COMMUNIT-E
February 14, 2005
The first sending of this issue was at 5:02 pm on February 14.
Starpower has a new policy which forces me to send the newsletter
in smaller batches over several hours.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, EVERYBODY!

BEFORE I THROW IT OUT . . . FREE FOR THE TAKING
(New Segment on Recycling ) This will become a regular
feature of COMMUNIT-E.

**** From KS
I have a number of aluminum (silver colored frames) storm windows
and screens. I also have some wood framed screens which are
probably original to the house when it was built in 1939. There is
also one white aluminum framed screen for a storm door. If you
want any or all of these, please contact me on
Ksmith1804@starpower.net.
Kathy Smith


UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE ‘HOOD

**** From: mlfrumin@rcn.com – Lena Frumin
I am having a show this month of my neighborhood paintings at the
Left Bank Café on 4731 Wisconsin Avenue. The show will run until
March 5, 2005.
Best, Lena

**** From: Floto, Mary Ann (EOM) <maryann.floto@dc.gov>
The D.C. Office of Apprenticeship and several apprenticeship sponsors
(contractors) will be hosting an Apprenticeship Career Fair on Tuesday,
February 22, 2005 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 625 H Street, N.E., Room
192. Construction contractors, who specialize in trade areas such as
electrical, plumbing, carpentry, heating, air conditioning and drywall
application will be on hand to provide information on their apprenticeship
programs. In addition, the contractors will be accepting applications and
conduct interviews at the site. The qualifications for these available
apprenticeship programs are: high school diploma or GED, physically able to
perform the duties of the trade, be drug free and have means of
transportation. The contractors will place priorities on hiring District
residents. If any one needs more information, please contact Lewis Brown at
(202) 698-5099.
Mary Ann Floto
Office of Community Affairs


SECURITY WARNING
From: Fmanibog@worldbank.org
This is an important message, especially for those with children who
walk home alone.

Google has implemented a new feature wherein you can type someone's
home telephone number into the search bar, hit 'Enter', and receive their
complete home address with mapping options to their house in Yahoo or
MapQuest. Everyone should be aware of this. Think about it - if a child,
ANYONE, gives out his/her phone number, someone can actually now
look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious,
and alarming.

In order to test whether your number is mapped, go to
http://www.google.com.
Type in your phone number in the search bar (I.e.555-555-1212) and hit
'Enter'. If you want to BLOCK google from divulging your private
information, simply click on your phone number and you will find the
removal
option. I removed my name, but it takes 48 hours. If you are unlisted in
the
phone book, you might not be in there, but it is a good idea to check. If
your number does come up and you hit the map link, it will show you a
direct
map to your house. Some of you may not find this disturbing, but I thought
you may want to know about it, anyway.


DC AND FEDERAL GOVT. PENSION SURVIVOR BENEFITS-
OFTEN NOT TAXABLE IN DC
From: onejollybird <onejollybird@yahoo.com>

DC and Federal Government Pension Survivor Benefits are not subject
to income tax by the DC Government if you are "an annuitant's
survivor and are 62 years of age or older as of December 31st
2004." ??? (Does not include social security survivor benefits)This
does not apply to other state government pensions nor does it apply
to the pensions of private industries.

I attended a tax practitioner's seminar on Saturday and when the
representative from DC announced that unheard of fact, I saw the
mouths of almost every tax preparer in the room fall WIDE OPEN, mine
included!

I phoned DC Office of Tax and Revenue this afternoon and found that
the law went into effect last year but because it was not put in
writing very few people took advantage of the provision in the law.

However, you can ammend last years return to reflect your income
without the survivor's annuity and most likely will have the tax
paid on that portion of your income refunded.

Contact your tax preparer to have your return amended or I can
certainly help you with this if you do not feel able to do it on
your own.
Amy McVey


ELECTRICITY COSTS
From: Tommy Tomlinson and Penni St.Hilaire <tommyt@erols.com>
I see in the Post this a.m. that Pepco has done us no favors
and that costs will rise dramatically in a few days, not that they
haven't already. I'm one of those who stayed with Pepco rather than
switch to an alternative supplier and I'm now told that was a big
mistake and that I should again seek alternative sources of supply. I
no longer have any idea who these alternatives are or how to contact
them, and I suspect there may be many who share my ignorance. Can
anybody help me out?
Thank you.


