Election Day Is at Hand. Are We Ready?
• November 7, 2014

The District of Columbia is about to elect its seventh mayor in the era of the Home Run Act, which is celebrating its 40th year.

For those who live on the west side of Georgetown and usually vote at Duke Ellington High School, be aware that — because of construction at Ellington — the polling place on Nov. 4 has moved to the Georgetown Public Library at 3260 R St., NW. Those on the east side of Georgetown will vote at their usual spot: Christ Church at 31st and O Streets, NW.

While there are races for D.C. Delegate, Attorney General and District Council, the big one is the mayoral campaign. Be aware that The Georgetowner has endorsed the Democratic candidate Muriel Bowser.
See the following profiles of the three major candidates by political observer and writer Gary Tischler.

Carol Schwartz

Muriel Bowser

David Catania

Sewerage Overflow Spills Into C&O Canal
• October 28, 2014

Last week’s torrential rainstorm caused untreated sewerage to flow into the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, according to the National Park Service. The wastewater also flowed into the canal in Georgetown, prompting NPS to caution people not to fish in the canal and to sanitize any items that were in the water below Lock 6 until the end of Sunday. NPS said that the overflow amounted to 5 million gallons.

The canal’s towpath remains open.

Other spillage from the storm also caused the Capital Crescent Trail between Fletcher’s Cove and Water Street (K Street) to be closed. The trail will be closed for several weeks, according to WJLA.

BID’s Bistro Chair and Canal Mural Projects Begin
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The Georgetown Business Improvement District has placed about 50 chairs around town for residents, workers and visitors in a pilot program “for pedestrian respite.” Chairs are near the C&O Canal, at Washington Harbour, near Dean and Deluca and on Book Hill.

BID also begins its Georgetown Gongoozlers mural project (a “gongoozler” is an idler who stares at length at activity on a canal) Friday, Aug. 1. Artist Nena Depaz, the first of four local artists commissioned to produce a mural, will install a mixed-media work on construction barricades, covering the main entrance of the closed Latham Hotel at 3000 M St., NW.

According to the BID, “For the Bistro Chair pilot project, the BID team placed more than 50 BID-branded bistro chairs throughout the commercial district to provide opportunities for pedestrian respite. Beginning Friday, Aug. 1 and ending Jan. 5, 2015, four local artists will activate the former Latham Hotel façade with original art installations inspired by the nearby C&O Canal as part of the Georgetown Gongoozlers project.”

BID said that it “commissioned the temporary, rotating artworks to improve the streetscape during construction, discourage illegal graffiti, and to help support community efforts to maintain and interpret the section of the C&O Canal that is adjacent to the hotel.”

Here are more details from the Georgetown BID offices:

For the Bistro Chair pilot project, about 50 blue and gray chairs were imprinted with #GeorgetownDC on the seat to encourage visitors to “claim their seat” and share their Georgetown experience by tagging Instagram and Twitter photos. BID says that it plans to increase the number of chairs throughout Georgetown over the coming months.

The Georgetown Gongoozlers mural project celebrates the history and natural beauty of the C&O Canal. The murals will be exhibited sequentially on the façade between August and January (Nena Depaz, Aug. 1 to Sept. 4; Georgetown resident Sidney Lawrence, Sept. 5 to Oct. 15; Kelly Towles, Oct. 16 to Nov. 13; Ekaterina Krupko, Nov. 14 to Jan. 5). Each installation will later be auctioned to support historical interpretation efforts on the C&O Canal, including the construction of a new canal boat.

The public is encouraged to tag their best shot of Georgetown’s C&O Canal on Twitter or Instagram now through January 5 using #GeorgetownDC for a chance to win one of several prize packs. Prizes will include tickets to signature Georgetown events, including Taste of Georgetown Sept. 13, FAD (Fashion Art Design) Oct. 17 to 19, gifts from local merchants and more.

Both initiatives further action items found in Georgetown 2028, the BID’s 15-year action plan for the neighborhood. In order to establish Georgetown as friendlier pedestrian environment, and to encourage discovery, the plan includes the addition of temporary parklets, temporary sidewalk widening programs, increased programming south of M Street and a major renewal project to restore the canal and its boat.

Visit the Bistro Chair pilot program page on the BID’s website here; visit the Georgetown Gongoozlers project page here.

Friends of Volta Park Cheer $200K From City for New Playground
• October 27, 2014

The Friends of Volta Park gathered June 8 for its 14th annual cocktail party and silent auction at Georgetown Visitation Prep, one block from the D.C. public park. The group — founded by John Richardson in 1995 and headed by Mimsy Lindner — rescued Volta Park from a closed pool and overgrown plants, maintains the landscape and is a strong advocate for this green place in the middle of town. Mayor Vincent Gray said at the party that the park with its playground, tennis courts, pool, baseball field, used by many Georgetown families, is an example of how a public-private partnership should work. Gray was also happy to announce that Volta Park would be receiving $200,000 for playground upgrades as part of the fiscal 2013 budget that includes $9.7 million for park improvements throughout the city. The well-arranged auction added money to the effort, of course, but the party (with food and beverages from 1789 Restaurant) still stole the show. It was a relaxed, noisy mix of neighbors, public servants and business leaders who lingered in the hallway and rooms, glad to see each other. [gallery ids="100845,126529,126523,126516" nav="thumbs"]

