Thanks to a reader for sending an update on the “destruction of Belmont Street” post. Looks like major resurfacing starts April 1st.
DC Government
Photo by PoPville flickr user Kevin Wolf
“Dear Popville,
I have a tenant who is also my roommate in a 2 bedroom condo. I collect rent from her and all is honky dory, I don’t anticipate any issues and I am always fast to resolve maintenance concerns. It has come to my attention that, although I am only renting out one room, and I live in the unit, I still might need a basic business license. This makes no sense to me, as rooming houses (group houses with multiple occupants) do not require a license. I would really like to not do this for a number of reasons. 1. It seems stupid and unfair. 2. It requires an inspection. 99% of my condo is perfectly fine. However, there are grates over the window in the rental bedroom. My building is a registered historical building with the L’Enfant trust and I cannot make changes to the facade without special permission, which I will be unlikely to get in time for the inspection. I know the reason for the grate regulation is to be able to escape in case of a fire, but the bedroom is pretty much right next to the front door, and the window is probably too small and high up for someone to climb through anyway.
So, do I really need a business license? If I chose to not get one, what is the worst case scenario I might face? If I chose to not get one, should I still report rental income to DC?
I could really use some advice! Having had some shitty landlords myself, I am really dedicated to being a good and attentive landlord, but this just seems excessive.”
750 Park Road, NW
From MPD:
“Good day all, I need your assistance spreading the word to your constituents, readers and neighbors announcing an emergency PSA 407 meeting to address the recent concern for sounds of gunshots & gun violence in the Petworth area. The meeting will be Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 10am, at the Fourth District Substation located at 750 Park Road, NW. The main phone number for the substation is (202) 576-8222.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Phil
Ed. Note: You can add your name to this letter here.
“Dear Mayor Bowser,
In view of the recent shootings, we would be grateful if your office could share a specific plan for addressing gun crime in our neighborhood. A list of gun related crime in the Brightwood/Petworth neighborhood over the last three months is listed below—this list should be considered conservative rather than comprehensive since MPD does not alert citizens to many incidents of “shots fired”. I am certain you agree that this level of violence is unacceptable.
At the end of December, when you “toured” Ward 4, you promised additional resources would be coming to the neighborhood.
Have these resources been deployed? Can you provide us with more information on what these additional resources are? Do you think the existing strategy is working, and might you consider other options? Are as many MPD resources being dedicated to our Ward as possible? (Side note: there are routinely 3-5 squad cars being used to direct traffic in the Costco parking lot in NE. Surely these limited MPD resources could be better used elsewhere, even if not re-directed to Ward 4).
While your attention to the situation in December was appreciated, residents would feel more reassured by a precise strategy—not ambiguous letters to the neighborhood, “tours”, and calls for us residents to be “mindful of our surroundings”. One of the shootings last Thursday was in broad daylight at 2:30PM; what is the suggestion for being “mindful” of this kind of violence? In December you said that “no resident should expect to live in fear in Washington, DC”. You are right. We need more information from your office about the action plan for “stop[ping] violence before it starts”.
• March 16, 2015—Multiple shots fired, 3rd and Upshur, NW
• March 12, 2015—Shooting, 5300 Block of 4th Street, NW
• March 12, 2015—Shooting (Homicide), 8th and Jefferson, NW
• February 23, 2015—“Car shot up”, 400 Block of Kennedy, NW
• February 16, 2015—Multiple shots fired, Illinois and Farragut, NW
• January 25, 2015—Multiple shots fired, South of Petworth Metro Station, NW
• December 28, 2014—Multiple shots fired, 700 Block of Varnum St, NW
• December 26, 2014—Shooting, 13th and Gallatin, NW
• December 25, 2014—Shooting, 700 Block of Emerson
• December 24, 2014—Shooting (Homicide), 3900 Block of 14th St, NW
• December 23, 2014—Shooting (Homicide), 900 Block Delafield, NW
• December 23, 2014—Shooting, 9th and Jefferson NW
• December 18, 2014—Shooting, Georgia and Quincy, NW
• December 15, 2014—Multiple shots fired, 9th and Quincy, NW
• December 14, 2014—Shooting, 800 Block Emerson, NW
• December 14, 2014—Shooting, 4600 Block of 9th St, NW
• December 12, 2014—Shooting, Georgia Avenue and Park Rd, NW”
Ed. Note: On the Shaw Listserv ANC 6E02 Commissioner, Kevin L. Chapple, says: “DPW has already been notified and will be collecting the debris today.”
“Dear PoPville,
It looks like one of our neighbors on Marion St got evicted late last week, and all their belongings were put on the sidewalk. Initially I figured they had a trash pick up coming, but after the garbage bags were ransacked, the Friday night rainstorm and the wind today, the street looks like a warzone. Does anyone in PoPville have a good recommendation on who specifically to call?”
