LETTER TO MAYOR WILLIAMS FROM COUNCILMEMBER PATTERSON

February 8, 2002

Mayor Anthony A. Williams
The John Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington D.C. 20004

Dear Mayor Williams:

At the Ward 3 town meeting on emergency preparedness in December there
was a burst of applause when community activist Kathy Smith asked that
no city action be permitted to stand in the way of renovating firehouses
across the city - a particular concern with regard to the Tenleytown
firehouse.  I write to let you know that action taken in response to a
historic designation request poses the possibility that more than two
years of work by the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services
and the Ward 3 community in Tenleytown will have been wasted.

I ask that you direct the Office of Planning and the Fire/EMS Department
to work together, immediately, to ensure that there is no delay in
rebuilding this critical firehouse.  Second, please be advised that I am
likely to pursue a legislative remedy on March 5 that will permit the
Tenleytown firehouse project to move forward expeditiously and, perhaps,
provide a public safety exemption from historic preservation rules in
extraordinary circumstances. My own view is that the firefighter legacy
that most needs preservation is the ability to fight fires and save
lives -- and all other issues are ancillary at best.

Thank you for your timely consideration.

Sincerely yours,
Kathy Patterson

cc: Councilmembers
City Administrator John Koskinen
Fire Chief Ronnie Few
Planning Director Andrew Altman
HPRB Chairman Tersh Boasberg
 
 
 

THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER KATHY PATTERSON!
Kathy Patterson will probably get a raft of grief from some folks for
weighing in on the side of public safety and fiscal prudence. Therefore
I would urge you to send her a note of support and thanks for her
support of our firefighters and new firehouse. Her e-mail address is:
<KPATTERSON@dccouncil.washington.dc.us> -- KS
 
 
 

NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS

**** ANC3E -- Tenleytown · American University Park · Friendship Heights
From: PollyLKing@cs.com
Thursday, February 14,  7:30 PM
St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church
42nd & Fessenden Streets, NW
1. Announcements
2.  ANC Business
·   Adoption of Minutes of January 10, 2002 Meeting
·   Approval of January Treasurer's Report
·   Approval of First Quarter Financial Report
·   Amendment to September 2001 minutes
3.  Open Forum - opportunity for members of the community to raise
issues of  concern or importance to the 3E neighborhood
4.  Presentation by 2nd District Police
5.  Update on the Tenleytown Fire Station (4300 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.)
6.  Report on Chevy Chase Center Development
7.  Report on the Ward 3 Transportation Committee and Summit
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CALL (202) 244-0800  www.anc3e.org
 

**** ANC3B MEETING -- Glover Park and Cathedral Heights
From:  anc3b@att.net
PUBLIC MEETING
FEBRUARY 14, 2002
Guy Mason Recreation Center
3600 Calvert Street; 7:30 PM

2ND DISTRICT POLICE REPORT
·       Lt. Brian Bray, PSA 205
OLD BUSINESS
·       Ward Three Traffic Policy Committee Update
·       Roadway Construction Schedule Update
NEW BUSINESS
·       Installation of Regulated Parking on Tunlaw Road - 39th Street
to 42nd Street
·       Installation of Residential Parking Zone on 42nd Street - Tunlaw
Road to Edmunds
·       Removal of Rush Hour Parking Restrictions on Tunlaw Road 37th
Street to 39th Street
·       Pedestrian Sign Requests for Cathedral Avenue, Idaho Avenue,
Tunlaw Road
ADMINISTRATIVE
·       Approval of January 10, 2001 Minutes of ANC 3B Meeting
·       Approval of October, November, December 2001 Quarterly Report
OPEN FORUM
FUTURE MEETINGS:
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2002
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002
 
 
 

STALKING INCIDENT
From: (Resident who asked that name not be used.)
In December I was "stalked" by a man in a maroon, late-model pick-up
truck.  It was 7 a.m. on a Sunday.  He circled the block 3 times while I
was walking my dog on 38th St., and followed me into the alley between
Appleton and Brandywine.  When I looked at him,  he motioned me over to
his truck (I thought he was asking directions)  and made exaggerated
masturbation signals with his hand.  I started screaming, and he drove
away.  His license tag was covered with a white cloth, and he was
wearing a hood pulled over his face to obscure it.  This was clearly a
premeditated event, and very frightening.

