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/Mayor Bowser will appear on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC tonight at 9:00 PM to discuss the implementation of Initiative 71 and the decriminalization of pot in DC. from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/Hey 4D peeps, here are my notes from the February 24th ANC 4D Commission meeting. Sorry they're a day late -- last night after the meeting was PowerPoint night for upcoming work meetings. No rest for Petworth News, I tell ya! TL;DR: Lots of discussion about the problems with the Clubhouse on Georgia & Hamilton with Captain Brian Bray in attendance to explain the Jan 19th incident / huge fight. The ANC passed a resolution to ask ABRA to permanently suspend their liquor license. ABRA advisor talked about enforcement, Arcadia non-profit got a letter of support for a parking permit and there were some really tasty crepes from Aboil Cafe.
Longer notes:
It was a relatively straightforward meeting with some particularly interesting highlights. Commissioners Renee Bowser (4D02) and Bill Quirk (4D06) were not in attendance due to schedule conflicts (note that this meeting was rescheduled from a prior week due to snow). The ANC went over typical ANC items (agenda, meeting minutes, etc) and discussed the Treasury report ($9,696.95 available, and they haven’t yet received their quarterly allotment from DC gov).
Commissioner David Sheon (ANC 4D04) introduced MPD Captain Brian Bray, the 4D midnight shift commander, to speak about the January 19th fight at the Clubhouse (also known as the Trinidad & Tobago Association Club) at 5123 Georgia Avenue NW. Captain Bray went over the events of that night in good detail. An MPD call came in at 1:15am on the morning of Jan 19th for a “large fight with 300 people outside” the Clubhouse. “It was a huge fight,” Bray said. “ People bleeding… we had to close Georgia Avenue both ways, and had more than 30 officers on scene.” From MPD’s investigation, they found that the club had around 500-600 people inside, more than double their allowable occupancy. He said the club doesn’t have a security plan and not enough bouncers, and they were serving minors.
The fight began in the downstairs bar, with an argument over a girl (ain’t it always so?). Someone got hit with a bottle over the head (fracturing an eye socket, ouch). Seems the club’s security team started peppering spraying everyone downstairs and the crowd surged outside. 25 people ended up with injuries. The management did not cooperate with MPD. This club has had years of problems, with 7 incidents (assaults) in the last year alone. A private club (not a nightclub), they have about 2-3 events a month.
And oh boy, do the neighbors despise this place. Commissioner Nancy Roth (4D01) mentioned that in conversations with neighbors they talked about how unhappy they were with the place, “they’re quite concerned and upset, and feel it diminishes the quality of life.”
A neighbor at the meeting, Ms. Wallace, got up to talk about how the club “let’s out around 5am” as she’s getting up for church, and young people are outside “raisin’ hell and cursing” while they hang out front and in the back of the club. She’s concerned about people getting hurt and the significant amount of trash strewn around the area. “Yard looks like a trash heap!”
Another neighbor said that there’s “no place for young people to get together. Maybe we can work with the club?” To which Commissioner Sheon replied “You need a dance partner to do that,” saying that the owner has not responded to repeated requests to meet with residents and ANC commissioners.
Captain Bray discussed the noise statute (apparently it’s changed a few times). Currently, MPD can respond to noise complaints that occur after 11pm and can cite incidents that meet a standard of a “reasonable person” would consider too loud. MPD will issue a warning first, and if a second call is made, can then ticket the offenders.
Then Sarah Fashbaugh, the Community Resource Advisor for ABRA got up to speak, invited also by Commissioner Sheon. (By the way ABRA stands for Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. ABRA issues liquor licenses, holds regulator inspections and manages renewals of licenses.) Ms Fashbaugh described her role at ABRA as the “first line of defense for residents” when dealing with problem establishments. “I know the right people to annoy to help you,” she said.
She asked residents to call the ABRA Complaint Hotline if restaurants, bars, etc, are littering, being loud, etc. (The number is 202-329-6347.) There is someone manning the phones during the hours bars are open (so up to 3am Sunday - Thursday, and up to 4am on Friday - Saturday).
Ms. Fashbaugh said it’s not enough for residents to take pictures or video, an ABRA inspector has to witness the offending action, litter, etc. For example, if you call about noise, 2 ABRA inspectors will come to your home, close the windows and doors and if the sound is still noticeable, can then fine the establishment $1,000. They don’t check decibel levels.
Interestingly, all liquor licenses across the city are coming up for renewal starting March 31. There will be a 45-day period where residents and ANCs can file protests against establishments having their license renewed (must be a group of 5+ residents or ANCs located within 600 feet of an establishment).
