Monthly Archives: November 2018

8,500 Pounds of Turkey – Just Another Thanksgiving at Food and Friends

Posted by nextstoprp in Uncategorized

Guest post by David Kosub

This week, we are getting over that pesky tryptophan-induced narcolepsy, back in the swing of our work lives, buying stuff online for the holidays, and perhaps even giving some back to others in need. In the spirit of giving, I wanted to share this wonderful piece of joy originating right here in our neighborhood.

Food and Friends is a regional nonprofit, located right in our backyard, that provides home-delivered, specialized meals and nutrition counseling for persons tackling   some truly debilitating illnesses. Since 1988, over 31,000 clients and their families have received over 21 million meals.

Each meal aims to serve five people. The best part is this allows those folks, who have relied on the support of their families throughout the year, an opportunity to return the favor and be the one serving them.

Last Thursday, nearly 700 clients and their families received full turkey dinners from Food and Friends. Five hundred volunteers helped prepare these meals and an additional six hundred delivered them across the District, Maryland, and Virginia. Though that is simply astonishing in its own right, check out what exactly the team right around the corner was cooking:

8,520 pounds of roasted Turkey
1,065 pounds of cornbread stuffing
980 pounds of glazed sweet potatoes
1,050 pounds of roasted red potatoes (yum)
780 pounds of seasoned green beans
780 pounds of buttered corn
780 pounds of braised collard greens  (yum again!)
650 pounds of cranberry sauce
76 gallons of butternut squash soup (yes, please!)
94 gallons of gravy
5,600 rolls
1,440 pears, oranges, and apples
1,420 apple and pecan pies

My wife and I have witnessed first-hand how truly passionate the staff are for their clients and families.Though we were unable to volunteer this year, we have delivered these meals for previous Thanksgivings. We still remember how excited and happy everybody was to receive their holiday dinner, and wished we could participate again this time around.

This is a great resource in our neighborhood. Please consider volunteering with them sometime too. They need folks year round to deliver meals throughout the DC metro area, prepping and preparing meals in the kitchen, as well as other special events (such as these coming up this winter). You can also consider donating directly to them if you are unable to volunteer.

Finally, if you know someone who may benefit from their services, please do consider making a referral on their behalf.

Complete the Lamond-Riggs Library Reconstruction Design Survey

Posted by nextstoprp in Lamond Riggs Library

The Lamond-Riggs Library, at 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE, is being rebuilt. DC Public Library is engaging the community to develop the “Building Program” for the new Lamond-Riggs Library’s design. The Library wants to hear from you about what you want in your new library. Please take a moment to complete DCPL’s Lamond-Riggs Library design survey.

Project website: dclibrary.org/newlamondriggs

Riggs Park Elections By the Numbers

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B, ANC 5A, Ward 4, Ward 5

Guest post by David Kosub

If you are a data junkie like me and find yourself boring your friends and family over Thanksgiving dinner by talking about numbers, then I hope you will find the below information exciting too.

Perhaps because I have too much time on my hands, I pulled the November 2018 general election results data from the District of Columbia Board of Elections. It was recently certified, so this means we can get our hands dirty with data. Here is what Riggs Park looked like by the numbers (percentage numbers are rounded).

Looks like we had a decent turn-out amongst registered voters in Precincts 66 (a.k.a. Wild Ward High-5) and Precinct 65 (a.k.a. Wizards of Ward 4-bearers). We at least did better than the city writ large.

Precinct 66 (Ward 5) Precinct 65 (Ward 4) City-Wide
Registered Voters 5537 3321 500,511
Votes Cast 2949 1710 231,700
Percentage 53.3 51.5 46.3

Spoiler alert. You can stop holding your breath. The Democrats ran the table in city-wide elections. That went for our Precincts of Power too. Arguably, the race for At-Large Member of the Council was probably the one with the most eyes on it. Though Anita Bonds got the most votes in both of our power precincts, we appeared to be split between Elissa Silverman and Dionne Reeder. This could make for some electric chatter at the next LRCA meeting. For reference, (D) is for Democrat, (R) is for Republican, (I) is for Independent, (L) is for Libertarian, and (STG) is for Statehood Green. Also, both undervote and overvote tallies for each race are excluded from these tables for simplicity.

