From Friends of Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center
Back to School Public Safety Day & Backpack Giveaway
August 27, 2022
10:00 am-2:00 pm
Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center
501 Riggs Road NE
On July 19, 2022, Ronald Mason, Jr., president of the University of the District of Columbia, held a community meeting at UDC-CC Bertie Backus Campus, located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. The meeting took place before President Mason publicly announced that he planned to step down as president of UDC in 2023. In any case, he said he wanted to get out to the campus because he does not get out this way often enough, so he was interested in meeting nearby residents in an informal setting. An elderly neighbor mentioned that she would like to see the university offer programs free to seniors at the Backus campus. She said that 10 to 20 years ago, seniors could take all kinds of classes at the Van Ness campus free of charge.
President Mason shared just a few details about a planned expansion of the Backus campus. UDC no longer occupies a campus on North Capitol Street for its community college programs. The Backus campus will house most or all of the community college programs. Most of the workforce development programs have been moved from Backus to UDC’s Congress Heights campus. The first three focus areas for the community college will be teacher training, nursing, and technology. To accommodate the community college programs at Backus, a new wing will be built on the grounds of the existing parking lot on the Galloway Street NE side of the campus. The new wing will be about 60,000 square feet spread over 3 floors. The main Backus building will also undergo renovation (about 100,000 square feet). Some surface parking will remain. Design will take about one year and construction about 1.5 years.
In the interim, neighbors should start seeing a few small improvements to the campus. A neighbor and I worked on getting some money in the budget to spruce things up just a bit because this campus is a really great civic asset in the neighborhood.
(Also, this post discusses the renovations taking place at the Bertie Backus Food Hub).
My understanding is that UDC will have more community meetings in the coming months to provide more information about the Backus campus expansion.
Hibiscus Medical, a primary care practice by Dr. Debralee Frederick, will be opening September 1, 2022, at Art Place at Fort Totten, located at 430 Galloway Street NE. Visit the website to learn more and schedule an appointment. See press release below.
Hibiscus Medical Grand Opening Press Release, August 2022
From Explore! Children’s Museum
Calling all families to join in on the fun at the Explore! Children’s Festival located at The Modern at Art Place Fort Totten. On Saturday, August 13th, 20th, 27th and September 3rd, guests can enjoy free face painting, balloon twisting, magic shows, arts and crafts, sweet treats and snacks.
Each festival will also include live performances or demonstrations from local organizations and artists.
On Saturday, August 13th we hosted Cowboy Barry’s Petting Zoo along with a Storytime event with our new neighbor, the recently re-opened Lamond-Riggs/ Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library.
This coming Saturday, August 20th, guests can enjoy live music from The Uncle Devin Show, an interactive musical experience for children that uses percussion instruments to cultivate their minds – a dynamic cross between DC’s Trouble Funk and Schoolhouse Rock.
Guests for the August 27th and September 3rd event will be announced soon.
Each event is FREE to attend and has every kid’s dream activities for a fun-filled weekend!
Bike Safety & Maintenance Pump-Up
August 20, 2022
2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Culture Coffee Too
300 Riggs Road NE
Bring your bike to learn simple cycling maintenance and safety tips.
Randy Clarke, the new general manager of Metro, will be at Fort Totten Metro station today August 15 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm to talk with riders.
It appears the new GM is taking outreach seriously. I have submitted a few comments on Metro’s online comment form regarding Fort Totten station over the past few weeks, primarily about trash around the station and about fares. Someone from Metro actually called me about my comment on fares.
I had commented that I do not understand why Metro is charging peak fares while not providing peak service during peak hours. If Metro is running 6-car trains on the red line with 10-12 minute headways throughout the day, including during supposed peak hours, why is Metro charging extra money during peak hours. Riders are not getting peak service even though we are paying peak fares. I doubt Metro will actually do anything about this, but it was still interesting that someone called me and I had a chance to give my feedback.
And I think they are trying to be a bit better about cleaning up the litter on their grounds. With a 7-Eleven on station property, I am not necessarily surprised by the trash, but it might require a more frequent cleaning schedule. I had also asked if they considered adding recycling cans around the station, given the amount of empty bottles I see on the ground. In any case, I do think maintaining clean grounds is important for Metro not just from the standpoint of being a good neighbor but also its own mission. After all, those of us who ride Metro know all too well the hazards that trash on the tracks poses to service and the trash can clog storm drains.
