Photo Essay: Wreaths Across America at Congressional Cemetery Honors Veterans
by Larry Janezich
Posted December 15, 2025
It was cold Saturday morning, but some 200 community members turned out to pay tribute to the 1700 plus veterans – some dating to the Revolutionary War – interred at Congressional Cemetery. The volunteers also served to place wreaths purchased by the community through donations to Wreaths Across America on the graves of veterans whose remains are buried here.
The Presentation of Colors by members of the DC National Guard.
SGT Vicky Golding (vocalist) sings The National Anthem.
Mark Hudson, Executive Director of Congressional Cemetery, reminded those attending that at its core, Congressional Cemetery is a historic and active burial ground “and all of our efforts support the mission to preserve and protect these hallowed grounds while we respectfully celebrate the lives of those whose remains lie in eternal rest here.”
Hudson’s remarks were followed by Colonel Vincent A. Cummings, Command Chaplain for DC National Guard who stood in as keynote speaker for DC National Guard Commander Brigadier General Leland Blanchard II. In his remarks, he said, “Our support of Wreaths Across American reinforces the unique role the National Guard plays in our community. We’re part of the society we serve and those relationships build trust, strengthen connections, and ensure we remain ready and always there for the people of DC….
Congressional Cemetery’s Program Director A.J. Orlokoff called each service to step forward and place a commutative wreath to those assembled.
Volunteers receive wreaths to place on graves.
A member of the National Guard speaks the name and salutes the memory of a veteran after placing the wreath.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit founded to continue and expand the annual wreath laying at Arlington as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and across the country and abroad.
Update on Spotify’s Purchase of 440 New Jersey Avenue, SE
by Larry Janezich
Posted November 19, 2025
Last week, ANC6B discussed the Historic Preservation Application by the $137 billion Spotify Corporation (headquartered in Stockholm but operating in the US through one of its subsidiaries, Spotify USA). The company recently purchased the residence at 440 New Jersey Avenue, SE, along with the adjoining garage/carriage house at 435 1st St SE. The company plans to renovate the property.
According to ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Vince Marino, “…the renovations themselves are minor and clearly designed to respect the property’s history, so no one on the ANC objects to them as such.”
Some members of the Committee, however, are concerned about Spotify’s claim that it does not need an exemption from zoning regulations for the residential property, because they fear Spotify will use the property for commercial purposes at the expense of the residential fabric of the neighborhood – as has happened with other residential properties on the block.
Marino says, “One may suspect that Spotify might succumb to the temptation to use the home as an employee hotel, or as a lobbying office. Spotify denies that it will. But that’s certainly what we seem to be seeing with many other Capitol Hill homes owned by corporations and advocacy groups. … We need to have a neighborhood-wide conversation about whether more areas should be upzoned for mixed use and/or higher density.
ANC6B went on to unanimously approve a proposal to designate ANC6B Commissioner Tyler Wolanin – in whose single member district 440 New Jersey is located – to attempt to reach a settlement agreement with Spotify.
Marino says, “We hope that such a settlement agreement would confirm that Spotify will indeed use 440 New Jersey Avenue SE as a residence rather than as a hotel or office. This would provide Spotify with the reassurance that we are not trying to evict them, and it would provide the neighbors with the reassurance that ANC6B is trying to contain the situation, one home at a time, while the BZA and the City Council work on a broader solution to the tight property market.”
Last night, ANC6A heard the results of a survey conducted by ANC6A03 Commissioner Roberta Shapiro on neighbor’s use of the Sherwood Recreation Center. She told commissioners that she probably gets more email from her constituents on Sherwood than any other topic, save parking. Sherwood lies in Shapiro’s single member district.
Shapiro said, “I’ve done my share of complaining up and down the food chain about the situation there but decided that we really needed more data to back up the complaints.” So she conducted a survey and received 289 responses from nearby households comprising some 900 residents – 90% within a mile of Sherwood and 71% within a half mile. She told the ANC that these responses are from people who have an opportunity to use Sherwood, but about 2/3 had never used the inside facility.
