Category Archives: Uncategorized

ANC6C – Another Ward 6 “No Contest” Election

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 20, 2022

This is the third in a series of profiles of ANC candidates from Single Member Districts on or near Capitol Hill.

ANC6A includes Union Station, NOMA, the H Street NE corridor between 1^st and 5^th Streets NE, and the Stanton Park neighborhood – all lying between its East Capitol and Florida Avenue boundaries. 

Redistricting reduced the size of ANC6C but all of the above components remain (NOMA shrinks to the part east of the railroad tracks).  An increase in population requires adding another single member district and a new commissioner, up from six to seven.  Early on, one seat (ANC6C01) was contested until Lauren Kuritz dropped out and endorsed Christy Kwan, leaving the seven races uncontested (barring the success of an unlikely write-in effort).  ANC6B, likewise, has a “no contest” ANC election this year. 

The turnover in candidates marks the retirement of long serving ANC6C02 commissioner and Commission Chair Karen Wirt, as well as ANC6C01 Christine Healey and ANC6C06 Drew Courtney.  

If you are not sure if redistricting changed which single member district you’re in, go here:  https://bit.ly/3V3002Z

Here’s a list of ANC6C candidates and profiles supplied by the candidate – incumbents are designated by an asterisk:

6C01 CHRISTY KWAN says “(she/her) has been serving as an appointed citizen member of ANC6C’s Transportation and Public Space Committee since 2017 and chaired the committee for two years during the pandemic.  This experience has given her a deeper appreciation and understanding for ANCs and their roles in community engagement and input on proposed projects and legislation.  Christy first moved to the region over 13 years ago and has worked professionally as a city planner on a number of issues, including transportation, land conversation, and healthy food access.  She lives with her husband, teen, and rescue cat in the Near Northeast neighborhood, and is an active volunteer with DC Families for Safe Streets and Casey Trees.”

6C02 LESLIE MERKLE (Did not submit profile information)

*6C03 JAY ADELSTEIN says he “is running uncontested to represent SMD6C03, seeking the position that he has held since 2019.  Adelstein has lived on the Hill since 1979, where he and his wife Patricia have raised their two daughters, Rose and Lily.  Adelstein retired from the Federal government in 2018, having devoted his career in the field of civil rights to the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor.  With a particular distaste for the use of single-occupancy vehicles, Adelstein hopes to respond timely to constituent concerns with a concentration on transportation, accessibility to housing, and preventative crime measures.  He plans to focus on representing the concerns of the neighborhood with District and federal officials, including those concerns related to recovering from the pandemic, pushing for improvements in the proposed massive Union Station Expansion Project, advocating for transportation safety, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists and seeking to preserve residential properties for residential purposes.  Adelstein was a former head of Stanton Park Neighborhood Association and is currently active in the Friends of Northeast Library.”

*6C04 MARK ECKENWILER says, “For the past ten years, I’ve had the honor of representing the residents of single-member district 6C04.  In that time, I’ve pursued three main objectives: 1) Constituent service.  I’ve cajoled and badgered DC agencies into repaving alleys, fixing sidewalks, replacing missing or damaged street signs and traffic signals, and much more.  District agencies are more responsive today than when I moved here 26 years ago, but there is still room for improvement.  If you’re not receiving basic services or answers to inquiries, I’m happy to intercede on your behalf.  2) ANC 6C transparency.  Along with my colleagues, I’ve worked to make ANC 6C itself responsive and transparent.  Our meetings and agendas are posted in advance, and our minutes, reports, and correspondence posted afterward.  As chair of 6C’s Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee, I aim to run informative, efficient meetings in addressing the important public business before us.  3) Good government/DC agency effectiveness.  I’ve been proactive in demanding better performance from DC agencies and have testified at scores of DC Council hearings on agency performance and proposed legislation.  Years ago, I and others began advocating for major reform of DCRA, an effort that culminated on October 1, in the breakup of that agency into two separate departments (and eventually new agency leadership).  Because of population growth and the resulting redistricting, 6C04 is losing a few blocks (north of H Street & east of 5th) but remains largely unchanged.  I look forward to serving these long-time constituents, as well as new neighbors recently arriving in this great neighborhood.”

*6C05 JOEL KELTY says “I’m running for re-election for Commissioner of ANC 6C05.  A resident of ANC 6C for the past 22 years, I’ve served both as a Commissioner and also as a member of the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Committee. The role of Commissioner is to represent constituents at the most local level, including being available, receptive and responsive to community input.  I will advocate on local concerns, including refocusing District government on quality of life issues that directly impact our neighborhood: 1) Crime. The recent increase in crime in our ANC requires a coordinated multi-agency response that includes enhanced law enforcement and prosecution for quality of life crimes, many of which currently go un-prosecuted. nI support transferring responsibility for criminal prosecutions to a locally accountable, elected prosecutor.  2) Sidewalks, rats and trash. Maintenance and repair of public space, collection of refuse and rat control are core government functions with which the District must do better.  3) Illegal construction. The city must improve its processes for identifying and addressing illegal construction and zoning violations, particularly by house flippers working in residential districts.  4) A vibrant H Street Corridor. Poor streetscape maintenance, lax regulatory oversight and inattention to the needs of local residents and businesses have contributed to a decline in the H Street experience. We need to develop a renewed vision of how our neighborhood commercial corridor can best serve the residents and businesses of ANCs 6C and 6A.  5) Homelessness. The ANC should continue to advocate for additional assistance for encampment residents while simultaneously working to prevent establishment of new encampments.”