I also have thoughts about Metro’s joint real estate development program. Aventine Fort Totten is a joint development project. Also Metro has tried a couple of times now to develop the long term parking lot at Fort Totten station. Metro officials plan to try again soon according to their most recent joint development strategic plan.
Edited to add: On my way to Metro this morning, I saw that they have apparently decided to start fixing the road in front of the fire hydrant by the 7-Eleven that has been buckled for several years now. The quick fix-its over the years have not held up.
A virtual public hearing for McDonald’s rezoning application is scheduled for November 28, 2022, at 4:00 pm (Zoning Commission case no. 22-19). McDonald’s is requesting a map amendment to change the zoning of its property located at 4950 South Dakota Avenue NE (Square 3786, Lot 0001) from MU-3A to MU-7B so that a new McDonald’s with a drive-thru can be built as a matter of right to replace the existing restaurant that does not currently have a drive-thru. The Zoning Commission will need to determine whether the requested map amendment is “not inconsistent” with the DC Comprehensive Plan.
The hearing notice contains instructions on how to sign up to participate in the virtual hearing and how to submit written comments.
McDonald’s states in its application and prehearing report that this upzoning request is consistent with the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and General Land Use Map (GLUM), both of which were recently updated in the most recent Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
The DC Office of Planning (OP) issued its setdown report on July 20, 2022. In that report, OP stated the requested map amendment is generally not inconsistent with the Comp Plan, but that there is some inconsistency with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan.
The ANC 5A report is sparse as expected, given that they relied on counsel for McDonald’s to provide the language for the resolution generally stating that the ANC supports McDonald’s application for a map amendment.
I will not rehash everything I have written about this matter, but as I noted previously I was curious to see how OP would handle the fact that paving the road for a drive-thru in this location, as District officials did by changing the FLUM and GLUM without explanation, is wholly inconsistent with the District’s moveDC plan for this area and with the District’s sustainability goals. OP does at least acknowledge several pages into its report that allowing a drive-thru as a matter of right here is not totally consistent with the Transportation Element of the Comp Plan. This whole exercise just shines even more of a light on how bizarre the Comp Plan Update process was where OP decided to throw the gates wide open, decided that they were only going to listen to ANCs, and then decided that OP did not have to explain the rationale for any of their decisions at all. So now the result is discussing a supposed reality in which permitting upzoning solely for the sake of a drive-thru somehow promotes community vitality and racial equity. It is bizarre and irresponsible.
Ed. Note: Message below is from National Park Service regarding the North Michigan Park-Fort Totten Metro Station Pedestrian Trail received on August 11, 2022.
From Kym Elder
Thank you for writing and/or contacting us. We understand the frustration with this closure and project.
The National Park Service (NPS) is finalizing the redesign of the trail, which includes protection of the WMATA Metrorail tunnels directly below the trail, which were uncovered when we re-started construction last year.
As previously noted, we have completed all our munitions testing and have not found any issues of concern.
The re-design work should be completed by late November with construction to resume early spring 2023 and completion in the 2023 summer/early fall season.
We are asking the neighbors refrain from moving the fencing or putting materials on the trail surface. Rather, we ask that users utilize the trail just to the east of the construction site, or walk around the block to get to the Metro.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me, Kym Elder, Program Manager, Civil War Defenses of Washington at kym_elder@nps.gov.
We thank you for your patience.
Kym Elder
Program Manager
Civil War Defenses of Washington
National Capital Area
Update: The farm stand has been cancelled
Ed. Note: The message below is from Stefan Templeton, Senior Market Manager for the Van Nesss Farmers Market & Bertie Backus Farm Stand. The application form linked in the message below references April 2022 Van Ness Market deadlines and fees. Interested vendors for the Bertie Backus Farm Stand should still complete the application form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Questions may be directed to vannessfarmersmarket@udc.edu.
