the Georgetowner Editorial Board • 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..

the Georgetowner Editorial Board •

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"]

the Georgetowner Editorial Board •

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.

the Georgetowner Editorial Board •

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.

the Georgetowner Editorial Board •

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"]