COMMUNIT-E
July 5, 2004



TURTLE PARK ICE CREAM SOCIAL
From: Jean and Todd <toddandjean@netzero.com>
Please join Friends of Friendship Park for the Fourth Annual Ice Cream
Social and Summer Concert on Thursday, July 8 at 7 pm.
PLEASE NOTE this is a date change! The concert will feature Oh Susannah
performing songs for children on the basketball courts. Following the show,
Gifford¹s ice cream will be served. This is a free community event and will
be held in fair weather only. We need volunteers to scoop ice cream! To
volunteer or for more information, please call Betsy Haines at 202-363-7786
or visit www.turtlepark.org.

CRIME PREVENTION IN THE ‘HOOD
**** From: Anthoula P. Gianniotis <apg@alphatecpc.com>
Just a concerned neighbor thinking why would someone post on the Internet that
they will be away for a specific time period and then give name (Sara F) and
telephone number. Announcing that the nanny is available for certain days is
sufficient information.

[From KS – good point. Anyone can read COMMUNIT-E.]

TROUBLE WITH “WIRELESS” INTERNET CONNECTIONS
From: Sheila L. Summers <summs@ix.netcom.com>
Just wondered if anyone else was having trouble with "Wireless"
connections for the internet in our neighborhood?

TENLEYTOWN BI-MONTHLY OUTDOOR COMMUNITY FLEA
MARKET SAT. JULY 10TH
From: ckurtz@odonoghuelaw.com
Bring your yard sale here! We're still going on, rain or shine! The next
Flea Market will be Saturday July 10th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at Eldebrook
Church Parking Lot located at 4100 River Road next to Best Buy/Container
Store on River Road near Wisconsin Avenue. Sellers spaces are $15.00 each
(church donation and to cover costs) and are limited in number. You supply
your own table. First come, first served basis. We also have a table for
donation of any unwanted items which can be sold during the flea market and
these proceeds also going to the church. Reserved venders may begin
setting up at 6:30 - 7:30 am. Unreserved spaces given at 7:30 am. Call
(202) 966-3976 to reserve your spot! If you can't come July 10th, there
will be another one July 24th!! At least come by and shop! We're doing
this until August 28th!!

WHEREABOUTS OF HOMELESS MAN NAMED BILL
From: Philip Bogdonoff <pbogdonoff@igc.org>
On 24 Jun 04 W. Geoffrey Seeley wrote:
According to a sign posted on the fence near the location of his cot,
Bill moved into an apartment in Foggy Bottom.
---------
From: Wexler, Mike <Mike.Wexler@innocon.com>
About Bill, the homeless person - a note was posted where he used to
sleep, saying he finally agreed to move into an apartment in Foggy Bottom.
I Hope he's doing well.
---------
From: Mandrake <pezdrake@yahoo.com>
Hi,
I am glad to say that the gentleman referred to in Philip's query
below is now comfortably housed and safe. It was thanks mostly to
his wonderful neighbors who supported him and helped him out, and
it's a great testimony to the neighbors in the area. If you are
a friend of his and want to get a message to him, you can email me
and I will pass it along to him.
Thanks,
Mandrake Sumners
Outreach Coordinator
Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: vploumpis@starpower.net
OUR CUTE LITTLE HAMSTER RAN AWAY Deluxe cage, full bag of
food and litter, $10. Please call 364-3864

**** From: Katharine Kravetz <kkravet@american.edu>
Do you know anyone who can repair a Crown stove?

**** From: Kathryn Ray <kcrdlb@verizon.net>
WANTED - USED PLAY PEN
My teenager needs a standard sized play pen so that her turtles can
bask safely in the summer sun. If you have one that you want to
dispose of, please reply to this email. We can come pick it up. She
has a small budget. Thanks.

**** From: Mark and Deborah Hankin <mdhankin@erols.com>
We are looking for recommendations on companies that install replacement
windows. Thanks.

**** From: Shelley R. Feist <sfeist@fmi.org>
I am in need of access to a manual lawn mower as I am a tenant in my
house and the little me seems to have difficulty starting the mower
myself (argh!) Does anyone in the 3800 block of Windom,Warren, or Van
Ness have such a mower I could rent for a small amount every couple of
weeks over the summer? alternatively, if someone has one to sell for a
low price I would be interested, provided it actually still cuts grass (!)

