out, eventually...

dcavocado — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:21:00 -0700

I've always wondered how the Greyhound station would fit in with all of the developments going up around it. It's been there way before "NoMa" became a real estate buzzword. At the least, I thought the station would be spruced up as its run-down state become even more glaring next to the new buildings going up.

Now I know that it's up for sale and that in fact, selling the property and moving Greyhound inside Union Station has been discussed for some time. It's also been reported that there is a lot of excitement (at least among real estate people) about Greyhound's decision to sell because its location is considered to be a key part of NoMa's redevelopment. The city would like to see First Street NE as the heart of NoMa and as a neighborhood retail center where NoMa residents can hang out.

It gets easier to visualize NoMa as a vibrant business district as we hear more about big leases being signed, etc. but I still can't visualize it as a "neighborhood." Maybe when the residential properties are completed and the Harris Teeter opens, it'll be easier to. But for now, a NoMa neighborhood is still a ways away with none of the residential properties finished (have they even started any of those buildings?) and with Greyhound still planning to lease back once they find a buyer.

Bike Rack at the NY Avenue Metro

dcavocado — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:08:00 -0700

I just noticed this bike rack by Pound today. It's kind of in a random location, not right by the metro entrance. Maybe they put them there in anticipation of more street traffic due to people attending the James Bond film festival or for the hotel and eateries opening up?

They had reckless drivers back then too....

dcavocado — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:49:00 -0700

Thanks to a Bloomingdale resident for alerting me to this photo and story of a streetcar derailment in Eckington, circa 1919. Read all about it here.

Don't Forget...Artomatic Opening This Friday!

dcavocado — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:04:00 -0700

Don't forget! Over 700 artists and 300 performances will be at Artomatic 2008 and it's all starting this Friday at the Capitol Plaza I building (bad picture to the left) on 1st and M Streets, NE.

Highlights of opening weekend (from the NoMa BID press release) include:

*Unveiling of nine floors of 2-D and 3-D visual arts presentations by more than 700 local and regional artists.
*Flights of Fire--a fire dancing performance to be held outside at 9 p.m., Friday, May 9.
*"Electro-acoustic psychedelic world dance music" by Baltimore’s Telesma at 9 p.m., Friday, May 9.
*A Latin dance workshop with professional dance instructor Ibis Villegas, featuring salsa, merengue, samba, and other styles at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 10.
*Progressive rock by Guardians of Iridescence at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10.
*"The Road to Success," performance art by Carolina Mayorga in the form of a new TV game show at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 10.
*New wave/indie rock by Plastiq Passion, an all-girl band from Union City, New Jersey at 11 p.m., Saturday, May 10.
*An expressive drawing workshop with Giliah Litwack at 1 p.m., Sunday, May 11.
*"In-your-face" jazz/jam music "with a touch of funk" by Bethesda, JD-based Bassment Breaks at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 11.

More information and the full schedule of events is at www.artomatic.org.

Scenic Artisan at the Bloomingdale blog and other neighborhood artists will be exhibiting so more reason to go!

City Year Corps Serves Emery Elementary School

Kris Hammond — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:14:00 -0700

On Saturday, Ted McGinn once again led the City Year Corps and parent volunteers (86 strong) to rejuvenate Emery Elementary School (1720 First Street NE). Some volunteers (not this one!) started work at 8:30 a.m. I assisted with installing a green watering system in one of the garden beds.

The work done for the community by City Year is greatly appreciated, so I'm taking a moment to highlight an e-mail Ted recently sent me and several other community leaders. He is promoting the idea of making JF Cook Elementary School (now slated to close) available for the use of City Year. The e-mail follows, it is definitely worth careful consideration.

Hi Everyone,

City Year needs to move out of their current location by Nov 08. As some of you may know City Year's first headquarters was in Ward 5 at Q and Eckington Place Ne. At that time they had only 32 Crops members and no Young Heroes program. Since 2000 City Year has grown and was forced to seek a larger space to handle that growth outside of our Ward. So what has City Year done for DC.Since 2000, City Year Washington, DC corps members have:
- Made a difference in the lives of 42,569 children
- Served more than 550,000 hours in the Washington, DC community
- Led 6,689 volunteers in service

Click here to learn more about the history of City Year.Since 2000 City Year has held 12 service days at Emery, 4 that included community wide clean-ups and work on the Harry Thomas Rec. Center. They run the Young Heroes program for 3 years at Emery, working with 6th,7th and 8th grade students.City Year is looking for a new headquarters that has enough room to handle its growth. Next year they will have 85 Crops members and over 100 Young Heroes.

City Year's new Executive Director Jeff Franco is interested in looking at JF Cook Elementary School at 40 P street NW as a possible location. He is looking for a site near Metro bus and rail because that is how City Year moves. City Year is ready to meet with the ANC, Civic Associations, CM Thomas and DCPS to determine if this would be a good move for all the stakeholders. City Year has looked at Gage-Eckington, and because of its dependence Metro that location might not meet their needs as well as Cook. This is only the first round of contact about this possibility, feel free to contact Jeff Franco at JFranco@cityyear.org

we all work together ted mcginn

Pound Coffee Now Has Weekend Hours

dcavocado — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:20:00 -0700

As noted earlier, Pound Coffee now has weekend hours. According to their website and from when I passed by yesterday, they are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. So no more excuses not to try them out!

Walking Tour of Eckington

dcavocado — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:50:00 -0700

I'm posting some pics I took of the Eckington walking tour. The rest are on flickr including random pictures of the neighborhood. Eckington Tour also has some tour pictures next to pictures of Eckington way back in the day. It was a very well attended tour of about 60 people, many of whom lived in the neighborhood and in DC but also included a surprising number of people who live outside of DC.

Waiting for the tour to start in front of the ATF building

Judd & Detwiler Building/XM Satellite Building at 1500 Eckington Place, NE

Eckington School, 111 Quincy Place, NE

McKinley Technical High School, 151 T Street, NE

The Old Car Barn at 4th & T Streets, NE

Bloomingdale Farmers Market to Start in May

dcavocado — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:33:00 -0700

According to the the Washington Post's 2008 Farmers Market Guide, the Bloomingdale Farmers Market on Sundays will start back up in May. The guide actually has conflicting start dates. The Map entry lists the start date as May 3 while the Market Listings has it as May 18. Since May 3 is not even a Sunday, I think the start date will probably be May 18. I've asked for clarification but haven't heard back so if anyone knows too, let me know. Either way, I'm looking forward to this earlier start date and making a visit to the market a regular Sunday event again!

Photo by In Shaw.

2020 Martini Cafe and Lounge Coming to North Capitol Street

dcavocado — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:14:00 -0700

For those who are dying to see some positive sign of life on North Capitol, which I'm assuming is most of Bloomingdale and Eckington, here it is.

The old firehouse will be developed into 2020 Martini Cafe and Lounge, a restaurant offering pizza, pasta, sushi, and a whole lot more.

Here is the Biz Journal article and Bloomingdale's post about this awesome news.

