Metro has extended the comment period for the FY 2021 proposed budget to March 9, 2020. View the details of the proposed budget, including changes to service and fares for metrorail and metrobus, at wmata.com/budget.

There is still time to fill out Mayor Bowser’s budget survey. Visit budget.dc.gov to let the mayor know what you believe DC’s budget priorities should be.

This is always a fun nieghborhood event organized by resident Susanna Murley & Hellbender.

Hellbender Hill Spring Cleaning Day
March 21, 2020
10:00 am-12:00 pm
Hellbender Brewing Company
5788 2nd Street NE

Sign up to clean up! Join your neighbors for a Spring Cleaning Day. The event will bring neighbors together to make our community beautiful.

Your neighbors are hosting a Spring Clean Up Day on March 21. Volunteers will pick up trash in the woods around where New Hampshire Ave crosses over the metro tracks. The event will bring neighbors together to make our community more beautiful and healthy through trash pickup.

Litter is a pervasive problem in our community, and we hope that a highly visible clean up event will help to foster behavior change and encourage new attitudes around littering so that it becomes socially unacceptable to litter or to allow litter to accumulate on our streets and natural areas.

The first 20 people to sign up to clean up will get a free pint from Hellbender Brewery!

Sign up at the link.

ANC 5A submitted comments on proposed amendments to DC’s Comprehensive Plan. The submission incorporates comments submitted by myself and a couple of other residents. The ANC also repeated its request for more time for residents to respond to the proposed amendments.

One item that did make it into the ANC’s submission is “Preserve the historical single-family style homes, with No apartments in North Michigan Park.” There was a bit of discussion on this topic at ANC meetings. The North Michigan Park residents in attendance felt strongly about this. It is a point of pride for them to say there are no apartments in North Michigan Park. I have always found this curious. I have mentioned before, the wholesale pushback against apartments is really puzzling because the same residents are fine with adding a drive-thru at the McDonald’s in that neighborhood. Adding a drive-thru where there was none before seems way more problematic than building one apartment building, but I do not live there so it does not have to make sense to me.

At the ANC’s special meeting on February 12, ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) stated that North Michigan Park has always been a neighborhood of single family homes so it should stay that way and should not have to change. This sentiment is why I simply listen when people talk about affordable housing, inequity, and gentrification in DC because actions often do not match the narrative, which is a little more complicated than we often treat it. Zoning laws have historically been used to keep out people who are viewed as undesirable, whether that be based on race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, or other characteristics. In this case, desire to keep out housing voucher holders is clearly the motivating factor (though certainly voucher holders can also rent single family homes).

There is a discussion in this city right now about adding more housing. The mayor’s goal to add 36,000 units by 2025 is slogan-y and not super realisitic, but the point remains that the city does need more housing. The narrative is that it is residents west of the park who are going to be the big obstacle to getting more housing, including affordable housing. That may be true, but it is also single family homeowners generally all across the city who do not want their neighborhoods changing at all. People like what they like and they don’t like what they don’t like.

There are legitimate issues with increasing density. Without attendant upgrades to infrastructure, there are going to be problems. A firefighter who lives in the community noted that a whole new community has been created in Fort Lincoln and no new firehouses have been built so the response time to get to that part of the city could be better. Schools that are seen as desirable are already overcrowded. In addition, simply throwing up cheap housing or putting housing in ill-conceived places is going to create problems for residents who live in that housing.

Our public officials now have the uneviable task of reconciling competing priorities and interests in this planning document. One of their clear goals is getting something approved to address the delay in projects held up in litigation. I am pretty sure whatever the final document looks like, there will be plenty for people to like and dislike and many inconsistencies will remain.

Ward 5 Meetup with DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson
December 14, 2019
10:00 am-11:00 am
Busboys & Poets
625 Monroe Street NE

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, ANC 5A held its November meeting on November 13, 2019. Commissioners present: Frank Wilds (5A01); Grace Lewis (5A02); Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05); Sandi Washington (5A07); Gordon Fletcher (5A08)

The ANC approved its fiscal year 2020 budget.

MPD Report

See resources and MPD stats for November here.