6C06 PATRICIA EGUINO says “Unlike many politicians, I actually have guts. I’ve faced off white supremacist groups throughout the years, like yelling at the Proud Boys to get the hell out, and did not back down from protesting the January 6 rioters outside the Capitol, even when armed men assaulted me and one took out a knife.  I will use that energy to fight tooth and nail on behalf of my constituents.”

6C07 TONY T. GOODMAN says “I look forward to serving my Near Northeast/NoMa neighborhood, where I have volunteered on ANC committees and as a previous Commissioner for the past 12 years.  I am a professional emergency manager, with a background in sustainability and construction, and previously was a DC Councilmember’s Chief of Staff.  I am also the former Chair of DC’s Pedestrian Advisory Council, and currently serve in leadership roles for trail advocacy and green building organizations.  Our neighborhood has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, and new apartment buildings continue to be built in our area.  I plan to support our new and existing neighbors and businesses in particular by continuing to advocate for more places for people to gather, including public benches, and for improved transit and bike lanes to ensure that residents and visitors don’t need to drive to reach their jobs, activities, or services.”

Correction:  An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated ANC6C01 would be part of ANC6B after redistricting.  

Out and About in Congressional Cemetery

by Elizabeth Eby

Congressional Cemetery is a busy place. Even so, I feel quiet and far away from everyday life when I go there.  Dogs frolic in the grass while their owners chat, volunteer gardeners beautify graves, staffers ferry supplies around in golf carts and prepare graves, and visitors stroll the paths.

Congressional is an example of the Rural Cemetery movement which became popular in the mid-19^th Century.  Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown is another example.  The key element of the movement was to make cemeteries park-like settings so people could use them for recreation and picnics when visiting a gravesite.  The idea was popular in cities and helped drive recognition of the need for city parks and green spaces.

A group of local residents bought the land in 1807 and later donated it to Christ Church located on G Street, SE.  Over the years, the cemetery fell into neglect and disrepair.  All kinds of people wandered in and out, day and night.  There were rumors of drug deals, FBI agents relieving themselves on J. Edgar Hoover’s grave, and Marion Barry making nighttime visits.  Prisoners in the old jail banged on the windows, hooted and exposed themselves.  Things began to change in the mid-1970s, according to church congregation member Marion Connolly.  Christ Church was not able to both oversee the conduct of the parish and the cemetery.   Connolly says that she and her husband Gerry were members of the Christ Church Vestry that made the decision to form the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery and to lease the management of the Cemetery to the Association which now oversees the management and maintenance of the grounds.

Another positive development was the formation of the Congressional Cemetery K9 Corps in the late 1990s which helped both to activate the space and eliminate the drug trafficking.  Members pay annual fees that now comprise 25% of the operating budget.  The number of dogs is limited to prevent them from over taking the grounds.  The waiting list is so long it is temporarily closed.  However, dog walkers can buy one-day passes. People are always welcome and there is no entry fee.  Guided tours and free maps are available.

The church donated a large number of gravesites for burial of Congressmen who died in DC, thus establishing the Congressional link to the name.  They are memorialized by large square stones with conical tops called cenotaphs – markers for persons buried elsewhere.  An exception is that of Chief Pushmatqha, a Choctaw, who died in DC while petitioning the Federal government against further cessions of Choctaw land.  He is buried under his cenotaph.  The cenotaph practice was discontinued in the 19th century but in 1975 a cenotaph was provided for House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and Representative Nick Begich who together disappeared in a flight over Alaska.  Journalist Cokie Roberts – Boggs’ daughter – was recently buried near her father’s memorial. 

Many notables are buried at Congressional but I think more people are aware that J. Edgar Hoover is buried here than know that John Phillip Sousa is.  The Gay Corner attracts visitors; its location was inspired by Hoover’s grave.

Decorated gay activist Leonard Matlovich was discharged by the Air Force after he deliberately came out to fight the ban on gays in the military.  A few years later, before he was diagnosed with AIDS, Matlovich visited Gertrude Stein, Alice Toklas, and Oscar Wilde’s graves in Europe.  The experience gave him the idea that gay people in the US needed heroes. 

After Hoover was interred, Matlovich bought a gravesite near Hoover’s and created a memorial for all gays.  The memorial has a cherry tree, lantern and a bench.  Matlovich died from AIDS on June 22, 1988.  His tombstone at the  Gay Corner nameless and reads “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

Check https://congressionalcemetery.org/ for tours and site prices and availability.

Out and About is an occasional photo feature by artist, photographer, gardener, and Capitol Hill resident Elizabeth Eby.  She finds vignettes while out and about on or near Capitol Hill.