One thing I didn't read anywhere is when is it going to be done? It sounds like it's going to be a pretty big project requiring a complete renovation of the building. Is it too hopeful to think it'll be done in a year?

PittBull Running off-leash

CitySlurp — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:07:00 -0700

Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a pitbull with his owner who walks his pitbull or sometimes more then one off leash down R street Alley NE. Keep a look out and call the police, I have done so a few mins ago.

Delayed restaurant openings, losing Eckington Park, and safety escort services...

dcavocado — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:03:00 -0700

Check out NoMa BID's spring newsletter. It provides an overview of all NoMa-related happenings since the start of the year. Here are notables:

Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli and Sister’s Pizza & Mussels is expected to be open by June. That is probably very unlikely. It is already mid-April and although the space has been cleaned out the last time I passed by and I see what look like walls being built, I don't think it'll be done by June.

Coming soon are the ground breaking for several residential buildings, two of which are far away from Eckington (450 units at 1st and M Street NE and 300 unit apartment building at 60 L Street). But Trammell Crow Residential's 650-unit Eckington I is right in the neighborhood. That is the location of "Eckington Park." I don't really see any new activity at the park besides the occasionally residents running laps or playing with their dogs. Anyone notice anything new? Does coming soon mean some time this year?

Finally, BID is planning to launch a Safety Ambassador Program this month. These ambassadors I assume will be like those in other BIDs. Among their tasks is "providing safety escort services upon request." As an Eckington resident, I couldn't imagine using such a service (except super late at night when the ambassadors probably aren't working anymore).

But for those people who will soon be working in NoMa and are worried about safety, I hope these ambassadors will be able to appease some of your concerns. I've never felt unsafe walking or biking through NoMa during the day or early evening but I consider this area my neighborhood. I can completely understand not feeling too great in an area that you're not familiar with.

Testimony Concerning the Metropolitan Police Department’s Safe Homes Initiative

Kris Hammond — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:46:00 -0700

As noted in a recent post, MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier had proposed that police officers knock on doors and ask permission at every house in certain target areas-- Eckington being one --to search for illegal guns and drugs. There was a hearing before the City Council on Monday, and I was planning to testify.

However, news reports on April 4 indicated that the police program has been dramatically scaled back, to a "request only" system, no doubt due to the dramatic opposition from residents everywhere. So I submitted my hearing testimony by e-mail and attended the Bates Area Civic Association meeting instead. The topic of crime dominated that meeting, but no one called for police searches of residences... they called for (nearly yelled for, actually) "police presence."

My submitted testimony follows.

Council of the District of Columbia
Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary

Testimony Concerning the Metroplitan Police Department’s Safe Homes Initiative

by Kris Hammond
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, 5C-02
ANC 5C Liaison to MPD

Monday, April 7, 2008, at 5:00 p.m.
5th Floor Council Chambers, John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004

Chairman Mendelson and members of the Committee, my name is Kris Hammond. I am an advisory neighborhood commissioner in the District. Half of my single member district lies within the Eckington neighborhood, which is one of the areas targeted by the program that is the subject of this hearing. I also serve as the ANC 5C liaison to the Metropolitan Police Department. Please note that my views do not necessarily reflect the views of either my employer or all of the residents who reside within my district.

Thank you for holding this public oversight roundtable on the Metropolitan Police Department’s (“MPD”) Safe Homes Initiative. I first found out about this initiative in the newspaper The Examiner, but I should have been informed directly by the police department about a proposed program targeting my neighborhood. Even if I had not frequently attended Public Service Area (PSA) meetings over the past year, as I have, my opinion and my neighbors’ should have been solicited before a major new initiative such as this was announced.

As originally proposed, the program involved police officers knocking on doors and asking permission at every house to search for illegal guns and drugs. And if drugs or illegal guns are found, they will be seized but the household members will not be prosecuted—unless the items seized lead to the development of more serious crimes. The latest version of the program, in which residents call the police and request the searches, will likely be ineffectual, but it is considerably less harmful.

Residents are overwhelming against the program as initially proposed no matter where they stand within the political spectrum. Even though the original program will not be implemented, it has already been destructive to relations between police and citizens. Knocking on doors and talking with people is exactly what the police should be doing. But given the news reports of this program, many citizens will now be on guard. They will not trust the police to be acting in their best interest. A lack of trust between citizens and police severely hampers the ability of the police to fight crime. Information provided by residents to police is key to solving crimes, but people generally only divulge information to people they trust.

The Safe Homes Initiative as originally proposed would have been a waste of scarce police resources. Citizens do not want officers knocking on doors and asking for meaningless consent searches. Citizens want officers on the street walking the beat. They want officers to engage with pedestrians. They want officers to respond promptly to calls for service. They do not want police to show up at their door and treat them as if they are felons in need of absolution.

The Safe Homes Initiative as originally proposed is bad for police morale and debases an important police technique. I suspect that rank-and-file police officers would not have enjoyed implementing the safe home initiative. Consent searches, when used sparingly, are an important police tool. There are times when the police suspect illegal activity but do not have sufficient information to obtain a warrant. If a resident waives his or her Fourth Amendment rights, the search will hold up in court. Used sparingly, consent searches can save lives. But if the request is used in a ham-fisted manner, it will condition people to just say no all the time.

I leave you with these closing thoughts: First, the Safe Homes Initiative seems a bit out of place considering that the District of Columbia may soon be forced to permit private ownership of handguns. Three weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments concerning whether, for the past thirty years, the District of Columbia has unconstitutionally deprived its citizens of the right to bear a firearm in defense of one’s self or one’s loved ones.

Given the reasonable probability that the Court will rule against the current law, I encourage the Council to consider now what constitutionally-permitted laws and regulations it might implement to ensure that only law-abiding citizens possess firearms and that these residents receive proper safety training. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, the Council may benefit from consultation with the National Rifle Association, which has been conducting safety programs for citizens for many years.

Second, overall, the police are doing an excellent job and their performance and interaction with citizens has improved over the past year. We need to continue strategizing ways to improve attendance by the public at PSA meetings, or consider alternative methods.

Although we have closed the gap somewhat through better citizen-police interaction on the streets and listservs, much remains to be done. Improving citizen-police communication and interaction will do much more for public safety than crime cameras, consent searches of homes, or vehicle “safety check” stops.

Hilton Garden Inn Coming to NoMa

dcavocado — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:48:00 -0700

Constitution Square broke ground today with Mayor Fenty and Delegate Norton attending the ceremony. A commenter alerted me to the fact that a 204-room Hilton Garden Inn Hotel will also be built. According to the NoMa BID press release, the first phase of Constitution Square will include the following:

One Constitution Square, with 340,000 square feet of speculative office space;
Two Constitution Square, with 589,000 square feet of Class A office space, of which 521,000 SF is pre-leased to the US General Services Administration (GSA) for the DoJ;
A 50,000 square foot Harris Teeter grocery store; and 30,000 square feet of additional retail space;
A residential building with 440 apartment units; and
A 204-key Hilton Garden Inn Hotel to be owned and operated by an affiliate of OTO Development of Spartanburg, SC, including meeting facilities and a restaurant open seven days a week.

