Chuck Baldwin • February 10, 2016

As part of its Green Infrastructure Challenge initiative, DC Water is launching a program this summer to divert stormwater by connecting downspouts to rain barrels after disconnecting them from standpipes that run into the “combined sewer.” Participants would give DC Water a right-of-entry to inspect the properties about once a year to ensure downspouts remain connected to the barrels.

In an interview with The Georgetowner, Bethany Bezak, DC Water’s manager of Green Infrastructure, said the program would be optional for property owners and that properties must meet the approved criteria for installation, including “enough pervious space” to ensure no flooding. While there would be no penalty for disconnecting the rain barrels, she said, there would be a process to reconnect to the sewer, and that DC Water would ask that property owners inform them of disconnections, primarily for the sake of tracking the use of rain barrels for the Environmental Protection Agency. The rain barrel program is part of a plan modification that reduces the amount of work that will be done in the streets and public right of way to divert additional stormwater away from the combined sewer, as required in part by the EPA, Bezak said.

Set to begin mid-2017, the work in the public right of way will consist of the construction of the Potomac River Tunnel, a 23,000-foot-long gravity tunnel that will connect and consolidate six of Georgetown’s combined sewer overflow outfalls along the Georgetown Waterfront to the Blue Plains Tunnel in Anacostia. The new tunnel, along with the implementation of the Green Infrastructure initiatives, such as downspouts diverted to rain barrels, is a response to public comments. The original plan had a 4,500-foot-long tunnel, but required the highly disruptive construction of a pumping station to empty the tunnel, as well as additional capacity to the tunnel dewatering station. The simpler gravity-fed tunnel will run along the Potomac River, eliminate the need for a new tunnel dewatering pumping station and offer greater reliability, according to DC Water’s Long Term Control Plan Modification for Green Infrastructure.

The document notes that the combined sewer is an antiquated system that carries both sewage and storm runoff to a treatment plant to remove pollutants before being discharged into the Potomac. During periods of heavy rain, when the capacity of the combined sewer is exceeded, the overflow, which includes untreated sewage, is discharged directly into the Anacostia and Potomac rivers. Modern sewer systems separate sewage from rainwater. No combined sewers have been built in the District since 1900.

According to an email from Bezak, “Implementation [of the Green Infrastructure] may have impacts such as dust, noise, temporary closure of streets and alleys and temporary parking restrictions. DC Water will work closely with the community to minimize the impacts of construction,” similar to road construction projects. “DC Water is currently developing the proposed locations and types of GI [green infrastructure] for implementation. Once developed, DC Water will continue to seek public feedback. Following this process, a phased construction plan will be developed to determine which areas will be constructed first within the construction timeline.”

Jeff Jones, a member of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission, says that ANC2E is trying to collect more information, to find out what requirements and stipulations will go into agreeing to the program. “We want to make sure that residents understand what they are getting into,” he said.

DC Water will pay for the rain barrels, disconnection of the downspouts from the sewer and reconnection to the rain barrels, said Bezak, and that property owners will be responsible for maintenance of the rain barrels and will be provided with information on how to do so. She added that many people use the stored water for gardening and even washing cars.

Interested property owners are invited by DC Water to contact them at cleanriversgi@dcwater.com to schedule a brief audit of their property to evaluate suitability for the rain barrels or other Green Infrastructure opportunities. Anyone with questions about the program may also contact that address.

*[Editor’s Note: There will be regular updates on this massive project. Please call The Georgetowner at 202-338-4833 if you have concerns or questions.]*
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Chuck Baldwin • January 28, 2016

George Washington University President Steven Knapp announced Jan. 11 that the university will rescind Bill Cosby’s honorary degree conferred by the university.

Cosby was arraigned in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30 and charged with aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony, for allegedly drugging a woman until she could not move before sexually abusing her in his home in 2004. It is the first known arrest related to the more than 40 accusations of sexual assault that have been publically levied against the comedian in recent years for alleged sexual abuse dating back to the early ’70s.

In a letter to the GW community, Knapp wrote: “Students last fall raised the question of whether, given the numerous allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby, the university should rescind the honorary doctoral degree it conferred on Mr. Cosby in 1997. Last October, we issued a statement indicating that honorary degrees were conferred at a moment in time, based upon what was known about the candidate at that time, and it had never been the university’s practice to rescind a degree in response to later information. Since then, however, I have continued to discuss this issue with students as well as colleagues. What has particularly moved and impressed me has been the argument that, whatever may ultimately be determined about the guilt or innocence of Mr. Cosby in a court of law, the controversy itself has become a cause of renewed distress for our students and alumni who are survivors of sexual assault. That makes this case different, in my considered judgment, from other cases in which the assessment of a degree candidate might be altered by subsequent information or events. I have therefore decided that the university will rescind Mr. Cosby’s honorary degree.”