ABOUT ICE ON SIDEWALKS
From: Debra Bruno <dbruno333@hotmail.com>
I have one comment about ice on sidewalks. We have several neighbors on
Burlington Place whose drainage pipes let out directly onto the sidewalk.
Last week, I slipped and fell and hit my head hard on a patch of ice.
Please, neighbors, if you "water" the sidewalks, please do something to
prevent ice forming.
Debbie Bruno


RECYCLING UPDATE
From: Pagano, Penny (COUNCIL) <ppagano@dccouncil.us>
Councilmember Patterson's office has received a number calls about missed
recycling pickups and would like to explain to residents the transition for
recycling pickups that is occurring. The city's contract with Waste
Management expired on January 24, 2005, and the city's Dept. of Public
Works
has begun handling recycling pickups. The new recycling trucks the city
ordered have not yet been delivered. DPW is now using a combination of some
existing DPW trucks and private contractors. In addition, DPW is also
starting to deliver smaller blue versions of the supercans for recycling to
residents across the city. They are being delivered by ward and are
expected
to be delivered to residents in Ward 3 in April.


COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

PIANO TUNERS:
**** From: KJStanley@aol.com
A man named John Petley has tuned our piano for years, and he's
quite conscientious (he has a great cockney accent, too). I haven't
had to call him in a while (he's good about calling me when it's time
for a tuning), but the number I have for him is: 301-601-3552.
Kathleen Stanley

**** From: David M. Winn <dmwinn@starpower.net>
Re piano tuner, I strongly recommend P. Bernard Tolbert (301) 495-5922.
Punctual, punctilious, and since he's a classical player himself, you get a
free concert. Member of Piano Tuners' Guild (which, I am told, is
important,
although it sounds like something out of Die Meistersinger). David Winn

**** From KS – I strongly recommend Rick Von Behren, who has tuned
pianos for several decades and also fixes and refurbishes them. He can
be reached on 301-262-7092.


**** From: Jillaine Smith <jillainedc@yahoo.com>
HAIR STYLIST WANTED
I am seeking a reasonably priced hair stylist. At one end of the spectrum,
there is the $15 "super cut" which is a hit-or-miss experience-- and often
enough a miss! At the other end of the spectrum are the $50-70 haircuts.
They are usually good cuts, but as someone with short hair, I need frequent
cuts, and frankly, I simply don't want to spend that much. Yet, I have
found it very difficult to find a mid-range service (say, $25-35). Does
anyone have recommendations?
Many thanks.

**** From: ANDERSENAN@aol.com – Angela
FOR SALE:
— Exercise Ball with Video
Green, Medium size, for people 5'6 - 5'11
Almost new. $ 10
— Toshiba Color TV, CX 2078.
Works great. Best offer.
— Olympus Infinity Camera. Hardly used.
Conventional film for photos. $ 10
— Ultronic TS-320 $ 5 never used
32K Memory Touch Screen Databank

**** From: Sarah Tiller <tiller05@yahoo.com>
– Does anyone know of Italian speaking nannies or babysitters in the area?
– Can anyone recommend a piano school or piano teachers in A.U. Park?
– Can you recommend a good car service that can be used from A.U. Park?
Sarah Tiller


BARRIERS ON RIVER ROAD - - POST ANC MEETING
From: chapmantodd <chapmantodd@yahoo.com>
If you were not able to make it to last week’s ANC3E meeting,
you can email me and John Bullock, the Ward 3 Transportation
Planner for DDOT, with any comments or suggestions.
Chapman Todd
ANC 3E


JANUARY 2005 ANC 3E MEETING
From: Polly King Evans <pkingevans@lldhhome.org>
The following are selected excerpts:

Election of Officers:
Amy McVey as ANC 3E Chair
Lucy Eldridge as ANC 3E Vice Chair
Amy Hoang Wrona as ANC 3E Secretary
Chapman Todd as ANC 3E Treasurer

Mr. Tievsky gave an update on the Tenleytown Firehouse, which
is expected to be completed within a year.