Washington Business Journal reports that the office space will be delivered in the first half of 2010, with 440 residential units to follow in the summer, and the hotel and Harris Teeter popping up in late 2010 and early 2011.

Pound Coffee to Have Weekend Hours

dcavocado — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:29:00 -0700

According to NoMa BID's press release about Pound's opening on April 1, 2008, Pound will have weekend hours from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, starting in May. Oh goodie, I look forward to that, maybe I'll finally get a chance to check them out.

So has anyone been to Pound yet? Apparently they serve "unbelievably good coffee and superior baked goods." Hubby and I don't drink coffee and rarely eat pastries so someone will have to tell me these things or I'll have to take their word for it. I'm hoping they have a good selection of tea!

DC Leather Pride Offical Events

CitySlurp — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:42:00 -0700

April 1, 2008
DCLeatherPRIDE@aol.com
Educational Seminars, All Colors Night, Capital Pride Leather Contest,
and Community Service Awards Announced for DCLeatherPRIDE2008
Nominations Now Being Accepted for Community Service Awards
Organizers of DCLeatherPRIDE2008 are pleased to announce activities and events for
DCLeatherPRIDE2008 being held June 6-8, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Currently planned are:

Educational Seminars and Classes to be held on Saturday June 7, 2008 from 11:00am – 6:00pm at
the DC Eagle. Educational Seminars, being produced by MTTA, Inc., will include sessions for those
new to the leather lifestyle as well as intermediate and expert.

This year members of the leather community can nominate individuals and/or organizations to receive Community Service Awards. Nominations must be sent by Friday May 2, 2008 to DCLeatherPRIDE@aol.com. When making nominations, please include the name of the person or organization being nominated, the reason why this person or organization should receive a Community Service Award, the phone number and email address of the person or organization being nominated, and ensure that the person or organization knows that a nomination is being made. Awards will be presented during “All Colors Night” Saturday June 7, 2008 at the DC Eagle. In 2007,
Community Service Awards were presented to the DC Eagle, the Scarlet’s Foundation, and the Spartan MC.

DCLeatherPRIDE will also include the Mr. and Ms. Capital Pride Leather Contests to be held Friday
night June 6, 2008 at 10pm at the Green Lantern. The Mr. and Ms. Capital Pride Leather Contests are produced by Cocker Productions, LLC. Winners will be presented during All Colors Night and will march in the Capital Pride parade.
Now in its 3rd year, DCLeatherPRIDE’s mission is to celebrate the rich leather history of the Metro DC region, to provide education of the leather lifestyle in a safe and healthy setting, and to create a welcoming environment into the leather community and leather clubs for those interested or new to leather and the leather lifestyle.

Beneficiaries for DCLeatherPRIDE are Brother Help Thyself (BHT) and the Metro DC GLBT
Community Center. For more information, please visit www.DCLeatherPRIDE.com or
www.myspace.com/DCLeatherPRIDE; or email DCLeatherPRIDE@aol.com.

If you’ve used crystal meth, tell us what you think and get $75 gift card

CitySlurp — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:35:00 -0700

Florida Avenue Market Update

dcavocado — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:00:00 -0700

DCmud recently had an an update on Gateway Market Center Inc.'s (part of Sang Oh Development) development proposal for the northwest corner of the intersection of 4th Street and Florida Avenue, NE. It is a small part of the proposed mini-city, New Town at Capital City Market.

Bisnow has some information about retail developer, Edens & Avant, who is venturing with J Street Development to develop the parcels that J Street has purchased in the area.

Steve [Boyle, E&A's mid-Atlantic head] says the Florida Market is the sort of "true urban redevelopment" that comes along once in a blue moon. They've bought 6 parcels already from among 70 owners in the area, aim to get more, and in December closed on DC Farmers Market, a structure with about 50 tenants selling everything from bananas to sneakers. Though still just in an entitlement and zoning, Steve tells us he'd love to see a focus on cultural food, maybe a culinary institute, and a grocery store to lend a neighborhood feel. He loves a little Italian grocery store there called A. Litteri, and wants to preserve it and other mom and pops. "We want to bring the old and the new parts together."

It's obvious Sang Oh Development and J Street Development have contrasting visions of how the area will be developed. It will be very interesting to see whether minds will meet or whether compromises can be made. It will also be nice to see the area cleaned up a bit but not to lose its character.

NoMa Updates

dcavocado — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:13:00 -0700

It's kind of sacrilegious for me to blog and not have a functioning digital camera. Right now, it's all taped up and will occasionally indulge me and take a decent pic but we're hoping to get a new one some time this year. But thanks to IMGoph for his blog posts (with lots of pics) about construction activity and other sights at NoMa. I'm reposting them below.

Artomatic at Capital Plaza
The Mariott
Washington Gateway
Pound Coffee, which by the way is only open until 2 p.m. for the month of April I think. I hope they expand their hours soon. With my schedule, there's no way I'm going to be able to come by when it's open!

Owner of Big Ben Pledges to Improve Community

Kris Hammond — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:16:00 -0700

On the day of my meeting held for constituents this past Sunday at Colonel Brooks' Tavern, controversy surrounded Big Ben liquor store, located at the corner of North Capitol Street N.W. and New York Avenue. A gentleman who bought a house in 2006 right next to the liquor store and then joined in protesting the establishment's license within months of that purchase was again castigating the business on the Truxton Circle website.

I received an e-mail from Bloomingdale resident Sara Kaufman:

A potential thought for the Big Ben [liquor store] discussion... beautification of an area helps replace some of the ugly (crime and grime). And the care of an area can help the "locals" take responsibility for that area.

I had asked North Capitol Main Street (NCMS) about ordering another of (what used to be) our signature colorful pots with more roses for in front of the store . . .

As I'm sure you've already heard me report: when NCMS put the pots at the "Bus Stop Park" at Florida and North Cap three years ago - it helped some with some of the problems there.. And its a good way to interact with the "locals." . . . My line is "I'm just a volunteer and I'm always looking for other volunteers to help me" when hey ask to help or for money. I always get someone to help and they are happy to do so, and pick up on days/weeks/months that I'm not there. Now they stop to talk to me when I see them . . .

NCMS talked some with Mr. Singh at Big Ben on a NMCS walk about last year. He was very receptive to care of something like that around his store. . . . Maybe the ANC would provide funds for pots and flowers?

The meeting was sparsely attended, but Mr. Singh was there, the second time he has attended one of my meetings. Showing up counts for a lot in my book. Well, Mr. Singh was more than willing to maintain flower pots, he volunteered to provide the funds to purchase the beautification.

He was also interested when I told him that North Capitol Main Street has a design committee that could help him with developing a more attractive interior. We discussed the possibility of adapting his business model to the changing neighborhood. He mentioned that he has made contributions to local community efforts. And we heard about some of the obstacles he faced, such as the time his store was robbed at gun point and he lost $10,000.

