COMMUNIT-E
December 24, 2004
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
STOLEN PROPERTY RECOVERED
From: Neil Jones <nwjones2813@hotmail.com>
On Friday, December 17, an arrest was made in Montgomery County
of a burglary suspect and a search warrant was executed on the
residence.
The search warrant uncovered several items, including antique coins, a
Sony Handycam, a Canon Handycam, a unique Boliva “see through”
pocket watch, various gold chains, and a 1994 US Naval Academy Ring.
Anyone who experienced a burglary in the past six months where similar
items were taken can contact Detective Neil Jones @ 202-282-0043 or
email me at neil.jones@dc.gov
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
**** From: Patty Adam <patty.adam@touchstone.com>
RE: CHIMNEY SWEEPS
Chimney Crickets is very inexpensive
**** From: Muoio, Karen M. <kmuoio@ftc.gov>
I likes Dave Revesz at Clean Sweep Chimney.
**** From: Monettedds@aol.com
Bellini White European crib with 2 drawers and all-cotton mattress
for sale. In excellent condition. Pls. contact Monette Shuttleworth at
202-364-9873. Price negotiable.
**** From: <vze2wk69@verizon.net>
1) HELP NEEDED: I need someone to shovel snow for me
(sidewalk in front of house and a two-car driveway in the rear). If
anyone has a service to recommend or knows someone who would
like to make some extra $$, please let me know.
2) CARPENTER NEEDED: I need repair work to the bannister
on my porch. If anyone has a recommendation, please e-mail me.
3) EXCELLENT PAINTER: Rony Sanchez 202-669-7046 and
his family did excellent work painting the interior of my home,
powerwashing the exterior, painting the trim to my home, and
staining/sealing my deck. His bid price was significantly lower than
the next lowest bidder. His crew only works nights and weekends,
which is convenient for those who work during the day. If you have
questions, e-mail me vze2ww92@verizon.net
**** From: Fmanibog@worldbank.org
I highly recommend Alex McDiarmid for all your computer needs.
I had an old Dell that was riddled with viruses, frequently locked up,
and wouldn't shut down properly. He fixed it well and it's now humming
smoothly. He is very competent and, unlike a few I've worked with
before,
he explains in plain language what he is doing and gives you a lot of
useful
tips. His prices are also reasonable
You can contact him at:
Work: 202-265-7968
Mobile: 202-413-4665
E-Mail: Alex@McDiarmid.net
If you want more info, you can call me at 202-458-0402.
NEW (EFFECTIVE 12-26) N-8 BUS SCHEDULE
From: Stephen Posniak <sposniak@earthlink.net>
The following advisory from METRO covers the changes to the
N-8 (feeder service from AU Park / Wesley Heights to Tenleytown
and Van Ness/ UDC stations). The new schedule can be found at: http://www.wmata.com/timetables/dc/N8.pdf
.
The essential information is that the route is being extended to
provide service to AU students living in Glover Park who previously
were provided service by AU's system. While weekday headways
(intervals between buses) are improving somewhat, weekend headways
are increasing from 45/50 minutes to one hour. The previous headways
were already the worst in the city, and now they are increasing by
20 to 25%. WMATA and DDOT did this without notifying or consulting
any of the other 4 affected ANCs besides 3B (Glover Park). My hunch is
that they are looking to eventually end all weekend service, as is
already
the case with the M-4 (Sibley Hospital to Chevy Chase). They will
justify
the cuts on the grounds of low ridership (a direct result of the
abysmal
schedule; i.e., killing the parents and pleading for clemency on the
grounds
of being an orphan.)
To protest these weekend cuts, in addition to the Mayor, DDOT, WMATA
and Kathy Patterson, contact WMATA Board Members Councilmembers
Graham and Catania and Gladys Mack (7032 Oregon Ave. NW, DC 20015.)
Steve Posniak (202-663-4449 - O)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Advisory for N8
Effective Sunday, December 26, 2004, the route will be extended to
Glover Park to provide direct service between Glover Park and
American University and Spring Valley. Buses will follow the regular
route to Cathedral and New Mexico avenues NW, then turn left on
New Mexico Avenue, right on 42nd Street, left on Edmunds Street, left
on 39th Street and left on Tunlaw Road. Buses will continue via New
Mexico Avenue to Cathedral Avenue where the regular route will be
resumed.
