Mt. Zion Cemetery Resurrection
• March 26, 2015

Last issue’s cover story about the desecration of Georgetown’s Mt. Zion Cemetery, near the corner of Q and 27th Streets, hit a collective nerve. Many readers sent in letters offering their thoughts.

There was a common theme to all who reached out to us: something needs to be done now and they want to help do it.

Many were shocked that the remains of as many as 4,000 slaves are buried in unmarked mass graves in the small burial ground. They were greatly concerned that so little has so far been done to bring honor to the African American dead who lived, suffered and died as property of their white masters.

As a slight correction to what we wrote in the article, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (not the Historic Preservation Office) has pledged to match Mt. Zion’s $5,000 contribution, bringing a total of $10,000 to the restoration process. While that is a wonderful start, those funds won’t go far. Much more money and loving attention will be needed to bring the site to a condition that the community can be proud of.

Time is an unceasing tyrant. The burial ground is sliding into further decay and what few remnants of the past are still visible will likely be unsalvageable before too many more winters pass.

The will to change is clear. Now a commitment to follow through is crucial for real change to happen. The community as a whole needs to take advantage of the present spirit and not allow these first efforts to become bogged down.

The memory of these Georgetown citizens has been done a great disservice. The dead should be honored, their lives be remembered and the disgrace of their servitude serve as a lesson in history. In the words of Abraham Lincoln: “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds.”

The Dumbarton House Headquarters and Museum has reached out and offered to become a point of contact for these efforts and spearhead the movement with staff for clean up of the property, a location for preservation meetings, fundraising opportunities and historical research. You can contact Karen Daly at karendaly@dumbartonhouse.org to get involved.

Forums to Prioritize Mayor’s Budget
• March 11, 2015

Back in the waning days of January, Mayor Muriel Bowser – after having to deal somewhat shakily with the aftermath of a L’Enfant Plaza Metro blaze that resulted in injuries and a fatality and revealed glaring communication problems between Metro and first-responders – proclaimed the following month Fresh Start February.

This might have been decided on one of those days when the sun came out and there weren’t constant dire predictions from the various local storm centers. Whether or not there was a meteorological (or astrological) trigger, the mayor announced that she and staff members would attend at least 30 events throughout the District over the course of the month. These included a successful open house and three Budget Engagement Forums, the first of which was held Feb. 19 at Woodrow Wilson High School. The scheduled Feb. 21 forum at Anacostia High School was moved to Feb. 28 due to the weather. Another meeting was held at Dunbar High School earlier this week.

The Wilson High School event was packed in spite of bitter cold, according to attendees, which says something about residents’ budget concerns. The meetings were intended to gather community input on priorities, with the comments aggregated by budget planners as part of the budgetary decision process. They seemed to be a small-scale version of the citywide community town halls initiated by Mayor Anthony Williams during his tenure.

On the face of things, the forums are a laudatory idea, though they have yet to reveal what’s really on the mayor’s mind when it comes to the budget or, for that matter, her ability to make tough calls on budget matters and on other nagging, won’t-go-away issues (such as affordable housing and homelessness, the continuing safety problems with Metro and the stop-and-go status of streetcars).

One of the decisions she did make – to drop plans to turn the former Franklin School into a contemporary art museum – has been met with anger from many cultural leaders.

We look forward to the results of the community budget meetings and applaud the effort. However, so far, the process seems to be presenting another face and version of Bowser the candidate. She’s handled weather, school closings and snow removal issues well, but when it comes to making other decisions, Mayor Bowser can stop running for the job. She already has it.

Panel Created to Celebrate Rock Creek Park’s 125th
• February 19, 2015

“Find Yourself in Rock Creek Park” is the new theme of Washington’s urban park, founded in September 1890. To help celebrate Rock Creek Park’s 125th birthday, a green-ribbon, 22-member panel of advisors has been formed, coordinated by Rock Creek Conservancy. On the panel are representatives of environmental organizations, such as Audubon Naturalist Society, Casey Trees and the Dumbarton Oaks Parks Conservancy; Tommy Wells of the D.C. Department of the Environment; and local politicians Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.

Rock Creek Park is one of the largest urban forested areas in the world, twice the size of New York’s Central Park and the third oldest national park. Rock Creek itself runs 33 miles from Laytonville, Md., to Georgetown, D.C., and the Potomac River. Information on upcoming events will be available at RockCreekPark125.org, soon to go live. There is a mobile app, too.

2015 Challenges for Mayor Bowser
• January 29, 2015

There’s a lot on the plate for new District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, who outlined some of her plans in a general way at her inauguration earlier this year.

One of he more optimistic expectations was “winning the Olympics in Washington DC  in 2024.” She won’t have to worry about or look forward to that one.  The U.S. Olympic Committee chose Boston to represent the United States as a possible host city.
That being said, Bowser has to grapple with the states of the city, which she accurately described as “both rich with prosperity and rife with inequality.”