By R. Stefan Templeton
Firstly, on behalf of UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), I would like to apologize for the cancellation of the Bertie Backus Farmers Market on the past two Saturdays, July 30 and August 6. Frankly, we have been searching for a reliable produce vendor to commit to servicing the market after 11th-hour cancellations by produce vendors.
We are very pleased to announce that Gray Lane Farms, a local woman & minority-owned farm has committed to maintaining the produce stand starting August 27 going forward until November 26. I should note that Gray Lane has been certified as a Produce Plus provider and will be able to accept DC’s Produce Plus cards.
We humbly request that community members come out to support our endeavor to bring quality produce and local vendors every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at UDC’s Bertie Backus campus located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017 (near the Fort Totten Metro station on the Red, Yellow, and Green lines).
In the interim period of the next 2 weeks, we will be working to collaborate with community members to better market this reopening. We have reached out to the local ANC members and hope to promote this opportunity to all comers.
Please note that any community members who are interested in becoming vendors, may complete the application here. We are actively recruiting vendors for the remainder of this season and for the next season of 2023. Please feel free to email me any questions or comments. We look forward to seeing you at the market.
The message below is from Lamond-Riggs Library Children’s Librarian Jesse Williamson. If you are interested in joining the library’s email distribution list to receive updates regarding children’s programming at the library, please send your name, email address, and children’s ages to jesse.williamson@dc.gov.
Hello families of Lamond-Riggs,
Thank you to everyone for your feedback on our survey. We appreciate your input and are looking forward to moving forward with children’s programming rooted in your families’ needs, wants, and schedules.
First, as part of our discover summer program, Lamond-Riggs will be hosting master storyteller, Diane Macklin, for Riddle Me This: Stories to Solve this Saturday August 13th at 11:00 am. This is an interactive program that features stories for the audience to solve and enjoy from around the world. For more details see https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/6996167.
Family Story Time will return Tuesday August 16th from 10:30-11. We are also pleased to announce that we will also be adding a weekly Wednesday evening Family Story Time beginning Wednesday August 17th from 5:30-6pm. This date and time was decided based on the results from our survey and we are excited to be able to offer an additional story time for the Lamond-Riggs families.
Per the system wide story time calendar, story time will be offered every week Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening from August 16th-October 5th.
Additionally we will be offering an Art and Movement program aimed at families with children age 0-5 on Saturday Mornings beginning Saturday August 27th from 10:30-11:00. This program will alternate between Movement weeks and Art Weeks.
Movement Weeks will be similar to story time with songs, stories, movement activities, and dance.
Art weeks which will have stations with crafts, art materials, or sensory stations for families to explore.
More information will be available soon on this program and as always feel free to reach out to Jesse with any questions about this program. Please see the schedule below for each week’s focus.
August 27th: Movement
September 3rd: Art
September 10th: Movement
September 17th: Art
September 24th: Movement
October 1st: Art
October 8th: Movement
For our age 6-12 families, given the interest we saw in STEM in our survey, we will be starting a weekly STEM World program Thursday Afternoons from 4:30-6pm. This program will feature a guided STEM activity, experiment, or demonstration each week followed by a chance to continue the engagement through projects and crafts as well as moving through STEM stations (ex: Legos). The guided portion of this program will take place from 4:30pm-5pm with the STEM stations remaining open for self guided exploration from 5pm-6pm. This program will begin Thursday September 1st. We look forward to engaging with our young community members and fostering their love and interest in STEM.
Explore! Children’s Festival
August 13, 2022
1:00 pm-3:00 pm
The Modern at Art Place
400 Galloway Street NE
Free
Activities
Glad to see Explore! Children’s Museum return with children’s festivals in the neighborhood. They are always a good time for families with children. This will be a 4-week series of festivals on August 13, August 20, August 27, and September 3.
There is still time to pick up petitions to run for a seat on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) in ANC 4B and ANC 5A in the November general election. Petitions are due at 5:00 pm on August 10, 2022. Information about how to run for the ANC is available on the Board of Election website at https://dcboe.org/Candidates/ANC-Commissioners.