ANC Chair Lisa Colbert (4D03) asked what kind of impact or influence does the ANC have with ABRA. Ms Fashbaugh said ANCs carry “great weight with ABRA regarding moratoriums, protests, rules, etc.” ABRA encourages ANCs to write and submit resolutions regarding support or protests, but points out that the ABRA Board does not have to follow the desires of the ANC commission (she gave the example that ABRA can’t force a “licensee” to attend ANC or community meetings” as part of the liquor license).
Then Juju Harris, the SNAP Outreach Coordinator and Culinary Educator from Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture was introduced by Nancy Roth. Ms Harris was at the meeting to request a letter of support for a parking permit in the Kennedy Street area. Arcadia uses vans and trucks to provide fresh produce and other foods to “neighborhoods that don’t have access to fresh veggies and bread.” Arcadia accepts WIC and doubles the value of food assistance vouchers. They’re currently focused on serving seniors in the area with shelf-stable food and fresh produce. Their farmer’s market is open Friday mornings in the Kennedy area (open later on Wednesday nights in Ladroit Park). The ANC voted to provide a letter of support. (Side humorous note, while the ANC was taking a vote on the letter, a resident called out “Is this a conversation you all are having among yourselves?” This confused the commissioners until Sheon explained that they were voting on the letter.)
Khalil Thompson, the mayor’s Ward 4 liaison, spoke quickly before heading out to his third community meeting of the night.
Nancy Roth introduced the proprietor of Lucky Corner Store, a gentleman by the name of Yousef. Nancy said that Yousef missed the liquor license hearing because he was “unfamiliar with the licensing process” so they were helping him get things straightened out.
Nancy also introduced Mr Zhi from Aboil Cafe, a new breakfast and lunch restaurant on the 5503 Georgia Ave NW. The cafe recently opened after receiving a Great Street Capitol Improvement grant in 2014. The place has great reviews so far (see Yelp bit.ly/1MTvaBy), and Mr Zhi and his chef brought in some sample crepes for the ANC and residents. (Yeah, the nutella crepe was awesome people.)
David Sheon discussed the DDOT traffic study occurring on Illinois Ave between Jefferson and Sherman Circle. They’re trying to determine if there is a need for a better pedestrian crossing (and they’re looking into a lighted crosswalk by the Colony House at Farragut & Georgia Ave).
David Sheon also spoke about the Georgia Line store that people seem to be having problems with. (There’s allegations that they tried bribing someone not to testify against them at an upcoming ABRA hearing.)
I spoke about the Ward 4 Candidates Info website (you’ve been keeping up with the Resident / Candidate Q&As, right?) http://bit.ly/17jDEC2
The ANC voted to approve the resolution on the Clubhouse liquor license suspension. Then they adjourned! from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/Questions about tomorrow's pot legalization? Here are some FAQs and an infographic prepared by the DC government. from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/The ANC 4D meeting was tonight (it was rescheduled from last week due to the snow). I have meeting notes and pictures and will share them tomorrow evening. Sorry it's not sooner. It's insanely busy week at work and at least I managed to get to the meeting!
Cheeers from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/I have to share this awesome email from Gunner Hamlyn on the MPD listserv about DPW's problems with figuring out how to collect trash on snowy days. Brilliantly done, Mr. Hamlyn. Slow clap.
"Dear Kevin and Adam,
First, I agree with you both in every way - but why is this on the MPD4 listserv? MPD still deals with icy alleys if they like it or not, so my apologies in advance for an email complaining about trash among those about arrests and assaults.
In a previous job I held a commercial driver's license, and I am 100% sympathetic to the risks faced by the drivers on icy streets or alleys. What I also recall from that job is that drivers, trucks, and crews go where they are scheduled and sent.
I assume that tomorrow I will join the "3 Week Trash Club" with Adam and a large part of Ward 4. However, on Friday the 20th before it snowed again my alley was clear enough for me to wonder where DPW was. I waited all day, there with my trash, and nothing. No love from DPW. A little overtime and someone checking the weather would have gone a very long way.
I agree that a contingency plan should be put in place. I’m not a climate change denier, but there’s a really good chance it will snow next winter. If you ask me, I bet it will snow for the next 3-5 winters. In my opinion having a contingency is a good return on investment.
I moved here from Chicago, so this is the one time of year I get to say that like it might be relevant. They salt the alleys. They put plows on the trash trucks. I don’t think rocket scientists were involved (it’s Chicago, after all), but there’s an investment made by a city betting on a really solid trend. Let other places do the thinking and let's just copy them.
In the short term, I think it's only fair that residents who take their own trash to the Fort Totten Transfer Station have the trash portion of their water bill prorated for the 3 weeks of missed collections. Please let me know if I should get a signed letter from the transfer station or if they have a form I can fill out to show I really did take my trash down there. Also, please let me know where I can present that letter for what I can only assume will maybe cover my gas there and back. I would be happy with a free frozen yogurt. Whatever works. The time I will donate, free of charge because I'm running out of places to keep 3 weeks of used kitten litter.