I called 911, and they asked whether I wanted a policeman to come to the
house or to drive around the neighborhood.  I chose the latter, because
I was afraid he'd drive by again and know where I live if he saw a
police car there.  So there's probably no report.   But people should be
aware of this guy.  Since then, I've never seen another pick-up truck
that color, so I'm thinking it's pretty rare.

I remember some people writing in about a truck that roared down an
alley near Fessenden, nearly hitting someone.  I wonder if there's any
relation.
 
 
 
 

TOILETS FOR HOMELESS?
A resident who does a lot of work on beautifying and cleaning our 'Hood,
especially around Wisconsin Avenue, posed an interesting question, which
I'd like to ask you to consider.

She wondered why there wasn't a Johnny-on-the-Spot or other type of
toilet available to those living and now defecating on the street. She
explained that she comes across a lot of human feces in her work on the
plantings and parks along Wisconsin Avenue.

The first question this raises is: Is there a 24-hour toilet somewhere
around the Metro area that these folks can use?  If not, why not?  Why
doesn't Friendship Place provide such a service, perhaps as an outdoor
facility like a Johnny-on-the-Spot?

I'm not trying to encourage homeless to hang out in the 'Hood, but if
they are going to do so, why should we be exposed to their body wastes?
Children play in the parks and along the street; pets and their owners
walk around. This stuff dries out and blows around.

Is the placement or opening of a 24-hour bathroom facility  something
that needs to be looked at, and perhaps re-examined if the idea was once
discarded?

What are your thoughts?
 
 
 

HELICOPTERS IN THE 'HOOD
From: "Carolyn Long" <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
While we're on the subject of aircraft: For years (long, long before
9/11/01) I have noticed the many helicopters circling, sometimes very
low, over our Tenleytown neighborhood at all hours. They are blue-gray
with no identifying markings. They are a minor annoyance and I'm not
lodging a protest, am just curious as to what they are--police, weather,
traffic, news, military?
 
 
 

QUESTION RE: TRASH AND RECYCLING
From: WeLiveInDC@aol.com (Brian Kraft)
The trash collectors have been taking my corrugated cardboard. This week
I asked them why, and the man told me "I take everything."  Well, he
sure didn't take my other recyclables, which were right there. My
working theory, which springs largely from my own ignorance and
skepticism, is that the trash collectors get paid by the amount they
take. They cannot get away with taking all the recyclables, just some.
So my carefully packaged cardboard spends eternity in a landfill, rather
than being exported to Thailand.

Can anybody shed light on this situation? I any case, I will no longer
put out cardboard until after the trash men have come and gone, since
they usually come first. I'm also going to keep an eye out to see if
they take other recyclables.
 
 
 

EXPERIENCES AND PROBLEMS WITH THE U.S. MAIL

****  Carolyn M Parr <jerryparr@iopener.net>
On January 29, 2002 I received a first class letter (a baby
announcement) mailed from Illinois on October 25, 2001.  People are not
making this stuff up.

**** From: Catherine Mary Rafferty <cmrafferty@juno.com>
I wanted to provide some input relating to the mail situation (or lack
of delivery thereof).  I too am receiving mail many weeks late or not at
all.  I know of numerous letters that were mailed to me in the first
week of January which have not yet been delivered.  To further
complicate matters, the Post Office has been putting labels on some of
my mail directing that it be returned to sender as there is no
forwarding order on file.  Fortunately, they have been delivering this
mail (or at least some of it) to me anyway.  I have tried to work
through the supervisors at Friendship Heights as well as the Consumer
Affairs Office that has been moved from Brentwood to Capitol Heights.
No one seems interested in doing anything or even acknowledging that
there is a problem.  I finally called the Inspector General's Office out
of frustration.  They tried to put me in contact with someone in Capitol
Heights who has not returned my call.  The Inspector General's Office
also suggested that I contact the Consumer Advocate in Postal
Headquarters (202-268-2284).  If they are unable to resolve the problem,
he told me to send a fax to the Inspector General stating the problems
with the mail service (1-866-756-6741 fax) and that she would open an
investigation.  Perhaps if enough of us fax a letter to the Inspector
General, she will force a resolution of the issue.