The bus stop on Cathedral Avenue at New Mexico Avenue will be
relocated around the corner onto New Mexico Avenue. Buses leaving
Van Ness-UDC Metro station will be rescheduled to run every 20 minutes
from 6 to 9:20 a.m. and from 3:20 to 6 p.m., and every 30 minutes from
9:20 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. and from 6 to 10:30 p.m. The last bus of the
evening
will leave the station at 11:30 p.m. On weekends, buses will run every
hour.
BALLET STUDIO BENEFIT
From: semoyer@comcast.net
A performance of Brian Friel's poignant drama, Molly Sweeney,
will be presented as a benefit for the Ballet Studio at the
Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska
Avenue, NW.on Saturday, January 8 - 8 pm. Michele Wells, Bruce
Poynter, and Jack Mayo will star in this drama of events as related
through the eyes of three different characters. Fran Cleaver will
direct.
Proceeds will go to support the work of The Ballet Studio, which
provides professional-caliber training in the art of ballet to students
between the ages of 7-16 on a scholarship basis, under the guidance
of Barbara Gaskill. The Ballet Studio has recently taken up residence
in the Brightwood Elementary School in NW Washington, in a
partnership with the Emory Beacon of Light, an outreach non-profit
organization of Emory United Methodist Church. Dessert reception at
intermission. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door or by
calling 202-363-4900, Ext.27.
Thanks for considering this event. If you want more information please
let me know.
Shirley Moyer
MESSAGE FROM DC OFFICE OF PLANNING -
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
From: chowhoundfred <fvinson@flash.net>
The DC Office of Planning (OP) has launched a revision of the
District's Comprehensive Plan, our city's blueprint for long-term
development. We have created an interactive website,
http://www.inclusivecity.org,
devoted exclusively to the
Comprehensive Plan Revision Process. The website is designed to
keep you informed. The site includes information about public
meetings, press releases, the Comprehensive Plan Revision Task Force
and much more. There is a library of documents filled with
background material as well as new information.
You may visit the site to monitor the revision progress, learn about
public meetings or download documents. You may register to receive
automatic e-mail notification about new information posted to the
site. As a registered user, you may respond to questions posted on
the community feedback section of the site.
Please get involved. Attend public meetings, visit the site,
download documents or offer feedback. Let's work together to create
the next generation of the DC Comprehensive Plan.
Thank you,
Comprehensive Planning Team
DC Office of Planning
SOME PROS AND CONS OF THE RIVER ROAD BARRIERS
**** From: Joseph.Cotruvo <Joseph.Cotruvo@verizon.net>
It appears that what has been installed is of no consequence in regard
to traffic patterns, limiting turns in any direction or facilitating
crossing for pedestrians as described.. The yellow posts do absolutely
nothing.
**** From: North - Percy <pnorth@umd5.umd.edu>
It is an awful intersection but the barriers are worse.
I hate all the rerouted traffic patterns and having to drive all the
way
on toWisconsin to get out of Rodman's.. The worst part of river is at
Western where there REALLY should be NO PARKING.
**** From: W. Geoffrey Seeley <seemark@att.net>
I live on Fessenden St. and I just today returned from a suburban
foray on River Road to encounter this ridiculous traffic barrier which
prevents eastbound traffic from entering Fessenden St. It strikes me
as a draconian solution in search of a problem, and for the life of me,
I can't figure out what the problem is. I have used this intersection
thousands of times and I have never seen a pedestrian futilely
attempting to cross the street, I have never seen a car fail to clear
the intersection and I am not convinced that eastbound traffic on
Fessenden is excessive.
In fact, Fessenden is designed as a cross-neighborhood arterial to
take the pressure off the other streets, none of which go directly to
Connecticut Ave.: Garrison is one-way westbound, Ellicott is too
narrow for heavy traffic, Davenport and Chesapeake are not through
streets and Brandywine is one-way also. Are Tenleytown residents
really expected to drive all the way to Wisconsin and double back, or
turn at Western and drive down Wisconsin? Isn't traffic on that street
heavy enough already, or do the planners want people winding through
the neighborhood on the North-South streets to get back to Fessenden?
I cannot imagine a more ill-advised experiment than these barriers and
I would like someone to tell me in what vacuum the decision was made to
erect them and what can be done to get them removed. This is an issue
that affects all of Tenleytown, not just the people living in the
vicinity of that intersection.
**** From: Chapman Todd <chapmantodd@yahoo.com>
ANC 3E
To: W. Geoffrey Seeley <seemark@att.net>
(See above item on barriers.)