Ramdass Pharmacy was robbed of narcotics on Monday, November 4 around 2:30 am. Other pharmacies across the city were robbed the same week. Ramdass was robbed again at gunpoint on November 11 around 3:30 pm. T-Mobile on South Dakota Avenue has also been robbed a couple of times. Lt. Patrick Schaut said MPD has discussed security issues with both stores. For T-Mobile, Lt. Schaut said MPD has to go through corporate headquarters to obtain video and it is up to corporate headquarters what kind of security they want to have in their store.

There have been a couple of street robberies. As it is getting dark early, be aware of surroundings. Do not walk with phones out or earbuds in.

If you are doing online selling or buying and arranging for pickup of items, arrange to meet up at a police station. As holiday season approaches, have deliveries delivered to safe locations. Try not to have deliveries sitting unattended on the porch.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie Report

Councilmember McDuffie has two new staff members–Legislative Counsel Sandra Karpinsky and Committee Director Justin Roberts. Senior Advisor Silas Grant will be conducting a walkthrough of Commissioner Gordon Fletcher’s SMD (5A08) with Commissioner Fletcher, a Ward 5 MOCR, and DDOT on November 21 at 4:30 pm. Meet at the corner of South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE.

The councilmember’s holiday party/toy drive will be on December 12 at Dock 5 at Union Market.

Rocketship Charter School

On October 28, 2019, the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) approved the opening of Rocketship’s third campus at 5450 Kennedy Street NE. Rocketship returned to the ANC to explain the kidnapping that occurred at its Rocketship RISE campus in Ward 8 on October 11. The incident was reported by Fox 5 DC.

Joyanna Smith, Rocketship DC Regional Director, stated that on October 11, Rocketship RISE Academy was holding parent-teacher conferences so the school was actually closed. Parents asked if care could be provided all day for parents who needed it, so Rocketship asked its before and aftercare provider Springboard to provide care for the day. Ms. Smith said that the school has two sets of doors, one at the entrance where visitors must be buzzed in. The second set is manned by a paid, off-duty police officer. A mother went to the school for her two sons. The alleged kidnapper walked in behind the mother and at the second set of doors, told the officer that he was with the mother and that she was the mother of his children. The officer believed him, did not ask for identification, and allowed him to enter. Then the alleged perpetrator went to the gym where the boys were playing and after playing with them for about 15 minutes, persuaded them to leave the gym with him. A Rocketship office manager saw the alleged perpetrator with the boys and suspected something was amiss and took the boys away from the man. Police were called and only then did anyone realize that the individual was a registered sex offender and that he should not have been on the property.

Rocketship terminated its relationship with Springboard as of November 8, 2019. Ms. Smith said she was not informed about the incident until several days after it happened and only a few days before DCPCSB’s October 28th meeting. She stated that probably the biggest failure was not alerting parents within 24 hours of the incident, so they are working to regain the trust of parents, which she said is a difficult process for everyone. They are also working on protocols to make sure everyone knows security procedures and each person’s role and responsibility, so that the communication gap between the school’s leadership and Rocketship leadership does not happen again.

There was protracted discussion among the commissioners led by Commissioner Frank Wilds (5A01) about whether the ANC should go on record with a vote on the school. This even though DCPCSB already held its public meeting and approved opening a third campus, and the ANC had several opportunities to take a vote and to submit comments before the new campus was approved and did not do so. Commissioner Wilds accused Commissioner Fletcher of “being on the take,” but offered no details on what that was supposed to mean. Commissioners Wilds, Grace Lewis (5A02), and Sandi Washington (5A07) voted in favor of taking a vote, with Commissioner Fletcher opposed. It was unclear how Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05) voted. Chair Edwards stated the ANC will not have a December meeting, so it is unclear when exactly they plan to conduct this vote.

Construction on the interior of the new campus will continue throughout the winter months. Rocketship will continue to attend the ANC meetings to provide construction and other updates.

Social Justice Charter School

As previously noted, Social Justice Charter School will operate a middle school at Rocketship’s new Riggs Park campus beginning in school year 2020-2021. Representatives of the Social Justice School returned to talk about their school model. Students have crews and learning is based on a social justice model for each class. Social Justice School representatives hold a community engagement event each month. This month’s event is a design competition at Lamond-Riggs Library on November 23 at 2:00 pm. The school anticipates having a hearing before the DCPCSB in February 2020 about the school’s facilities. A condition of the school’s conditional charter approval is that the school must show that it has a lease or title for a sufficient school facility by February 2020.