(Correction:  An earlier version of this post neglected to mention the establishment of the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery and its role in overseeing the cemetery.)

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 16, 2022

Monday, October 17

ANC6A Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Among items on the agenda:
• Review pending Traffic Safety Investigation (TSI) requests.
• Discuss curbside electric vehicle charging with DDOT representative, including progress on vendor permits granted under the DDOT regulation.  (https://ddot.dc.gov/page/electric-vehicle-charging-station-program ), alternative/additional curbside solutions beyond the DDOT regulation, and limitations on use of Level 2 charging cables over the sidewalk.  (The Committee heard a presentation from Coul St, a company with a plan for curbside chargers last July.   See here:  https://bit.ly/3ookmVr )

Wednesday, November 19

ANC6B Transportation Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://bit.ly/3TmOWN7

Among items on the draft agenda:

• Briefings on Current Legislation under Review at DC Council– Christopher Laskowski, Legislative Director, Office of CM Allen:

1. B24-0673 Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022
2. B24-0978/0977 Department of For Hire Vehicles Delivery Vehicle Traffic Enforcement Expansion Temporary Amendment Act of 2022

• Review of Residential Parking at 4th & Independence Avenue SE– Commissioner Jennifer Samolyk
• Discussion on Holding 2023 Open Streets Event along 8th Street SE/NE– Commissioner Edward Ryder
• DDOT’s EV Curbside Charging Program & Rules (tentative)

                                                                       ***

ANC6A Economic Development & Zoning Committee will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/

Among items on the draft agenda:

• 223 8th Street, NE. Historic Preservation Application.  Historic review of a plan to construct a rear three-story addition; add a partial third floor on the existing house, and renovate the existing house for a home in the Capital Hill Historic District.
• 1717 E Street, NE. Zoning Adjustment Application.   Request for Special Exception zoning relief  to construct two new, semi-detached, four-story, 4-unit, apartment houses in the RF-1 zone.
• 1219 K Street, NE. Discussion of the situation facing tenants at the Havana Building at 1219 K Street NE, and what support and actions the ANC could take to support them.
• Green New Deal for Housing Act (B24-0802): Consideration for ANC6A’s input to the Green New Deal in Housing Act, currently before the DC City Council.
• Text Amendment to zones NC-9 though NC-17: Discussion and consideration of sponsoring a text amendment to zoning districts NC-9, NC-10, NC-11, NC-12, NC-13, NC-14, NC-15, NC-16 and NC-17 to actively encourage use for the arts.

 

Three Contests and a Recall in ANC6A Election

By Larry Janezich

Posted October 14, 2022

This is the second in a series of profiles of ANC candidates from Single Member Districts on or near Capitol Hill. 

Redistricting reduced the size of ANC6A by one single member district and thus the size of the commission from 8 members to 7.  Three of these seats are being contested:  ANC6A01, 6A03, and 6A04. 

This ANC is losing four commissioners with long records of service:  Commissioners Toomajian and Soderman are retiring, and the districts of Commissioners Phillips-Gilbert and Alcorn will be in Ward 7 on January 1.  Only Alcorn is seeking election to the new Single Member District in Ward 7.   

The other issue in 6A is an effort to recall ANC6A04 commissioner and ANC6A chair Amber Gove by residents who are unhappy with her support for a DDOT plan making the 1300 block of North Carolina Avenue, NE, one-way with a protected bike lane.  Recall supporters, led by resident Alexandra Kelly, claim Gove did not give enough weight to the concerns of the affected residents when she supported DDOT’s proposed change for the street.  The full commission subsequently voted unanimously to support the proposal.  The vote on whether to recall Gove will occur in person on Sunday, October 23, from 1-5 PM at Northeast Library or Maury Elementary School.  All registered voters residing in the current 6A04 district are eligible to vote.  Gove’s bid for re-election keeps her name on the ballot for the November 8 election, regardless of the outcome of the recall vote.  Kelly is also a candidate for Gove’s 6A04 seat in the general election. 

If you are not sure if redistricting changed which single member district you’re in, go here:  https://bit.ly/3V3002Z

Here’s a list of ANC6A candidates and profiles based on information supplied by the candidate – incumbents are designated by an asterisk:

*6A01 KEYA CHATTERJEE  (Did not provide candidate profile info)

6A01 CHRISTINA GOODLANDER (Did not provide candidate profile info)

6A02 MIKE VELASQUEZ.  Mike Velasquez and his family are longtime G Street NE fixtures.  For years, Mike has helped bring his neighbors together for an annual block party, on-going for 13 years, and works closely with neighbors to build community and engage the District agencies, the ANC, and the Council to help bring attention to community concerns.  Mike has been engaged on H Street issues, street safety, traffic calming, housing, and development.  He’s been a parent leader at local schools Ludlow-Taylor and Stuart Hobson and has been a volunteer in Capitol Hill Little League.  Mike serves on the ANC’s Alcohol and Beverage Licensing Committee where he helps support navigate good relationships between the businesses and neighborhood residents.  Mike’s goals moving forward include focusing on making our streets safer by slowing down speeding cars, especially commuter traffic, and  making sure that DC government is responsive, especially regarding services such as consistent trash pickup, parking enforcement, and rodent control. 

