Petworth News

New services coordinator

[from Ayana Rockett]

I would like to welcome Joseph Martin as he joins me in the Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services for Ward 4. He is a resident of Ward 4 and has a long list of accomplishments and a history of service to our community in his role as Chair of ANC 4C. Our contact information is:

Joseph Martin
202-442-9509 (desk)
202-340-7853 (cell)
joseph.martin@dc.gov

Ayana Rockett
202-442-8161 (desk)
202-340-8555 (cell)
ayana.rockett@dc.gov

Do not hesitate to contact either one of us with any questions or concerns. Please call 311 or visit www.dc.gov for scheduled services.

Full Stride update

[from Bill C.]

I ran into Officer Chapa today riding his bike in the 800 block of Upshur. He's a great guy, I met him a while back when his beat included our block. Now he's one of two officers covering Georgia Ave from the metro up to Decatur, plus a block or so on either side, as part of Operation Full Stride. The other officer uses a segway. He explained they're both technically foot cops, but can choose the bike or segway since they've taken the training for them.

He said at first he was skeptical of the benefit of foot/bike/segway patrols, but now he has seen the light, chalking up a lot of recent arrests and positive results - like clearing out some persistent drug activity around Crittenden and Georgia - to the mobility and stealthiness of the bike. He also said he's gotten to know most of the business owners on Georgia and genuinely seemed enthused about the difference he's able to make.

Easter egg hunt

Easter egg hunt at Petworth Rec Center, 801 Taylor St NW

Monday, March 24
11:00am-12noon (ages 6-under)
1:00-2:00pm (ages 7-12)

Metro elevator open

[from Toby H.]

The elevator at the Georgia Ave-Petworth metro station has returned to service and is now open to the public. The elevator was closed for three months because of the construction project at the station.

Free shuttle bus service ended today. For more information on metrorail elevator and escalator work, visit www.metroopensdoors.com.

Island Cafe

[from the office of Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser]

Councilmember Bowser supports Police Chief’s closure of Island Café and ABRA Board issues Summary Suspension   

(Washington, DC) – On Saturday March 15th, 2008 at 1:17am an adult male was shot in the head and the hand at the Island Café, 829 Upshur Street, NW. Following the violent incident, Councilmember Bowser urged MPD to take aggressive action and suspend liquor sales immediately. MPD Chief Cathy Lanier suspended the liquor license of the Island Café for 96 hours, pending an investigation by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) regarding the safety of this establishment’s continued operation.

On Monday the ABRA Board met with MPD officials and today they issued a summary suspension which will keep the business closed until the ABRA Board has a hearing. The hearing date will be posted at the Island Café this morning at 11:30am and the press is invited to attend.

“I have heard from Petworth residents, ANC Commissioners and members of the Metropolitan Police Department about their concerns about this club.” said Councilmember Bowser. “This club has been cited for violations for a number of years. I commend the Chief of Police and the ABRA Board for taking swift action with this club until the investigation is complete. This is an action that will keep our residents and neighborhoods safer.”

Meditation at Yoga House

[from Elizabeth Greathouse]

Every full moon, Yoga House offers, for donation, a 31-minute meditation class.

The next Full Moon Meditation is this Thursday 3/20 at 8:30pm with Elizabeth. Pay what you can, what you wish.

Yoga House Studio
3634-B Georgia Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 285-1316
email

Moroni happy hour

[from Kate Drew]

I work with the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), a non-profit organization that is working on small business development in Petworth. We're having a happy hour event on March 20 at Moroni and Brothers, who we've been working with extensively. We'd love to have Petworth folks come and meet us at this great new business in the neighborhood!

T-ball

[from Jean B.]

For those interested in 5-7 year-old t-ball at Upshur Park (14th & Upshur) beginning April 2nd, you can now register online at www.dpr.dc.gov. It is activity #2021.195. Or you can sign-up at the rec center which is open from 3:00-9:00pm M-F.

Shooting at Truesdell ES

[from Jenna B.]

Letter to the Editor, Washington Post

I am appalled at the limited coverage given to the fatal shooting at Truesdell Elementary. Clarence Williams' brief article was quickly buried at washingtonpost.com less than 24 hours after the shooting occurred in favor of such burning Metro topics as "Va. Lawmakers Seek to End Budget Clash" and "Text Message Ban Advances in Md."  When a murder takes place in broad daylight on the front steps of an elementary school, this city's most prominent news source should take notice and demand accountability from the city's government. I hope staff writers will step up and demand answers about what happened yesterday - your readers deserve such action.

Donatelli on PoP

Prince of Petworth has an interview with Chris Donatelli, developer of Park Place. The project, currently in-progress above the Petworth metro, will have up to eight retail options on the street level. Chris will be reading the posted comments to see what residents want, so make your voice heard.

Grant Circular online

[from Jacqueline Arendse, Editor, Grant Circular]

I am happy to announce that we have added new articles and regular columns to the Grant Circular online which include:

A profile of the Prince of Petworth
An article on Moroni and Brothers pizza
A birthday greeting to a Petworth resident turning 100
A Message from Muriel Bowser
Information from ANC4C Councilmembers
A new Garden Corner by Carol Herwig (master gardener)
A new Recipe Box by Astrid Ruggeri
Growing Up in Petworth by Lesley Aranha
A book review
Community Thoughts
A neighborhood calendar
Requests for volunteers

I hope to have a print copy of the GC ready for distribution soon, and in the meantime hope that you will take a look at the website for new content:

www.grantcircular.com

Also, I ask if you or anyone you know might be interested in helping with the production of the GC. I have found my time stretched in many directions recently and have had to make difficult decisions about where to focus my attention for the past few months. Unfortunately, the GC has been one of the many projects that I have had to put on hiatus for a while, but would like to explore ways to keep the neighborhood magazine on schedule and so make a plea for anyone that might be able to help. If you are interested in helping with the GC, please email me or call 202-236-7587.