The main answers given to the question of why not, included lack of awareness, lack of cleanliness and maintenance, and concerns about safety. The outdoor facilities – the playground, the tennis court, the basketball court, and the field running track were more broadly used.
The survey showed that more than half of respondents said they get no communication from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) about the facilities. And reacting to information provided about Sherwood programs, only 14% of the respondents said that programming choices were good. Also, only 23% rated the equipment as good, and only 25% rated maintenance and cleanliness good.
Shapiro said that people have a fairly negative view of the facility, but there was “very strong interest in having expanded programming for little kids, preschoolers, and adult exercise programs.”
When asked what additional facilities people wanted, Shapiro said there was “a whole range of answers but 50% of respondents said they’d like to see a kid’s splash park like the one at Eastern Market Metro Park and 25% said they were interested in community gardens.”
There were 88 responses in which people took the time to write narrative answers to the question whether there was anything else they’d like to comment on or suggest. The number one topic was poor cleanliness and maintenance, number two was loitering, gambling, alcohol and drug consumption on the north side of the building. Those were followed by the need for more programming and expanded hours – people complained about being there with their kids on a Sunday and there’s no access to a bathroom facility. (CM Charles Allen has legislation pending before the City Council to expand hours at DC Recreation Facilities, requiring minimum weekend hours and increased weekday hours.) Also mentioned was the need for improvements in fixing equipment, ventilation, and cleaning.
Shapiro said, … ”there are other DPR facilities which are in really good shape and offer extensive programming and I don’t quite understand why Sherwood is the stepchild of the system.”
She referenced $4 million in the DC FY26 capital budget for improvements at Sherwood and said there needs to be a real effort to engage the community in terms of how those dollars get spent, and added that DPR says they are behind schedule but pledged community engagement.
With respect to nest steps, Shapiro said she had shared the survey with CM Charles Allen’s office and DPR. She said “we have written multiple times to Director Thennie Freeman (DPR) and we did not even get the courtesy of a response. So I think we just all need to keep making noise. I guess we could send another letter and copy the council and copy Director Freeman and copy DGS Director Hunter as well but I sort of feel like we are whistling into the wind.”
Commissioner and former ANC6A Chair Amber Gove suggested a next step could be drafting testimony for thecouncil’s performance oversight hearing. She added, “I would say that I very much recognize whenever I venture into NW that there is a huge difference in the quality of our facilities managed by DPR, and it would be wonderful if attention could be drawn to that … I don’t know if you recall but a couple years ago when this topic came up and in a letter to Director Freeman we actually did a comparison programming at all of the other DPR facilities … and Sherwood was at the bottom of the barrel in terms of … programming offered.”
Gove went on, “I think a conversation … identifying some of the discrepancies and showing them just what we’re seeing as commissioners, not just in our areas but in Ward 7 and 8, that the quality of facilities can be quite different than they are in the other parts of the city.
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L-R, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb; Commissioner Brian Gorman, Chair, ANC6B Public Safety Committee; Commissioner Sam Pastore.
Office of DC Attorney General Under Seige, AG Schwalb Tells ANC Committee
by Larry Janezich
Posted October 28, 2025
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb attended ANC6B’s Public Safety Committee meeting Monday night. He summarized what his office does for the city: serving as its law firm, serving as a public advocate defending and protecting the public interest, and protecting public safety – which he said was broader than prosecuting crime.
He defended the independence of the Attorney General’s Office noting that “our Mayor has never been a fan of an independent Attorney General” but it’s a necessary check on executive power. Currently, he said, his office was very much under siege and an attack from the federal government. For example, after filing lawsuits against the federal government for taking over the MPD and deploying out-of-state National Guard in the city, Schwalb said a member of congress introduced a bill – in collaboration with the White House – to change the independent elected DC attorney general to a presidential appointed attorney general with no Senate confirmation. The proposed law would make the attorney general accountable to the President – which allows for the office to be weaponized. The bill has passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and will come up on the House floor at the discretion of the Speaker of the House.