6A03 NICOLE “NIKKI” DELCASALE.  Nikki Delcasale demands that our government is inclusive and accessible so that more of our neighbors can participate.  She is active in her neighborhood and across DC, whether she’s walking dogs or advocating for tenants’ rights.  Nikki helped create a system for eviction prevention canvassing throughout DC. When she is not working for tenants, she is assisting restaurant workers recovering from the effects of the pandemic, serving our unhoused neighbors, and encouraging measures to increase safety on our streets.  Nikki serves as an adoption counselor with City Dogs & City Kitties Rescue and is passionate about keeping our pets safe.  Nikki will listen to the community and be a voice for their concerns, including advocating for safer streets via traffic calming measures.

6A03 ROBERTA SHAPIRO Roberta Shapiro is a longtime F Street, NE, resident who currently serves on ANC6A’s Economic Development and Zoning Committee.  She has an extensive record of volunteer work in the community and is a fixture on F Street NE where she works to bring neighbors together to address community issues.  Shapiro has helped address street safety, pedestrian and cyclist concerns, residential parking, construction and housing affordability.  She’s previously been a leader with the Capitol Hill Village where she helped coordinate services and assist seniors with aging in place.  She is a retired health care and not-for-profit manager, having served stints at non-profit hospital, Ronald McDonald Charities of Alabama, and CommunityHealth, a Chicago free clinic.   She also held executive positions in several health insurance entities.   Since moving to DC in 2013, Shapiro worked with non-profits, both as an employee and volunteer, including Capitol Hill Village, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Compass Pro Bono, Good Neighbors Capitol Hill and Washington English Center. She serves on ANC6A’s Economic Development and Zoning (EDZ) Committee.

*6A04 AMBER GOVE  Gove says:  Since 2017, I’ve been honored to serve as your volunteer Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. I’ve prioritized the safety of our streets and sidewalks for all users, whether they walk, roll or drive.  I’ve served on the Eliot-Hine and Maury school modernization teams, successfully securing additional funding and expanded play and field space.  I’ve increased our Commission’s community grants program, supported affordable housing projects, and partnered with DC Police on a balanced approach to public safety and community engagement.  And I am excited to run to represent our neighborhood again!  I am experienced, knowledgeable, and passionate about helping our entire community.  I ask for your vote to spend two more years advocating on your behalf.  This election is particularly important because rather than simply running against me, my opponent is also leading a campaign to recall me for the remainder of my 2021-22 term.  Please be sure to vote at the in-person only special election on Sunday, October 23 from 1-5 PM at Northeast Library or Maury ES.  Thank you for your support. For more: https://bit.ly/3rVBzXM

6A04 ALEXANDRA KELLY Kelly says:  I have an extensive background in work for non-profit organizations that prioritize people, families and communities, and I want to use those skills to benefit this community where I live.  I am an attorney.  I was the general counsel and daily advisor to a consortium of 50 elementary schools.  I also handled hundreds of property transactions, the construction of hundreds of units of affordable family housing, and the financing and construction of three new full service residential shelters.  I was a director and the lead counsel of an organization that planned, funded and built three brand new high schools in Southern California.  I handled all the land acquisitions, construction contracts, and corporate structure of that half-billion-dollar project.  As a volunteer, I have supported Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in their work along the border.  I was a mentor for a teen attending a high school for unhomed students.  I assisted that school in the development of a permanent, custom-built facility.  In my work as a trustee for our neighborhood high school I was part of a complete redesign and expansion, which included adding required parking, new classrooms, technology and labs.  I am most fulfilled by problem solving at a group and individual level, mediating and negotiating compromises, and clearing obstacles to allow others to do their best work. For more:  https://www.alexlistens.com/

*6A05 LAURA L GENTILE  Laura Gentile has lived in the neighborhood since 2007 and is completing her first term as ANC 6A05 commissioner.  She currently serves as ANC6A Secretary and, during her first year, led the effort to substantially overhaul the Commission’s bylaws – for the first time in ten years – to ensure meetings and activities are inclusive, efficient, and effective in supporting the community.  Laura has advocated for constituents with DC agencies on a range of issues including trash, illegal construction, public health, traffic calming, vacant properties, and crime.  Laura has worked to improve communications by creating a google group which includes hundreds of constituents.  She shares periodic updates with residents about local issues and how they can weigh in on proposed actions that could impact the quality of life in our community.  Laura has worked for the U.S. EPA for over 25 years and, early in her career, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

*6A06 ROBB DOOLING Robb Dooling is the current Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 6A06, representing the eastern end of the H Street Corridor.  He previously won ANC elections in 2018 and 2020 and is seeking re-election this year.  Robb advocates for housing as a human right, safe streets, and humane solutions to public safety.  In the 2020-2022 term, Robb’s largest accomplishment was securing $819,000 in DC’s annual budget for a new government agency, the Office for Deaf, Deaf Blind, and Hard of Hearing.  Robb also convinced the District Department of Transportation to propose DC’s first 24/7 transit-only lane for H Street NE, which would begin construction in 2024.  Finally, Robb helped small businesses expand outdoors to survive the pandemic and brought multiple agencies to 6A06 for public safety walks in a whole-of-government approach to reducing gun violence.  Robb is Deaf, queer, and originally from Nebraska. 