Hi - well, without getting too much in to the
specifics for right now, for starters I'll stick with
the fact that there wasn't a vacuum in which this
decision was made. About a year and a half ago, the
District's Department of Transportation (DDOT) did a
traffic study of the Friendship Heights area, which
included this particular intersection. There were
numerous public meetings about this study, all
announced and written about in the NW Current, a lot
of postings on the CC and Tenley listservs, etc.
There was pretty good attendance at the various
meetings, pretty good coverage in the Current, and a
pretty good dialogue in the various forums when all
the recommendations came out a year ago (all posted on
the DDOT website). One of the recommendations that
DDOT made that came out of the study was to try a
temporary barrier at this intersection. I've posted
several times over the past year about the DDOT
recommedation at this particular intersection.
Now, as to whether this is a good solution or not,
we'll see, but that's why it is temporary. What I
will tell you is that the neighbors that live closer
to this intersection than you have been working for
years on trying to get some solution to the dangerous
conditions here. The truth is that there have been a
number of wrecks at this intersection, in part because
the configuration and the sightlines are weird for
drivers coming out of Fessenden and 45th and either
turning onto or crossing River. It really doesn't
have much to do with eastbound Fessenden Street. This
is a safety measure. So should there be a traffic
light? A stop sign? Some different set up of no turn
signs? I'm not sure, but this barrier seemed to me to
be an okay way to see what might work as a long term
solution, and that's why I supported it when DDOT
recommended it. The barrier will no doubt increase
traffic on my block (4400 Harrison), but something had
to change at this intersection, and I, along with many
of my neighbors, thought this particular tactic was
worth a try.
**** From: JTopa62045@aol.com
This new barrier on River Rd. is ugly and deters nobody from
cutting through our neigborhood to get to Wisconsin Ave.
Those cars that normally drove up Fessenden St. from River Rd.
now drive up Ellicott St. instead. Worse yet, some cars are now
driving through the alley off River Rd. and creating a nightmare
of traffic! Traffic lights at the River Rd. intersection would have
been preferable, I think.
Joan Topalian
**** From: Meffert, Robert <meffert@contech.com>
As a person who has walked by that intersection every evening for
five years, I can look back with authority at the many wrecks--minor,
major--that were in the intersection.
As a person who travels through the intersection by car maybe 10
times a week, I can speak with authority of the terrifying near-misses
I've had. You simply can't see on-coming traffic when crossing to the
West. I have personally had near misses even after carefully creeping
out into the interrsection.
I think the barrier is unconditionally great! Should there be
objections,
have the persons with them go down to City Hall to check out and
interview the many sad people who have wrecked in the intersection(s).
Keep The Barrier!
**** From: Zaia Tristan A NSSC <ZaiaTA@navsea.navy.mil>
It appears the barriers just recently set up has just moved the problem
one block down setting up a bogus turnaround in the alley adjacent to
my house on River Rd..
On Sunday while I was raking leaves for just a 1 hour period I counted
at least 25 cars taking a left off of river and driving in to this
alley
adjacent to my house at 4429 river road..Cars would then proceed to
back up onto River Road (another accident waiting to happen with
incoming speeding cars going southbound on River) and completeing the
turn to be able to get back on Fessenden enroute to Wisconsin....This
will
become quite a burden at night with all these vehicles headlights
blasting
into my house and exhaust spreading over my back porch and into my
house
with the turnarounds ...Poor move on DDOT here but what else is new...
Lets
face it this 5 way intersection has always been a bad traffic situation
and I
probably have witnessed 75-80 accidents at the intersection over the
last
10 years...The solution to this 5 way intersection is that people on
River
Road just need to drive at slower speeds (not 50 to 60 as is the
norm.)ie
DC SPEEDING TRAFFIC INTERDICTION ..YOU KNOW MR POLAROID
ON WHEELS!It works on Macarthur and Nebraska and Reno why not
River!!!!!
I assure you that will slow those cars going north and southbound on
River
and might save a few neighbor cats and dogs believe me I know having
lost 2
of my favorite canine friends to cars at high speeds on River and a few
late
night drunk crashes with cars parked on river road (one personal car
totaled
one personal car damaged on my end by the way) in the process .
Lets be practical!!!The ability to turn left on fesssenden from River
is a
main through way for our fine Maryland neighbors to get to Wisconsin
and
onto Conn ave .. .As a concerned neighbor that is now forced to deal
with
additional cars pulling in and out of an alley near his house this
barrier
should and must come down....Todd your comments?? Some things are just
best
left alone...
The next COMMUNIT-E will come out mid-January.
Happy Holidays everyone.
--END--