Adam, if you and other Ward 4 residents want to get some shirts printed up that say “3 Week Trash Club,” let me know. Until snow planning is put into effect there’s a good chance those shirts will be a good return on investment for at least 3-5 years.
Thanks,
Gunner Hamlyn" from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus Petworth News
/The next MPD PSA 404/407 meeting is this Thursday, Feb 26. (PSA is Police Service Area). Meetings for PSAs 404 & 407 are combined and held quarterly (only 4 times a year). It used to be monthly but you never came and the police got lonely so they reduced the meetings. If you want to be involved, informed and active, this is a great meeting to attend. Very casual.
Come out to meet with the lieutenants and some local patrol officers for your area of Petworth. Commander Manlapaz should also be there.
7:00-8:00 PM in the community room of the Petworth Boys & Girls Club located at 801 Shepherd St NW.
Maps of PSA 404 and PSA 407 attached below.
Hope to see you there! from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/DC in February: When 45 degrees feels like Spring. Hope you're enjoying your warm Winter day! from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/ANC 4D has rescheduled their previously snowed-out February meeting to this Tuesday, 2/24, 7pm - 8:45pm at Truesdell Education Campus (800 Ingraham St NW). *I will try to attend so I can share notes*
Agenda for Feb. 24 public meeting of ANC 4D:
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call, Determination of Quorum
3. Approval of Agenda, Addition/Deletion to Agenda
4. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
5. Treasurer’s Report
6. Guest Speakers: - Sarah Fashbaugh, Community Resource Advisor ABRA - Benjamin Bartley, Director, Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture
7. Old Business: - Georgia Line liquor license renewal - Lucky Corner Store liquor license renewal
c. ANC traffic study requests to DDOT
8. Community Comments (3 minutes)
9. New Business
10. Announcements
11. Adjournment from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/If you live up in north Petworth / 16th Street Heights area, there is an upcoming meeting regarding the new Military Road bridge. (DDOT is replacing the 16th Street bridge at Military Road.) Sponsored by commissioners from ANCs 4A, 4B & 4C, the meeting is a joint endeavor with DDOT and WMATA as invited guests to discuss their specific traffic, routing, rerouting and schedule plans for 16th Street between Arkansas and Alaska Avenues.
The meeting is next Wednesday, February 25, 2012 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Emery Recreation Center (5701 Georgia Avenue NW, Georgia Ave & Madison).
Learn about how the bridge's closure is going to affect traffic, including bus routes, along 16th Streets and reroutes that may come through your neighborhood.
WMATA will also be present to discuss the affects of these closures on their bus routes and schedules along the corridor.
ANC Commissioners:
Taalib-Din Uqdah, SMD 4C01 Joseph Maloney, SMD 4C02 Jeff Standish, SMD 4C03 Rickey Williams, Jr., SMD 4C04
Andre Carley, SMD 4B01 Frank Jones III, SMD 4B02
Acqunetta Anderson, SMD 4A01 Dwayne Toliver, SMD 4A02 Karrye Braxton, SMD 4A06
(h/t Taalib-Din Uqdah) from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
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/Snow time in Petworth! I stopped by the Old Soldier's Home to deliver Stars and Stripes, and then got half my block shoveled. In 10 minutes you won't be able to tell I shoveled though, lol. Be safe, be dry and have a great day! from Petworth News http://on.fb.me/1BVZwus
It’s time for another “Better Know a Commissioner!” This ongoing series is about the ANC 4C & 4D commissioners that serve our Petworth neighborhoods, sometimes in anonymity, sometimes not. The ANCs can be helpful and they can be roadblocks — it’s up to the commissioners. I think we’re lucky to have very dedicated people serving our ANCs here in Petworth. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce my next interview with Joe Maloney, ANC 4C Commissioner for SMD 4C02 and all around good guy. Joe became a commissioner in 2014 after the unexpected death of the incumbent commissioner at the time. As Joe recalls, “I assumed the job at the very unfortunate passing of our previous commissioner, Janet Meyers. I decided to run in a special election when, 48 hours before the filing deadline, no one had yet stepped forward to run.” Joe barely made the filling deadline to get his petition into the Board of Elections. Since being seated in January 2014, he has spent his time trying to understand and promote the ANC's role in the community, and how, as he puts it, “to best pull the levers of the slow-churning DC government to the advantage of residents in my SMD.” Speaking of which, Joe describes SMD 4C02 as “home to many religious institutions, private schools and a DCPS school, West Education Campus.” The SMD is, as he puts it, “only slightly gerrymandered, but the easiest way to think of it, if it were a nice rectangle (which it nearly is), is Crittenden Street to the south, Ingraham to the North, and 16th Street to the west with Georgia Ave as the eastern border.” His Single Member District includes a very large portion of 16th Street Heights, and connects to the commercial corridor of 14th Street, “the side that bumps against the WMATA bus barn.” (No worries, check the map included with this article.) While serving his SMD is very important to Joe, his focus is on his family. "I am a husband to my amazing wife, a dad to an incredible 18 month old boy, and a working professional.” Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Joe moved to DC after college because “I watched so much of the West Wing that I figured living and working in Washington had to be like it was portrayed on that show. I wasn't far off. It has been an exhilarating journey in this city over the last 12 years.” Joe is now a partner in a public affairs firm he started with a good friend. His firm advises corporations, non-profits, and trade associations on leveraging their voice, members, employees, and relationships to impact immediate and long-term public policy objectives at every level of government. “I love my job," he said, "and feel fortunate to have the colleagues and clients that I am eager to work with every day.” As far as priorities on the ANC, Joe feels that so much of his job as commissioner is reacting to needs of residents. “We have crime and safety concerns throughout the SMD, which I am working with MPD and active neighbors on. I'm committed to working with our merchants and business leaders on sparking continued growth and investment on 14th St NW. Finally, I would like to see a more responsive DDOT to the bevy of transportation concerns in this SMD, considering we have two major north-south corridors." While Joe does not hold regularly scheduled SMD meetings, he said that ANC 4C is embarking on multiple SMD community forums on larger topics, so as to preserve more time at their public meetings for official business in the upcoming year. “As an example of this,” Joe said, “we’re working with fellow 4C and 4A commissioners to actively try to schedule a DDOT community meeting on the planned 16th Street improvements at the intersection of Military Road.” Joe is also working with WMATA to identify the appropriate time for a community meeting on the bus barn on 14th Street, what it does, who it serves, and how it acts as a partner in the community. “Stay tuned for more info,” he said. Joe attends local neighborhood association meetings, and while he hasn’t gone to an MPD PSA meeting yet, he is looking forward to participating in the future. “I have been fortunate to be involved with the Community Alliance for Upper 14th Street (CAUFS). They are a wonderful organization devoted to revitalizing Upper 14th Street. I am very impressed with their leadership and willingness to advocate on behalf of the corridor." When asked if he had anything to add, Joe said, ”I am very proud of our community. Across so much change in our neighborhoods, it has been wonderful to witness how both new and long-time residents have come together to address challenges and celebrate successes.” “Above all, I view this ANC post as being an advocate and an evangelist for the SMD and for our broader Petworth/16th Street Heights community. From our businesses, to our schools, to our community organizations, we are showcasing what makes us such a desirable place to raise a family. If I can ever be your advocate or evangelist (or problem-solver, too), please do not hesitate to reach out to me." You can reach Joe at 4c02@anc.dc.gov. (He is very responsive on email.) He says that while he might not always have immediate answers, "I can assure you that I will respond, acknowledge receipt, and get to work on your request.” You can also contact Joe via phone at (202) 600-9527. He’s pretty active on Twitter, so follow him at @joeymaloney. “I would also encourage all members of the community to access the ANC4C website www.anc4c.org.” ANC 4C meets the second Wednesday of every month, beginning at 6:30pm at the Petworth Library. Thanks Joe!
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Tonight's Grant Circle Social was great! A bunch of neighbors came out and braved the cold and a brief snow squall to drink hot chocolate and chat. ANC Commissioner John-Paul C. Hayworth attended, as did Ward 4 candidate Brandon Todd. It was nice to see some new faces and old friends!
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Wanna party with veterans? Friends of the Soldiers Home is seeking Volunteers for Happy Hour! Come out and help serve drinks and chat with veterans at Scott building on Tuesday, February 24, 2015 from 6-8 pm! It's a great opportunity to hob-nob with some heroes. To volunteer, email Lori Lincoln at volunteerfriendsofsoldiers@gmail.com. ~ Happy Hour: where differently-abled Veterans get together with music, food, drinks (some alcoholic*), bad/bawdy jokes*, trivia, and most importantly - Friends! Lori will send further details next week to those who volunteer. (*volunteers under age 21 not recommended)
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Interested in DC Public Schools? It looks like there's a new listserv created just for them. Email from DCPS below: Dear Petworth Community! We are delighted to announce the newly formed DC Public Schools Enrollment Yahoo Group. We represent the Enroll Team with DCPS and are here to serve as a platform to directly engage with families and community members, and answer any questions that arise regarding enrollment within one of our schools. Please feel free to join our group to get the latest news on the exciting things happening in DCPS! We are reachable by phone at 202-478-5738 or by email at enroll@dc.gov. Likewise, feel free to contact us directly through this platform as well. We are here to serve you! Best, The DCPS Enroll Team The Enrollment Team District of Columbia Public Schools 1200 First St, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone: 202-478-5738 Email: enroll@dcps.dc.gov
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