6A07 STEPHEN MOILANEN  Moilanen says:  My wife Daphne, our three-year-old son Emory, and I have lived at 211 10th Street, NE, since September 2021.  My wife and I have both spent considerable time in DC as we have grown up – my wife was raised in the area and we’ve both lived in DC for more than five years as adults.  I’m currently the Chief of Staff to the CTO at Embark, a leading developer of autonomous vehicle technology.  I come to the tech industry after having worked in clean energy policy for Columbia University, the United Nations, and the White House.  When I’m not chasing my toddler, I love trying my hand at improv comedy, testing out nerdy board games, and taking in non-fiction books.

Election 2022.  Mail Ballot Drop Boxes Open Today, October 14.

By Larry Janezich

Posted October 14, 2022

Mail Ballot Drop Boxes opened today.  You may drop your voted mail-in-ballot in ANY Ballot Drop Box at ANY time until 8:00 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. Here’s what else you need to know about voting:

Mail Ballot Drop Boxes in Ward 6 are at the following locations:

• Northeast Library, 330 7th Street, NE
• Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place, SW
• Eastern Market, 225 7th Street, SE
• BOE Headquarters, 1015 Half Street, SE
• DCPS Headquarters, 1200 First Street, NE
• Payne Elementary School, 1445 C Street, SE

Important dates:

• Deadline for receipt of all voter registration applications: October 18, 2022
• Deadline to request Absentee Ballot*: October 24, 2022
• Deadline for UOCAVA voters to request an Absentee Ballot: November 5, 2022
• Early Voting period: October 31 to November 6, 2022
• General Election Day: November 8, 2022
• Deadline for DC BOE to receive voted Absentee Ballots: November 15, 2022
• *Given that DCBOE is mailing all registered DC voters a mail-in ballot, you do NOT need to request an Absentee Ballot unless you will be away from your DC residence during the 2022 General Election.

Vote early in one of four ways:

Return your ballot quickly by mail – no postage required. Leave plenty of time for your ballot to reach the Board. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day (November 8), and they must be received by the Board no later than November 15.

Return your ballot in one of the Board’s 55 secure drop boxes across the District until 8 p.m. on Election Day:  https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Mail-Ballot-Drop-Boxes

Drop off your ballot at any early Vote Center from 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. during “Election Week” (October 31-November 6) and from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Election Day (November 8)  https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/

Vote early in person at any early Vote Center during “Election Week” (October 31-November 6) from 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Voters can vote at any Vote Center during Election Week, regardless of residential address within the District. Early Voting Vote Center Locations:   https://earlyvoting.dcboe.org/

If you choose to vote in-person on Election Day, plan ahead! Bring water, snacks, and a mask, and dress comfortably. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Voters can vote at any Vote Center on Election Day, regardless of residential address within the District. Vote Center Locations on Election Day:  https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Election-Day-Vote-Centers

Work on Garfield Park Will Start Next Spring

by Hilary Russell

Posted October 10, 2022

The long overdue refurbishment of Garfield Park is off the starting blocks, though work won’t begin until next spring.  The design and permitting period will end in February 2023, and work won’t be completed until summer or fall.

At an October 5 virtual community meeting, Landscape architect David Wooden of DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) outlined the $1.3 million contract awarded in June to Broughton Construction and the Capitol Hill design firm Studio Laan. He declared at the outset that the contract applies to “Garfield Park proper” and not to the area under the freeway managed by the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT).

He presented a map with alphabetically labeled areas where work is planned. Tennis courts are to be repaired and pickleball striping added (A); volleyball and bocce courts refurbished (B and C); and playground equipment replaced and repaired (D and E). Erosion control will focus on specific areas (F), though bench and picnic-table refurbishment and repair will extend from (G) to other locations.

No trees will be removed or planted; some may be trimmed. Children will say goodbye to some of the park’s more eccentric play equipment, but will enjoy refurbished swings, poured-in-place (PIP) rubber surfaces, and quite a lot of new equipment.  It’s not yet clear how much, but options seem to include a Sensory Wall, Saddle Spinner, Double Bobble Rider, Cozy Dome, Revi Wheel, and We-Saw.

The focus on playground equipment reflects responses to an online DPL survey.  Among nearly 800 respondents, 53 percent cited “playground” in response to the question, “What new features or improvements to existing amenities would you like to see implemented at Garfield Park? (select all that apply).”  Passive-use amenities – picnic tables, lighting, erosion issues, and lawn, in that order – scored higher in the survey than active-use adult amenities, including tennis and volleyball courts.  The presentation did not reference lighting, a preference listed by 43 percent of respondents.

The DPL survey listed pickleball, skatepark, and basketball, none of which exist in the park. Friends of Garfield Park has lobbied for these amenities in the area under DDOT jurisdiction: for rebuilding the defunct basketball court; adding a skate park; and smoothing out the cracked and pitted surface of Virginia Avenue where pickleball players have established three courts at their own expense.