**** From: AmyBNHoang@aol.com
Thru: tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
I'm writing to highly recommend Robinson's Heating and Air Conditioning. Our
air conditioner has a leak, and they came out twice, once to defrost the
unit, and then to recharge the compressor, only charging us for one visit. They
also suggested a $32 solution to what could have been a $400 diagnostic test.
They were extremley prompt, honest, and informative.
They can be reached at 301-871-8902.

**** From: Palenski@aol.com
From: M. Reed (palenski@aol.com)
We need to upgrade our screened porch (screen replacement, new steps,
painting). Any suggestions would be appreciated. M. Reed, 202-966-5669.

**** From: Kathy Smith – I’d like to add my praise for
work done for me by Pat Turvey. He repaired a portion
of my porch that had rotted and did a good job, was reasonably
priced and was very nice to work with. Thank you Benny,
Ken and Davida for the recommendation.
--------
**** From: Benny <ourhous@bellatlantic.net> (Richard Bienvenue)
Re: Carpenter & contractor that Ken Giles & Davida Perry asked about:
Pat Turvey, D.C. native, grew up and went to school in the District,
near Mass Ave & Wisc. Ave intersection, and moved to Arlington some
years back. As honest and reasonable as they come. And as an extra
bonus, is an excellent carpenter & craftsman. Ph 703-241-1061.

**** From: Lois J. Schiffer <lois.schiffer@baachrobinson.com>
Prompted by the reviews in Communit-e, I just hired Bruce Johnson and his
wife Banner to clean all the upholstered furniture in my house, and a rug.
They did a splendid job. I underscore the rave reviews Johnson and Banner
have received from Communit-e subscribers. The phone # is 301-353-1217.

**** From: Palenski@aol.com
We need to upgrade our screened porch (screen replacement, new steps,
painting). Any suggestions would be appreciated. M. Reed, 202-966-5669.

**** summs@ix.netcom.com
Any computer-related services or referrals would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Sheila L. Summers 202-363-5443.

**** From: David Schmucker <David@dataovertheweb.com>
Hello, we are contemplating renovating our master bathroom. Does anyone
have a recommendation for a company to do the work? Thanks.

**** From: XXXXXXXXXXX
For Sale: Black 1999 VW Beetle, 2D Hatchback GLS, power locks, steering,
windows and mirrors, sunroof, A/C, abs brakes, alloy wheels, front and side
air bags, alarm system. Automatic transmission. 64,265 miles. 2.0L engine.
$8,000/obo.

**** From: Rebecca Epstein <REpstein@TLPJ.ORG>
FURNITURE FOR SALE
We are selling some furniture to make room for our newly toddling baby.
Please email me off line at repstein@tlpj.org <mailto:repstein@tlpj.org>
if you are interested in any of the following items:
* Cherry wood credenza / filing cabinet - six drawers (four shallow drawers
on top level, two file-sized drawers below) - $75 obo
* Beautiful hand-crafted walnut coffee table in perfect condition - mission
style, with oversized surface and shelf below - $75 obo
* Console table - cherry wooden top with antique Singer sewing machine base
- $50 obo
* Wooden rocking chair - blond, a bit weather-beaten - FREE
* Round ottoman-style side or coffee table, 1960s mod style (color:
eggplant) - FREE

**** From: CooperJM@aol.com
Twin Beds: Our family is looking for a pair of twin beds (simple, wood).
Anyone have a pair they'd like to pass on or sell inexpensively? We have a
bunkbed our boys have outgrown, if anyone would be interested in that (though
we can't give it up until we find the twin beds!). Please contact: Jo Cooper
at _cooperjm@aol.com_ (mailto:cooperjm@aol.com)