A resident voiced objections to the barrier placed at River Road and
Fessenden Street. Drivers are avoiding the barrier by using a nearby alley
and speeding continues to be a problem along River Road. The Commission
noted they had heard several complaints about the barrier and the issue
would be placed on the February 2005 agenda.

Update with Steve Robins on the Hecht's development:
Steve Robins gave an update on the development at the Hecht's site at
Wisconsin and Western Avenues. The development will comprise of
a 433-unit apartment building with 305,000 square feet of retail space,
305,000 square feet of office space in a separate 10-story building and
a 48,500 square foot Whole Foods store. The development will also
include a public park and a community center. Underground parking
will be available. Mr. Robins estimated that the project would be
completed within 3 1/2 years.


DDOT ANNOUNCES PEDESTRIAN SAFETY POSITION
From: Rice, Bill (DDOT) <Bill.Rice@dc.gov>
DDOT has an opening for a Pedestrian Safety Specialist, a full-time
position
for someone who will guide urban transportation planning to integrate
pedestrian safety into the District's transportation system, along with
other duties.

Information and application procedure is available from: James R.
Sebastian,
Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager
DDOT, 2000 14th Street, NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20009, (202)
671-2331,
(202) 671-0617/fax, (202) 409-9197/mobile, jim.sebastian@dc.gov, Website:
http://ddot.dc.gov.


CAT NEEDING ADOPTION
From: Darnot@aol.com

Adopt "Quincy" the cow kitty. Gentle, outgoing, and affectionate
who openly rubs up against you and butts with his head. He even
sits quietly for baths! He loves to have his medium-length coat
brushed.

Quincy likes to just hang out with his people and will jump up on
the couch to spend time with you. He likes to sit in the window
and look out. He also enjoys catnip toys. He is happy being held
and loves to be petted and rubbed under his chin. Quincy purrs lot
and he is also a "talker", allowing you to have excellent conversations
with him. He gets along well with other non-aggressive cats, even
sharing his food with the resident cats at his foster home.

Although Quincy was found as a stray, he was actively looking for
someone nice to take him in and give him a good home. One day
my neighbor stopped to pet him and he followed him up the stairs!
Quincy will be an excellent pet and companion and a great addition
to your household.

Quincy has tested negative for feline leukemia and AIDS and has
been neutered. He has also had his distemper and rabies shots.

Won't you take this handsome boy home? Please contact
darnot@aol.com for more info.


SWIMMING POOLS
**** From: Pagano, Penny (COUNCIL) <ppagano@dccouncil.us>
The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation opened the Takoma
Community Center, including a new indoor swimming pool, on Feb. 12.
The Center is at 300 Van Buren Street, NW.
--------
Update on Wilson Pool from Councilmember Kathy Patterson:
The Wilson pool was closed for health and safety reasons after a wall
collapsed in July 2003. In November 2003, a large portion of the metal
roofing of the facility was blown off in a windstorm, further compromising
the structure. Since then, the Wilson community and I have pressed for a
new
pool on the site. A memorandum of understanding has been drawn up for
the Department of Parks and Recreation to build and operate the new
structure
on the Wilson campus, replacing the previous arrangement between DC Public
Schools and DPR. We have allocated $8.5 million in the FY 2004-2005 Capital
budgets for construction. I've made clear to the parent leaders and
staff at
Wilson that if the Mayor does not propose sufficient dollars in his FY
06 budget to
match the need, I will reallocate funding when the Council marks up the
budget. With regard to the pool at the University of the District of
Columbia, my office has also been frustrated with UDC's unwillingness to
staff the pool with lifeguards and provide regular hours for residents to
use. I will be meeting with the president of UDC shortly and you have my
assurance that the institution's failure to open its facility to the
community will be high on my agenda.
Kathy Patterson

– END –