He cited another bill which reflects the administration’s hostility to the District – supposedly in the interest of public safety which Schwalb termed a “ruse” used to attack home rule – the Judicial Nominations Reform Act which would abolish the District’s Judicial Nomination Commission which currently vets and recommends candidates for DC’s local courts. The bill would shift shift this power to the President with confirmation by the Senate.
He also pointed to the House of Representatives’ passage of the Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act that would – at the discretion of the US Attorney General – lower the age from 16 to 14 for prosecution of District juveniles as adults for some violent crimes, including murder, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary, and robbery while armed or assault with intent to commit any of these offenses.
Schwalb criticized the District’s bifurcated criminal justice system which provides for the prosecution of adults by the District’s US Attorney and juveniles by the DC Attorney General. He says we need a local prosecutor accountable to the people of the District.
He said that there are 16 bills* before Congress that would change the way home rule operates in the District and debate on all of them is on-going. He urged residents to support home rule.
Appearing under a time constraint, Schwalb took several questions from members of the public and the Public Safety Committee. On the issue of enforcement against reckless moped drivers, he offered criminal prosecution where warranted and a potential investigation of the questionable operation of problematic third party providers – neither suggestion provided much satisfaction to the father of a child who had received a concussion from a recklessly operated food delivery moped. (See CHC post here: http://bit.ly/3WtcTW0 ) Similarly, he could not offer much insight with respect to a question about the performance of Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services owing to the “difficulty in measuring recidivism,” or much hope with respect to a question of progress on renovating the DC Jail, noting “it’s in our interest to get jail repaired – but not easy with tight dollars.”
*In addition to the bills affecting home rule mentioned by Schwalb, some of the other 16 bills pending in Congress which would affect DC home rule include:
Repeal of policing legislation: Overturns police reform legislation the D.C. Council passed after the murder of George Floyd.
D.C. Policing Protection Act: Expands the circumstances under which police officers are allowed to engage in vehicular pursuits.
Amendments to the Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act: Would eliminate judicial discretion to sentence eligible youth offenders below a mandatory minimum and restrict youth offender status for individuals convicted of certain crimes.
Repeal of the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act: Nullifies a D.C. law that allows juveniles to petition for early release after serving 15 years.
Bail system overhaul: Requires pretrial detention for anyone charged with a “violent or dangerous offense,” including some felony drug charges, and brings back the use of cash bail for certain crimes.
Criminalizing homelessness: Makes it illegal to sleep in public places, including in a car.
Marcus Hunt, Office of the Deputy Mayor’s Director of DC Government Operations for the DC National Guard, makes a presentation to ANC6B. Hunt has been billed in local media as “Director of the National Guard.”
Wednesday night, at its hybrid October meeting, ANC6B re-affirmed its decision not to place a discussion of the National Guard on the meeting’s agenda. The genesis of the proposed discussion was an offer from the Guard – via Marcus Hunt, DC’s liaison to the Guard – to help with beautification projects in ANC commissioners’ single member districts. The offer was sent to individual ANC commissioners across the city. Some commissioners suggested that since Hunt’s offer was sent to individual commissioners, the decision should be left to them, and as such, there was no role for the ANC in this matter.
Commissioner David Sobelsohn continued to push to hear from two individuals on the subject. First, from Marcus Hunt, who was billed as the Director of the National Guard, but who is actually an employee of the Office of the Deputy Director of Public Safety. He is the city’s liaison with the National Guard on the issue of beautification efforts. And while he is also a Lt. Col. in the National Guard he did not appear in uniform and is currently not acting “under orders.” Second, from ANC2G01 Commissioner Howard Garrett who authored a letter opposing Commissioners accepting the offer for the Guard to assist in beautification projects because that would “normalize” the Guard for tasks that belong to civilian agencies.
It is routine for the commission to provide a period for “Community Announcements” and it was the consensus of the commission that Hunt and Garrett could use this time to discuss the National Guard. Comments are usually limited to three minutes, but the Commission agreed to a motion to allow discussion at the beginning of the period and then subsequently set a time limit of 20 minutes.
