Georgetown Observer, Sept. 21, 2011

Georgetown Senior Center Returns to St. John’s

The Georgetown Senior Center, founded by the late Virginia Allen 30 years ago, returned Sept. 12 to its customary meeting space, the parish hall of St. John’s Church on O St., after a nine-month absence. Jorge Bernardo, who kept the non-profit going while ferrying seniors to lunches and events, said he was elated with the return, along with quite a few volunteers, including Mary Meyer, Wendy Erlanger, Mary Ann Brennan, Claire-Lise Levin, Janice Rahimi and Karen Cruise. For the seniors, educational or musical programs follow the regularly scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunches. Once a month, there is usually a field trip to a museum or historic home. If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to become a member, or to volunteer or donate to a worthy cause, please call Janice Rahimi at 202-316-2632. Or write The Georgetown Senior Center, P.O. Box 25800, Washington, D.C. 20027.

Loop Road a No-Go for Georgetown Campus

Georgetown University halted its proposal to construct a loop road through campus along Archibald Glover Park, an idea in its 2010-2020 Campus Plan, according to university spokeswoman Stacy Kerr.

“During the campus plan process this spring, we heard serious objections to the design of this road from some of our neighbors,” stated the university’s Stacy Kerry “We therefore engaged in an extensive and serious effort to revisit other alternatives.”

The original idea of the loop road plan was to shift Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle buses from local streets to a road behind McDonough Arena and Yates Field House. The new plan has buses driving past the Harbin Hall dormitory.

Georgetown’s about-face is seen as a response to neighborhood opposition, especially Foxhall, and the District Department of Transportation’s concerns about traffic congestion and having a road so close to a park. DDOT said it opposed the loop road plans during D.C. Zoning Commission hearings in May.

“Throughout this process, our goal was to balance the interests of our neighbors with the needs of the university,” Kerr continued. “We looked for alternatives that would meet our goals of pedestrian safety and walkways and centralizing buses in the middle of campus, away from the neighborhood streets. The Harbin location meets those goals.”

The zoning commission will meet Nov. 17 to discuss the Georgetown University campus plan; the public is welcome.

BID Sponsors Washington Harbour, Waterfront Park WiFi

The Georgetown Waterfront has always been a hot spot, but now it’s a “hotspot.” The Georgetown BID has installed four high-end WiFi routers on the waterfront. WiFi service is now available along the Potomac from Thompson Boat Center through Washington Harbour and the newly opened Georgetown Waterfront Park. Presented by the Georgetown BID, the WiFi program is a free service to the public. To connect at Washington Harbour, select “Georgetown WiFi” from your list of available wireless networks.

Urban Sherpa Arrives for Busy Georgetowners

A new local, personal service is now available to ease any schedule: Urban Sherpa, owned and managed by Christi Cline, offers services that include pet walking and feeding, grocery and personal shopping, dry cleaning pickup, vehicle registration and parking permit obtainment, rides to the mechanic, gift ideas and exchanges, and so on in that order.

“I decided to start Urban Sherpa after I realized there are a lot of very busy people who sometimes need an extra hand getting through the week,” Cline says. “I spent 14 years in the hospitality industry and learned the importance of good service. In the past ten years living in Georgetown, I have become a trusted member of the community.”

Cline is ready to roll for you. Call her at 202-997-2787 or email her: ChristiMCline@gmail.com. The website is UrbanSherpaDC.com.