**** From:  FJHDCME@aol.com ( Frank Haendler )
What to do about Mail:   Unless my memory is faulty, several months ago
the newly appointed manager of the Friendship Post Office came to an ANC
3E meeting to introduce himself.  He talked about improving service and
responding to problems.  Apparently a lot of people are having problems
with grossly delayed receipt of mail, some of it important and much of
it intra-DC.  Several of them have expressed difficulties on the
Tenleytown Neighbors message net, in addition to items sent to
Communit-E.  Some of the messages have stated that attempts have been
made to communicate with Friendship Post Office about the problem but
that they have either been unable to speak with anyone, or were rebuffed
or were told that no problem exists.

Since the problem appears to be widespread, would it be appropriate for
the ANCs to raise the issue with Friendship?

PS My long delayed auto registration and parking sticker, mailed by DMV
January 15 arrived yesterday, January 31.  I am sure that had I not gone
to DMV to get them, I would have received two tickets by now--for
expired registration and parking.

**** From: "Stephen Posniak" <sposniak@earthlink.net>
Federal mail seems to have slowed down outbound as well as inbound.  I
received a communication from IRS on 1/28 which had been mailed on 1/7.
How many  people  have received their TY01 IRS tax package?  Mine has
not arrived yet;  presumably  they are also in the post offices.

Since all letters mailed in DC are actually processed in Southern
Maryland  (Bethesda), there was a one day increase in mailing time from
DC until recently.  Last week I  did an empirical test.  Mailed two
letters to a McLean VA address - one mailed in DC and one  in MD with
approximately the same pickup time. They both arrived at their
destination  the next day.

**** From: "Richard Abbott" <abbott1229@erols.com
I read with interest the comments about mail delayed by several months,
which might possibly be explained by a bottleneck at the Brentwood
facility.  However, how does the Post Office explain home mail delivery
arriving between 6 and 7 PM or even later?  On Tuesday we received no
mail at all, and on Wednesday it arrived at 9 PM.  This seems to have
nothing to do with the anthrax scare because it was happening before
September 11.  It's just a little worse now.  Why can't the post office
get their work done in a normal 8 hour workday?  If they are
understaffed compared to a year ago, that is one thing.  But I think we
are entitled to an explanation.  I do not relish going to the Friendship
Station to inquire, and being treated in their usual impolite way.  Is
there another way to get an explanation?

**** From: "Michael & Linda Wiessler-Hughes" <michaelinda88@hotmail.com
Over the past year our mail service has been awful.  We receive a great
deal of misdelivered mail, sometimes several times in a single week.  I
have contacted the misdelivery hotline as well as the supervisor at
Friendship Station.  Nothing changes.  I'm not so concerned about the
mail I get, as I just put it back in the mail slot for the mail carrier
to redeliver.  But I am very concerned about the fate of our mail, as it
is almost certainly also being misdelivered.  Does anyone have a
suggestion?
 
 
 
 

GOOD ADVICE ON CREDIT CARD AND IDENTITY THEFT!
From: "Carolyn Long" <carolynlong@earthlink.net>
I received this from a friend, and thought I'd share it with my
neighbors.
Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides
of  each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your
wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and
cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. A corporate attorney sent
this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your
information.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed us in
stealing a  name, address, Social Security, credit cards, etc.
Unfortunately I, an  attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my
wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an
expensive monthly cell phone  package, applied for a VISA credit card,
had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN
number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and
more.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this
happens to you or someone you know:
We have been told we should cancel your credit cards immediately. But
the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so
you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily. File a
police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this
proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward
an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never ever thought to do
this.)  Call the three national credit reporting organizations
immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security
number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that
called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet
in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows
your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to
authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two
weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done.

There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves'
purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since
then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my
wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have
stopped them in their tracks. The numbers are:
       Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
       Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
       Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

We pass along jokes; we pass along just about everything. Do think about
passing this information along. It could really help someone.
--- Carolyn Long
--- carolynlong@earthlink.net
 
 
 

LOOKING FOR HELP AT HOME FOR HOMEBOUND OLDER PERSONS?
From:  Jah824@aol.com, Member Council of IONA Senior Services:
Find the answers to questions like:   What to ask when looking for help
in
caring for a person at home?  What are the different roles of
homemakers,
home health aides, certified nursing assistants, Licensed Practical
Nurses,
and Registered Nurses?

