quality of life

“This is all so that commuters don’t have to deal with roadwork during the day. Seriously?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I live at 16th and Columbia Road NW. We and our neighbors have been dealing with noise on and off from the roadwork for the 16th Street bus project — while working from home — since February or March. Now, we found out last night that the contractors are going to be doing resurfacing work at our intersection overnight, potentially every night this week.

This work is loud, with constant starting and stopping of machinery that shakes the room. I managed to get to sleep while blasting white noise through my earbuds and wearing noise-canceling headphones. But that only worked for a couple of hours, and then I was awake until well after they finally quit work after 3 am.

This is all so that commuters don’t have to deal with roadwork during the day. Seriously? (more…)

“The Harm of the Alarm”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I live in an apartment community, and since June the building’s fire/smoke/whatever alarm has been going off…and never really stopped. On the rare occasion someone switches it off, barely a few hours would pass before going off again, and then it stays that way for days or weeks on end. (more…)

“a serious Public Health Service for those of us who don’t read newspapers.”

By Prince Of Petworth


via USDA from wikipedia

I was losing my mind but read about it in one of our rant/revels. Oak mite bites are truly truly awful. The Post reported:

“The incessant, shrieking sounds of cicadas may no longer be afflicting the Washington region, but experts say the insects may be bringing a new nuisance — oak leaf itch mites. And they bite.

These microscopic mites are feeding on the billions of cicada eggs produced across the D.C. region and dropping out of trees. If you happen to be under or near these oak trees, those mites may land on you and bite.”

If you want to see what one looks like, Haley shares one of hers: (more…)

“Who Did You Hire for Sound Proofing?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Ted Eytan

“Dear PoPville,

The topic of sound mitigation in these old D.C. rowhomes has been much discussed in PoPville. Hearing actual conversations on the floor above, loud footfalls in the middle of the night and the roar of the hair dryer should not be ways of life in basement homes. It’ll never be perfect silence, yet we know people have found ways to make it more bearable for the subterranean residents.

Finding contractors these days isn’t easy. Most are so busy, and so many others don’t do this sort of job. One contractor we spoke with wanted to charge what was essentially the cost of a mid-range sedan to do sound mitigation work to our basement ceiling. So we wanted to ask those members of the PoPville nation who have been there and are now living in relative quiet who they hired, whether they are happy with the result and how much it cost.“

“Norton Requests Permanent Closure of Portion of Beach Drive to Motor Vehicle Traffic to Encourage Outdoor Activities by D.C. Residents”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter requesting that the National Park Service permanently close to motor vehicles the portion of Beach Drive NW in the District of Columbia that has been closed to motor vehicles during the coronavirus pandemic. The portion has been closed during the pandemic to provide more space for pedestrians, bicyclists and recreation. Thousands of people now use Beach Drive to walk, run, bike and play.

“As we shift to post-pandemic life, there is much we have learned about our values as a community,” Norton said. “One of those lessons is the benefit of spending time outdoors. We want to take advantage of the opportunity the temporary closure of Beach Drive provided to prioritize health, outdoor recreation and other forms of transportation by making the closure permanent.”

The letter follows. (more…)

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