Miscellaneous

During the community concerns portion of the meeting, I stated that I believe the ANC should have some sort of code of conduct because Commissioner Wilds continued to behave in a very unprofessional, inappropriate manner. Aside from constantly haranguing Commissioner Fletcher as well as guests to the ANC, he has more than once yelled at me on public streets, making false statements. Even though he would often miss ANC meetings, he would be sure to come to LRCA meetings on a monthly basis when I was president simply to disrupt them by constantly yelling about long-settled issues. During one such meeting, he told the treasurer of LRCA at that time “to go back to Africa.” He told a white resident that she should move out of the neighborhood and that she would never be welcome here. He still refuses to apologize for his very inappropriate behavior. I noted this is the same man who constantly defends Jack Evans amidst Evans’s very clear ethics violations. Commissioner Wilds did not have any comments during the meeting after I made my statement. But right after the meeting, he stormed up to me, got right in my face, wagging his finger in my face, saying that I am “disgusting.” Neighbors, this is a near 80-year-old man who knows better and should be doing better and none of the commissioners remaining in the room stepped in to tell him to chill. The ANC really needs to do a better job of speaking up when commissioners are behaving inappropriately.

By David Kosub (Contributor)

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, Hellbender Brewery will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Here is a link to get tickets. Some more details:

Price: $15 (receive custom anniversary pint glass and first beer) – not too shabby  

Beers: Releasing 5 barrel aged beers, including the official anniversary beer: Imperial Honey Farmhouse ale made with local wildflower honey (from the owner’s father’s bee hives – well as a vegan, I’ll try the other four I guess) 😊

Food: Timber Pizza and Smoke and Ember BBQ – um, I love food trucks

Free Spirits: One Eight Distilling and Sangfroid Distilling from noon-3p – um, I love free spirits

Music: DJ Tokyo Lovehandles from on top of the brewhouse all day – um, I guess I love Lovehandles too

Games: Cornhole and giant jenga set up in the brewhouse – never a dull moment

Perhaps we should have a Thirsty Third Thursday neighborhood gathering to help celebrate, but instead of Thursday, it’d be Saturday . . . .

Prost!

By Robert Oliver (Guest Contributor)

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton hosted a community meeting at Lamond-Riggs Library on September 24, 2019. This meeting was one of her many engagements during the congresswoman’s “Norton in Your Neighborhood” tour in which she engaged residents about recent Congressional activity. A diverse crowd of 30 or more attended.

Congresswoman Norton arrived at 7:30 pm and discussed the latest breaking news–the impeachment inquiry against President Trump. She explained that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi authorized the inquiry after Democratic House members in swing districts overwhelmingly chose to support an impeachment inquiry. The conduct at issue is President Trump’s attempt to involve the government of Ukraine in a U.S. presidential election. Congresswoman Norton said the president initially withheld Ukrainian military funding and only released these funds after a whistleblower’s complaint emerged. She added a “quid pro quo” does not need to be stated. She added further that the president attempted to withhold the whistleblower’s complaint from Congress.

Congresswoman Norton provided the following responses to inquiries from the audience:

• No bipartisan support is needed to launch the impeachment inquiry.  Republican support is welcome but the Democrats control the House of Representatives.
• The impeachment inquiry is done first since it is the beginning step of the impeachment process.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi authorized six investigative committees in order to review the evidence quickly.  Also, some Mueller report material is still outstanding.
• Congresswoman Norton has regained the power to vote in the Committee of the Whole but still cannot vote on the final passage of a bill.
• The House will pass the Washington, DC Admission Act, Bill H.R. 51, in this session. H.R. 51 allows for the admission of Washington, Douglas Commonwealth as a state of the United States of America.

Congresswoman Norton then addressed the status of DC Statehood. She said 218 House members support DC Statehood. She added that over 100 organizations will assist DC in lobbying the Senate, but, most Americans do not support DC Statehood according to a recent Gallup Poll. The Congresswoman is pursuing giving DC greater control over its National Guard, local prosecutors, and climate policy. Also, she is removing riders that conflict with DC interests on abortion and marijuana.

