Photo by Paul Sirajuddin
“Dear PoPville,
I think people will stop shaking hands for the foreseeable future. Any ideas of what will replace it in DC? Air high five? Head nod?”
Photo by quemac
“Dear PoPville,
Does anyone have a preferred mosquito control company? Since my backyard is my only truly safe sanctuary during the pandemic, I am thinking of finally biting the bullet and paying for a service since I get eaten alive every year and my own efforts seem to fail.”
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Photo by Victoria Pickering
“Dear PoPville,
As most of us are these days, I am 100% home and teleworking. I have it pretty good–still have a salary and with ample of indoor and outdoor space to move around in.
However the amount of noise in DC is really incredible! I know I had crappy windows–installed by a third party after a construction job at my place. I can hear everything and I’d rather not.
Can you ask the community if anyone has replaced their windows and what the brand/style was and who installed them? I’m especially interested in hearing from people who live close to busy streets (I live off of North Capitol near three traffic lights–sooo much honking and loud music) and who are satisfied with their windows/noise reduction. Also interested in bad experiences/places and products to avoid. I know there are quality windows out there but it is expensive when you have 17 of various sizes to replace (not including the basement ones).”
The reality
You’ve probably never read your building’s property management contract all the way through. Most board members haven’t either. If you did, you’d find a carefully defined scope of work — vendors coordinated, maintenance dispatched, assessments collected, reports generated.
What you wouldn’t find: anything about fiduciary duties. Reserve funding strategy. Compliance tracking. Case documentation. Institutional memory. The legal obligations that make your board personally accountable to unit owners.
That’s not an oversight in the contract. It’s the contract. Property management was never designed to cover governance. And yet most boards — paying $10,000 to $18,000 a year for the service — assume it does.
Operations and governance are different jobs. One has a contract. The other has a fiduciary duty.
What your building is paying — and what it’s getting.
What the contract covers. What it doesn’t.
The markup problem most boards don’t know about.
Beyond the management fee, most property management companies mark up vendor invoices — the plumber, the landscaper, the elevator contractor — by 10 to 15 percent before passing the bill to the association. It’s legal. It’s common. And boards have almost no visibility into it. (more…)
1503 17th Street, NW
Ed. Note: You can see our discussion on best sushi options still available here.
Ack, we were on such a good roll. Alas,
“To all Sushi Taro Fans
We are very sorry to announce this, but Sushi Taro will be closed as of Sunday May 3rd, until further notice.
Sushi Taro team would like to thank all customers for all the love and support !
Love you back,
Sushi Taro”
3704 14th Street, NW
From an email:
“After closing due to the pandemic in March, Anafre, Alfredo and Jessica Solis’ Mexican seafood restaurant, reopens for takeout service, May 1 at noon with a limited menu of favorites like Queso Fundido en Hoja de Plátano, 12 Horas Pork Shank, and margaritas! (more…)
To celebrate DC native Haili Blassingame’s debut novel, THEY ALL FALL IN LOVE AT THE END, Lost City Books is throwing a launch party themed around messy love stories. Haili, and a crew of writers she has assembled, will read excerpts from their work, but there will also be audience participation in the form of anonymously submitting messy dating stories. It’s going to be a night of laughter, of gasps, of books, of great company. Refreshments will be available. We can’t wait to see you there!
via U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Thanks to Patrick for sending:
“Tomorrow, May 2nd, the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds will be conducting a 20-minute joint flyover to salute those working on the frontlines of COVID-19.”
From the Blue Angels: “Residents should observe the flyover from the safety of their home-quarantine and should refrain from traveling to see the flyover. Social distancing should be practiced at all times. Stay home and stay safe!”
Looks like it’s 11:45am – 12:05pm.
Thanks to Eli for sending the above from Cleveland Park: “red shouldered hawk babies need their dinner. They are growing up so fast!” (video after the jump)
And thanks to TRINITYPREZ for sending the great shot above from “the steeple of the Michigan Park Christian Church at South Dakota and Taylor Sts” (more…)
via google maps
From MPD: “Shortly after 1245pm today [Thursday], we received a call for a shooting inside a residence in the 900 block of New Jersey Ave NW. We located an adult female suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, life savings efforts were unsuccessful and she was pronounced deceased. Our Homicide Unit has assumed the investigation.
We ask that anyone with information regarding this incident call us at 202-727-9099 or text us at 50411.”
Full release: (more…)
explore map here
Ed. Note: Yesterday there were 4,323 total positives.
From the Mayor’s Office:
“The District’s reported data for Thursday, April 30, 2020 includes 335 new positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the District’s overall positive case total to 4,658.
The District reported seven additional COVID-19 related deaths: (more…)
Thanks to Jason for sending: “Looks like a new CVS is going into the One Hill South apartment building on the corner of Half St & I (eye) St, SE. Which is a bit surprising since there’s a CVS about a half mile away at New Jersey and M St, SE. I wonder if that one is slated to close shop. It’ll be right next to the new Medstar doctors office, so pretty convenient for picking up prescriptions.”