At the community meeting, Robert Krughoff, long-time board member of Friends of Garfield Park, argued for repaving this closed-off roadway instead of adding pickleball stripes to the park’s heavily used tennis courts.  The response was that DDOT would be responsible for such repaving and has no budget for it. Wooten reported this statement by Abdullahi Mohamed, manager of DDOT’s Garfield Park-Canal Park Connector Project, which aims make the area more pedestrian – and bicycle-friendly and mitigate erosion by establishing a “bioretention area” south of the park’s volleyball courts.

Krughoff urged DPL to work hard and more urgently with DDOT to plan better uses for the neglected and wasted space under the freeway, engaging Friends of Garfield Park in this process and assessment of how much money is required.

To date, this post-presentation discussion is not included in the recording available at https://dgs.dc.gov/page/garfield-park-and-playground-improvements . Those wishing to dig deeper can view and listen to the presentation and send follow-up questions to david.wooden1@dc.gov and abdullahi.mohamed@dc.gov .

Both restaurants have applied for liquor licenses but both have a ways to go as far as the build out goes – as shown above.  CHC reported on plans to open Sala Thai last January.  See here:  https://bit.ly/3Lam9Ym

The Week Ahead…& Some Photos from the Past Week

by Larry Janezich

Posted October 9, 2022

Tuesday, October 11

ANC6B will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6b.org/

Among items on the draft agenda:

Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee

• Alcohol beverage license renewals: Barrel, 613 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Class “C” Tavern License; The Eastern,  360 7th Street, SE, Class “C” Tavern License; Raman Bar, 525 8th Street, SE, Class C Restaurant license.
• Paraiso, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Review of updated Settlement Agreement. 
• Mendelsohn 301, LLC, Amendment to Settlement Agreement.

Planning and Zoning Committee

• 117 12th Street, SE. Historic Preservation Application.  Concept review for construction of a new two-story residential building. 
• 117 12th Street, SE. Zoning Adjustment Application.  Special Exception to raze an existing shed and construct a new, detached, two-story principal dwelling unit
• 639 A Street, SE. Zoning Adjustment Application.  Special Exception to construct a two-story garage with accessory apartment, to an existing, semi-detached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit

Transportation Committee

• Review of Residential Parking at 4th & Independence Avenue SE – Commissioner Jennifer Samolyk.

Wednesday, October 12

ANC6C will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6c.org/hot-topics/

Among items of the draft agenda:

Community Comment:

• C. Sentencing Commission – Brittany Bunch

Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee

• Sweet Sweet Kitchen, 500 H Street NE. New application, Class C tavern license. 
• Vision Lounge, 707 H Street, NE, New application, Class C tavern license.
• Renewal applications – Wundergarten, 131 M Street, NE; The Little Grand, 808 7th Street, NE; Laos In Town, 250 K Street NE, Scissors and Scotch, 331 N Street, NE; UNO Chicago Grill, 50 Massachusetts Ave NE; Columbus Club in Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.  

Transportation and Public Space Committee (Michael Upright, chair)

• Update on Boiling Crab
• Open Streets
• Transportation and the Environment Committee, Council hearing, Bill 24-433, Rightsizing Residential Parking
• Permit Parking Regulation Amendment Act

Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee

• 601 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Historic Preservation Application. Concept approval to convert a one-story to a three-story building.
• 616 Lexington Place NE, Historic Preservation Application. Concept approval for rear and attic addition.
• 401 K Street NE, Zoning Adjustment Application. After-the-fact permission for removal of an original rooftop cornice.
• Environment, Parks, and Events Committee.
• Update on NoMa parks projects and future plans – NoMa BID Team.
• Update on Reservation 315, park at 5th and I Streets, NE—Transfer from NPS to DCPR, awaiting mayor’s action.

Thursday, October 13

ANC6A will hold a virtual meeting at 7:00pm.

For info on how to join the meeting, go here:  https://anc6a.org/community-calendar/  

Among items on the draft agenda:

Presentations:

• DOEE’s Solar for All – Daniel Jones, Communication Specialist, GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic.
• Installation of Residential Pollinator Gardens – Thorne Rankin, Co-Founder, DC Natives.

Consent Agenda:

• Letter of support to ABRA for the Class C Tavern license renewal of The Pursuit Wine Bar and Kitchen at 1025 H Street, NE.
• Letter of support to ABRA for the Class C Tavern license renewal of Vibez on H at 1378 H Street, NE.
• Letter of opposition to ABRA regarding the Class C Tavern license renewal of Bar Bullfrog/Bullfrog Bagels at 1341 H Street, NE, unless a settlement agreement is entered into prior to the protest date.
• Letter of opposition to ABRA regarding the Class C Tavern license renewal of The Queen Vic at 1206 H Street, NE, unless an updated settlement agreement is entered into prior to the protest date.
• Letter of support to ABRA for the Class C Tavern license renewal of Mythology, Lore, & Dirty Water/Beetle House DC at 816 H Street, NE.  
• Consideration of a recommendation ANC 6A take no action with respect to the substantial change request of Ocean Lounge at 1220 H Street, NE, to add a Summer Garden to their existing license.
• Consideration of a recommendation that ANC 6A edit the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) language to add new text providing for the provisional removal of any committee member who has three or more unexcused absences without good cause in a 12 month period or about whom the ANC has received one or more complaints of significant concern that may be considered inconsistent with the ANC 6A Code of Conduct or other reasonable standard.
• Letter to DDOT requesting that School Parking Zone permits cover a radius that does not extend to neighboring ANCs should any permit be issued to Capitol Hill Montessori or other schools that are more than a few blocks away from the adjacent ANC.