People often assume the worst about a business (particularly liquor stores) without engaging the business owner and giving him or her a good-faith opportunity to make a positive contribution to the community. I'm seeking to change that inclination.

(Photo credit: http://pedestriantype.blogspot.com)

Free Walking Tour of Eckington on April 26!

dcavocado — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:38:00 -0700

Someone on the Eckington listserv noticed this cool picture of an Eckington streetcar in the March 2008 issue of the Washingtonian. I subscribe to this magazine so I'm not sure how I missed it!

Anyway, Eckington was selected as a Walkingtown DC Weekend Free Tour this year. So to learn more about Eckington and its history, come take the walking tour on Saturday, April 26, from 1:00-2:30 p.m.. The details are below:

Eckington - 100 Years of Capital Traction

Saturday, April 26

1 - 2:30 pm

Meet outside Florida Avenue exit of New York Avenue Metro Station (Red Line), in front of the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) HQ at the corner of N and 2nd Streets, NE. Tour Ends at the Rhode Island Metro Station (Red Line)

Once a tranquil country estate north of Boundary Road, this neighborhood tells the story of Washington's first electric streetcar and maps the expansion of the city along the famous and well worn tracks along the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad. Visit the former estate of Joseph Gales, Jr., mayor of Washington and publisher of the National Intelligencer and discover neighborhood architectural styles from late Victorian row houses to industrial warehouses. Led by Brian Kraft and presented by the DC Preservation League and the Eckington Civic Association

Tour will be held again this Fall, Saturday, September 20 same time, same place.

Hubby signed us up to volunteer for National Rebuilding Day that day but I'm hoping to sneak out for a bit and join the tour.

MPD Police Seek to Perform Consent Searches of Residences

Kris Hammond — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:19:00 -0700

News reports yesterday in the Washington Times and The Examiner state that police officers are planning to go door-to-door seeking permission to search homes for weapons and drugs in Southeast, Columbia Heights, and our neighborhood, Eckington. The Washington Post first reported this development on March 13.

I've left messages for our local police to find out what is in store for Eckington, perhaps they are not in the loop either. There are many serious concerns posed by this scheme, but two concerns obviate the issue of gun control.

First, this initative is bad for police-citizen relations. Officers should be knocking on doors, but the reason should be to introduce themselves and offer helpful anti-crime hints. Police have said on numerous occasions that it is critical that they receive information from citizens about crimes, that is how crimes are solved. Knocking on doors and asking citizens to waive their Fourth Amendment rights does not promote a positive relationship leading to the exchange of information.

Second, anyone who is not single-and-living-alone should take a moment to assess his or her personal situation. The general rule under the Fourth Amendment (consult your favorite attorney for how the law specifically applies in the District) is that anyone who has rights to the same living space you do (roommates, spouse/partner, older children, landlords, and girlfriends/boyfriends) can permit police officers to search your home. The general rule is that you would have no right to contest that search later in Court because consent is a waiver of constitutional rights.

Now is the time to sit down with your spouse, roommate or partner and talk about what should happen if the police knock on the door. It would also be a good opportunity to develop a general crisis plan (see the Be Ready D.C. program for more details) if you haven't done so already. And if the police do knock, do take a moment to thank him or her for the efforts made to fight crime in the District.

Luciana Cafe Now Open, Customers Needed

Kris Hammond — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:06:00 -0800

As I reported in a post on January 11, Luciana Cafe is the latest addition to our neighborhood restaurant. The restaurant opened a few days ago, so check it out.

And while you are chatting with Reinaldo and Frank (shown in the photo here), let them know you are hoping for a sit-down restaurant. If enough people indicate interest, they will move in that direction. As it is, the protective glass is not fully up and a face-to-face conversation can be had with the new owners.

Restaurant hours are seven days a week, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Dunbar High School Deserves Maintenance

Kris Hammond — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:39:00 -0800

Caution: This entry contains graphic bathroom photos (no foot-tapping though).

Tonight I briefly spoke to the Dunbar High School Parent Teacher Student Association (Dunbar PTSA). Dunbar is located within the boundaries of my district. I told the audience that we faced walls where we didn't want them (barriers between the community and the school) even as we lacked walls where we needed them (within the school itself).

Most classrooms at Dunbar have no walls separating classes, it is a failed 1970s education experiment. I half-joked that the PTSA should act fast to obtain walls or build a new school building before some historical preservationist group sought to preserve the school as an architectual wonder. A woman spoke up and said they are ready for the preservationists.

The PTSA is currently circulating a petition, which I signed. In addition to the need for walls was a need for renovation of the bathrooms. They are not being picky about this....

I visited the restroom on the way out and found one commode out of service, no toilet paper, no soap, a disabled paper towel dispenser, and graffiti--the triple crown of bathroom disorder (okay, given that I listed five, pick your favorite three).

Ward Five Economic Development Summit

Kris Hammond — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:01:00 -0800

(Photo of the Basilica at Catholic University by Dan Malouff.)

I attended the Ward Five Economic Development Summit earlier today. It was hosted by Councilman Harry Thomas, Jr. and held at Catholic University . Stop Blog and Roll has the agenda posted here.

I was particularly interested in the panel titled "Stimulating Neighborhood Economic Development." (SNED) It was a lot more important, I think, than the "Mini Workshop on Negotiating Community Benefits Packages." Both were billed at one hour each, but the SNED panel started a half an hour late.

The SNED panel spoke for a half an hour, then came time for questions from the audience. The second question was the last, or rather it became the second-to-last after a small protest from the third questioner. Moderator Deborah Crain demonstrated an uncanny ability to get the schedule on track: just end the session. We should hire her for ANC meetings (we are always running over).

I was interested to hear from panelist Ana Harvey, Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, that her organization has been working with Verizon to provide DSL services to small businesses. Noting that the lease is often a business owner's most onerous cost of doing business, Harvey said that the Hispanic Chamber has also been helping businesses renegotiate their leases.

If I had had an opportunity to ask a question of the SNED panel, it would have related to the severe economic downturn that appears to be coming our way (or is here already). As I discussed with a member of the community this past week, one home sale in Bloomingdale had been listed for $524,000, but it sold for only $399,000. As noted in a news article this week, "The [Federal Reserve] stoked anxieties over US prospects with a prediction that America is set to be blighted this year by a combination of anaemic growth, higher inflation and rising unemployment." So what's the economic plan for Ward Five to combat this challenge?

D.C. Cracking Down On People Who Feed Parking Meters

CitySlurp — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:12:00 -0800

WASHINGTON -- D.C. is cracking down on people who try to cheat the parking meter system.

Officials said two-hour zones are there for a reason, and drivers are not allowed to come back and pump more quarters into meters after time expires.

The Department of Public Works is testing new technology to make it easier to catch cheaters.

The technology could include license plate readers that scan cars in an area.

*taken from NBC4.com

This is the dumbest thing ever. They city is still getting the money they want. How about ticketing the cops when they are eating at McD's double parked or catching the ups/fed ex guys parking where it says no parking at any time, or the parking enforcement who never comes around when you call them.