As it turned out, the discussion lasted some 40 minutes, but produced little clarification on beautification possibilities as Hunt discussed his background, history of the Guards and its relation to DC, his job with the Deputy Mayor’s Office and some of the beautification activities the Guard has undertaken. He referred questions regarding the safety activities of the Guard to Master Sergeant Arthur Wright (who was not present), saying he could only speak at tonight’s meeting to talk about beautification.
During the Q&A, the meeting turned confrontational as some of the dozen community members attending in-person challenged the legitimacy of the deployment of the National Guard on DC streets – a subject on which Hunt could not comment. One member of the audience expressed his appreciation for the Guard’s presence in the community. Afterward, Commissioner Howard Garrett, appearing on-line, read a prepared statement reiterating the points of his letter (which many ANC Commissioners have signed) opposing requesting assistance for beautification efforts.
Following the discussion, Sobelsohn proposed two more motions. The first asked the ANC’s Public Safety Committee to make a recommendation about what commissioners should do regarding the Guard’s offer to help with beautification projects. When that motion failed for lack of a second, the second motion asked for a recommendation from the ANC’s Parks and Public Spaces Task Force. That motion also failed for a lack of second.
ANC6C meeting on October 8, 2025. National Guard Director Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt is at center. Chair Karen Wirt is top, center.
National Guard Director’s Q&A with ANC6C
by Larry Janezich
Posted October 9, 2025
National Guard Official’s Q&A with ANC6C
Wednesday night, ANC6C heard a short on-line presentation from Lt. Col. Marcus Hunt, DC National Guard Director of Government Operations, on how the National Guard connects to the DC community. The occasion was the ANC’s October meeting, conducted virtually and chaired by Commissioner Karen Wirt.
Hunt is the liaison between the Guard’s commander – Brigadier General Leland Blanchard – and Lindsey Appiah, DC Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice.
In a 20 minute session ANC commissioners Hunt stressed the home-grown character of the National Guard, presenting them as neighbors who like himself live in the community. Commissioners heard how the Guard’s beautification program works, asked questions about what kinds of beautification assistance the Guard could provide and expressed concerns about the Guard’s role as a military presence in the city.
Hunt explained the current mission ordered by the President on August 11, has two components: Task Force Safe and Task Force Beautification. He said he was at the ANC meeting to discuss Task Force Beautification and that any questions on Task Force Safe should be submitted to National Guard Master Sergeant Arthur Wright, whose email he provided.
He said Task Force Beautification has three components: resilience, opportunity, and community and each of these components has two subsets: food/housing, youth/jobs, and help/safe and public spaces. He spent considerable time on the youth/jobs component and the Guard’s efforts to provide opportunities for and mentoring of at risk youth.
With respect to the help/safe and public spaces subset, in September Hunt had sent an email to all ANC commissioners in the city asking about neighborhood beautification projects and offering assistance.
On Wednesday night, Hunt emphasized that community requests for assistance must be filtered through ANC Commissioners (but apparently not through the full ANCs). Upon receipt of the request by his office it undergoes an assessment regarding whether it is something the National Guard can support.
Commissioner Jeremiah Foxwell began the short Q&A by asking about the limits of what the Guard could do, specifically if that would include acting as crossing guards on H Street to provide an element of safety for school children crossing H Street NE. Commissioner Daniela McInerney added to Foxwell’s question expressing resident’s concerns about armed National Guard in battle gear noting that “we have had the National Guard patrolling the streets around Ludlow Taylor Elementary School without the community being notified.”
Hunt replied that he wasn’t trying to deflect the question about patrolling streets but said that any question relating to Task Force Safe should be directed to Master Sergeant Wright. He added that what he could say regarding not notifying the community of a mission operation is that a lot of those are just not shared publicly for operational safety purposes.
Rather than giving Foxwell a specific response to the crossing guard question, Hunt said that “once I receive an email from an ANC commissioner inviting Task Force Beautification into the community to serve side by side with community members – that’s where we kind of lean forward – to go through our process to partner with the community.”
Just how “partner with the community” is defined is somewhat uncertain, but it implies personal interaction. Though not explicitly stated this appears to mean working alongside community members (for example in cleanup and other projects) which allow the Guard to engage directly with community.
