“The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Building Bridges Across the River announced the 11th Street Bridge Park was awarded a $15 million grant from the Department of the Interior Land and Water Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program (ORLP). The grant, focused on park projects in underserved communities, marks a significant milestone by securing the full $92 million needed for the construction of the 11th Street Bridge Park. (more…)
“The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Brian Joyner as the new superintendent of Rock Creek Park. He previously served as the park’s deputy superintendent.
“Brian excels at engaging local communities and managing complex projects,” acting Regional Director Lisa Mendelson said. “With over 20 years of National Park Service experience, he is a champion for connecting people to the diverse and underrepresented stories inherent in national parks. All this, and Brian’s passion for public history and conservation, makes him well-suited to lead Rock Creek Park.”
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…)
Reserved a space at the brand new Reservoir Park for Sunday October 20th 3 to 5 pm. DPR called to confirm and took a $20 deposit plus charged $50. Arrived at Reservoir Park to find the facility is closed on Sunday.
Thanks to G. for sending: “H Street is dead. Long live H Street.”
The liquor license placard for Alero H Street says:
“New Class C Restaurant with a seating capacity of 185 and a Total Occupancy Load of 200. Sidewalk Cafe with 40 Seats. Alcohol Carry-out and Delivery Endorsement.” (more…)
The DC Chamber Musicians close out the 25-26 season with popular works by Brahms and Dohnanyi, and three selections of newer works that are sure to delight. All set in the lovely St. Thomas’ Parish Episcopal Church in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Join us afterward for a reception featuring light refreshments (including beer and wine) and an opportunity to chat with the musicians.
“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) showcased new and exciting activations for the 20th Annual 2024 Downtown Holiday Market. At the event, Mayor Bowser also announced that a new, indoor ice-skating rink will be installed at the National Building Museum in time for the holidays, running from December 16 through January 4.(more…)
Thanks to Jen for sending this beauty from Fort Slocum.
If you spot a hawk, any interesting wildlife or celebrity skateboarder Tony Hawk, and get a good photo please send in an email where you spotted them to [email protected]. Thanks! Hawks around Town is made possible by a generous grant from the Ben and Sylvia Gardner foundation.
“Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, is pleased to announce the October 24, 2024 unveiling of his new restaurant, Rosedale, located at 4465 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 20008, in the Forest Hills neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of the nation’s capital. Named for an important estate in Cleveland Park’s historic district, this new American concept will be a welcome addition to Northwest, Washington, D.C. Bajaj tapped James Beard Foundation’s award-nominated restaurant designer Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York to design Rosedale. Rosedale opens with seating for 100 guests indoors with a patio seating 30 guests for outdoor dining, weather permitting. The restaurant will serve dinner and Sunday brunch and is within easy walking distance of the Van Ness UDC Metro station. (more…)
