From the DC Office of the Attorney General:

Attorney General Karl A. Racine invites you to attend his Consumer Protection Forum on Construction Violations, Foreclosure Scams, and Mortgage Regulations, which will take place onMonday, September 28, 2015, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Benning (Dorothy I. Height) Neighborhood Library located at 3935 Benning Rd. NE, Washington, D.C.  20019. The purpose of the Housing Forum is to educate the community on the most common types of housing scams in the District, particularly illegal construction and house flipping.  Many neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, and across the District, are seeing a significant number of houses that are being bought, rehabilitated, and sold for large sums of money.  Many residents may also be confused about foreclosure and mortgage regulations.  So, Attorney General Racine wants to allow you to hear from and ask questions directly to the relevant local and federal agency experts. 

ART PLACE AT FT TOTTEN, LLC

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE NOTICE

Weeks of: September 28, 2015 and October 5, 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, waterproofing, sleeves, walls, grade beams, columns and elevated decks continues. Drainage piping and electrical duct banks are being installed, and gravel is being spread out where concrete slabs on grade are now being placed. At garage locations, the slab-on-grade concrete is being 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 has been completed.

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.

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.

###

DC Public Library is mapping out its 5-year strategic plan. Take a brief survey to help inform the process. Tell DCPL what you love about your neighborhood library and what you would like to see in the library.

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.

###

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?

DOES will be having  two pre-screening/application events for the new Wal- Mart at the DOES American Jobs Center-NE (Bertie Backus) on August 4 and August 12.

The new Wal-Mart facility is set to open at Riggs and South Dakota (close to Ft. Totten metro station) and will be hiring approximately 300 associates for a variety of jobs that include professional services, sales floor associates and supervisors, front end cashiers, customer service, cart pushers, greeters, stockers and others. The pre-screening/job application sessions will take place in Ward 5 at the American Job Center – Northeast.

August 4

1:30 p.m. (Participants are asked to arrive on time)

RSVP using this link: http://goo.gl/U6Enac

5171 South Dakota Ave. NE, 2nd Floor

Washington, D.C. 20017

(202) 576-3092 (phone)

August 12

1:30 p.m. (Participants are asked to arrive on time)

RSVP using this link:  http://goo.gl/QuL2HI

5171 South Dakota Ave. NE, 2nd Floor

Washington, D.C. 20017

(202) 576-3092 (phone)

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association reports mile markers will be placed on the Metropolitan Branch Trail. From the article:

Over the past few weeks, a series of troubling incidents on the Metropolitan Branch Trail have again raised questions of user safety on this popular urban trail. Though counter data show an average of 1200 trail users each day since April, recent incidents and the law enforcement response to them have justifiably shaken the confidence of regular trail users.

Two weeks ago, WABA sat down with leadership from District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Office of Uniform Communication (OUC), and DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) to address these concerns. As a result, DDOT will install mile markers throughout the trail backed by changes to the 911 computer dispatch system to ensure a timely and direct law enforcement response to 911 calls.

From the Washington Business Journal permit report:

5510-5512 Fourth St. NE: These two vacant lots in the Lamond-Riggs neighborhood will be home to a pair of new single-family houses from Edge Investment LLC.

Tomorrow, DDOT will be at Rhode Island Avenue metro station from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm as part of its Vision Zero initiative. This will give residents a chance to chat with DDOT about necessary traffic safety improvements in the neighborhood.  

Can’t make it to tomorrow’s event? Highlight traffic safety issues on DDOT’s vision zero map. If there is already a location highlighted, click it again and add your own unique comment. Let’s use this opportunity to establish a record of the improvements we would like to see in the neighborhood.

From DCPL:

CAUSE AN EFFECT
Make eating a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support the DC Public Library. Just go into any Washington, DC Chipotle on Tuesday, July 14, from 11 a.m. & 10 p.m.
Show the adjacent image on your smartphone or tell the cashier you are supporting the cause — and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to DC Public Library.

Metro Movie Night at Fort Totten Station

Metro invites you and your family to a night under the stars! The first-ever Metro Movie Night will be held on Saturday, July 11 at the Fort Totten Metrorail Station parking lot. This family-friendly event is free for all guests.

Bring your lawn chairs, snacks and beverages to this special screening of the DreamWorks animated film “Bee Movie”. Gates open at 5 pm and guests can enjoy interactive sports games and music, or just sit back and relax with friends and neighbors, until the movie starts at dusk (approximately 8:30 pm).

Metro staff will be on hand to answer service questions, offer trip planning advice, and discuss parking options for Metro riders. Local community organizations will share information and offer giveaways.

Parking for this event will be limited, so we strongly recommend that guests take Metrorail (Green, Yellow or Red Line) or walk to the event. Food and beverage are welcome, but please note that alcohol and glass containers are not permitted.

We hope you can join us for this special community event!

The Washington Post highlights the Alleypalooza kickoff in a neighborhood alley at Galloway Street and Eastern Avenue NE. District officials will pave eight alleys in each ward. Commissioner for the area Frank Wilds states in the article, “‘You’ve got a clean alley . . . it makes a difference in the whole neighborhood.'”

If you take a walk down the broken path on First Place NE by Fort Totten metro station, you might miss the historic site located at 5321 First Place NE. Currently home to the Lighthouse Center for Healing, the building once housed WOOK-TV, the first Black-oriented television station in the nation, according to Cultural Tourism DC. The station was known for the Teenarama Dance Party, DC’s first Black teen dance show.

WOOK-TV, 5321 First Place NE