On issues closer to home, Fort Circle Park was mentioned twice. First, the residents of North Michigan Park and beyond have requested a safe, paved pedestrian path that links Gallatin and Galloway Streets and leads to the Fort Totten Metro Station. Congresswoman Norton acknowledged her awareness of the project. Second, an audience member suggested using the newly available cooperative management agreements (CMAs) between DC and NPS to fund recreational amenities for Fort Circle Park. Also, the Congresswoman noted that the safety of DCTAG, a DC student tuition assistance program, is a major priority.  

Lastly, the issue of gentrification was raised along with complaints about city services, over which the Congresswoman has no jurisdiction. She will forward these issues to Mayor Bowser and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie as appropriate.

The meeting proved to be very informative, and we hope that Congresswoman Norton visits more often.

By David Kosub (Contributor)

Welcome back to our second conversation with soon to be parents in Lamond-Riggs. As you may recall, our Soon-to-Be Moms shared some thoughts they had about pending motherhood in our last episode. Well, now it’s the soon-to-be dads turn to dish.

With their partners waiting patiently in a soundproof booth, Alex Bruce and Eric Grauvilardell shared their unfiltered thoughts on fatherhood and expectations for the future. Let’s see how the soon-to-be dads’ answers match up with the soon-to-be moms. Please join me and congratulating the parents-to-be! We look forward to meeting their new additions soon!  

Click here to listen to the conversation (running time: 10 minutes)

Background on Next Stop Neighbors:

Welcome to Next Stop Neighbors where we get an opportunity to hear the voices behind the faces and places in Lamond-Riggs and the surrounding communities. Through this podcast series, you will meet some friendly neighbors and hear their perspectives on the community through civil, casual conversations. From the small business owner who just opened up, to the non-profit organization trying to make a difference, to the community leader describing their vision for the neighborhood, and the resident around the corner who has lived here for 50 years, we all have a story to tell. We welcome recommendations and, better yet, your own 10-minute interviews too!

Can’t get enough Next Stop Neighbors? Check out these past conversations for more:

Soon-to-Be Moms (September 2019)
Explore! Children’s Museum (August 2019)
Troka Insurance (July 2019)
Ms. V and Culture Coffee Too (July 2019)
Bertie Backus Urban Food Hub (June 2019)
LRCA Forward Team (April 2019)
Ramdass Pharmacy (March 2019)

By Robert Oliver (Guest Contributor)

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton will visit our community during her “Norton in Your Neighborhood” tour of Washington, DC. She will visit the Lamond-Riggs Library on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. to hear from the community. Her meeting provides us with a chance to advocate for commencing work on a pedestrian path linking Galloway Street NE and Gallatin Street NE across National Park Service (NPS) land east of the Fort Totten metro station. 

Since the opening of the Fort Totten metro station in February 1978, informal pedestrian trails have appeared. These trails arose due to the lack of infrastructure promoting foot traffic. The trails have been trod for over 40 years. Over time, a paved trail was constructed west of the metro station. That trail is now being integrated into the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT). However, a safe, lit, paved path for North Michigan Park and for those communities east of the Metro Station has not materialized. 

Beginning in 2014, the NPS and others have been working to address our pedestrian path concerns. A timeline of their activities follows:

• March 7, 2014 – NPS issued a scoping notice for an environmental assessment of the social trails and adjacent parkland east of the metro station.
• March 19, 2014 – NPS hosted a community meeting at the UDC-CC Backus Campus. At that meeting, NPS explained the objectives of the scoping notice and offered the community four options to consider.
• January 2015 – NPS issued its Fort Totten – North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvement Project Environmental Assessment report in which no environmental issues were found.
• February 2, 2015 – NPS hosted a community meeting at the Lamond-Riggs Library to brief the community on the environmental assessment report. 
• October 28, 2015 – 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. 
• July 12, 2018 – the National Capital Planning Commission 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. The executive director of the NCPC approved the trail specifications on July 5, 2018.
• February 12, 2019 – Congresswoman Norton announced, “The District of Columbia and National Park Service (NPS) have the authority to enter into cooperative agreements (CMAs) to maintain and operate NPS properties in the District.”

There is more good news. Donald Kirk, NPS Facilities Manager, Rock Creek Park, reports that the path design is complete, funded, and will move forward into contracting by October. Therefore, construction may begin soon.

Despite all of the work accomplished, there is more to do. Other milestones include building a stormwater management system and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps across the street from the path.