ANC 3B MEETING NOTICE, THURSDAY, JULY 8TH, AT 7 PM
From: anc3b@aol.com
2nd DISTRICT POLICE REPORT
+ DC MPD Representative
-----------
OLD BUSINESS
+ Status Report by Friends of Glover Park on Proposed New Stoddert Recreation
Center
+ Report on the ABRA Hearing to Extend Glover Park Liquor License Moratorium
-----------
NEW BUSINESS
+ Massachusetts Avenue Deli: Proposed Liquor License Transfer
+ Liquor License Renewals for
-- Holiday Inn
-- Old Europe
-- Sushi-Ko
-- Heritage India
+ Disposition of Disability Parking Signs (Tentative: Pending DDOT attendance)
+ Illegal Dumping Related to Moving In and Out of Group Homes

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, September 9th, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
To place items on the agenda contact the ANC-3B Commission at anc3b@aol.com

RENEWAL OF LIQUOR LICENSES IN ANC 3F
From: ABC@anc3f.org
On July 19, 2004, at a public meeting, ANC 3F will consider applications
by the following establishments to renew their liquor licenses:
Armand's Chicago Pizzeria, 4231 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Charlies Chiangs Restaurant @ Lounge, 4250 Connecticut Avenue, N.W
Delhi Dhaba, 4455 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Jandara, 4237 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Passport Restaurant, 4201 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Shanghai Gardens, 4469 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Uptown Cathay, 5016 Connecticut Avenue, N.W
If you have any comments on these establishments, pro or con, please
contact ANC3F <http://www.anc3f.org> prior to the July 19, 2004 meeting.

EXCERPTS FROM COUNCILMEMBER KATHY PATTERSON'S
E-NEWSLETTER #30, July 2, 2004
From: Pagano, Penny (COUNCIL) <ppagano@dccouncil.us>
----------
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE APPROVES JUVENILE JUSTICE
LEGISLATION

The Judiciary Committee, headed by Councilmember Patterson, approved
legislation on June 22 to improve public safety and rehabilitation services
for juveniles. The "Omnibus Juvenile Justice Amendment Act of 2004" was
proposed by Mayor Williams and several Councilmembers.

Among its provisions, the bill will permit a judge to order a youth or
parent to pay financial restitution or be sentenced to community service;
amend DC confidentiality provisions to allow more information sharing among
government agencies and provide the court and DC attorney general with
discretionary authority to provide information to victims in juvenile cases.
It will also require the court to decide within 90 days on requests to
transfer juvenile cases to adult court but does not make such transfers
easier for 15-year-olds as had been proposed. It will provide a definition
of competency based on current case law and set out a procedure for
juveniles to receive treatment while protecting due process rights. It will
require the Youth Services Administration to periodically evaluate services
provided to juveniles and permit a juvenile or parent to petition the Court
if services are not adequate. It will require a neglect investigation of
juveniles under 13 who have been found to be delinquent three times. And it
will require the closure of the current Oak Hill facility within four years
and specify that new facilities on the site will meet national standards
including limits on size.
--------------

MAYOR SIGNS PATTERSON BILL TO REFORM PUBLIC SAFETY
PERSONNEL PRACTICES

On June 24 Mayor Williams signed into law the Omnibus Public Safety Agency
Reform Amendment Act of 2004. The legislation includes two top Mayoral
initiatives to help move limited-duty disabled police officers to retirement
in order to hire full-duty officers and to allow the hiring of experienced
retired detectives to assist with solving homicide cases. Councilmember
Patterson, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, joined Mayor Williams at the
bill signing. "By helping us hire more full-duty officers and improve our
capacity to investigate homicides, this bill will aid us in making our city
safer," Williams said. "The legislation represents a truly collaborative
effort on the part of Councilmember Patterson and our public safety agencies
to advance the public safety goals of our city." The DC Council passed the
measure, which was introduced by Councilmember Patterson, on June 10.
----------------

UPPER NORTHWEST COMMUNITY MEETING ON DC'S EMERGENCY
SERVICE

Ward 3 ANCs and the Forest Hills Citizens Association will hold a community
meeting on Tuesday, July 20, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at St. Columba's Church
on how the DC Fire/EMS covers the upper northwest section of the city. ANC
3/4G-03 Commissioner Anne Renshaw, who also chairs the Friendship Heights
Public Safety Committee, says the meeting will cover issues including EMS
coverage; how DC's EMS interacts with the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad
and Medic 31 while the new Tenley Fire Station is being built; the
increasing number of senior citizens living in upper northwest and the
impact on emergency services as a result of anticipated growth along the
Wisconsin Avenue corridor. Also to be discussed is legislation pending
before the Council to separate EMS from the Fire Department. City
Administrator Robert Bobb, Fire Chief Adrian Thompson and BCCRS Chief Edward
Sherburne are among those asked to attend.