Another Street Sign Death

Kris Hammond — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:39:00 -0800

Some street signs fade away. Others experience tragic deaths. Our community deserves prompt repair and replacement of damaged, deterioriating, or "totalled" signs.

Well, the D.C. Department of Transportation has sometimes fallen short. Signs have laid on the ground for six months at a time before being picked up.

So here is another opportunity. The sign in the photo above can be found at the corner of 1st Street N.E. and Quince Place [update: it disappeared the morning after this post]. This is another opportunity to see how well the automated on-line service center (dc.gov) works this time.

When I submitted the request, the system told me: "We were unable to verify the location Quincy Place NE AND 1st Street NE, WASHINGTON, DC." The service request number is 1712458.

Are there DDOT sign success stories? Sort of.

This stop sign, which appears to be a temporary sign that replaced a sign that was destroyed, ended up on the ground about a week after police had tied yellow "Do Not Cross" tape to it in support of a local event. The police never took the yellow tape away, and the sign fell down not long afterwards.

I filled out a request online and the followed up with DDOT's Sharelene Reed. She soon informed me that the request had been fulfilled, and that the case number was now closed.

So what was the catch? Whoever fixed the sign didn't bother to remove the police tape. A neighbor burst out laughing when he saw the sight. Ever get the feeling that someone doesn't care to make the neighborhood better, they just want to get the job done and go? Maybe it's more than just a feeling.

DC Votes for Presidential Nominees

Kris Hammond — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:06:00 -0800

Yesterday morning, Barack Obama supporters waved signs at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue. Given the enthusiasm of passing cars, perhaps Obama taking 75% of the vote today was not completely surprising. John McCain secured a solid victory on the other side of the aisle. Congratulations to both gentlemen.

More on the Mandatory Paid Leave Bill and the Government-financed Nationals Stadium

Kris Hammond — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:47:00 -0800

My recent post on the The Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2007 took a spin on the Eckington Yahoo! listserv. Former ANC Commissioner Kathy Henderson (who lives about a mile east of North Capitol Street) responds:

Private employees should have paid annual and sick leave. Arguments against such modest benefits are unfair to our citizens and belong in the same category as arguments against raising the minimum wage. There is no such thing as employees that do not get sick; said employees may not take time off because they cannot afford to miss any time from work. I am with Stacie; I would rather see sick employees stay home and convalesce rather that coming to work and possibly infecting others because they cannot miss a paycheck.

Are you familiar with the legend of the boiling frog? In the 1800s, a science experiment found that if a frog was placed in cold water, and the water temperature was increased in very small increments, that the frog would boil to death before jumping out. The legend reminds us that we ought to beware of incremental changes that creep up on us slowly.

Small and moderate-sized businesses are the frog here. They aren't going to stage a big walk-out to protest mandatory paid leave. The cost in time and lost business to mount an opposition effort isn't in the cards. And after all, they will look heartless, and that's bad for business. And so this new regulation will be passed, and it will be added to the large mountain already present. Small businesses will soldier on.... until they finally decide it's time to leave town.

The District is burnishing its reputation as a jurisdiction hostile to business prosperity. Government by nature is always on the prowl to do something, to solve problems even when they aren't the pressing ones. That's how many politicians get elected: spend more money on this, impose another regulation on that.

As a result, our freedom is incrementally diminished in exchange for promises to solve all the latest issues. It's easy to impose mandates on businesses-- sure, let them figure out how to make the latest government edict work with the financial balance sheets (which lead to yet another consideration: what about time consumed by maintaining paperwork to comply with the law)?

Finally, the timing of this "compassion" is poor: most believe that we are in a recession or about to head into one. This is not the time to create hurdles to job creation. The bottom line: Shouldn't we concentrate on attracting businesses to North Capitol Street? There aren't many area businesses available to impose this regulation on in the first place.

In response to another posting, I cited the publicly-financed Nationals baseball stadium as an example of corporate welfare. Henderson again:

Regarding the baseball stadium, only businesses earning five million dollars or more in annual revenue were assessed the special tax to pay for the stadium. Most of these businesses are K Street law firms, which the majority of DC citizens do not patronize. Yes, DC is paying for the infrastructure improvements, which come from Federal Highway Administration funds and very few if any local dollars. Contrary to what some believe, citizens are not paying for the baseball stadium. Corporate welfare does not seem like a fitting term for the stadium funding since many business eagerly purchased their sky boxes in the first stages of the project. Don't forget the annual revenue the city will receive from the stadium lease agreement.

Finally, some will continue to debate the merits of the stadium project up to and beyond opening day next month and the argument that it cost too much has merit. However, this major development project clearly revitalizes what was a blighted industrial eyesore of an area. The projected tax revenue from the new development, including housing, retail and other leased space will offset project costs over time. We should be focusing our ire on the Office of Tax and Revenue former employees that stole money we will never see again.

I am not an expert on the stadium financing, but I have been reading about studies showing that the purported public benefit gained from stadium-financing deals like this rarely materializes.

I couldn't find any information indicating that Federal Highway Administration funds are being used to finance the stadium-- that would be a porkbarrel project. I imagine that any such funds are being used to support changes to area roads to facilitate traffic in the area of the stadium. Does anyone out there know?

So Kathy has clarified that taxpayer income tax money is not being used for the stadium, but corporate tax money is (and the corporations will pass the costs on some way, the money doesn't come out of thin air). Again, this appears to boil down to another case of robbing Peter (the 1% taxed corporations) to pay Paul (the Nationals). Sure, corporation Peter is getting fleeced this time, but "his" time will come, at the taxpayers' expense. Maybe those corporations purchased the skyboxes in part for the benefits of a fancy venue for throwing parties or fundraisers for federal and local politicians.

Councilman Marion Barry Embraces Mayor Fenty's Education Agenda

Kris Hammond — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:28:00 -0800

A lucid column today from Marc Fisher of the Washington Post on D.C.'s current third rail of politics:

When D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee proposed shutting down 23 of Washington's most egregiously underenrolled schools, knee-jerk politicians predictably behaved like those unscrupulous drivers who shout about whiplash after somebody glances their fender.

Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, still the reigning champion of winning time on the TV news, issued one outraged statement after another, showed up at every protest and, as late as Thursday, was on the tube railing against Rhee: "The chancellor's just being bullheaded. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"

Less than 24 hours later, a different Barry shook the mayor's hand and stepped before the cameras at a news conference announcing the final list of schools to be closed. "This is a historic day," the Mayor for Life said with a big smile. "Mayor Fenty took the bold action of making education number one." The closings -- the very same closings Barry had spent the previous two months slamming at every turn -- were suddenly an essential, empowering act of excellence.

So there you have it. One day Councilman Barry is leading a crowd in an anti-Mayor Fenty/Chancellor Michelle Rhee chant (as seen in the video above), the next week he is by their side in full support of their school reform plans.