This is where Congresswoman Norton can be most helpful. She can initiate a cooperative agreement with NPS to ensure this project stays on track. So please come on September 24 and help advocate for the completion of a paved, pedestrian path east of the Fort Totten Metro Station that links Galloway Street NE and Gallatin Street NE. You may also email your concerns to Congresswoman Norton if you cannot make the meeting via this link: www.norton.house.gov/contact/email.

Ascension Health, the owners of Providence Hospital, are hosting two meetings to solicit feedback from the community. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their throughts directly with Ascension Health.

DATES: Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25
TIMES: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
LOCATION: Providence Ground Floor Lecture Hall, 1150 Varnum St. NE
RSVP: To RSVP for the meeting and for more information, please contact communityrelationsdc@ascension.org. Guests should enter at Main Entrance and report to the Welcome Desk for Check-In/Instructions.

Guest post by David Kosub

Welcome to Next Stop Neighbors, where we get an opportunity to hear the voices behind the faces and places in Lamond-Riggs and the surrounding communities. Through this podcast series, you will meet some friendly neighbors and hear their perspectives on the community through civil, casual conversations. From the small business owner who just opened up, to the non-profit organization trying to make a difference, to the community leader describing their vision for the neighborhood, and the resident around the corner who has lived here for 50 years, we all have a story to tell.

Today, as the birds chirp and metro passes by on 2^nd Street NE, we meet the LRCA Forward team – Gwen Cofield, Tischa Cockrell, and Lisa Wray running as the next Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association President, First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President , respectively. Join us to hear about who they are, their vision for the community, what is working well, where we can improve, and some quirky things about them too. Voting will occur at the May LRCA meeting, so stay informed! And, don’t worry folks, no “dirty tricks” went into the recording of this podcast.

Click here to listen to the conversation

Like the Next Stop Neighbors podcast and want to tell the story of someone in the community? Well, we welcome recommendations and, better yet, your own 10-minute interviews too!

Can’t get enough Next Stop Neighbors? Check out these past conversations: Ramdass Pharmacy (March 2019)

Get a free tree from Pepco. See press release below

Pepco Giving Free Trees to Help Customers Save Energy

Customers can reserve a free tree through the Arbor Day Foundation starting today

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2019) – Pepco is giving away 1,000 free trees to residential customers through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program. This initiative helps customers conserve energy and reduce household energy use through strategic tree planting. For the ninth year, Pepco is stepping up to support this important environmental and energy saving program. Starting today, customers can reserve one free tree per household by visiting arborday.org/pepco.

“We value the strong and important relationships we’ve built and continue to cultivate with our communities across the District of Columbia and Maryland over the last 100 plus years,” said Donna Cooper, Pepco region president. “While we are known for our commitment to providing clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy service to our customers, we also see it as our duty and obligation to give back to the communities that we are a part of and that we are privileged to serve. Seeing the outcomes of our continued contributions and volunteerism, with our outstanding non-profit partners, is another reminder of our deep connection to our communities and the vested interest we have in their continued success.”

Customers will have the ability to choose from a selection of trees, including Redbud, Crepe Myrtle, River Birch, Red Oak, Red Maple, most available in varying sizes. 

One-gallon trees will be delivered to customers’ homes between April and May. All three- and five-gallon trees will be available for pickup only during company planned events in April. More information on these events can be found online during the reservation process. 

Through the “Right Tree, Right Place” tree planting program, Pepco is also offering 250 trees on a first-come, first-served basis to District of Columbia homeowners in partnership with Casey Trees, a D.C.-based nonprofit committed to restoring and protecting the nation’s capital’s tree canopy. ​ District residents can request up to two trees by calling Casey Trees at 202-833-4010. Casey Trees will send out a professional arborist to evaluate the landscape and recommend a suitable tree for the area. Once the appropriate tree is chosen, Casey Trees will come to the home and plant the tree. For the consultation and planting valued at $400, a co-payment of $50 per tree payable to Casey Trees, is required prior to planting.

Through the Arbor Day Foundation’s website, customers also have the power to explore interactive tools, including a tool to help customers determine the best location on their property to plant their tree for energy savings benefits. Properly planted trees can provide a homeowner many benefits, such as reducing energy use through summer shading and by slowing winter winds.

