“Dear PoPville,
Was wondering if anyone has any idea what the hell this is? Had it randomly appear in front of my house near H Street Corridor the other day.”
Ed. Note: Looks like that will be a space for scooter parking.
MBF writes: “Posted at a dry cleaner in Capitol Hill. Is this information correct? It states that “Dry cleaning is more effective, easier, safer to Kill Viruses commonly found in clothes than home methods”. Is this information correct or false dangerous advertising?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user DCbmyers
Ed. Note: You guys rule. I want to take the opportunity to thank all those who’ve been so supportive of me and so many others during these crazy days. I got this email yesterday from the DC Food Project “Regarding our Emergency Weekend Bag Program. Since your article was posted we have raised close to $11K, which will allow us to continue helping our school communities gain access to additional food, during these unknown times. We can’t thank you enough.”
“Dear PoPville,
Our household is set to get the full $2,400 from the stimulus, but we have secure jobs and the pandemic has only served to reduce our expenses. While we could always throw the money at our mortgage, we have decided that we want to spend our stimulus check in a way that maximizes its impact on the local economy and/or struggling DC residents. (more…)
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…)
904 H Street, NE via Dio’s Facebook
Kelsey reports: “I saw on Dio’s Wine Bar that someone broke their window with a rock and stole a bunch of wine. Just like many in DC, they are trying to stay afloat and keep employees paid, and this is probably a big hit for them. Thought maybe you could post it in case anyone saw anything, and also a reminder that Dio has been operating as a wine shop, and will continue to do deliveries and pick ups, and has a go fund me going.” (more…)
Doug reports: “The day that Mayor Bowser closed Beach Drive on the weekdays, an enterprising DC driver decided this was a great parking space while they walked/jogged/etc. Pretty par for the course. Taken Monday around 530 pm.”
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!
Photo by PoPville flickr user Tim Brown
“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been volunteering at Martha’s Table on Columbia Ave NW, but now they’re moving most operations to their Southeast headquarters and I don’t have a car. It seems that a lot of service-based nonprofits have scaled back or shut down volunteer operations entirely, despite growing need for almost everything. Anyone know of places still looking for volunteers, especially in central DC?”
and
“Are you aware of any DC-area opportunities for people to volunteer to deliver groceries to the elderly or others in need?”
Thanks to Caity for sending: “We’ve seen so much wildlife lately- fox, deer, hawks, raccoons- but this guy/gal was a first. I think it’s a barred owl. He/she glared at us when my husband shouted “HOO HOO!” at it, lol.”
If you spot a hawk or any interesting wildlife around town, lunching or otherwise, and get a good photo please send where you spotted it to [email protected] and I’ll add it to the queue. Hawks around Town is made possible by a generous grant from the Ben and Sylvia Gardner foundation.
Photo over the weekend at Lincoln Park by Stuart E. Allen
Ed. Note: On Friday we noted an increased police and National Guard presence at NPS run parks like Lincoln Park and Meridian Hill Park.
Ed. Note also: Per the Mayor’s Stay at Home Orders: “Allowable Recreational Activities means outdoor activity with household members that complies with Social Distancing Requirements, as defined in section IV.8 of this Order, and includes the sanitizing of any equipment used both before and after the activity. Outdoor activities should not be conducted with persons other than those from one’s own household.
Examples: Walking, hiking, running, dog-walking, biking, rollerblading, scootering, skateboarding, playing tennis, golfing, [Ed. Note: I believe tennis and golf were since rescinded] gardening, and other activities where all participants comply with Social Distancing Requirements and there is no person-to-person contact.”
Brett reports: “I was kicked out of Lincoln Park this morning by Nat’l Guard for doing solo workout. I’m confused as to the guidelines but want to respect those who are working to limit the spread of COVID. Are parks completely off limits? (more…)
explore map here
From the Mayor’s Office:
“The District’s reported data for Monday, April 13, 2020 includes 103 new positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the District’s overall positive case total to 2,058.
The District reported 15 additional COVID-19 related deaths:
· 31-year-old male
· 37-year-old male
· 51-year-old male
· 51-year-old male
· 58-year-old male
· 62-year-old male
· 67-year-old male
· 77-year-old male
· 79-year-old male
· 81-year-old female
· 81-year-old female
· 82-year-old male
· 83-year-old female
· 87-year-old female
· 93-year-old female
Tragically, 67 District residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19.”
Ed. Note: Yesterday there were 1,955 total positives.
“DC COVID-19 Data for April 13, 2020
Total Tested Overall: 11,518
Total Positives: 2,058
Total Lives Lost: 67
Total Recovered: 518
Hospital Status Data
April 13, 2020
ICU Beds Available: 94
Total Ventilators: 442
In-Use Ventilators: 212
Available Ventilators: 230” (more…)
701 8th Street, SE formerly Spring Mill Bakery, via CYM IG
All is not awful!! Fine it’s still pretty awful but I’ll take what I can get:
“Capitol Hill squad!! We are opening this week! For real! Opening day is Wednesday and you can order online for pick up starting now. FYI for this @barracksrow location you’ll need to place your order by 2pm the day before pick up.” (more…)