Precinct 66
(Ward5)		 Precinct 65
(Ward 4)
Candidate Votes Percentage Votes Percentage
DELEGATE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)) 2697 92.6 1569 92.6
John Cheeks (I) 75 2.6 39 2.3
Natale Stracuzzi (STG) 63 2.2 47 2.8
Nelson Rimensnyder ® 38 1.3 17 1.0
Bruce Majors  (L)® 29 1.0 16 0.9
Write-In 12 0.4 6 0.4
Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) 2298 80.0 1378 82.2
Ann Wilcox (STG) 208 7.2 118 7.0
Dustin Canter (I) 201 7.0 99 5.9
Martin Moulton (L) 55 1.9 25 1.5
Write-In 110 3.8 56 3.3
DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D) 2633 91.8 1535 92.2
Ethan Bishop-Henchman (L) 192 6.7 107 6.4
Write-In 44 1.5 22 1.3
At-Large Member, DC Council

 

 Anita Bonds (D) 2322 53.0 1385 56.0
Elissa Silverman (I) 806 18.4 389 15.7
Dionne Reeder (I) 737 16.8 435 17.6
David Schwartzmann (STG) 253 5.8 151 6.1
Rustin Lewis (I) 159 3.6 25 1.0
Ralph Chittams  (R)® 76 1.7 71 2.9
Write-In 32 0.7 17 0.7
Attorney General for DC Karl Racine (D) 2739 95.5 1573 95.7
Joe Henchman (L) 123 4.3 66 4.0
Write-In 7 0.2 5 0.3
U.S. Senator Michael Brown (D) 2451 86.9 1467 88.9
Eleanor Ory (STG) 345 12.2 174 10.5
Write-In 25 0.9 10 0.6
U.S. Representative Franklin Garcia (D) 2648 98.5 1522 98.1
Write-In 40 1.5 29 1.9

Now, let’s focus our attention on the Ward 5 specific elections – what up Precinct 66! Kenyan McDuffie won the Ward 5 seat. The Ward 5 member for the State Board of Education was likely the more interesting competition across the Ward. Zachary Parker came out on top. And, for you Ward 4 wizards, don’t forget to vote in your State Board of Education election on December 4, 2018.

Votes Percentage
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D) 2449 84.7
Kathy Henderson (I) 197 6.8
Joyce (Chestnut) Robinson-Paul (STG) 136 4.7
Amone Banks (I) 84 2.9
Write-In 24 0.8
Ward 5 Member of the State Board of Education Zachary Parker 1425 51.8
Adrian Jordan 1026 37.3
William “Bill” Lewis 279 10.1
Write-In 23 0.8

The ANC Single Member District races were notable as well. A couple of the races had some more unpredictable outcomes. Some familiar faces will return, while some new faces are ready to serve. These folks are some of your best guides when figuring out how to navigate through the maze of D.C. city government agencies. So, take the time and get to know them too. They are here to serve all of us in the community after all.

Votes Percentage
ANC – 5A01 Frank Wilds 632 67.7
Diamond Barbour 282 30.2
Write-In 19 2.0
ANC – 5A08 Gordon Fletcher 934 95.0
Write-In 49 5.0
ANC – 4B08 Alison Brooks 466 77.0
James Thomas 121 20.0
Write-In 18 3.0
ANC – 4B09 LaRoya Huff 515 50.6
Tischa Cockrell 497 48.8
Write-In 6 0.6

 

Fort Totten – North Michigan Park Pathway to Fort Totten Metro Station Status

Posted by nextstoprp in North Michigan PArk, Public Safety

Guest post by Robert Oliver

The timing of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s appearance at the December 2018 Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) meeting could not be better. This meeting provides the community with an excellent opportunity to discuss a lit, paved path across the portion of Fort Circle Park just east of the Fort Totten Metro station.  The National Park Service (NPS) plans to replace the informal trail connecting Gallatin Street NE and Galloway Street NE with a safe, paved, lit pedestrian path.

The need for a pedestrian path began with the opening of the Fort Totten Metro Station on February 6, 1978. While provisions for parking were made, no additional pedestrian infrastructure was considered.  Over the years, communities both east and west of the Metro Station have created informal trails through the NPS parkland. The Fort Totten neighborhood west of the metro station has a lighted, paved pedestrian path connecting Fort Totten Drive NE and 1st Place NE.  However, the North Michigan Park community, east of the Metro Station, has patiently waited for a paved path since 1978, or 40 years. Finally, some action has been taken.