She’ll have to deal with the dichotomy—how to spread the prosperity all over the city in terms of well-paying jobs, further improved schools,  affordable housing, protecting and improving the plight of the homeless.

Conversely, while the city is considered prosperous, not to mention hip, cool, and a destination place for not only new residents but visitors, it does have a budget deficit of around $200 million, a matter that will have to be resolved before it’s brought before a strongly GOP controlled  Congress  that’s not apt to be all that sympathetic to the city’s problems, and may not resist the temptation to fiddle with city legislation, even if passed by the council and approved by the mayor.  It’s happened before and there’s no reason to think it won’t again.

That’s why Bowser, who is personally popular, is already promising to work on the District’s relationship with Congress, alongside Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s only member of the House of Representative, albeit a non-voting one.
Getting further development into the city is one priority, especially in Ward 8 and Ward 7, both of which suffer from high unemployment.

She still seems, as do residents, lukewarm about the proposed focus on getting streetcars going in the District. So far, the existing project is behind schedule, and has proven unreliable in some ways in test runs, filled with accidents and delays.  Bowser has called Metro the fulcrum of any transportation plan, with a focus on buses.

Transportation is a challenge for a changing city—with an influx of over a thousand residents per month, it’s key to have a coordinated transportation plan to deal with the newcomers, and the resultant lack of parking, increased traffic density (in spite of a marked increase in bicycle use.

While crime statistics have improved under Police Chief Cathy Lanier, recent weeks have shown a marked increase in violence and homicide in the city. The murder rate for 2014 surpassed 2013. 

While every politician who’s run for something or is planning talks about affordable housing,  no one has yet to proffer a true definition of what that means.  Middle class residents are struggling to meet mortgages, or rent prices, while renting stock is becoming increasingly out of the reach of people who don’t make a six-figure salary, or are in the lower double digits in terms of income.

Bowser will also be dealing with a District Council that is headed by  veteran liberal Phil Mendelson, and is packed with a majority of members who have served only five years or less, with two seats still open for special elections this year.
Bowser has already shown that she’s a quick study in the arena of city-wide electoral politics.  School is, of course, out on her cabinet choices, who should be given a chance to show their stuff..

Ellington School Construction Over Budget
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The $139-million Duke Ellington School for the Arts Modernization Project is running over budget, according to the Department of General Services, and may also miss its deadline: the start of the historic high school’s 2016-17 academic year.

Ellington students have moved to Eugene Meyer Elementary School on 11th Street NW.

The construction will expand the 1898 school building at 3500 R St. NW – originally known as Western High School – to 294,900 square feet. The plans include a new atrium, an 850-seat theater and a classroom and limited-use space on the roof.

The school’s main portico will be preserved. Plans for exterior changes to the school still face scrutiny by the Historic Preservation Review Board.

The formal groundbreaking for the modernization project, by then mayor Vincent Gray, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, other local politicians and school officials, took place Dec. 19. [gallery ids="101967,135687" nav="thumbs"]

May Start for 2-Year, $21-Million Key Bridge Rehab
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A two-year rehabilitation of Key Bridge is set to begin in May, the D.C. Department of Transportation announced. Corrosive deterioration of the underside of the concrete deck has prompted this round of repairs to the oldest existing bridge across the Potomac River.

Most of the work will occur under the bridge. Other improvements include: new streetlights, strengthened guardrails and painting. According to DDOT, drivers should expect non-rush hour, single-lane closures and pedestrians should expect temporary sidewalk closings. The federal government will pay 90 percent of the cost.

The arched structure is termed “structurally deficient” and has been the backdrop for two speeches by President Barack Obama on the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. It is named for Georgetowner Francis Scott Key, who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” and whose home, now demolished, was on M Street.

Tudor Place’s Buhler to Retire
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Leslie Buhler has announced she will retire at the end of June after 15 years as executive director of Tudor Place.

Since 2000, Buhler has overseen an expansion and updating of the museum’s educational programs, bringing more visitors to Tudor Place from around the District and the suburbs. While mindful of the need for historic preservation, she has directed archaeological investigation on the property and made the house and lawn available for selected events. She also coordinated a master plan.

“I’ve experienced great professional and personal satisfaction in advancing one of the greatest house museums in the nation’s capital, bringing attention to the extraordinary collection and archive it holds, and engaging the public with wonderful historic and cultural resources unique to Tudor Place,” Buhler said.

A national historic landmark on five-and-a-half acres, on Q Street between 31st and 32nd Streets, Tudor Place was completed in 1816 by Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Custis Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington. It is noted for its architecture, garden and historic collections, including more than 200 items owned by Martha and George Washington. The estate had only been open to the public for 12 years when Buhler became executive editor.

What’s the Matter With WMATA?
•

Time and time again, Metrorail – once a state-of-the-art transit system – has failed the city and its commuters. In June 2009, a Red Line collision during the afternoon rush killed nine people and injured 80, with some survivors trapped for hours in damaged cars. Two weeks ago, on Jan. 12, a woman was killed and 84 people were injured when smoke filled the L’Enfant Plaza station.