The Examiner's Harry Jaffe lays it on thick:

[Four-term former mayor] Marion Barry bears the ultimate responsibility for the disgraceful state of many D.C. public schools. It has taken decades of neglect to bring a once-proud school system to its knees. Barry is the architect of that neglect.

Parents are rightly concerned about dramatic reform, and they ought to be involved in the process. People ought to apply rigorous scrutiny to the Fenty-Rhee plan. But in the end, rather than make impassioned arguments in a manner that would promoted resolution, it appeared to many that several activists sought to promote division and speculate on Fenty's unseemly hidden motives. The activists seemed to relish the fight, actually changing Rhee's mind was secondary.

Mayor Fenty was elected with a mandate to take control of the public school system. He and the chancellor ought to be given the opportunity to succeed, because ultimately they should be held responsible for the outcome.

The Center Announces Drop-in Hours

CitySlurp — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:29:00 -0800

The Center Announces Drop-in Hours

Starting immediately the DC Center will be open Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to stop by and learn
about services available in DC, share your ideas for The Center or utilize, the David Bohnett Cyber Center. The Center is located at 1111 14th Street NW Suite 350. (After 5:30 you must call to be let into the building 202 518-6100)

Throw Your Trash In A Trashcan

CitySlurp — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:21:00 -0800

Okay so I am on my porch and this guy gets out of his girlfriends car and throws his McD's trash on the street and then throws the rest of his trash onto the field of McKinley Technology High School. I cant believe some people in this area. I will be posting pics of this guy that I took.

McKinley Technology High School football/track field fence is being replaced

CitySlurp — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:03:00 -0800

So it looks like all the letters and photos to the goverment has work.
McKinley Technology High School football/track field chain fence is being
replaced with iron. The fence I am talking about is the one
that goes up 1st street ne inbetween Emery ES/ McK. HS and along r
street alley NE. The fence is turning out really nice and the workers have all been nice and friendly have taken their time when in the alley with cars parked. I will post pics up later on today or tomorrow.

DCLeatherPRIDE2008

CitySlurp — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:53:00 -0800

Kick-Off Planning Meeting

Monday December 17, 2007

7 – 9 pm

The Center

1111 14th Street NW, Suite 350

All are welcome to join the planning committee.

Are you a

leather man or leather woman

leather boy or leather girl

Master or slave

daddy or boy toy

bear or cub

dom top or sub bottom

old guard or new guard

homo or hetero

bi or trans

who wants to get more involved with

the leather community?

For more information:

DCLeatherPRIDE@AOL.com

DC Forum on Marriage Equality

CitySlurp — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:17:00 -0800

Save The Date: December 6th Forum on Marriage Equality
The DC Center and DC for Marriage invite you to join on on Thursday December 6th at 7:00 PM for a forum on Marriage Equality in the District of Columbia. The event takes places in Room 412 of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To download a 'save the date' flyer for this event, click here.

Our goals are for participants to:

Understand their current rights & responsibilities under DC domestic partnership laws.
Understand current domestic partnership legislation and what needs to happen to achieve full marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Participate in a community-wide discussion about when and how to push for marriage equality in the District of Columbia.

This event is still in the planning stages and your participation is welcome.
Organizations that would like to sign on as sponsors of this event and individuals who would like to help plan this forum please send an e-mail to communityforum@dcformarriage.org.

City Vehicle Parks in Front of Fire Hydrant

CitySlurp — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:47:00 -0800

REPOST:
"You'd think District employees would be on their best behavior these days now that the entire city is having an even harder time trusting them than normal. At the very least, you'd imagine the driver of city vehicle 96 5734 would realize that just about everyone is walking around with a camera, and if you park somewhere illegally, someone is going to notice - possibly even someone who's going to send their photos in to DCist"

The full story is here

http://dcist.com/2007/11/15/city_vehicle_pa.php

Some of the city workers are a pice of work.

Out of State kids coming to DC to use our school?

CitySlurp — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:59:00 -0800

(1st thing 1st I know we are not a state)

So as I am out front water the flowers and plants I am noticing alot of Maryland tag cars going to Emery ES and picking up kids. In the morning time I just thought it was teachers going in and parking cause I have not payed much attention to this. But now I am wondering, are parents lying to the District to have their kids go to school here so they can pick them up on the way home? Now I am pretty sure this is illegal, but its not really harming anyone is it?

Well I think that its wrong that we are paying for out of state kids coming to our schools. If the kids/parents live here in DC then this is a great chance for the city to make money off of cars that are illegaly tagged. I've noticed 6 cars with MD tag in just 10 mins. Just something to think about.

My dog got hit by a car.....Monday 05 2007

CitySlurp — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:48:00 -0800

Okay so I have my dog on the leash and I am waiting for my garage door to close then we start walking and next thing I know my dog get hit in the head/face by a car driving up the alley the wrong way. I yelled at the car and the passenger in the car noticed us and the car kept going. It happened in R street alley NE in the part that is only one way from Lincoln rd NE to 1st street NE.
He seems to be okay, this is the 1st time one of us has gotten hit but there has been more then 8 other times where one of us almost got before by people going up the alley the wrong way. I do not know who contact about this. This is getting really old really fast, a few times I have yelled at the people and they given me shit about me yelling at them for going the wrong way.
What if I was a kid playing in alley and this happened and it could happened since Emery ES is 2 house's down from mine.
UPDATE:::::::
I called 311 but nothing to really do since I dont have a plate number...
I dont know what else to do if anyone else does let me know. Thanks.

High Heel Race

CitySlurp — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:21:00 -0700

So Last night I got dressed up in Drag (for my 1st time) and went to the high heel race in DuPont. It was a blast but some of the guys in drag took it way too seriously its for shit and giggles. The whole street was packed from p street nw up 17th nw to r street nw. I will have pictures up a little later on the week of the event. All and all it was a good time. The only problem I have with it is seeing actually females dressed up to try to out do us gay guys or something.

Anyway I need some practice walking in heels, I have blisters on my feet now OUCH. Also need to the wig a little better so im not eating hair all night along. So its Halloween today, maybe I will give out candy in drag tonight sitting on my porch. Anyway Happy Halloween to all and if you have kids make sure you go with them and make sure they don't go out in the street with out you cause you and I know that there will be a few drunks flying down the street.

Male Shot In Head on N.Cap Street

CitySlurp — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:51:00 -0700

"WASHINGTON -- Police are investigating a shooting in Northwest Washington.

Authorities said the shooting happened in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street.

They said a male was shot in the head. There has been no word on the condition of the victim.

Police are searching for a suspect.

Stay with News4 and NBC4.com as this story continues to develop."

http://www.nbc4.com/news/14446344/detail.html

Brittany is a whore video---Hedda's Cant Sing Cant dance

CitySlurp — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:41:00 -0700

HRC does nothing for the DC GLBT community.

CitySlurp — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:17:00 -0700

The one thing that really bothers me is that alot of the GLBT community here in DC donate to national causes like HRC when they could be donating to local community group who can help change dc for the better like the dc glbt community center or DC for Marriage or WWC. People if we dont take care of our local community who will? HRC wont and has not. HRC only wants your money and could care less about the GLBT community here in DC.

