Dear PoPville

Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Pickering

“Dear PoPville,

I was walking on U Street Saturday night when I found a significant amount of money (over $100) laying on the sidewalk. It had clearly fallen out of someone’s wallet, and after looking around and seeing nobody nearby who it belonged to, and no clear indication if who it belong to, I picked up. I thought about bringing it to the police station, but I’m not sure if they would accept it, and if they did, if it would just sit around an evidence locker forever. My first instinct is to donate it – most likely to the Louisiana flood relief efforts, but I’m wondering if anybody has any experience returning lost money to the police and if that really is my best course of action. Thanks!”

“Dear PoPville,

I work in the building above the east entrance to the McPherson square metro (at 14th & I NW). Employees who work in the building above the metro (like me) can FOB in to an underground hallway that leads to the building’s elevator, so you don’t have to go outside if you work in the building. On a couple of occasions I’ve encountered a man in a wheelchair waiting for someone to FOB him into the hallway with the elevator. He explained to me, in an effort to gain my trust to allow him into the building with my FOB, that he works at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is located above/next to the west entrance of the McPherson square metro, and apparently does not have an elevator.

That’s right, the Department of Veterans Affairs is not handicapped accessible to metro riders! On the day I encountered the man in the wheelchair, the 1 and only public elevator at the east entrance of the McPherson square metro wasn’t working. So, he had to wait until an employee from my building FOB-ed him in (which we’re not supposed to do) to gain access to the ONLY working elevator at the McPherson square metro. Even once he was able to gain access to the elevator and exit the building at the 1st floor, he had to wheel 2+ blocks back to the Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs. I know this man isn’t alone in his struggle. It just doesn’t quite make sense to me that the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, whose main constituency is handicapped veterans, is not handicapped accessible.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Erinn Shirley

“Dear PoPville,

I recently downsized and have an extra queen size mattress, box spring and bed frame in storage. I see people complaining on the 311 app all the time about mattresses just being dumped in alleys and on street corners but wanted to see if there was a better way to dispose of them. Ideally, I want to donate everything and have an organization pick it up before I resort to the old standbys like Craigslist. Would love to hear what other PoPville readers have done!”

and

“Where can I donate a very large collection of books? Most all in very good condition, subjects from how-to, history, travel, science, nature, etc. I would like to find a place to take the whole collection if possible”

Photo by PoPville flickr user MidnightMadman

“Dear PoPville,

I’m in the process of selling a property I’ve owned for nearly a decade and refinanced twice in that time. So, the title has been researched 3 times in less than 10 years, without complication. Now the settlement company says they’ve found some old “small” liens against “previous owners” against the property they need to settle before closing. It’s threatening to delay my closing, which threatens to disrupt the buyer’s financing (though that’s probably not a bad thing in the current rate environment, where an update would probably net them better terms).

I have owner’s title insurance, so everything will ultimately be fine, but I asked my realtor if she had ever encountered this before, and she said “honestly, in 30 years in the business, not once.”

So, can I get any advice from the PoP community at all? What to expect, what to do, anything!”

“Dear PoPville,

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with adding an in ground pool to their yard in DC. While I do not see many pools in private yards in DC, many yards seems to be large enough (especially in NE) to accommodate a small pool. I’d be curious to know about the permit process, cost, and regulations associated with installing a private pool in DC.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user nevermindtheend

“Dear PoPville,

Over the last several months, I’ve had sporadic USPS package and mail delivery to my apartment in Petworth (in a small 6 unit building). The packages are returned with the stated reason that the apartment is “vacant.” (Note: I’ve lived in the apartment 1.5 years). After making dozens of phone calls over those four months (yes, really, I only got a relevant phone number from a disgruntled employee at the USPS ombudsman office who told me not to tell anyone), I finally today spoke to the local manager with the mail carrier in the room.

I was shocked to learn that my regular mail carrier stopped delivery of my mail four months ago because a “Caucasian male” in my building told him that my apartment was vacant. I asked if they had any evidence (such as a hold notice, forwarding address, any written notification, or even a name of the individual) and was told “no” and that typical USPS practice allows them to stop delivery of the mail based on verbal communication with a resident of the building. Therefore, he decided to halt delivery of my mail without any notification. When I asked why I continue to receive some packages and mail on some days, he responded that those must be the days that he takes off and his replacement must deliver them. (Note: I receive mail at least 3 times per week). Completely disgusted…

Anyone else having similar issues in Petworth? I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that this is a pattern of behavior.”