Plenary Session:

Transportation and Public Space Committee

• Letter to DDOT in support of an Open Streets event on 8th Street from Florida Avenue NE to M Street, SE.
• Letter to DDOT expressing concern about need to provide ANCs with adequate opportunity to review and provide comment on school applications for street parking permits under the School Parking Zone program for SWS at Goding and other future applications and that ANC 6A send a letter to DDOT requesting that signage for south side of G Street NE (adjacent to Sherwood Recreation Center), which is currently not RPP parking, but adjusted to permit holders of the School Parking Zone permits for School-Within-School to park there.
• Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee
• Letter of support to BZA for Special Exception zoning relief to construct a third story addition, and a two-story with cellar rear addition, and convert to a flat, an existing, semi-detached, two-story with cellar, principal dwelling unit.  
• Letter of support to HPRB for historic relief to construct a third floor partial addition and roof deck at 813 Massachusetts Avenue, NE.
• Suggested Motion: ANC 6A send a letter of support for DDOT’s request to consolidate the B2 bus stops on 14th Street, NE, from three to two stops, with a preference for retaining the stops at 14th and D Streets, NE, and 14th Street and North Carolina Avenue, NE, in their current locations. The request was made as part of the traffic calming proposal for the 1100-1500 blocks of C Street NE.

All Day Jazz Fest in Garfield Park on Saturday, October 8

by Larry Janezich

The culmination of Herb Scott’s Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation’s annual music festival will be a series of jazz performances all day long, tomorrow in Garfield Park.  Jazz saxophonist Billy Harper is the featured performer.  Garfield Park is at 2nd and F Streets, SE and the event is free.  For more, go here:  http://www.hillfest.org/ 

Here’s the line up on festival’s two stages:

Capitol Hill Art League Presents “Parallax” – Members Only Art Exhibit

 Posted October 6, 2022

The exhibit opened October 4, at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th Street, SE.  An opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 8, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.  Juror Carolina Mayorga, a Washington DC-based interdisciplinary artist who has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, will present the awards at the reception.  The show ends November 4. 

Featured artists in the Parallax show are: Anne Albright, Sufie Berger, Karen Cohen, Martin de Alteriis, Elizabeth Eby, Jim Huttinger, Bennett Lowenthal, Nipun Manda, Jane Mann, Carolyn Rondthaler, Rifat Taher, Karen Van Allen, Jan Zastrow, and Karen Zens.

In addition to viewing the show in person, the exhibit may be viewed, on the Capitol Hill Art League website at: https://www.caphillartleague.org/parallax2022/

Carolina Mayorga’s artwork addresses social and political issues, including comments on migration, war, and identity and translate into video/performance/site-specific installations, as well as two-dimensional photography and drawings.

For more on her work, go here: http://carolinamayorga.com/ and here: https://www.instagram.com/camayorga1120/

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and its Gallery operates in compliance with the District of Columbia’s Coronavirus directives.

The Capitol Hill Art League is a visual arts program of The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW). For more information about the Art League, visit the website at www.caphillartleague.org

It’s “No Contest” in November Election of ANC6B Commissioners

By Larry Janezich           

Posted October 5, 2022

This is the first in a series of profiles of ANC candidates from Single Member Districts on or near Capitol Hill. 

There is only a single candidate for ANC Commissioner in each ANC6B single member district.

Redistricting changed the boundaries and makeup of every ANC in Ward 6.  In ANC6B, it reduced the number of single member districts from 10 to 9.  Only two ANC6B incumbents are seeking re-election, commissioners Sroufe and Ryder.  Current commissioners not seeking reelection include Samolyk, Ready, Holtzman, Oldenburg and Holman.  Former 6B08 commissioner Peter Wright resigned in August after relocating out of his single member district and his seat is vacant.  The single member districts of Commissioners Krepp and Horn were relocated to Ward 7 by redistricting. 

If you are not sure if redistricting changed which single member district you’re in, go here:  https://bit.ly/3V3002Z

Since there are no contested seats, the list of likely commissioners for ANC6B is as follows, barring a successful write in campaign in the November 8 general election. 

6B01 FRANK AVERY.   Frank Avery and his family were part of the growth of Ward 6 when they joined the community in late 2018, first in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood and today in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  Frank is an active neighbor in Ward 6 who has helped to develop new programs and partnerships to better inform, engage, and channel the energy of neighbors to solutions important for the neighborhood.  He combines his past experience in local, state, and national non-profit and government organizations to help solve hyper-local issues.  He currently serves as the 6B01 Resident Member on the Transportation Committee.  He is Director at the Business-Higher Education Forum.