GWU'S FILMS ON THE VERN
From: anc3b@aol.com

In the spirit of the election season it's politics on the big screen.... GW's
Mount Vernon Campus invites members of the community to join us for
Films On The Vern! Bring family and friends, blankets, and snacks to
enjoy movies shown outdoors on the Mount Vernon Campus Quad (rain
location: Eckles Library Auditorium), 2100 Foxhall Road, NW, starting at
8:30pm:

June 30 - My Fellow Americans
They used to run the country. Now they're running for their lives! Jack
Lemmon and James Garner as two on-the-lam former Presidents. As
they scramble through the real America, they get an unexpected crash
course in how their policies affected the citizens. (1996 - PG-13) - 101
minutes)

July 14 - Being There
Peter Sellers stars as Chance, a dapper, mentally deficient gardener who
has spent his entire life in the home of a rich recluse. When Chance steps
out into the world for the first time, though, his idle aphorisms are
interpreted as philosophical wisdom by a wealthy industrialist and, soon
after, swallowed whole by the American public to the point where Chance
becomes a media celebrity. (1979 - not rated - 130 minutes)

August 4 - Dave
A comedy about an actor (Kevin Kline) who is hired to impersonate the
president, but nobody counts on Dave enjoying himself in office, using
his luck to make the country a better place, and falling in love with the
beautiful First Lady (Sigourney Weaver). (1993 - PG-13 - 105 minutes)

In addition to continuous shuttle service until 11pm between the Foggy
Bottom Campus (departs every 30 minutes at :15 and :45 from 22nd and I
Streets) and the Mount Vernon Campus (departs every 30 minutes at :00
and :30 from the Clock Tower), complimentary parking will be available
in the Mount Vernon Campus Garage upon entering from the Whitehaven
Parkway entrance. Dinner and snacks will be available for purchase at the
Mount Vernon Pub and Grill throughout the evening.

I encourage you to join us for these fun-filled evenings and also to share
this opportunity with your fellow neighbors, friends, family, and colleagues.
For more information, please contact the Office of the Associate Vice
President and Dean of Freshmen at (202 242-6609 or [avpdof@gwu.edu].

Robert S. Snyder
Special Assistant and Director of Marketing, Mount Vernon Campus
Office of the Associate 202-242-6609

COMMENTS ON GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL
Comments on the Georgetown Day School building project, in the last two
issues of COMMUNIT-E, prompted another flurry of comments, which I
will publish as one issue, devoted to that topic. After that issue, I won’t
publish any more responses. I’ll assume that public opinion on this topic
has been adequately aired. – KS
See below

– END –

COMMUNIT-E

ISSUE ON COMMENTS REGARDING
GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL
BUILDING PROJECT

In the last issue of COMMUNIT-E (July 5) I promised
to publish the comments I had receive on this topic.
After this issue, I won’t publish any other comments
on this topic but will assume that the issue has been adequately
aired in COMMUNIT-E.

Two previous comments were published in the last two
issues of COMMUNIT-E which are available on the
ANC3F web site at http://www.anc3f.org/communit-e04.html.
Kathy Smith

**** Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 17:50:30 -0400
From: Frankel, David P. <DFRANKEL@ftc.gov>
To: <anavaro@verizon.net>

Dear Ms. Navaro:
I just read your reply to Ms. Novak concerning her Communit-e posting on
the Georgetown Day School. Unfortunately, I have not also seen Ms.
Novak's posting. Let me begin by stating that I have no position one
way or the other on the proposal by Georgetown Day School to expand its
facilities and to build an underground parking facility on its property.
I have also followed this issue pretty closely, by attending two ANC 3E
meetings on it and by attending one other community meeting at which it
was discussed with GDS neighbors.

