DC Government

Residential Street Sweeping Resumes March 22nd

By Prince Of Petworth

Last week a reader asked when residential street cleaning resumed. Word came out yesterday afternoon from DPW:

“On Monday, March 22, 2010, daytime mechanical street sweeping will resume in scheduled residential neighborhoods where signs are posted indicating that this will take place. Now that the snow has melted, there’s now quite a bit of litter and debris in certain areas. Residents are again reminded to observe the street cleaning signs so our sweepers can resume cleaning residential streets. Alternate-side parking restrictions in these areas will go into effect as well. Parking tickets, which carry a $30 fine, will be issued, beginning March 29, to vehicles parked during street sweeping hours in areas posted with “No Parking/Street Cleaning” signs. Beginning March 29, parked cars also may be towed to allow the sweepers access to the curbside. Generally, parking is prohibited for two hours while sweeping is underway.”

No Parking Lot For Old Bruce Monroe School on Georgia

By Prince Of Petworth

Last week a reader sent in word about a group, Stop the Lot, opposing a parking lot for the area bounded by Georgia Avenue, Irving Street and Columbia Road.

A reader sends an update from Council Member Jim Graham:

“The Deputy Mayor’s office has informed me that they will not recommend parking as part of the interim use for the former Bruce Monroe School site at Ga and Irving.

Therefore that idea is off the table.

We can now proceed to work with the Mayor and his people on an contributing design for interim uses for this location.”

So what do you think realistically could work in this location? I like the idea of what the Stop the Lot folks mentioned about a garden/park area like is being done at the old Gage School in LeDroit Park.

Dear PoP – When Does Street Cleaning Resume and Any Interest in a Neighborhood Shred?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Bogotron

“Dear PoP,

Just wondering if you knew when the normal street cleaning will resume or if the city planned unscheduled cleanups do the heaps of trash all over the streets in Petworth and CH? I regularly walk down the 500-600 block of Irving and it is just atrocious. It may as well be a landfill. Our neighbors are cleaning up our block but I’m not sure if we’ll make it over there…”

Street cleaning doesn’t normally resume until the end of March. The last couple of years it was March 23rd or 24th. I’ll post an update when the exact date is announced.

“Dear PoP,

Just wondered if you [or your followers] know of a company that would do a neighborhood shredding of documents in Columbia Heights? I was thinking of asking my condo board about it, but thought it would be great to get to maybe make it a neighborhood thing.

Any suggestions would be great!”

In the past DPW provided free shredding at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station in North East. I think your best bet would be to contact Council Member Graham and see if he’d be willing to make this happen for Columbia Heights. Of course if you wanted to pay I’m sure there are plenty of companies that would be interested.

Dear PoP – More info on Bruce Monroe School Demolition

By Prince Of Petworth

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the current Bruce Monroe School Demolition schedule and proposed plans. A group has emerged opposing a parking lot. They write:

Dear PoP,

Demolition at the Bruce Monroe Elementary School (bounded by Georgia Avenue, Irving Street and Columbia Road) is now scheduled to be complete in late April. At a community meeting this week, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced a proposal to convert the majority of the parcel into a surface parking lot for commuters, who are likely to be employees of one of the large employers on this side of town. The parking lot is to be an interim use, which the District says could last 3-5 years.

Many neighbors of the site think a surface parking lot, for however long, is a very bad idea. This will do nothing to benefit the community, will be harmful to the environment, and the revenue it raises — which the District would share — will not be targeted to any particular use in the neighborhood. By contrast, the Gage-Eckington School in LeDroit Park was nearly the same size as the Bruce Monroe parcel, demolition was begun at about the same time, and yet the residents of that community are about to enjoy a permanent 3-acre park with an urban vegetable farm.

The next community meeting on this topic is March 8. In the meantime, please help strengthen the opposition by visiting http://www.stopthelot.com to learn more and sign an online petition.

Pleasant Plains and Park View deserve better.

— The Stop the Lot Coalition

Does anyone actually support the idea of a parking lot here?

Metro to host emergency response exercise with active shooter scenario at Friendship Heights Metro

By Prince Of Petworth

From a WMATA press release:

“Metro and its regional partners will participate in the first of three planned emergency response exercises on Feb. 24-25 at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station. The exercise involves a report of gunfire in the station, and will test the multi-jurisdictional coordination and response needed to mitigate a major incident in the Metro system.

The emergency response exercise will start at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Friendship Heights Metrorail station. The drill simulates gunfire between two shooters in the station. Multiple passengers are injured or killed.

The Metro Transit Police Department special response team will respond to the incident, along with the police, fire and emergency medical services personnel from the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The drill will test the integrated response and incident coordination of Metro, and police, fire and emergency medical services agencies from the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

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 .”

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