DC Government

Update on Demolition of Old Bruce Monroe School on Georgia Ave

By Prince Of Petworth

You can see some photos of the school here. Darren Jones sent a great update on the Columbia Heights Listserv:

Councilman Jim Graham held a meeting about the Bruce Monroe School property on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. The meeting was well attended. Here is some of what we heard from the people from the Deputy Mayor’s Office.
Why hasn’t the school been torn down?
-Demolition was delayed because of asbestos problems.
-The Request for Proposal to build a new school closed on November 16, 2009 with no respondents.
What happens next?
-Demolition of the school should start within the next couple of weeks.
-Demolition will be complete by April 30, 2010.
-The site will be leveled and a new school may not be built for 3-5 years.
-Short-term uses for the property were discussed.
-A basketball court and a tennis court may be built of the front of the property (Georgia Avenue side).
-A parking lot may be built on the Irving Street side of the property. The parking lot will be used by industrial organizations (hospitals, etc.).
What was the community’s reaction?
-The community seemed to like the idea of a temporary tennis court and basketball court. -The community would also like to see a staffed, temporary structure on the property to provide supervision to kids using the site.
-The community was not in favor of a parking lot because of the congestion it would cause on Irving Street, the pollution and hassle it would create in the neighborhood.
When is the next meeting?
-The next meeting is on Monday, March 8. It will start at 7:00 PM. The meeting place will be announced soon and will be held at a location on/or near Georgia Avenue. It will be hosted by Councilman Graham and the Georgia Avenue Community Development Taskforce. Everyone is welcome to participate to try to finalize the short-term plans for the property and to give your ideas and voice your opinions. The Councilman and Deputy Mayor’s Office would also like to hear what you would like to see in a new Bruce Monroe Elementary School.

Darren Jones, President
Pleasant Plains Civic Association

Quick Reminder About Personal Trash Pick Up This Week

By Prince Of Petworth

From DC GOV:

– Trash pick up is sliding by a day, a day later than the regular schedule, this week because of the holiday;
– Residents are asked to place trash in front ideally in black, or dark plastic bags;
– Recycling will not be picked up until next week.

Trash Collections: Trash will not be collected Presidents Day, Monday, February 15. Collections in once-a-week collection neighborhoods will “slide” to the next day. For example, Monday trash collections will be made Tuesday, Tuesday collections will be made Wednesday, and so on. In neighborhoods with twice-weekly trash collections, Monday and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday. The alleys remain impassable because about three feet of snow fell between Friday, February 5, and Wednesday, February 10, so DPW asks residents to put their trash in dark plastic bags and place them at the curb no earlier than 6:30 pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8 pm on the day(s) of collection. Bleach may be added to the bags to repel rodents.

Recycling Collections: Recycling collections will be suspended this week and residents are asked to hold onto their recyclables until the following week.

Bulk Collections: Bulk collections scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, through Friday, February 19, will be rescheduled. DPW bulk collection drivers continue on snow duty.

WashPost: Report finds Barry benefited from contract for ex

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo from flickr user talkradionews

From an email:

“D.C. Council Member Marion Barry personally benefited from a contract he obtained for his former girlfriend and directed earmarks that “provided substantial financial benefits to some of his close friends and supporters,” according to a report by Washington attorney Robert S. Bennett.

In the report, Bennett stated that Barry (D-Ward 8) violated “D.C. law, council rules and policies and procedures” and recommends his findings be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges.

D.C. Wire reports that in July, after news surfaced that Barry had given Donna Watts-Brighthaupt a city contract, the council tasked Bennett with his investigation the matter and review the council process for distributing earmarks.”

Forget the Snow – Garbage is the Big Issue Now

By Prince Of Petworth

It was very disturbing to see how many garbage cans are overflowing around town. I heard a quote a while ago. I’m gonna butcher it but it was something along the lines of the second most important city service after the fire department is sanitation. I can see why. I mean nearly every garbage can I passed around town was either filled to the top or overflowing. If these public cans aren’t emptied soon this will get very very ugly.

Another troubling note is that because the alleys are blocked the few garbage trucks I did see were stopping right in the middle of the road. The one below stopped on Park Road before 16th Street for a good 5 minutes snarling traffic.

And in Non Snow News – “New Mobile Radar Locations Deployed Citywide”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mediaslave

Do you think this is good news or bad news? From a press release:

“Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced today the deployment of six new photo enforced mobile radar locations beginning Friday, February 12, 2010.

“On the heels of two years in a row of record low traffic fatalities in the city, we intend to continue our commitment to public safety through the use of technology,” said Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.

The deployment locations for the Mobile Radar Units will continue to be at sites with the highest number of crashes and injuries, calls for police service, and high speed volume. MPD also considered recommendations or requests from the Department of Transportation, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and civic or citizen associations.

The thirty day educational phase will commence on February 12, 2010 where as violators will receive warning citations. On March 13, 2010, MPD will begin issuing live citations to violating motorists.