Hunt added, “We have been very successful in the safe public spaces subset in responding to invitations from the ANC commissioners…a half dozen Ward 8 commissioners have invited us out…we have an event in Ward 4 this Saturday at Fort Stevens Park…we also have a bit upcoming with Ward 5 to do some community clean up and partnership.”
Commissioner Andrew Hayes addressed the resentment of the presence of the Guard on city streets felt by many residents. He acknowledged that some of the Guard are neighbors…“but at the same time I think it is unacceptable and not appropriate for our streets to be policed by people in military gear and I would really appreciate if you could take the message back that we would only be open – at least I personally would only be able to support assistance from the current beautification if those folks can work in (civilian attire)….”
Hunt replied that if an ANC Commissioner sends an invitation with requirements regarding – for example – community clean up in civilian clothes, “I believe that’s doable.”
It appeared that Hunt had limited his availability to 20 minutes, and Chair Wirt thanked him for appearing. He may not have still been online in the virtual meeting when former ANC6A Commissioner Drew Courtney summed up his own feelings which likely crystallized the mixed feelings many have about neighbors who are Guard members, Guard members sent from other parts of the country and the other federal law enforcement officers deployed in DC.
Courtney said, “I am so grateful for the service of our neighbors in the National Guard and I think one of the saddest things about these recent months has been the way that the politicization of the Guard has undermined some really good efforts. But I don’t think there’s any way right now that we can expect constituents to separate what we’re seeing from Guards who have been sent in against the will of our limited representatives from Ohio and South Carolina and from West Virginia, and the fact that this is so closely associated … with the raids that are really unconscionable being conducted by ICE…. I think we all underscore our gratitude for our neighbors in uniform but the respect for that uniform has been undermined by the political actions that have been taken by the president in this community and I think we have to recognize that.”
Ward 6 Free DC organizers and Ward 6 co-leaders Anjali and Allegra
Ward Six FreeDC Pushes for Community Involvement
by Larry Janezich
Tuesday night some 200 residents turned out for the Ward 6 FreeDC September meeting in Reformation Lutheran Church a block from the Capitol Grounds on East Capitol Street. The purpose of the meeting was to update current and prospective FreeDC members on DC home rule and the occupation of DC by federal law enforcement agents and the National Guard.
The focus of the group has continued to evolve in response to changing circumstances. Initially their goal was to encourage Congress to restore DC’s authority to spend its own revenue by correcting an oversight which dropped that authority from a law which continued spending for agencies whose appropriation bills had not yet been passed. Since then, the Mayor found ways to work around most of that lack of authority.
While that was under discussion, there was a movement in Congress to repeal several DC council-passed laws, including laws on police reform, juvenile justice, and local residents’ voting rights. (Those bills and another 11 bills restricting DC Home Rule passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government on Wednesday afternoon.)
In addition, administration declared a 30 day emergency and moved to takeover DC MPD. Separately, federal agents including ICE and the National Guard were deployed to DC’s streets. The emergency action by which the President took over MPD expired Wednesday night and Congress has no plans to renew that authority. The deployment of federal law enforcement agents including ICE could continue and the National Guard presence in DC could last at least through November given the administration’s extension of the Guard’s activation through December.
In response to these many developments, Free DC has expanded and organized several of its efforts around resistance to authoritarianism. The Congress Working Group has been relentless in personal outreach to lobby members of Congress. (Their other working groups include accessibility, arts and culture, communications, DC local government, popular education, safety, and tabling.)
FreeDC is working to reach a critical number of residents who are willing to participate in “non-cooperation,” an idea based on what is known as the “3.5% rule’ in political theory. Research shows that campaigns which engage at least 3.5% of the population in a sustained, nonviolent protest can be successful. The figure specifically refers to nonviolent resistance because the theory goes, nonviolent movements are more likely to attract and sustain large-scale participation and support. For DC, that number is 24,500 residents, or 3,100 per ward.
