quality of life

“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…)

“At this point we don’t necessarily want money, we want to feel safe at our house and we want quiet.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Diane Krauthamer

“Dear PoPville,

I’m writing because, for the past 8 months, my roommates and I have dealt with horrible neighbors. So bad, in fact, that the entire block has held meetings about what to do – including the landlord. Unfortunately, the landlord cannot evict them because of the eviction moratorium, and his attempts to settle them down have done little to nothing.

Overall, our concerns are the following: (more…)

“Next-door construction is driving our tenant insane”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Brian Mosley

“Dear PoPville,

How can we accommodate our tenant, who is being driven out of his mind by the loud construction noise in the rowhouse next door?

Backstory: The rowhouse next to us is under intensive renovation – completely gutted, popped back, the whole works. All construction seems to be legally permitted; we’ve been in communication with the owner (a developer who won’t be living in the finished house), and we don’t really have any issue with the work per se. The problem is the noise.

We have a tenant in our basement apartment who is really suffering. There are times when the drilling/pounding next door turns his apartment into a sounding board, with the noise in his space reaching over 100db (according to a phone app). (more…)

“spraying serves to reduce the formation of mature ginkgo fruit, which emits an offensive smell”

By Prince Of Petworth

From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will begin the annual spraying of the female ginkgo street trees on April 19, 2021. The spraying will occur overnight from 9:00 p.m. through 6:00 a.m., weather permitting.

The annual spraying serves to reduce the formation of mature ginkgo fruit, which emits an offensive smell when it falls on sidewalks and roadways. DDOT will use the same spray it has used for the past 20 years, Shield-3EC 24(C).

Residents are advised that spraying will begin in Ward 5 and proceed to Wards 4, 3, 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. Spraying will occur during the evening for several nights. There is no need to move vehicles.

For questions, please contact DDOT at (202) 671-5133 or visit ddot-urban-forestry-dcgis.hub.arcgis.com/app/dc-female-ginkgo-trees for a map of all the female ginkgo trees, and other information.”

“Is it a restaurant’s responsibility to manage unwanted harassment of guests at patio tables?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Diane Krauthamer

“Dear PoPville,

My question is: Is it a restaurant’s responsibility to manage unwanted harassment of guests at patio tables? I’m asking because I was out with a group of four girlfriends and a man who was clearly under the influence kept coming to our table to try and talk to us. First over the restaurant’s patio barrier and eventually he walked right into the patio to hover over our table. We were friendly and polite the first 5 times (despite pretty lewd comments and gestures) and I got a bit more firm in asking him not to come over anymore the next few times. (more…)

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