Then, on Jan. 20, there were reports of smoke in both the Rosslyn and Union Station Metro stations. What caused the smoke? Burning rubber from a train’s brakes. This should be no surprise to anyone who rides Metro in the warmer months, when it is rare for stations not to reek of burning rubber.

Other deficiencies abound, such as Metro’s constantly broken escalators (also known, when running, to injure riders by throwing them down), extended wait times (looking at you, Red Line), inexplicable service outages at certain stations (if yours, you know the ones) and deteriorating orange fabric floor covering in the cars (the often disgusting antithesis of a red carpet).
Metro service is so notoriously bad that there’s a Twitter account (@unsuckdcmetro) committed to documenting its flaws. The account churns out hundreds of tweets a week, with its 28,400 followers chiming in to report stories about bad personal experiences, sometimes with photo and video proof.

In the wake of the recent incidents, the agency in charge of Metrorail, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), is proposing to – what else? – raise fares and reduce service.
This proposal is a slap in the face, not only for regular Metro riders but for all Washington residents. A Metrorail ride can cost up to $6.90, an absurdly high price for the subpar service the system provides. (For comparison, a ride on the far more extensive New York City subway costs a flat $2.50).

If our metropolitan area hopes to continue to attract millennials, and the tax money and urban revitalization that come with them, Metrorail needs to be turned around. The bodies in charge – the governments of D.C., Maryland and Virginia, in addition to Congress – should use the Jan. 12 tragedy to spur large-scale improvements in the system. These may well require not only better management and funding, but a complete reorganization of this unresponsive agency.

Dumb Moves on Dumbarton
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Major non-approved changes, including the stuccoing of exterior brick walls and removal of multi-paned windows, that were recently made to a historic 1898 colonial revival home once owned by Secretary of State John Dulles are quickly garnering the indignation and wrath of many in the Georgetown community for what seems to be a violation of the law, not to mention good taste. Tom Luebke, Secretary to U.S. Commission on Fine Arts and head of the Old Georgetown Board, a governmental body charged with reviewing all exterior alterations in the federal historic district, called the homeowner’s failure to obtain permits is one of the most egregious violations of process his organization has seen in a long time.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown’s president Pamla Moore echoed those concerns and expressed hope for a reversal of the changes stating, “CAG is very keen on the District government moving to enforce the laws regarding this unpermitted work in our historic district.” Councilmen Jack Evans when speaking of the house states, “Historic preservation is important to all of us in Georgetown. Frankly, I think the homeowner should take down the stucco and the additions and work through the ANC and Old Georgetown Board to make sure any changes are in keeping with the historic character of the neighborhood.” The home is located at 3107 Dumbarton St. NW.

It’s a Snow Day, Not Judgment Day
•

Every winter, with the prospect of imminent snow – not to mention wind, cold and ice – people who go to school, run our schools and work in our schools go a little crazy.

Gone are the days when hardy kids (according to our grandparents in Idaho) walked at least five miles to school carrying their books and homework across the tundra. Nowadays, school officials avidly watch weather forecasts for the data they need to decide whether to close schools, call a two-hour delay or stay open.

As far as we can tell, it’s a crapshoot.

The last big brouhaha came several weeks ago, when local weather folks predicted the possibility of an inch of snow (maybe) or a little more at worst. We got three inches. Some schools and parents were blindsided and buses had a heck of a bad time on slippery roads. Officials who opted for their schools to open were roundly criticized and weather forecasters had egg – or snow – on their faces.

Later, when another storm was predicted, some school districts erred on the side of caution. They closed, but very little snow showed up (down?). They, too, were roundly criticized.

Weather forecasting remains an imprecise science. And on television it is as much a show as a vital source of information. Weather people on television love a certain amount of drama. They get excited about snow. It’s like a 50-car pileup for traffic reporters.

The TV talk hypes “possible” snow accumulation and plays on our memories of blizzards past, such as 2010’s Snowmageddon (or was it Snowpocalypse?).

That little note of anxiety coming from the various “Storm Centers” can panic school officials and make them jump the gun – or wait until the last minute, which means teachers have to get up early to find out if they’re going in late.

The decision to close or not to close, to open on time, late or not at all, isn’t an easy one. There’s more to it than trusting your favorite meteorologist. It’s not just about the commute to work for teachers, but also about whether it’s safe for buses on the rarely plowed back roads to get to freezing children waiting at bus stops. There are issues of black ice and extreme cold to consider.

Plus, schools are sometimes in the middle of testing periods, which are difficult to reschedule. And a heavy accumulation of snow days can lead to a backlog at the end of the school year.

But not every storm is a crisis, or a Perfect Storm. In the end, for both weather forecasters and school officials, it’s a judgment call. Let’s not make it sound so much like the Last Judgment. [gallery ids="118277,118290,118283" nav="thumbs"]