FreeDC is providing non-cooperation training sessions. Attendees must attend a FreeDC Orientation session prior to registering. See Events on FreeDC at https://freedcproject.org/events
There is a Ward Six Orientation Meeting on Sunday, October 5, at 1:00pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street, SW. Register here: https://bit.ly/3IbChvZ
Since mid-January, when the group’s email list stood at 3,000, it has grown to more than 30,000 today. Sign up for the email list here https://freedcproject.org/ to learn more about upcoming events, actions, and ways to get involved. (The email list does not necessarily reflect the number of those engaging in non-cooperation.)
The presentation included emphasis of FreeDC’s Tenets: Prioritize joy, take up space, i.e., be seen and heard, and organize.
Free DC’s Code of Conduct includes: Respect everyone, refrain from hate speech, provide constructive feedback, and encourage participation.
Sunday, August 17, 11:30am on H Street, NE. Of all the federal law enforcement agents deployed on DC streets, the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) – which falls under the Department of Homeland Security – have garnered the most negative attention. Masked ICE agents have executed aggressive enforcement actions and conducted many arrests. Video credit: Nicky Sundt
The Response: Local Opposition to The Occupation – Now Including National Guards from 6 States
by Larry Janezich
Posted August 19, 2025
Many readers of Capitol Hill Corner will be wondering how and where to invest their time and resources to respond to the Occupation of DC ordered by the Trump Administration.
This post, which will be updated, serves as a guide to local groups organizing on-the-ground actions designed to make visible and more effective the opposition of DC residents to the Trump Administration’s violation of DC Home Rule.
Background
On August 11, the Trump Administration invoked a statutory emergency power and announced a takeover of the MPD in the District. To augment this assertion of authority, the Administration deployed the DC National Guard as well as federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Included in that deployment was the Department of Homeland Security, under which falls the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Since the August 11 order, six other states have responded to DOD request to send National Guard personnel to DC, including Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, totaling more than 1000 troops.
The Response
FreeDC has become the leading organization which is taking direct action to oppose the federalization of law enforcement and the deployment of National Guard to DC.
Free DC is a fiscally sponsored special project of Community Change, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and Community Change Action, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization.
The organization has teams operating in all 8 Wards and has a long history of advocacy for DC Statehood and in 2023 organized a campaign in response to Congress’s overturning the DC Revised Criminal Code Act. In 2025 it organized the response to the House of Representative’s refusal to routinely authorize the city to spend $1 billion of its own revenue for city services during the remainder of the current fiscal year.
Here are some of FreeDC’s recommendations about what to do to oppose the Occupation:
Organize: Sign up with FreeDC. Visit FreeDC’s website for a calendar of events, a link to merch, and news. Join specific campaigns and get involved. https://freedcproject.org/
Participate in FreeDC’s orientation presentations. Get training. Get educated. Know your rights.
Join the effort to lobby members of Congress in person, by email, or by phone.
Make FreeDC visible everywhere: Make signs and posters – wear t shirts and buttons. See FreeDC Official Merch here: https://bit.ly/41b8LwO
Stay informed. Join the FreeDC communication network.
Urge residents and elected officials: “Don’t obey in advance.”
Currently, FreeDC has no direct action planned.
Ward 6 Democrats have also launched several activities to respond to the gross violation of DC home rule, including:
Distributing info from the ACLU-DC, FreeDC, and the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.
Urging residents to follow FreeDC’s suggested actions, including talking with your friends and family outside of DC and encouraging them to call their elected officials opposing the administration’s current efforts to take over law enforcement in the District.
Join the Monthly Statehood Committee Call on Wednesday, August 20. The Statehood Committee will share the latest on what’s happening in our community, discuss what we can do and work on a plan for what to do next.
Time: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Location: Virtual, Zoom link provided upon registration
Join Ward 6 Democrats, which is free to any registered Democrat living in Ward 6. The organization does suggest a one-time donation of $51 or a monthly donation of $6. Go here: https://www.ward6dems.org/
The Mediterranean bakery House of Flatbreads (HOF) is coming to 1116 8th Street, across from the Capital Turnaround, formerly called The Blue Castle. HOF is a carryout which features flatbreads from traditional savory such as the Labne Flatbread – see below.