The new locations are as follows:

· 1800 block of C Street NE

· 3500 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW

· 5800 block of New Hampshire Avenue NE

· 5900 block of New Hampshire Avenue NE

· 300 block of Rock Creek Church Road NW

· 1100 block of Michigan Avenue NE

For more information about automated speed enforcement in the District of Columbia, log onto http://mpdc.dc.gov/automatedenforcement .”

Dear PoP – DC Needs to Rethink Its Sidewalk Clearing Laws

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Suse_dc

The following was written by Josh Glasstetter in American City.

Snow Excuse

Right now, the city is inadvertently letting sidewalk scofflaws off the hook. If a sidewalk isn’t cleared, the city is supposed to clear it and charge the cost to the responsible party—plus a $25 maximum fine. That sounds good in theory, but the city simply doesn’t have a shovel-wielding army to unleash on city sidewalks. The result is that many sidewalks go uncleared, and nobody pays for it—except for the city’s pedestrians.

Washington needs an ordinance that has teeth and can be enforced. If some residents, landlords, and business owners are unwilling to clear their sidewalks, then the city should be able to issue citations akin to parking tickets. The police and public works employees clearly have their hands full during snowstorms, so citations should be issued primarily by other city employees (e.g. parking enforcement staff). And the city could prioritize enforcement by relying largely on tips from 311.

I, for one, would eagerly phone in a report about about a grocery store near me—fully staffed and open for business, but with unshoveled sidewalks—or the gas stations I’ve passed with plowed and salted lots but unshoveled sidewalks. But without a revised law on the books, there’s little any pedestrian can do but trudge on in disgust.

You can read the full story here. Do you agree? Does DC need to change its shoveling laws?

Dear PoP – Snow Emergency Parking Tickets

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user dullshick

“Dear PoP,

I wonder if you’ve heard from anyone else getting “snow route emergency” tickets after the storm. We parked our car in front of our house in Columbia Heights Friday right at 6:30p.m., as we often do on weekends, and it’s good on that side of the street until rush hour on Monday morning. This weekend, some city government ass literally tunneled a hole through the snow bank in which our car was buried in order to place a $250 ticket on our windshield. The ticket was time stamped just before 3a.m. on Sunday morning. My first question is, WTF? My second question is, is a ticket enforceable if the car was parked legally prior to the declaration of an emergency, and while the car is parked legally the spot suddenly becomes illegal due to weather? Our entire side of the street was lined with cars, as it pretty much is every weekend, but I haven’t confirmed if everyone got the same ticket. As far as we can tell the jackasses doing the ticketing made no effort to tow anyone, so it’s hard to see any point to it other than just a shameless effort to capitalize on the fact that people were immobilized by the storm in order to generate extra revenue. This strikes me as wrong on several levels.

I’d appreciate any insight from you or your readership. We do intend to dispute the ticket, but are still trying
to figure out the best angle.”

Well, I think you may be out of luck here. If a snow emergency has been declared it doesn’t matter if it is a weekend or weekday. (Snow emergency was lifted at 9:30 this morning.) I’d be sure to check the sign on your street. If the sign says snow emergency route then you have to pay. It is brutal to move one’s car in these situations but that’s the law.

What do you guys think am I missing something here?

Snow is Coming – Free Parking and Metro Schedule

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user D©Bloom

According to DDOTDC’s twitter account there will be free parking at the DC USA Complex in Columbia Heights. They write:

“District has identified some free parking for residents at DC USA retail center garage after 10pm Friday night.

Residents can park for free at DC USA throughout the weekend. Cars must be moved by noon on Monday to avoid charges.”

Given that the fee for parking on a snow emergency route is $250 plus towing that is a pretty sweet option.

From WMATA:

Metrorail anticipates opening at 5 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. and closing above ground portions of the Metrorail system when snow accumulations reach eight inches or higher. Customers riding Metrorail are encouraged to use care and caution on Friday afternoon while entering and exiting Metrorail stations as station platforms may be wet and slippery due to weather conditions.

In the event above-ground rail service is suspended, the modified underground service will operate every 30 minutes as follows:

Yellow Line – Pentagon to Crystal City only
Red Line – Medical Center to Union Station only
Orange Line – Ballston to Stadium-Armory only
Green Line – Fort Totten to Congress Heights only
Blue Line – Ballston (extended to Blue Line) and Stadium-Armory only

DCCH and DC Bar Pro Bono Program Small Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic- Tuesday, January 26th

By Prince Of Petworth

Sorry for the late notice. From an email:

“The Development Corporation of Columbia Heights and the DC Bar Pro Bono Program are working together to offer a free Small Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic on Tuesday, January 26th, 5pm – 7:30pm. The site is the Columbia Heights Community Center, which is located at 1480 Girard Street, NW. This clinic is for aspiring or existing small business owners. Attendees will meet one-on-one with attorneys for brief advice on any legal issues their businesses may be facing.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Catherine Fisher, DCCH Business Development Specialist at 202-483-4986 or [email protected], or Darryl Maxwell, Staff Attorney for the DC Pro Bono Program at 202-737-4700 ext. 3369 or via email at [email protected].”

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