St. Martin's Housing Project to Break Ground in February

PalacePool — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 05:05:00 -0700

I am still unhappy with the development and the way Rev Kelly characterizes the neighborhood resistance. I particularly like the holier than thou attitude (pun intended) despite the projects underwriters like GE and Fanny Mae who will receive huge tax deductions for their investments.

To reiterate, I am pro affordable housing. But that housing should be done in a way that doesnt drastically change the neighborhood. Adding 4-500 people in one block is a huge change.

All of that said, the city has made their decision, and my bitching is all for naught. On to the article from dcmud.

After an onerous battle between Bloomingdale (COMMENT: Eckington really) residents and the parish of St. Martins Church, plans are being finalized for groundbreaking on the new 178-unit workforce housing development on 116 T Street, NE, projected for completion in the first quarter of 2010. The apartment complex, totaling 241,000 s.f., is being designed as a Class A apartment building. It will hold 50 junior one bedroom units reserved as public housing for residents earning 30% of the Area Median Income with the remaining 128 units being comprised mostly of two bedroom apartments, available to residents who earn 60% of the Area Median Income. The project should break ground in February of 2008.

Upon completion, the project will serve as “the largest affordable housing project in DC,” said Reverend Michael Kelley, the pastor and leader of the project. “The bad news is that no one else is doing this type of thing,” he added. The reason for a lack of affordable housing developments in the District might be due to the clamor that these types of undertakings tend to cause within the community. St. Martins serves as the perfect example: when some of the neighboring residents discovered what was being constructed on the corner of Summit and T streets, a massive amount of lawyering commenced; they found a way to get an old convent, which would have been destroyed to build the apartment complex, classified a “Historic Building” with the Historical Preservation Society, effectively halting the development process. According to Reverend Kelley, some of the neighbors had a problem with “greed, race and class.”

Most of those community problems have been assuaged thanks to some tricky engineering and cunning design strategies by project architect Grimm & Parker and development manager NorthStar Consultants, who found a way to include the now historic convent (pictured) into the project by moving the massive structure 80 feet eastward. The move will be so astounding that U.K. based documentary program Mega Movers contacted Reverend Kelley to film the convent’s relocation. If the development schedule for the project can coalesce with Mega Movers’ production schedule, St. Martins could appear on the History Channel’s new season of the hit show.

The $41 million project will take the convent, which once served as a housing complex for nuns who taught at the St. Martin’s grade school, and merge it into the design of the apartment building. In 1990, the age-old convent was leased to DC-based Catholic Charities for use as a recovery location for drug-addicted mothers. Then in 2001, Catholic Charities began using the space as subsidized housing for recovering homeless men who needed supportive services and were unable to afford rent at market price. Now, Catholic Charities and St. Martin’s parish have decided that the building, which appears increasingly dilapidated with each passing day, the parking lot and the rest of the property would bode well as affordable housing for struggling adults. According to Reverend Kelley, it fits with the church’s mission – public outreach and social stewardship. Reverend Kelley added, “This speaks volumes about how the Catholic Church is putting Gospel beliefs into practice, or how we say here, taking our faith to the street.”

Hate Crimes On the Raise

CitySlurp — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:31:00 -0700

Just wanted to pass along the GLLU info to anyone that know of a hate crime that has happened to them or have seen one. Please Help the GLLU end this very bad trend. 4 hate crimes here in DC in less then on month is too much.

main pager at: 1-877-495-5995 If you are using your cell phone, please be sure to dial the "1" in front of this toll-free number.

Unit E-mail:gayliaisondc@hotmail.com (please do not use this e-mail in cases of emergency.) Voicemail Only: (202) 727-5427

TTY: (202) 347-8164

Fax: (202) 724-4120

WANTED!!

CitySlurp — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:23:00 -0700

Angus Houston

Assault with a Deadly Weapon - Shod Foot

Characteristic		Description
Height		5' 9"
Weight		185 lbs
Eyes		Brown
Hair		Black
Warrant		USW 1885-02 USW 3426-01

If you have information regarding this individual, please contact Detective Carmichael at (202) 698-1276 or the Synchronized Operations Command Center at (202) 727-9099.

Your participation and assistance is greatly appreciated by your community. By helping the police to capture wanted criminals, you are contributing to a safer, healthier neighborhood and making Washington a better place to live. Victims of crime often never know who the perpetrator was, but benefit from a stranger's help.

WANTED!!!

CitySlurp — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:21:00 -0700

Mark Anthony Samuel

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

Characteristic		Description
Race and Gender		Black male
Warrant Number		011604261033B
Date of Birth		7-27-71
Aliases		"Fat Mark," "Edward James Lewis," "Maurice Lee Kindler," "James Edwards"
Height		5' 8"
Weight		210 lbs
Eyes		Brown
Hair		Black
Last Known Address		3200 block 13th Street, NW

Mark Samuel, aka "Fat Mark," "Edward James Lewis," "Maurice Lee Kindler," "James Edwards" is wanted for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Mark Samuel is described as 5' 8" tall, 210 lbs., with brown eyes and black hair. Samuel's DOB is 7-27-71 and his last known address is the 3200 block of 13th Street, NW, but is known to hang out around 11th Street and Park Road, NW.

Samuel drives a Ninja-style motorcycle, is very bow-legged and walks with a limp.

If anyone has information about the whereabouts of Mark Anthony Samuel, they should contact Detective Avis Packard, ROC-North at 576-7957, the DC Joint Fugitive Task Force, at (202) 324-0032 or the Synchronized Operations Command Center at (202) 727-9099.

Development Update

PalacePool — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:18:00 -0700

Check out this comprehensive update from DC Mud Blog on Eckington

Attracting decidedly less media attention, Eckington, its immediate neighbor to the north, has nonetheless been discovered by local developers not quite ready for an Akridge-sized purchase of air rights over railroad yards, but who view the more than 10 million square feet of commercial space being built on its southern edge as an invitation to develop the residential market.

The whole article is here

Response From DCFD on Fire Hydrants

PalacePool — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:25:00 -0700

As you are aware the DC Fire Department undertook an accelerated fire hydrant risk assessment program after the recent fires in Georgetown and Capitol Hill.

The Fire Department Testing Program was designed around the 33 Engine Companies local alarm districts throughout the city. The list just effecting Ward 5 can be broken out however it will take a few days to process this request.

I can report to you that DCFD has tested 10174 fire hydrants in the District of Columbia with 1098 were placed Out of Service. As of today there is less then 300 fire hydrants in the city that remain Out of Service. DC WASA is the agency that is responsible to schedule the repair or replacement, in 5-10 days.

With a fire hydrant that is out of service, I can understand your concern for the safety of yourself, family members and others. The District of Columbia Fire Department has trained our commanders to make tactical decisions that modify our alarm assignments to adjust for a fire hydrant being out of service. Please remember your safety is our concern!

