Taking a page from Monroe Street Market, here is a view of Fort Totten Square from Chillum Place (at Riggs Road NE). It is an interesting choice. Totten is General Joseph Gilbert Totten. Fort Totten Park, a Civil War defense fort, was named after Totten.
View of Fort Totten Square from Chillum Place NE
Walmart sign is up
View from 3rd Street & Riggs Road NE
ART PLACE AT FT TOTTEN, LLC
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NOTICE
Weeks of: August 31, 2015 and September 7, 2015
What to Expect On-Site:
During the next two weeks, the General Contractor, Foulger-Pratt, will continue haul-off of excess soil and receipt of material deliveries requiring heavy equipment accessing the site.
Installation of concrete foundations, walls, grade beams, columns and elevated decks continues. Piping and electrical duct banks are being installed and gravel is being spread out where concrete slabs on grade will eventually be placed. The concrete superstructure is working its way across the site and upward. The installation of electrical transformer vaults and conduits along Galloway Street and the future Ingraham Street extension is being completed. Below grade piping and conduit is being installed.
The area of work for Building A is primarily bounded by South Dakota Avenue on the east, the Aventine buildings on the west, Galloway Street on the south, and what will be the new alignment for Ingraham Street on the north.
Lane Closures:
The lane closures to perform new utility installations in South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street will continue intermittently. This will require up to two lanes to be closed occasionally from the hours of 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Storm drain work in South Dakota Avenue is currently ongoing.
Construction Hours:
Initial construction activity will be taking place Monday – Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Contact Information:
For any construction related concerns, please contact Angel Alston, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner at 202-556-5958 or email her at angel.alston@anc.dc.gov.
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Metro is proposing service changes to several bus lines. Reprinted from Metro’s website below are just some of the proposed service changes. Visit Metro’s website for a complete list and to take a survey to let Metro know how the proposed changes will affect you.
5A DC-Dulles Line
Proposed Change:
• Eliminate the entire line.
Reason for the Change:
• The Silver Line, Fairfax Connector 981, and the Washington Flyer have reduced the need for the 5A direct bus service between Washington and Dulles.
• Not as many people ride the 5A since the Silver Line opened.
Alternative Transportation Options:
• The Silver Line connects L’Enfant Plaza and Rosslyn to WiehleReston East Metrorail Station. From there, passengers can take Fairfax Connector 981 to Dulles, or Fairfax Connector 551 to Herndon-Monroe Park & Ride.
• The Washington Flyer also provides service between Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station and Dulles Airport.
64 Fort Totten-Petworth Line
Proposed Change:
• Add one AM peak trip and one PM peak trip
• Add more time for buses to get from one end to the other.
Reason for the Change:
• To help reduce crowding in the morning and afternoon rush hours.
• It will help buses to be more on time.
Alternative Transportation Options: • No alternative
80 North Capitol Street Line
Proposed Change:
• Shorten the route by eliminating service between McPherson Square and the Kennedy Center.
Reason for the Change:
• To help buses arrive on time.
Alternative Transportation Options:
• Route D4 would be extended from Franklin Square to the Kennedy Center. Route D4 buses arrive on a similar schedule as route 80.
E2 Fort Totten-Ivy City Line & E4 Military Road-Crosstown Line
Proposed Change:
• Add more time for buses to get from one end to the other, on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Reason for the Change:
• This will help buses to arrive on time.
Alternative Transportation Options: • No alternative needed.
The National Building Museum is offering free admission to the BEACH for Ward 4 residents on August 25. From the website:
ART PLACE AT FT TOTTEN, LLC
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NOTICE
Weeks of: August 17, 2015 and August 24, 2015
What to Expect On-Site:
During the next two weeks, the General Contractor, Foulger-Pratt, will continue haul-off of excess soil and receipt of material deliveries requiring heavy equipment accessing the site.
Installation of concrete foundations, walls, grade beams, columns and elevated decks continues. Piping and electrical duct banks are being installed and gravel is being spread out where concrete slabs on grade will eventually be placed. The concrete superstructure is working its way across the site and upward. The installation of electrical transformer vaults and conduits along Galloway Street and the future Ingraham Street extension is being completed. Below grade piping and conduit is being installed.
The area of work for Building A is primarily bounded by South Dakota Avenue on the east, the Aventine buildings on the west, Galloway Street on the south, and what will be the new alignment for Ingraham Street on the north.
Lane Closures:
The lane closures to perform new utility installations in South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street will continue intermittently. This will require up to two lanes to be closed occasionally from the hours of 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Storm drain work in South Dakota Avenue is currently ongoing.
Construction Hours:
Initial construction activity will be taking place Monday – Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Contact Information:
For any construction related concerns, please contact Angel Alston, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner at 202-556-5958 or email her at angel.alston@anc.dc.gov.
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A neighbor passed along information about Caring for Bedbound and Mobility Challenged Adults, a program developed through a partnership between DC Public Library and The Washington Home and Community Hospices. The site is full of information on topics related to caregiving. In addition, a clinical liaison from Washington Home and Community Hospices will visit different library locations during 2015 to conduct workshops on a range of issues.
Topics to be covered include:
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All of the workshops will take place at 7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise noted. Below is a listing of library locations offering this program throughout 2015.
| Jan. 15: Tenley-Friendship | May 21: Watha T. Daniel/Shaw | Sept. 17: Northeast |
| Feb. 19: Deanwood | June 15 (Monday: Cleveland Park |
Oct. 15: Shepherd Park |
| March 21: Southwest | July 15 (Wednesday): Mt. Pleasant |
Nov. 19: Palisades |
| April 16: Parklands Turner | Aug. 20: Northwest One | Dec. 10: Takoma Park |
We are going to use a latepass in getting this post up. The Washington City Paper ran an article about some cool new services offered by DC Public Library (DCPL). The main branch (Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library) offers 3-D printing services with laser cutting so that residents can make all sorts of nifty projects in the library’s Fab Lab. The library’s Studio Lab offers a digital production lab, a voiceover studio, and a main production studio.