Another reader adds:
“Not sure if The District officials care at all. But this has been the scene outside on Marion Street NW (between Q & P streets). It’s an eye sore. On the way to work Friday morning (3/13), I noticed the a few men wearing US Marshall coats and several others that looked to be just labor workers.
The labor workers began moving things from maybe one or more units at 1544 Marion Street NW. By the time I came home from work (approximately 6pm), this was the scene and has been since.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user number7cloud
From DPW:
“Finally, it looks like the weather will cooperate with mild temperatures to allow the Department of Public Works to start its residential mechanical street sweeping program Monday, March 16. This seasonal sanitation program is scheduled to run each year from March 1-October 31 but the start has been delayed because of weeks of wintry weather.
Signs are posted that identify the days of the week and hours of the day when parking restrictions will be enforced so the sweepers can clean the streets effectively. The fine for violating this restriction is $45. Street sweeping parking restrictions will not be enforced until the sweeping program resumes March 16.”
“Dear PoPville,
The 1200 block of Kenyon is a bit of a confusing, um, clusterpark, around the time that street cleaning starts up again. When street cleaning stops, we need to park on the south side of the street every day.
When it starts back up, we need to park on the north side of the street (across from Harriet Tubman) on Mondays. The signs are clear but take some looking at because they are also confusing in a way that only street parking signs can be.
So today, the folks correctly parked on the north side of Kenyon all got $100 parking tickets for parking there during evening rush hour even though the signs say “except Monday” on the north side and ban parking on the south side from 7 to 7 for Monday street cleaning.
The hope is that each person incorrectly ticketed will NOT have to fight their ticket. It seems possible that the mistake will register before the tickets actually register on the dmv site. That has happened to me when I was incorrectly ticketed before if you can believe that …. but there are many a tale of people getting fines doubled or penalties added when fighting illegitimate tickets…”
Ed. Note: I wonder if this is related to the pushing back of street cleaning to March 16th? Even so, this seems messed up.
“Dear PoPville,
DDOT has started installing LED streetlights in the district whenever an existing high pressure sodium lamp fails. There are almost 68,000 streetlights in the district and on an average every new energy efficient LED street light will save the district 350kWh in annual energy consumption and approximately $40 in energy cost. These LED lights will have a life of 12 years which will also significantly reduce the maintenance cost of the streetlights for the the government.
Another major advantage is that the white LED street lights can also help in identifying crimes caught on camera since the white light can show the exact color of the car/shirt/person compared to orange light.
Attached is an image taken on Georgia Avenue and New Hampshire.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mike Maguire
Ed. Note: In July we posted a Dear PoPville – Dangerous dog in Cap Hill attacked toddler and my dog but Animal Control not doing anything.
“I’m finally getting to testify about my dog bite case at an upcoming hearing, but because the DC Department of Health (DOH) never followed up with any of previous attacks, my upcoming hearing is just to determine if the sheepdog is “Potentially Dangerous” rather than “Dangerous”. A Potentially Dangerous dog just has to be on a 4 ft leash, registered with the city, neutered, things like that. Which is better than nothing. But the problem is, even if my hearing succeeds and this dog is determined to be “Potentially Dangerous”, then he has one more opportunity to attack someone before any real restrictions will be placed on the owner (like having to muzzle her dog and notifying the authorities if he attacks someone again).
So, because the city failed to do anything in all of the previous bite cases, we have to treat my case as if it were the first time this dog has ever bitten anyone, even though the city provided me with a document via FOIA that shows this sheepdog has bitten 2 people (!) and 2 dogs (including my case on 12/15/2013) in 4 separate attacks in the past. Furthermore, the owner’s other dog, a brown standard poodle, also attacked a dog in 2010. So in the last 5 years, this woman has allowed her dogs to attack others 5 separate times (there was a 6th incident in which her sheepdog was apparently the victim according to the document, so I’m not counting that one). I redacted private info, labeled myself as Ms. A and the owner of the aggressive dogs as Ms. B in the descriptions, and put red arrows at the relevant parts of the document.
My favorite line from this document is where, after listing some of the previous attacks by this woman’s dogs, DOH writes, “Recommendation: I recommend closing out the case and informing Ms. [A] there’s no probable cause to start a potentially dangerous dog investigation on Arbor [the sheepdog]. Arbor has not bitten a person or dog this year and no menacing reports has not been reported to DCACC as of date.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Mike Lock
From DPW:
“The Department of Public Works is postponing the start of the residential mechanical street sweeping program to Monday, March 16 because of continuing winter storms and subfreezing temperatures.. This seasonal sanitation program is scheduled to run each year from March 1-October 31 but the start has been delayed in the past because of weather.
Signs are posted that identify the days of the week and hours of the day when parking restrictions will be enforced so the sweepers can clean the streets effectively. The fine for violating this restriction is $45. Street sweeping parking restrictions will not be enforced until the sweeping program resumes March 16. (more…)