HOF has a sister carryout in Arlington. Their website is under construction but you can get an idea of their offerings on FB https://bit.ly/4msHoq8 and Instagram https://bit.ly/4l6iDib It’s not certain when they plan to open.
Another one of Garfield Park’s century-old white swamp oaks has fallen. A large branch came down in the storm Friday night, July 25. The tennis court fence was damaged as well a picnic table by the volleyball court. An arborist crew took the rest of the tree down on Monday. Photo and text: Jan Schoonmaker.
Here’s another image of the ongoing renovation of SE Library, this one is of the berm skylight on the South Carolina Avenue side of the building which will light the children’s area on the lower level. Photo: DC Library
And here’s an image of construction workers who appear to be working on the skylight which will – by means of a central light well – illuminate all three floors of the library.
The Week Ahead…
None of the political, community, or civic organizations regularly covered by Capitol Hill Corner is meeting this week.
One item of interest for the coming week:
Saturday, August 9
NE Library Book Sale Saturday-The Friends of the Southeast Library (FOSEL) together with the Friends of the Northeast Library (FONEL) will hold a joint book sale this Saturday, July 9. The sale will be at the Northeast Library at 7th & Maryland Avenues NE.
The sale begins when the library opens at 10:00 am. We begin to pack up around 2:45 pm and are done by 3:00 pm. The sale is on the lower level of the library. Entrance to the sale is through the library (and down the stairs or elevator).
In general, we have mostly used books of all types, including children’s books, fiction, best sellers, non-fiction, cookbooks mysteries, science, science fiction, romance, religion, history, biography, self-help, classics, travel, etc.
Proceeds benefit local libraries, especially the Southeast Library, the Northeast Library, and the DC Library.
Got the ability to recirculate this message on other lists? That would be much appreciated.
Hill East Development Disposition Map showing location of parcels to be developed.
Wednesday night, Daryl Thomas from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Development (DMPED), gave an update on the development of Res 13 Phase II to ANC7D’s Committee on Economic Development and to Hill East residents.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Thomas assured that Res 13 Phase II “definitely is not stalled – we have been very much into a lot of infrastructure work on the campus. This work consists of engineering in addition to relocation of a major 72 inch sewer line.” The pipeline lies 40 to 50 feet below ground and extends from Massachusetts Avenue to Independence Avenue. He added, “… this sewer line is a precursor for all the remaining work that needs to be done. We have started the roadway design review. Once the sewer relocation work is done then the city can come in and we can start constructing the roadways that surround the development parcels …” Thomas said he expected the pipeline relocation to take a year.
In 2000 the city released RFPs for the Phase II redevelopment of Res 13. Phase II was divided into two different bundles, Bundle One (Parcels A, B-1, B-2, F-2 and G-2 – see map above), and Bundle Two (Parcels C, E. and H). Some parcels in Bundle One have been approved by the Zoning Commission and building design is underway. Bundle Two ran into infrastructure issues including the sewage pipeline and utility relocation, and that has forced them to redesign their first phase of building which has prevented them from going to Zoning for approval.
Developers hoped to break ground in 2024 but infrastructure and finance issues pushed that date ahead to 2025. Last night’s presentation suggested there may be another delay – at least in Bundle Two – until 2026 or later. Phase III (in yellow) is a planned third phase of the development which has not launched yet.
Thomas did not offer a projected timeline for completion of development on any of the parcels. None of the developers participated in the briefing.
Thomas also offered a status report on the status of Phase I, where two mixed use buildings have been completed. He reported that Sala Thai Restaurant, Duffy’s Irish Pub, and Alphabet Daycare have leased retail space in the Park Kennedy, one of the two Phase I mixed use buildings. One retail space remains. He said that none of the retail spaces has yet been leased in Phase I’s second mixed use building – The Ethel.
During the Q&A, Thomas was asked if development would be coordinated with construction of the proposed NFL Stadium on the RFK site and with construction of a new DC city jail. He noted that neither of those projects has been approved yet and once they are, DMPED would be working “hand in hand” with the developers of those projects.
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