I would like to thank Lt. Egan for this report

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ANNOUNCES FREE GRAFFITI REMOVAL VOUCHER PROGRAM

CitySlurp — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:37:00 -0700

I am just passing on this info.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS ANNOUNCES FREE GRAFFITI REMOVAL VOUCHER PROGRAM

( Washington , DC ) The DC Department of Public Works announced September 7 its Graffiti Removal Voucher Program for District residents and business owners whose property has been defaced by graffiti. Beginning Monday, September 10, they may call the Citywide Call Center at 202.727.1000 to obtain a voucher to be redeemed at McCormick Paints located at 15^th and P Streets, NW and Duron Paints located at 14^th and Clifton Streets, NW.

The paint store will match the color of the paint of the property and will provide property owners with paint, primer, a brush, roller, pan, drop cloth and graffiti scrubs free of charge.

The voucher program is part of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s aggressive graffiti abatement plan, announced in June 2007, which will allow the city to remove graffiti on private property more quickly and help property owners remove graffiti themselves.

“Offering property owners the voucher for paint and other materials is a fast way to remove graffiti, which is a rising problem in our city,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. “The voucher program also will relieve some of the financial burden that causes residential and business property owners to delay removing the graffiti themselves. Not only will this program help to keep our city cleaner, it will help us keep it safer.”

For more information, or to receive a graffiti removal voucher, call the Citywide Call Center at 202.727.1000. Property owners should expect to receive the voucher within five days of making the request, and they will need to sign the voucher when they redeem it at the paint store.

# # #

Linda Grant

Public Information Officer

DC Department of Public Works

2000 14th Street, NW, 6th Floor

Washington, DC 20009

202/671-2375/desk

202/497-1080/cell

202/671-0642/fax

www.dpw.dc.gov

An Outcome Neither You or I Would Receive

PalacePool — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:01:00 -0700

Washingtongon Post article- D.C. Council member (and Mayor for Life) Marion Barry was acquitted yesterday of driving under the influence and three other traffic-related charges after he testified that he had a glass of wine and took at least five different medications on the night of his arrest.

What do you think would happen if you or I were pulled over near the White House, slurring, going in reverse on a one way street with booze on our breath? There is however something hilarious about MB rolling in a 1995 Camaro.

Review of Colonel Brooks

PalacePool — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:25:00 -0700

BROOKLAND- Area man dines at "dangerous restaurant" and survives.

The author of this blog visited COL Brooks Tavern last night after dark (gasp) to review its fare and spirits. All of the tables were full, so my friend and I pulled up a chair at the bar. We were greeted by a young hipster type, who was happy to pour us a draught beer from their selection of about 15.

Any good tavern worth a damn has to have a good burger, especially a place like the COLs. The old wood paneling and benches lend themselves to pitchers of beer and burger. I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger, which was cooked to temperature, and tasted wonderful. The bun was good too. The fries were well seasoned but limp. All in all, the burger was just what I needed, and give it a solid thumbs up. It is unlikely that I will order the seared tuna here, but that may have more to do with me, than them.

The Gridskipper article mentioned a lot about the clientèle in their piece. Mentioning specifically a grizzly murder several years back. The piece makes it seem that this pub is much more dangerous than elsewhere in the city. However, many of you may remember that the city is the city, and crime can strike anywhere including the bastion of white rich folk, Georgetown. The article also mentions thieves and drug dealers. My experience was slightly different. there was a posse in the bar. A posse of retirees who had all of the menace of a bowl of oatmeal. I didn't get too close, as to avoid any offers of drugs. These folks were less likely to be shilling crack or meth, but viagra or vioxx. Either way, I kept my distance.

As for the entertainment, the Jazz band that plays every Tuesday has been doing so for 26 years. They are really good, and the volume is not too loud, so you can enjoy chatting with the theology professor or one of the "repressed CUA co-eds" at the bar.

I highly recommend this place. Swing by and give it a chance. 9th and Monroe NE

Review of a Ward 5 Pub.

PalacePool — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:32:00 -0700

The following review was in national Gawker Media site Gridskipper

"There are some good things about Colonel Brooks' Tavern, right off the CUA/Brookland Red Line stop in DC. Those good things include fantastic burgers, cheap beers, and repressed Catholic University coeds."

The rest of the article however, mentions a murder a few years back, drug dealers and thieves who also frequent the joint. I plan on visiting this place this week, to provide another segment of NE DC business reviews.

For better info on Brookland, please visit the newly famous Brookland blogger at Stop Blog and Roll.

Update on the "New" Lincoln Apartments

PalacePool — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:22:00 -0700

The Apartment Building at 1903 and 1905 Lincoln Rd has been under demolition for the last several weeks. This dilapidated collection of apartments was sold for $4 million late last year.

their crew must have been busy yesterday, as between the time I left for work in the morning, and the time I returned home in the evening, the first building (Facing Lincoln and T) had been primed or given a first coat of paint.

Only a block away, the new Century Court condos are open after a remarkable rehabilitation.

With more development, and more people, and the upcoming construction of the St. Martin's project, this will be a very different Eckington in the years to come. So much so that Eckington has landed on the "Most Endangered List" for 2007

Friday Odds and Ends

PalacePool — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:42:00 -0700

-Neighborhood Yard Sale (Eckington - DC)

Come help us find our old items new homes!

Various items for sale: furniture, clothes, household items, etc.

Saturday, June 9th, 2007
300 Block of V St. NE (Between 3rd and 4th St. off of Rhode Island Ave. NE)
At the Greater Victory Baptist Church Yard
10:00am - 3:00pm

If you are a Eckington resident and would like to participate in the yard sale, please email Sandra Rivera at srivera009@yahoo. com.

-Big Bear Cafe is OPEN!!! Please show your support and get a latte or 3. If you are in the market for a job, they are hiring too.

News

PalacePool — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:08:00 -0700

"The verdict is in on strip bars and gay clubs in Ward 5.The D.C. Council weighed two issues that affect nighttime entertainment and the quality of life in the District yesterday but made a decision on only one. It voted to allow the continued operation of a handful of nude entertainment clubs, putting off a measure that would tighten controls on drinking establishments that attract minors.

The decision to allow the relocation of clubs that involve nudity, explicit dancing and private booths involved a compromise that blocks creating a strip-bar zone in a run-down warehouse section of Ward 5. Under the compromise, only two of six displaced clubs can move to any one ward."

In a great political move, the Elder Statesman Gray, brokered a deal between Thomas and Graham on the agreement. Notice that once the councilmen determined there were enough votes for the motion to carry, Thomas voted no. This allowed him to save face with his district, and building the foundation of political power.

-In other news, Kudos to MPD. Yes, you heard it right, Kudos. Last night there was a domestic disturbance that turned into a potential knifing. I called 911, and a cruiser showed up in less than A MINUTE.... yes indeed. Not certain of the outcome, but the response of 2 cruisers in so short a period of time is encouraging.

"Illegal Dumping"

PalacePool — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:41:00 -0700

This photo needs no introduction.