Throughout a tree’s growth period,trees have the potential to lower energy bills by 15 to 30 percent. Additionally, trees provide benefits to a community by improving air and water quality, reducing stormwater runoff, and adding to the visual appeal of a neighborhood. In fact, since 2012, Pepco customers have planted more than 17,650 trees, saving nearly 29 million kWh, and removing close to 363,584 lbs. of air pollutants from the atmosphere.

Prior to receiving a tree, Pepco reminds customers to call 811 to have utility-owned underground lines marked before they start to dig. One free call to 811 connects you to Miss Utility, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811.

Customers unable to reserve a free tree through the internet are encouraged to call 855-670-2772 to secure a tree.

To learn more, readers are encouraged to visit The Source, Pepco’s online news room. Find additional information about Pepco by visiting www.pepco.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.pepco.com/mobileapp.      

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About Pepco: Pepco is a unit of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers.  Pepco provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 883,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Tonight’s ANC 5A special public meeting has been cancelled.

ANC 5A is protesting a liquor license for Pax Liquor, a liquor store proposed for 4944 South Dakota Avenue NE. The ANC is planning four protest rallies/marches to get residents involved.

• December 22, 10:00 AM
• December 23, 2:00 PM
• December 29 (no time provided)
• December 30 (no time provided)

The ANC considered but ultimately rejected a settlement agreement due to opposition from North Michigan Park residents. The commissioner representing the single member district where the proposed liquor store is located resigned earlier this year. As a result, other commissioners, along with neighborhood residents, have stepped in to fill the void.

CubeSmart will operate the storage facility that was recently constructed at 5600 2nd Street NE. The facility is hiring a full-time retail associate. Find the job listing here and apply online.

Yesterday, Providence Hospital issued a press release providing more details to explain its previous announcement that the hospital would provide “low-acuity” emergency and attendant services until April 2019, rather than closing down its emergency room on December 14, 2018, as previously anticipated. See press release below.

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Providence Health System to Continue Providing Emergency Services through April 30, 2019

Dec 10, 2018

(Washington, D.C.) December 10, 2018 – Reflecting its continued commitment to the residents of the District of Columbia, Providence Health System will operate its Emergency Care Center with necessary support services through the current flu season. The Emergency Care Center will remain open through April 30, 2019 and supported by services needed for emergency care, including lab, diagnostic imaging, respiratory care, discharge planning, and other ancillary services and support. All other Providence services not necessary to support the Emergency Care Center will end as planned on December 14, 2018. Providence will continue to provide services at Carroll Manor as well as primary care and outpatient behavioral health related services.

“This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to serving the needs of the community and was reached following conversations with our internal team, elected officials, the Department of Health, the DC Hospital Association and members of the community,” said Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Healthcare, the care delivery division of Ascension.

“To support the provision of emergency care, we will continue to provide an appropriate level of supporting services, such as laboratory, imaging and inpatient beds through the end of April,” said Keith Vander Kolk, Providence Health System President and CEO.

“Providence and Ascension remain committed to the District and are pleased to be able to respond to the community need for this extended period,” Dr. Maryland said. “We continue to build a new vision for the future and look forward to partnering with key local leaders in collaboratively building those plans.”

Providence Health System has been engaged in discussions with key local leaders, in addition to examining public and private data to thoughtfully understand and explore how it can best meet the evolving health needs of the District. As Providence embarks on this innovative approach to improve the health of the community, its focus will be inclusive of both health and services not traditionally considered part of healthcare but that have an impact on the health of individuals and communities.

“Changing the focus to providing preventive health and wellness services in collaboration with the community marks a new phase in Providence’s commitment,” said Dr. Maryland. “We want to truly improve the health and well-being of all persons in the community by taking a greater and more active role in their overall healthcare.”
“With that being the case, we will be transforming the services Providence provides with a focus on the specific needs of the community, including primary and behavioral health, senior living and health services, community outreach and engagement; and access to care,” Dr. Maryland said.

“We will build on our longstanding history of servicing the District’s health needs by redeploying our resources, and we are committed to investing upwards of $30 million in the future of Providence.”

About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2018, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 156,000 associates and 34,000 aligned providers. Ascension’s Healthcare Division operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.
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DC Urbanturf took a look at price appreciation across DC. Riggs Park comes in 7th on the list, with a 13.6% price appreciation from 2017 to 2018. Median sales price in Riggs Park was $460,00 in 2017, and the median sales price in 2018 is $522,750.

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.