Each ANC commissioner represents approximately 2,000 residents who make up a single member district (SMD). Redistricting following the 2020 Census adjusted the boundaries of ANC single member districts. These new boundaries will become effective in January 2023. ANC redistricting opens the door for new ANC commissioners in ANC 4B and ANC 5A, the two commissions that cover Riggs Park. You can double check your SMD to make sure you are running in the correct SMD with the Office of Planning 2023 ANC/SMD locator.
For the SMDs covering parts of Riggs Park, individuals have picked up petitions for ANC 4B10 (Stefan Nagey), ANC 5A01 (Duvalier Malone), ANC 5A02 (Karlus Cozart) and ANC 5A09 (Zachary Ammerman). That leaves ANC 4B09 as one Riggs Park SMD without a candidate to date.
[Edited to add: The boundaries of Riggs Park generally are New Hampshire Avenue NE to the north, Eastern Avenue/MD-DC border to the east, Galloway Street NE to the south, & the Metro red line tracks to the west. So The Modern at Art Place and Aventine at Fort Totten are in Riggs Park. I don’t make the rules. Lamond is north of New Hampshire Avenue NE to Underwood Place NE/NW. Together, they make up Lamond-Riggs.]
ANC 4B09
ANC 4B09 includes Fort Totten Square, Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center, LaSalle-Backus Education Campus, the few businesses across from Fort Totten Square, EYA’s Riggs Park Place, and lots of residents east of South Dakota Avenue NE and north of Kennedy Street NE. The second phase of Riggs Park Place is anticipated to break ground sometime in 2023, so it would be great to have someone paying attention to that project. If you live in that area and you have been thinking about running for ANC, there is still time to pick up petitions and get signatures in by 5:00 pm on August 10.
ANC 5A
Outside of Riggs Park, there are a few seats in ANC 5A that still do not have a candidate – ANC single member districts 5A05, 5A06, and 5A07.
Working from north to south.
ANC 5A07
With redistricting, current ANC Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) will no longer be in ANC 5A07 in January 2023, so that means someone in the northwestern part of ANC 5A will need to run for ANC 5A07. ANC 5A07 is just west of the Fort Totten Metro red line tracks. This area contains a few apartment buildings (some converted to condos), Mary’s Center Fort Totten location, Mamie D. Lee community garden, and DC Bilingual Public Charter School. DC Bilingual is currently undergoing a big expansion. ANC 5A07 will also include Metro property along 1st Place NE. Metro has revived plans to develop the long-term parking lot at Fort Totten Metro station. Depending on how quickly Metro moves on that effort, it would be useful to have a commissioner in place to help shape that project. The last time Metro sought to develop the long-term parking lot, Metro officials presented the bids they received privately to just the ANC 5A commissioners. That former plan ended up getting shelved but Metro plans to try again soon. In general though, it would be great to have a commissioner who can proactively work with Metro and the National Park Service about perennial issues with those agencies, both of which have properties with large footprints in ANC 5A that they do not do a great job of maintaining.
ANC 5A06
ANC 5A06 has a mix of single family homes and apartment buildings. A few of the apartment buildings have redevelopment plans. Current ANC Commissioners Derrick Holloway (5A06) and Sandi Washington (5A07) will both reside in 5A06 effective January 2023. I am pretty sure neither plans to run for election to represent 5A06, so if a resident was waiting for one of them to announce plans to run, now is the time to pick up petitions to make sure that area has representation.
ANC 5A05
Beginning in January 2023, the residents who live in Park Place and The Cloisters, including current ANC 5A Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05), will be in ANC 5E. ANC 5A05 will largely consist of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (which has large development plans in store), properties for MedStar Washington Hospital Center and VA Medical Center, and a couple of schools. There is a tiny pocket of residents in the northern portion of the SMD west of Hawaii Avenue NE in between Taylor Street and Varnum Street NE in the few single family homes and apartment buildings (including Brookland Ridge) who could conceivably run to represent ANC 5A05. So on the off chance that there is a reader who lives in that tiny pocket who may be interested in running for ANC 5A05, go ahead and pick up petitions to run. Lots of people will thank you.
Note this opportunity is open to residents of Lamond-Riggs, North Michigan Park, Michigan Park, Fort Totten, Pleasant Hills, Queens Chapel, & South Manor.
Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library Heritage Wall Scanning Session
5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
6:00 pm-7:45 pm
Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library
Bring photos and fabric swatches to contribute your family and neighborhood history to the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Heritage Wall.
Artist Michelle Lisa Herman is asking Lamond-Riggs area residents and fellow neighbors to contribute fabric “swatches” and/or family photographs that will be scanned and used to create a digital collage for the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library “Heritage Wall.” The piece takes inspiration from the concept of a quilt which is stitched together from a variety of different fabrics. By scanning the fabrics and photos of residents in the neighborhood, the artist hopes to collaborate with area residents in creating this digital tapestry.
What Materials Can I Contribute?
How Can I Participate?
1.Bring Your Materials to an In-Person Scanning Session at the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library
a. Saturday, July 30, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
b. Wednesday, Aug. 3, 6 – 7:45 p.m.
2. OR Submit Materials Online at bit.ly/heritagewall to upload your images.
From DC Department of Public Works
Do you have ideas for how to reduce waste in your community?
Do you have concerns about how waste is handled across the District?
Do you want to have a say in the future of Zero Waste policies and programs in the District?
If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, then we want to hear from you!
Take a minute to complete our survey
The Department of Public Works (DPW) Office of Waste Diversion is developing the Zero Waste DC Plan in pursuit of the Mayor’s Zero Waste goal of diverting 80 percent of the District’s waste away from landfills and incineration by 2032. We need input from YOU to help us develop programs and policies to reach this ambitious goal.
Starting August 1, DPW invites DC residents to attend virtual community engagement events to voice their concerns, share their ideas, and help us build a Zero Waste future. There will be one meeting for each of the District’s eight wards, one for the business community, and one for the government.
| Zeroing in on Waste: Community Engagement Events | ||
| Who’s Invited | When | How to Attend |
| Ward 1 Residents | Monday, August 1 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 2 Residents | Tuesday, August 2 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 3 Residents | Wednesday, August 3 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 4 Residents | Thursday, August 4 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 5 Residents | Friday, August 5 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 6 Residents | Monday, August 8 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 7 Residents | Tuesday, August 9 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| Ward 8 Residents | Wednesday, August 10 6:00PM – 8:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
| DC Government Agencies (Not Open to the Public) | Thursday, August 11 10:00AM – 12:00PM (ET) | (Not Open to the Public) |
| DC Businesses | Friday, August 12 10:00AM – 12:00PM (ET) | Register Now! |
To learn more about this exciting plan, and to access the entire engagement schedule of events and corresponding public comment periods, please visit zero waste.dc.gov/zwdcplan.
Can’t make it to any of the meetings listed above? No problem! Additional engagement opportunities can be found here. You can also stay in the loop by signing up for our Zero Waste DC newsletter (coming soon).
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Please take the Family Programming Survey being conducted by the Lamond-Riggs Library by August 7, 2022.
Library staff are seeking input on family programing options at the library for various age groups, including birth to 5 and 6 to 12. The survey asks questions about interest in evening story time hours, arts/movement classes, and other ideas for family programming.
Calling all Artists, Performers, and Vendors
Art All Night at The Parks Main Street is back! Don’t miss your chance to participate in Art All Night 2022 in Riggs Park and Manor Park DC as an artist, performer, or vendor.
Art All Night is a citywide festival funded by the Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) that celebrates visual, performing, and movement arts. The 2022 festival will take place citywide September 23 & 24, 2022.
Art All Night 2022 at The Parks Main Street will take place on Friday September 23, 2022, from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
Performers will be compensated. There is no fee to vend. Riggs Park and Manor Park residents are encouraged to participate. All are invited!
Apply online by August 12, 2022. Application does not guarantee acceptance.
See what’s in store. Check out Art All Night (DC) 2021 (The Parks Main Street featured at 1:17-1:19) and this blog post about Art All Night 2021 at The Parks Main Street.
Art All Night 2021 artist J’Nell Jordan will paint live during this year’s festival, this time in Manor Park. Paintings like that featured above by J’nell Jordan and others will be auctioned at a later date to raise funds to support The Parks Main Street small businesses.
Help make Art All Night 2022 at The Parks Main Street a success. Complete the volunteer application.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 