Chuck Baldwin • November 5, 2015

The first Saturday in November means the Montpelier Hunt Races are running — as they have for the last 86 years. Set in the Piedmont foothills at the home of James and Dolley Madison, race day draws visitors from Washington, Richmond and all over Virginia for traditional hunt-country festivities.

With the first post time 12:30 p.m., seven races are run: two on the flat and five over fences. Most of the races are more than two miles long and offer exhilarating views of equestrian action.

Besides the main draw, other activities entice on race day — and not just for the well-dressed grown-ups in attendance. There will be Jack Russell Terrier Races near the flat track at 10:30 and Stick Horse Races for children ages 2 to 11. The children’s races will take place on the course in front of the race tower, but kids must enter at the Montpelier Tent by 11:15.

The Tailgate Contest is also quite popular, with lots of prizes handed out. Judge and jury is Jerome Thalwitz, owner of the Bavarian Chef, a highly regarded German restaurant in business since 1974 on Route 29 north of Charlottesville. He’s looking for best use of a theme, best presentation, best taste and most fun. The contest is free, but let the office know in advance of race day. Chef Thalwitz will need to know where your spot is located so he can find and judge you, starting about 11 a.m. Bear in mind that no grills or open fires are allowed.

One of the most entertaining non-horse-related events is the Hat Contest, for which the criteria are elegance and best race theme. There is a prize for groups, so put your heads together and cap them. Also on the racecourse in front of the tower, this contest occurs right after the finish of the second race.

The sixth race is the premier race: a steeplechase run over Montpelier’s live brush fences. The seventh and last post time is 4:30.

Vendor’s Row offers unique shopping opportunities, perfect for the holidays. Race-day souvenirs and merchandise are available at the Montpelier Museum Shop tent.

The Montpelier estate, the lifelong home of our fourth president and first first lady — Dolley Madison is credited with defining the role — will be open at reduced rates for visitors who wish to experience the mansion, the other historic structures and archaeological sites, special exhibits and the gardens and forest trails on the grounds.

William DuPont purchased the Montpelier Estate in 1901 and made substantial changes, enlarging the house, renovating the gardens and adding additional outbuildings and stables. His daughter, Marion DuPont Scott, a fine horsewoman, inherited the property and turned it into a top thoroughbred breeding and racing facility. She opened the Montpelier Races to the public in 1929.

The Montpelier Hunt Races will take place Nov. 7 at 11407 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, Virginia. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Tickets at the gate are $20 and parking is $30. Tickets bought in advance start at $15, with $20 parking. To register for the Tailgate Contest, call 540-672-0014 or email info@montpelierraces.org. For more information and advance tickets, visit montpelierraces.org.

Chuck Baldwin • October 26, 2015

Georgetown resident Charlie Rose was awarded the Fourth Estate award for excellence in journalism by the National Press Club last week. As a young newsman in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rose lived in Woodley Park in a home that previously housed Tom Brokaw. Rose passed the abode on to Tim Russert when he moved to Georgetown in the late 1990s. He has lived here ever since. He lives near the corner of 33rd and Volta Streets NW and can be found walking his beloved dog Barclay nearby.

Lower on the journalistic totem pole but a Georgetown resident nonetheless, Luke Russert, Tim’s son, recently moved to the 3600 block of Prospect Street. He’s frequently spotted hopping around Georgetown, attending events at the George Town Club and grabbing drinks at Smith Point. Georgetowners may remember a 2010 incident when Russert walked a date from his car to her doorstep only to find a thief zooming away in the driver seat with his keys, which he had left in the ignition. Russert reports on national politics for MSNBC and was recently added to the lineup of “Meet the Press,” the show his father hosted before his death in 2008.