IONA will conduct a training session on Wednesday, March 6, 2002 from
7-9
pm at Blessed Sacrament School, 5841 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW (just east
of
Connecticut and Western Avenues at Chevy Chase Circle).

There is no fee for attendance, but registration is required.  Please
call
Susan Roach, RN at 202-895-9414.
 
 
 

BREAST CANCER STAMPS
From: "Elaine Sherman" <ElaineS@CHDS.org>
From: Rozlando13@aol.com
It would be wonderful if 2002 were the year a cure for breast cancer was
found!!!!
The notion that we could raise $16 million by buying a book of stamps
is  powerful! As you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently
released its new "Fund the Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer
research. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland.
It is important that we take a stand against this disease that kills and
maims so many of our mothers, sisters, friends.

Instead of the normal $. 34 for a stamp, this one costs $. 40.  The
additional $. 06 will go to breast cancer research. A "normal" book
costs $6.80. This one is only $8.00. It takes a few minutes in line at
the Post Office and means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise
an additional $16,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as
the money is our support. What a statement it would make if the stamp
outsold the lottery this week! What a statement it would make that we
care!

I urge you to do two things TODAY:
1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps.
2. E-mail your friends to do the same.
Many of us know women and their families whose lives are turned
upside-down by breast cancer. It takes so little to do so much in this
drive. We can all afford the $1.20. Please help & pass it on!
 
 
 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: "Julie Abrams" <jabrams@prodigy.net
African Literature Book Group
The African Voices Literature Group meets at Politics & Prose the second
Sunday of each month from 4-6 p.m. (upcoming 2/10, 3/10, 4/14). Each
month, the group reads a book from a different region of Africa,
alternating men and women authors. Stimulating discussions explore the
socio-political, economic, and gender issues that unite, divide, and
otherwise define the people of Africa.  Now in its fourth year, AVLG
encourages newcomers to read and drop by any time. For more information,
contact Sherri A. Watkins at sawriter@worldnet.att.net.

**** From: Topspindc@aol.com (Laurie England)
Do you know any websites that have sample contracts homeowners can use
for painters, electricians, etc.? I'd really appreciate it!

**** From: "Kosta N. Adamopoulos" <kna@alphatecpc.com
This request may be a tad late, but, if any of your readers still have
an extra supercan they are not in need of, I would be happy to pick it
up from their home, at their convenience.  Anyone interested can call
me. Thanks, Kosta w-202-797-5000  h-202-333-1667.

**** From: JCusterdem@aol.com
We're considering replacing the windows in our older home and are
looking for recommendations on good window companies to use. Suggestions
appreciated.

**** From: Bkravetz@aol.com (Beth Kravetz)
I am looking for the video of "Barchester Chronicles" --- this was a
Masterpiece Theater 7-part series in 1984 (made for BBC in 1982),
starring Donald Pleasance, Clive Swift, Alan Rickman.  If anyone has a
VHS video, I would love to rent or buy it from you.  Thanks.

**** Doug Harris <wemmickdc@yahoo.com>
To: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
Has anybody swum at the Wilson High School pool? Is it nice? Are the
locker rooms safe and secure? I'm just looking for a place to swim laps.
Are there other places that don't require the monthly fee that the
Tenley Sport & Health Club charges?

**** From: Lorie Leavy <LLEAVY@email.usps.gov
Regarding the posting about Mindte Heating and A/C in the Feb. 1 issue:
I had a vastly different experience with them when I converted from oil
to a gas boiler.  While the work was done adequately, with only one
follow-up visit required to adjust settings, the company failed to
obtain the correct D.C. permits and was unfortunate enough to get busted
by roving D.C. inspectors.  The inspectors issued a stop-work order,
leaving us with no heat for several days during an October cold snap.  I
was hit with a $1,600 fine (which Mindte agreed to cover) and was
required to attend a hearing at DCRA.  I came to the hearing prepared to
argue that Mindte had made a good-faith effort to obtain the correct
permit, but Mindte's owner showed up completely unprepared and forced me
to switch my plea to the equivalent of "guilty."  Also, the workers did
not put down any type of floor protection until a day or so into the
job, leaving us with black, oily footprints on the basement floor,
stairs, kitchen floor, dining room floor, side porch, and adjacent alley
area, plus oily handprints on a number of walls.  So I would urge
extreme caution in dealing with this firm.
 

--END--