6B02 GERALD “JERRY” SROUFE  Jerry Sroufe is completing his second two-year term as ANC commissioner of 6B02.  He has been Secretary and a member of the ANC6B Executive Committee throughout this time.  His professional experiences are in governance and education. He has been a schoolteacher in Illinois, a professor at Claremont Graduate School, Executive Director of the Committee for Public Education, and Executive Director of the National EdD Program for Educational Leaders.  He most recently served as Director of Government Relations at the American Educational Research Association.  He is now fully retired and is devoting his time to learning how to be a good ANC commissioner – and how to golf.

6B03 DAVID SOBELSOHN David Sobelsohn’s career has combined organizing and activism with teaching and scholarship, both legal and literary. A graduate of the University of Chicago and Boston University Law School he has taught at Stanford Law School and at law schools in Cleveland and Detroit, covered the United States Supreme Court for a news service, and published scholarly articles on constitutional law.  As Chief Legislative Counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, he led the HRC’s work organizing the first-ever congressional hearing on and drafting a gay-rights bill:  the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  David has also published theater reviews and for eight years led Footlights, DC’s only modern-drama discussion group.  Election as 6B03 commissioner would mark his second stint on an ANC.  From 2005-11, he served as an ANC commissioner in Southwest DC.

6B04 FRANCIS “FRANK” D’ANDREA  Frank D’Andrea is a DC area native and has lived in the DMV for almost his entire life.  Originally from Bethesda/Potomac, Frank moved back to the area after graduate school in 2013 and into the DC proper in 2014.  After two years of living in the H Street Corridor/Stanton Park area, he moved to the Eastern Market/Barracks Row neighborhood where he currently resides.  A licensed architect in the District of Columbia, Frank has held a fascination with the built environment and urbanism for his entire life and has worked on numerous projects across the city.  While he has never held elected office, he has demonstrated leadership in his profession, and was a member of the 2018-2019 Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program of the AIA (American Institute of Architect’s DC Emerging Architects Committee).

6B05 KASIE DURKIT  Kasie Durkit moved to DC to study law at Georgetown Law after studying History, Political Science, and Women’s Studies at Bowling Green State University.   She moved into an English basement to get “the real Capitol Hill experience.”  After graduation, she started “my dream job” as an attorney for the U.S. Department of the Interior, working on issues related to protecting Federal lands and cultural heritage.  She has lived on Capitol Hill for almost eight years and says, “…walks around Lincoln Park, an iced coffee run to Wine&Butter, and a cool new find at Capitol Hill Books are just some of the things that make living in this neighborhood so special.  For that reason, it would be a great joy and honor of mine to give back to this neighborhood and serve as ANC for a place I really love and among neighbors I call friends.”

6B06 CHANDER JAYARAMAN Chander Jayaraman is currently president of a minority-owned emergency preparedness small business in the District of Columbia.  His company creates emergency response and evacuation plans and evacuation maps for District government agencies, schools, and residential buildings.  Before starting his own company in 2010, he was Project Director at Inclusion Research Institute, a non-profit research organization where he managed projects that increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities, increased voter participation in elections, and improved the preparedness of people nationwide.  His record as a civic activist and an elected official includes having served as an ANC6B Commissioner from 2012-2020 and running for a seat on the DC Council as an At-Large Councilmember. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Jenkins Hill, a child development center, as an Alumni representative and is actively involved in Little League baseball as an umpire and youth mentor.

6B07 VINCE MAREINO Vince Mareino moved to DC in 1998 for college.  Since 2012, he has been living with his wife and daughter on Capitol Hill within sight of the Safeway.  Neighbors might recognize him from the Peabody/Watkins PTA, or from his walks with his two dogs, Pancakes and Squirrel.  Vince bikes daily to work at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

6B08 EDWARD RYDER Edward Ryder was elected to the ANC in 2020 and served his first term representing the residents of ANC 6B07.  After the redistricting process re-drew the single member district lines this past year, he is running for re-election for ANC 6B08.  Edward has lived in the neighborhood since 2018 having moved from the SW-Waterfront area.  As Commissioner, he sought to help improve traffic safety in the area, assist in connecting neighbors with various DC agency services, and to keep neighbors up to date on the overall issues and events central to our neighborhood.  He is most passionate about public transportation and affordable housing.  He believes DC needs to be accessible, safe, and affordable for all residents.  Outside of his role as an ANC Commissioner, he works putting his love of public transit to use for Alexandria City’s bus service, DASH Bus.

6B09 MATT LAFORTUNE Matt LaFortune is currently a resident member of the ANC6B Transportation Committee, where he works with current Commissioners and neighbors to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers and has provided testimony to inform DDOT’s plans for Pennsylvania Avenue and Southeast Blvd.  He also engages with voters on local elections as a DC Democratic Party committeeman and an officer with the Ward 6 Democrats.  Professionally, LaFortune is a management consultant for strategic planning and public policy communications.