Thanks again to all the contributors and hope to hear from you all soon.

MPD foot patrols

[from Officer Heather Straker, MPD Community Resource Officer]

Effective Sunday March 2, 2008 the Commander of the Fourth District, Linda Brown, announced seven new Full Stride Officers (also known as foot beat officers) who will be in specific neighborhoods throughout the Fourth District.

PSA 401
Officer Emmit Jones
Hemlock St to Eastern Ave - Georgia Ave to 7th St NW
Tues-Sat 1pm-9:30pm

PSA 402
Officer Irving Bolton
Kansas Ave to New Hamp Ave - Missouri Ave to Madison St NE/NW
Tues-Sat 1pm-9:30pm

PSA 403
Officer Adbu Amir
8th to 9th St - Longfellow to Ingraham St NW
Tues-Sat 2:30pm-11pm

Officer Anne deRoo
2nd-3rd St - Jefferson St to Gallatin St NW
Tues-Sat 2:30pm-11pm

Officer Samuel Folks
4900-5000 block of 1st St to Unit block of Farragut Pl NW
Tues-Sat 2:30pm-11pm

PSA 404
Officer Michael Pokladnik
Spring Road between 10th St and 14th St NW
Tues-Sat 1pm-9:30pm

PSA 405
Officer Christopher Maloney
Hawaii Ave to Taylor St to North Capitol St NE
Mon-Fri 12pm-8:30pm

Please look out for and engage in contact with these officers. They are out there to work closely with you and help keep your neighborhood safe!

CH Target open

Today on DCist:

The Target is Open! The Target is Open!

Prince of Petworth also has pics and a writeup from the opening party last night.

Intangible Arts blog reflects on zombie mobs, melancholy, and the (ahem) W*O*W factor with the post Targetnacht.

Dec-Feb home sales

Recent home sales in Petworth, courtesy of agent (and neighbor) Lesley Aranha:

December 2007
January 2008
February 2008

ANC 4C March meeting

[from Joseph Martin, ANC 4C Chair]

Below is the agenda for the monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C, scheduled for next Tuesday, March 11. The Commission meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm at the MPD Patrol Services Bureau, 801 Shepherd Street NW (formerly known as the ROC North) in the community room. Our meetings end by 8:45pm.

For the first half-hour, we consider routine business (approval of agenda, approval of previous month's minutes, financial reports, sometimes MPD and/or fire/EMS reports). After that, we hear from you during the community comment period - 3 minutes per person.

Also on the March agenda, although not necessarily in this order:
- Washington Central Parks - a residents' group concerned with development plans at the Armed Forces Retirement Home
- Randolph Street NW traffic calming proposals
- Hands Together - opposition to the proposed relocation of the Central Union Mission homeless shelter to Georgia Avenue in Ward 1
- Red Derby Restaurant: Application for outdoor tables & ABRA license for service outdoors
- People's Property Campaign - Represented by Adrian Madsen and others
- Elizabeth Tylander, DC's Department of Transportation's Urban Forestry Administration
- Proposal for an outdoor flea market at 3825-3829 Georgia Avenue NW
- Roosevelt Senior HS PTA Grant Application
- Neighborhood Development Funds / Great Streets

The proposed agenda is subject to change and approval by the majority of the Commissioners. For more information, call Penelope Morgan, ANC 4C staffer, at 202-723-6670.

Runners Club

[from David S.]

We tried this a while back – to start a running club in Petworth – but this time I’m ready to do it right. And with the help of the brand new gorgeous track at Roosevelt High, I think we can kick start things immediately.

The track is open to the public from 6:45am to 8am and from 4pm to dusk. Distance runners who want to increase their speed will find success with a timed track workout. I don’t really know what I’m doing, today was my first day. Each lap is a quarter mile. I ran 3 laps at regular pace than ran as fast as I could for the 4th lap, noting my mile time. Then I rested a few minutes and did it again, shaving about 20 seconds from my previous mile. On my third mile, I shaved 40 seconds off my initial mile.

I plan to do this every Tuesday morning at 7am. Thought I’d see if anyone wants to join, has comments on the best approach to track runs for distance runners, or otherwise wants to start up the Petworth Posse Runners Club.

ABC charter school

[from Arie Baker, ABC Director of Operations and Development]

ABC is a public charter school located in a brand new school building at 209 Upshur Street, NW which offers a modern, bright, and spacious learning environment with a 3,000 square foot multi-purpose room. Presently, we are accepting applications for 6th and 7th graders for the school year 2008-2009.

ABC offers instruction in both English and Spanish – to teach its students to read and communicate in both languages. We have a longer school year, a longer school day, and smaller classes to provide more opportunity and support for our students to succeed.

ABC offers a safe environment where families can send their children to focus on learning and where families can be involved in their children’s education. We are committed to being a part of our community by empowering our students and their parents to become involved in the school and their communities.