Some of DCPL’s not so new digital services merit mention as well. You can use your library card to download e-books and read books online or on a digital device. Download music, up to three songs per week, and stream music 24 hours per day. The music library contains lots of genres and plenty of pop hits. You can also stream movies, including independent films and film festival fare. Educational offerings such as language learning and test prep guides are also available online.
And of course every branch library has a calendar of events. Check out the Lamond Riggs Library page for their upcoming events, which include lots of offerings for the kiddie set and a screening of Into the Woods, the final installment of the “Grown-up fairytales” summer film series.
The Washington Post has a story out about Mayor Muriel Bowser’s next door neighbors. Mayor Bowser lives in a semi-detached home in Riggs Park. According to the article, she shares a party wall with a family who moved into their home this past April. It is an interesting read looking at the life of the mayor’s new neighbors and the security bubble that accompanies the mayor.
The article has once again revived the question of whether the city needs an official residence for the mayor. The issue has been debated over the years, as DCist noted back in 2012. The article suggests that the mayor’s home is the most modest mayoral home that the city has seen. I suppose some might think the mayor deserves the grandeur of an official residence to entertain and conduct business. Interestingly enough, not every major city has an official mayoral residence. Chicago and San Francisco do not have one. New York and Los Angeles do, but some mayors have opted out of living in the official residence. Every state does have an official residence for the governor, which some might believe is the more appropriate comparison for DC’s mayor. Even in that case, several governors opt out of living in the official state residence.
I do not have strong feelings about the issue, but I do not think an official residence is necessary. The cost of maintaining an official residence plus the cost of maintaining the private home of a mayor that will likely sit empty while the mayor is in office does not seem justifiable. I think there is something refreshing about having mayors who live in different parts of the city, modest homes or not. I could be persuaded otherwise though.
A WAMU article about a location study for a new pool in Ward 3 (the first for that ward) made me think of chatter about a neighborhood pool. According to DC’s Play DC Master Plan, the goal is for every resident to have an indoor pool within 2 miles, an outdoor pool within 1.5 miles, and a splash pad within 1 mile.
Play DC Master Plan 7 Elements
Our neighborhood has an indoor pool within 2 miles (Turkey Thicket is just under 1.5 miles and Takoma just makes the cutoff at 2 miles from South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE). I do not think there is an outdoor pool within 1.5 miles. I know residents who go to the Harry Thomas Recreation Center outdoor pool, which reportedly is very nice and usually not that crowded. There is a spray park at Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center.
There are always lots of questions that come up when a neighborhood pool is mentioned, the first of which is where would one go. I still find it perplexing that the rec center was constructed in 2008 without a pool (or tennis courts or a track for that matter). I do think there are suitable locations in the neighborhood for a public pool. Looking at the Play DC Master Plan, it looks like the area near Walter Reed in Ward 4 is identified as an area that could use access to an outdoor pool and I know residents there have been lobbying for one. Is a neighborhood outdoor pool actually something people are interested in pursuing?
As homes in the neighborhood are renovated, we have noticed what seems to be a (disturbing to some) trend – painting the houses gray. Here are just a few:
The one above on Hamilton Street seems more thoughtfully designed and renovated top to bottom with new roof, casement windows, and new black gutters. Check the two-tone paint job. Not your standard flip.
This one on 11th Street appears to more of a standard flip job.
I am not sure if this one on South Dakota is a new renovation or if the homeowner just decided to paint the house.
Are you a fan? Don’t really care as long as every home isn’t painted gray? Want to see different colors like blue, yellow, green purple?
The Washington Post reports on a blog post by District, Measured (the blog of DC’s Chief Financial Officer) highlighting an increase in crimes committed with guns in certain neighborhoods, including ours (grouped with Fort Totten and Queens Chapel). From January through July 2014, there were 13 crimes committed with guns. For the same time period in 2015, there were 30 crimes committed with guns. Nearby North Michigan Park (grouped with Michigan Park and University Heights) also saw an increase from 11 to 19. These numbers are still on the low end relative to other parts of the city, but still disconcerting.
There have been a number of public safety meetings by elected and police officials this year. At a couple of community meetings following shootings in the neighborhood, the police have been a bit tight-lipped, stating they know that some of the shootings are a result of beef between crews in the neighborhood in which the victims and perpetrators are known to each other. Other instances though involve random acts of violence. Some of the crime has been brazen, occurring during daylight hours or in well-lit areas at dusk. Some residents have noted that it would be useful if the police got out of their cars and patrolled on foot or bike. Others have indicated that young people need things to do and people generally need jobs so that they do not resort to crime.
I would like to think the police have a handle on what is driving the increase. In the meantime, we will just have to heed their usual advice of being aware of our surroundings, watching out for our neighbors, and immediately calling 911 about legitimately suspicious behavior.
Now that the exterior of Fort Totten Square is pretty much done, what do you think? Do you like the purple and gray brick and blue paneling? How about the landscaping?
View from South Dakota and Riggs Road NE
View along 3rd Street. The brick gradually changes from purple to red to complement the residential brick on 2nd and 3rd Street.
View of parking garage on Chillum Place and corner of South Dakota Avenue and Chillum Place. The red brick matches the brick of neighborhood homes. Landscaping screens the garage for residents directly across the street. A few benches line South Dakota Avenue.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 