Beginning on March 7, 2014, NPS issued a scoping notice for an environmental assessment of the social trails and adjacent parkland east of the Metro Station. NPS hosted a community meeting at the UDC Backus Campus on March 19, 2014. At that meeting, NPS explained the objectives of the scoping notice and offered the community four options to consider.

In January 2015, NPS issued its Fort Totten – North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvement Project Environmental Assessment report in which no environmental issues were found. NPS hosted a community meeting at the Lamond-Riggs Library on February 2, 2015, to brief the community on the environmental assessment report.  Next, NPS received approval of its Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) report in compliance with the Department of Interior’s National Historic Preservation Act (NEPA) guidelines on October 28, 2015. Lastly, the National Capital Planning Commission has approved the NPS proposed trail specifications that include “a permeable 10-foot wide trail to replace the existing 320 foot-long informal dirt trail from Galloway Street NE to Gallatin Street NE.” The trail will be composed of asphalt, feature two-foot wide, soil and aggregate shoulders, and feature six lights for illumination. Approval was granted on July 5, 2018.

Location of proposed trail

Despite all of the work accomplished, there is more to be done. Other milestones include building Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps across the street from the path and a storm water management system. Although NPS is working diligently, the construction phase of this project remains unfunded. This is where Congresswoman Norton can be most helpful. She can work at the federal level to secure funding for this worthy and long overdue pedestrian infrastructure. We all look forward to having this conversation with Congresswoman Norton and District officials.

Tonight: Culture Coffee Too Anniversary Art Exhibition

Posted by nextstoprp in Arts

Culture Coffee Too One-Year Anniversary Art Exhibition
November 9, 2018
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Culture Coffee Too
300 Riggs Road NE

To celebrate its one-year anniversary in the neighborhood, Culture Coffee Too is featuring an artist exhibition showcasing every artist that has shown work in the space throughout the year. If you have not had a chance to check out the neighborhood coffee shop and arts space at all, tonight is a great time to see work that has been displayed from different artists each month. If you are a regular, take a look at some of your favorite pieces. Check it out!

 

Vote Tischa Cockrell for ANC 4B09

Posted by nextstoprp in ANC 4B

Republishing the blog post originally published on October 10, 2018, on Commissioner Tischa Cockrell’s reelection campaign. Happy pre-election Monday.

Here is a little personal background on Tischa as the current ANC4B09 Commissioner in her words:

Public safety is currently the most important issue facing my Single Member District (SMD) as the Commissioner of ANC4B09. I have conducted several SMD meetings to hear the concerns and suggestions of our residents. I have met with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD’s) 4th District Commander, lieutenants, seargents, etc., and I recently became the treasurer of the 4th District MPD Citizen’s Advisory Council (CAC) in order to address our community’s issues directly as a concerned leader of our community.

I have partnered with District agencies such as Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE), and DC Prevention in an effort to find out what are ways we can teach our youth and curtail crime. I currently walk in the community with the ONSE group engaging residents especially young people. We’ve also sat down with DC Prevention on several occasions to research some of the patterns and behaviors of those involved in certain activities that lead to problems.

I am also fully engaged with residents, businesses, and neighboring ANCs by attending Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) community association meetings, many LRCA committee meetings, our own ANC4B meetings, other ANC SMD meetings, other community meetings, as well as conducting my own monthly SMD meetings and block meetings. I am also sure to invite District agencies, businesses, and developers to those meetings and send out many emails and notices to ensure transparency and distribution of knowledge to our residents. I also helped to plan Riggs Park Day earlier this year in May alongisde DPR, LRCA, and ANC Commissioner Barbara Rogers (4B08).

While being busy doing these things, I have also worked with fellow neighbors to follow up on requests regarding: sidewalk repair, tree pruning, lighting, parking, and crosswalk issues, negotiating with businesses such as Wal-Mart, Riggs Liquors, Culture Coffee, etc. As former Second Vice President of LRCA; Former Chair of the LRCA Youth Development/Recreation committee; current member of the LRCA Public Safety; Newsletter Distribution committee; and Development Taskforce committee, I am dedicated to doing the work of the community to continue our efforts in building a safe and close knit community. I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday, November 6th!