Political operative and Georgetowner Pat Griffin never worked as a journalist, but you’ll learn something interesting from every story he tells. Griffin is most well known for his political work in the Senate, the Clinton White House and, later on, as a lobbyist. He also teaches a number of classes at American University. But friends, colleagues and neighbors know him best for his stories. Whether it’s a story about witnessing initial flirtations between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky during the 1995-96 government shutdowns, his work as a New York City cab driver or the Goodfellas-inspiring Queens neighborhood where he grew up, Griffin always has something interesting to say and some piece of wisdom to impart to his listeners. He and his wife live on Water Street across from the Georgetown Waterfront Park. On a nice night, they can be found picnicking in the park at sunset.

Chuck Baldwin • October 18, 2015

The tennis courts at the Rose Parks Recreation Center will be dedicated as the Margaret Peters and Roumania Peters Walker Rose Park Tennis Courts on Oct. 24. “Pete” and “Repeat,” as the African American sisters were nicknamed, respectively, were trailblazers for black women in professional tennis, having won a record 14 American Tennis Association doubles championships from the 1930s to the 1950s. Roumania won two singles titles as well, including one against legendary Althea Gibson in 1946, the only black woman to beat her in a major tournament.

The Peters sisters grew up in Georgetown around the corner from the courts and played their growing up. They played together at Tuskegee University and both earned master’s degrees from New York University. They both taught in D.C. public schools and Roumania also taught at Howard University.

Chuck Baldwin • October 15, 2015

Head to Rock Creek Nature Center on Sunday to celebrate Rock Creek Park’s 125th anniversary. The free event includes guided hikes (check the schedule for starting points), programs about the park in the auditorium and half-hour outdoor-skill classes hosted by REI.

There will open-air programs with nature-poetry readings and water-wise gardening; activities including a rock-climbing wall, arts and crafts, pony rides, roller-skating lessons, a golf clinic, gardening tips and mushroom identification; and booths from partners such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington Area Biking Association, the NPS Bee-You-Tee-Full Pollinators and the Rock Creek Conservancy.

Visit the National Park Service website for more information, including the schedule of events, which run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5200 Glover Road NW.

Chuck Baldwin •

Georgetowner Andrew Kohut, co-founder and first president of the organization that would become the Pew Research Center — arguably the most accurate and unbiased polling company — died Sept. 8 following a long battle with leukemia. He was 73.

Known by his peers as uncommonly nonpartisan in the methods he used to accurately poll the public, he never belittled the opinions of his subjects. Not content with “liberal,” “conservative” and “independent,” he developed an evolving categorical system of up to 12 types of voters, based in part on how they acquire the information that informs their opinions, which he called “political typography.”

Donations in Kohut’s memory should be directed (with a notation specifying that they are made in his memory) to Friends of Rose Park, 1404 27th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007.

Chuck Baldwin • September 18, 2015

With the District’s homicide rate now hitting 105, last year’s total for the year, the DC Police Union held a confidential vote asking members whether they had confidence in D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier to manage the resources of the police department and keep residents safe — and 1,122 voted “no.” Only 28 voted “yes.”

At least 10 shootings occurred in the past week with two resulting in deaths, despite Lanier’s All Hands on Deck initiative in which all available officers are on the streets for 48 hours. One victim, 13-year-old Taije Chambliss, was wounded while walking home from the library at 6:45 p.m. when she was hit by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting near Eastern Market in Southwest D.C.

According to union sources, the lack of information provided by informants, which the union says are a result of Lanier’s policies moving all of D.C.’s drug and vice investigations into a single centralized narcotics unit and eliminating plain-clothes vice officers, as the root of the surge in crime. Resignations by disgruntled officers, along with retirements, have also created staff shortages that add to the force’s inability to control gun violence.

Mayor Muriel Bowser continues to back Lanier. “After 25 years of policing these streets, deploying officers and strategies, building a force of highly qualified officers and police leaders, in the good times and the tough times, too, I have every confidence in Chief Lanier,” she said in a statement released by her office.

Chuck Baldwin • September 17, 2015

Under the gun for security lapses, the Secret Service is hiring, big time. Over the next five years, the agency will add 700 officers to the uniformed division and 400 agents. At 17 percent, it is the largest increase in more than 10 years, as the agency tries to repair its reputation following numerous highly visible scandals.

After moving from the Treasury Department to the Department of Homeland Security, the agency’s annual funding fell from its previous pace, and hiring slowed. The 2016 budget, with a 16 percent increase — the largest since joining Homeland Security — appears to be a response to the notoriety.

According to a statement by Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary, “This hiring campaign is the result of attrition, anticipated growth and in response to recommendations set forth by the Protective Mission Panel in December 2014,” which occurred after a man entered the White House after jumping a fence.