While you cannot fathom how anyone could be opposed to allowing a school
to expand its facilities, I can easily see why neighbors might have very
legitimate concerns about this. For example, the construction of
additional parking facilities at the school will very likely lead to
more automobile trips to and from that school each day -- rather than
more extensive use of Metrorail and Metrobus. This may also cause an
increase in cut-through traffic on residential streets near GDS. This
adds to traffic congestion, noise and air pollution -- already serious
problems in our area. Neighbors may also be legitimately concerned
about noise and disruption caused by and during construction. Moreover,
I heard neighbors and GDS officials discuss an underground stream or
water flow that passes through GDS property. Neighbors are legitimately
concerned that excavation and construction might divert water into their
properties, with the potential for serious damage.

Finally, neighbors are concerned that GDS has not kept to its past
commitments and agreements with ANC 3E, such as the cap on its student
enrollment. Until the past year, I believe, GDS was not enforcing its
agreement with the community to stop its students from parking on
residential streets near the school. This lack of enforcement caused
serious inconvenience to neighbors who were thereby unable to park their
own cars in front of their own homes. I understand this parking
situation has improved, but that violations persist.

As I wrote at the beginning of this letter, I have not personally taken
a position on the GDS expansion proposal one way or the other. However,
I completely understand the legitimate concerns of GDS' neighbors. I
suspect you do not live within 200 yards of GDS. Perhaps if you did,
you would feel differently.

Best regards,

David P. Frankel
Friendship Heights DC Resident for 17+ years

P.S. I should note that there are a few people in our community who
have proffered the theory that if parking facilities are not provided,
people will choose to drive less or even give up their cars altogether.
The fact that GDS is located within walking distance of two Metrorail
stops and is just steps away from major Metrobus lines, indicates that
this theory is just that, and is not supported by hard data. In other
words, the demand for driving and parking facilities remains high even
in areas very close to mass transit.

**** Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:32:03 -0400
From: Donna M. DeSilva <rjodmd@comcast.net>

The words of Ann Navarro in response to the outcry of Ms. Novak against
the proposal for a parking garage by GDS forced from me words I that
have been bottled up for the two years that I have lived in the
Tenleytown hood. I too moved to this neighborhood from the suburbs,
because I want to live in the city. I want the joys of being able to
walk to services and enjoy restaurants and nearby businesses, good
schools public and private within walking distances. But the negative
"opposes every change" attitude of some in the neighborhood destroy
that possibility. Like those who I distinctly remember previously
complaining about the GDS students parking in their neighborhood and
who now complains because GDS wants to build a garage that will get the
kids off the street parking,-- some people around here are never
satisfied. Similarly, those who oppose pursuing a public/private plan
to revitalize the Janney School, which may involve disposing of some of
it land in return for construction of an new faciility, as was done at
the Oyster School. One can always find a reason to say no to any idea,
and in an ideal world there is always a better solution, if funds and
time were unlimited. Still we all have to be realistic. Neither time
nor money is unlimited. And most of all---All change is not bad.
Compromises are required in life. The Container Store and Best Buy have
made my life better, since their arrival, even though the construction
of the accompanying condo is a pain in the neck. Sure, I would love to
see a hardware store in my hood, like Strosniders in Bethesda.
Knowing the amount of hassle retailers get from the community groups
around here (witness the Giant on Macomb Street story) I am not at all
surprised that no local chain is interested in getting involved. I
know that some local retailers have been discouraged, even though they
wanted to come to our neighborhood. Someone should talk to the woman
who owns Tenley sew and vacuum about the trouble she had finding space
for her shop. The retail space looks and is maintained seedily. This
does not give the neighborhood character, and especially for
restaurants is a real danger. Health code violations are liklier in
older less easy to maintain buildings. Change is necessary to keep a
neighborhood vital and alive. Just visit places like Cleveland OH,
Detroit MI and Syracuse NY, those places have had forces renewals and
revitalizations to bring their cities back to life. Do not allow
Tenleytown to die because you do not want it to change. Downtown died,
it is now going through an unbelievably beautiful urban renewal, but
only after an extensive and horrible urban death with burnout
buildings, drug dealers on the corners, and crime so bad that I was
told not to work later than dark because my boss feared for my safety.
Thankfully it has taken a large steep turn for the better, but the
changes are now massive, with on-going construction on virtually every
corner, buildings being gutted, with only facades being maintained,
beauty is being kept, but the costs are now enormous, and the character
of Chinatown and the abutting downtown neighborhoods was not
maintained, it has changed forever. Our neighborhood could easily go
around the bend in the other direction. If you refuse to let it change
for the better, it will only degrade for the worse. Then you will
all move away, as will I, because Tenleytown will no longer be a place
anyone will feel safe raising children or going out at night.
Donna DeSilva

**** Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 10:02:26 EDT
From: Smithhemb@aol.com

When you think about it, it just doesn't make sense to suggest that
community opposition to various projects explains why T'town has an "incredibly
unappealing" retail strip while downtown Bethesda has a great retail/restaurant
environment.

For one thing, this analysis ignores important historical and geographical
differences between the two places (e.g. T'town's retail strip, unlike
Bethesda's, is on a hill and is bisected by a major boulevard). But even if we're
going to focus only on concrete and deliberate decisions made by identifiable
actors, then we have to look at local government development policies and at
how commercial property owners and retailers make decisions rather than just
at the attitudes of nearby residents.

Downtown Bethesda, unlike Tenleytown, has been developed as a major
employment center. And its retail has been supported by the construction of an
extensive, relatively convenient, and inexpensive system of municipally-owned
parking facilities (nearly 7,500 spots at last count -- and that doesn't include
commercial lots with public parking). Both phenomena are the result of
Montgomery County planning decisions/policies. And, in practice, their effect is
to produce a consumer base for restaurants and retail in downtown Bethesda
that is much larger than it would be if the primary market were local residents
and Metrorail users. Even so, there's a limit on how much retail/restaurant
business this area can support and you may have noticed that, within the
Bethesda CBD, Bethesda Row's (i.e the area near Barnes & Noble) success is
coming at the expense of Woodmont Triangle (the area near Olsson's).

RE community opposition. It's not as if developers have come into T'town
offering to build Bethesda Row and the community has raced into the streets
armed with pitchforks and torches. In fact, the only T'town retail project I
remember residents shooting down was "three stories of porn." Would the
success of that project made upper Wisconsin Ave. more appealing? The
Sears/Hechingers/Best Buy project had community support. So, for that matter, did the
essentially residential project at Tenley Hill. My take is that community
opposition improved (rather than prevented) development at Nebraska and Albemarle
-- that ecologically fragile site now has 6 new townhomes. And the two
debacles -- the fire station and the antenna -- represent situations where DC
government rather than community groups are responsible for the mess we're in
now. DC government issued the tower permit even after being forewarned by the
community that the height was illegal. And the firestation story is so
convoluted that I won't even attempt to retell it, but the mess we're in now is
the result of a contracting dispute between the city and the firm it hired --
it's not a situation where community opponents shut down a project.

Oh yeah, and if we're contrasting Bethesda and T'town, it's worth
remembering that Bethesda has its share of community groups who oppose various
development projects -- a recent case in point would be Arlington East (at the "old
Giant" site across from the new Rio Grande). And their activism, like that of
various Tenleyites, makes their neighborhood a more attractive place than it
otherwise would have been. That's because residents fight for (and often
win) concessions that make these projects better -- not only for people who
already live in the neighborhood but for the future occupants of the projects
themselves. Community activists demand things like adequate parking, more
green space, better traffic engineering, and infrastructural improvements that
ensure that growth won't lead to a decline in the availability and quality of
various public services. They represent legitimate (indeed vital) interests
that wouldn't generally be in the mix if developers (who typically don't live
next to what they're building) and bureaucrats (ditto) made all the
decisions unimpeded by community opposition.

Sue Hemberger
Friendship Heights

**** Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:52:14 EDT
From: LesliRose@aol.com

I concur with Ms. Navaro's comments. my children have attended both the
local public school and private schools and they are all important. Leslie Rose

– END –