Night Nouveau Transforms Halcyon House With Surrealism
• October 24, 2014

The second incarnation of Night Nouveau – “Not for the Quaint of Heart” – sought to evoke a surrealistic response from its attendees on Oct. 11. Many were up to the challenge, as they met a maze with mimes in the backyard of Halcyon House which led to the downstairs for the ballroom. The back driveway featured a projection of a fish tank, and guests and performance artists danced in the ballroom to the spins of DJ Dirty Hands. Daikaya and Sushiko provided savories with dessert from Dolci Gelati, Georgetown Cupcake and Peruvian Brothers; the after party was at Malmaison. All the fun and whimsy benefitted the S&R Foundation. [gallery ids="101895,136694,136689,136708,136712,136700,136705" nav="thumbs"]

Corcoran Alumni Hold ‘Funeral’ for Shattered Gallery
• October 23, 2014

The Corcoran Gallery of Art died this weekend at the age of 145. Founded in 1869 by Georgetowner William Wilson Corcoran, the gallery was one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Through bad business decisions, the institution could not sustain itself and was divided between the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. The gallery’s last day was Sept. 28.

“We are all art widows now,” said Corcoran curator emerita Linda Crocker Simmons, an organizer of the requiem for the gallery.

Former staffers of the gallery — many dressed in Victorian funereal garb — met Sept. 27 to hold a mock memorial service at the Flagg Building on 17th Street and to celebrate what was once a vibrant beacon of the visual arts, especially American, and then proceeded to Oak Hill Cemetery on R Street in Georgetown, where Corcoran was buried in 1888.

As they reunited with old friends, mourners walked through the museum and were read a honor roll of names of those involved with the Corcoran. With names of artists and of those at the gallery, the service began to evoke a personal feeling — and also showed how those works of art in the room with Peale’s “George Washington” and Bierstadt’s “The Last of the Buffalo” shall no longer be together as once they were. The Flagg Building will be renovated. The tears of former Corcoran staffers were real.

A white funeral wreath — reading, “Rest in Peace, Corcoran Gallery of Art” — greeted visitors walking up the steps with the Canova Lions sculptures on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon.

“We are left with a gorgeous building, but it is now no longer the Corcoran, but a cenotaph, a memorial to something that is not there, an empty tomb,” said former Corcoran director Michael Botwinick in statement, read by Carolyn Campbell, one of the funeral’s organizers and a former public relations head for the Corcoran.

As Botwinick praised the art collection, the artists and students and those who worked at the Corcoran, he observed: “If there is one thing that surprised me in the last two years, it has been the deafening silence. Except for that circle that rallied to help people understand what was at stake, the voices of the larger community of patrons, colleagues, politicians and community leaders have been absent from the conversation. And that silence has now rendered this building mute.”

After taking in the grand hall and rooms one last time, mourners left for their cars to follow the hearse in a funeral procession to Oak Hill Cemetery, where that white wreath was carried in a procession and placed in front of Corcoran’s mausoleum. There was another chance for staffers to reminisce, as they stood for a time in the sunny peace of the Victorian cemetery.

Storytellers recalled the time Robert Mapplethorpe was smoking a joint in the downstairs gallery featuring his first museum exhibition while his friend’s photo collection was on view in the upper five galleries — and then there was the book signing where Andy Warhol used lipstick to kiss each book with an impression of his lips. He had to leave to catch a plane and told a disappointed staffer on the end of the line to use his lipstick and kiss the book herself.

On the hillside, bagpiper Tim Carey played “Going Home” by Dvorak, and those remaining left for the Jackson Art Center, one block away on R Street. The center with working artists had prepared afternoon refreshments, and it seemed a most apropos ending to the day.

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Georgetowner Celebrates Its 60th at Capella Rooftop
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The Georgetowner Newspaper, which made its debut on Oct. 7, 1954, threw a 60th anniversary party Oct. 8 on the the rooftop lounge of the Capella Hotel on 31st Street.

Along with its 60th birthday, the newspaper celebrated its “Cover Girls and Boys,” who have been on the front page of the community newspaper over the past 10 years.

Along with the hotel’s prepared food, party-goers got a chance to sample cocktails, made from Clement Rhum Vieux Agricole Select Barrel or Clement Premiere Canne Rhum, which salute The Georgetowner’s two former publishers, Ami Stewart and David Roffman: Ami’s Agricole Martini and the Roffman. The unique drinks were created by the one of Capella’s and the city’s favorite bartender, Angel Cervantes, and the specialty liquor was provided by Nikolai Konicki.

Publisher Sonya Bernhardt said she and her staff were proud to Georgetown and Washington, D.C., and hoped for another 60 years. She thanked the guests, adding a special shout-out to advertisers, sponsors and the Capella.

Please check out this week’s very special Georgetowner Newspaper: the anniversary issue includes memories, photos and pages from the past. Also see “The Georgetowner: 60 Years in Print” poster pullout in the issue. [gallery ids="101881,136868,136862,136858,136854,136849,136846,136841,136837,136832,136829,136824,136821,136817,136813,136866" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetown Rabbi Barry Freundel Charged with Voyeurism
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UPDATED 12:15 p.m., Oct. 22.

Rabbi Barry Freundel of Kesher Israel Congregation was arrested at his O Street home in the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 14 and charged with six charges of misdemeanor voyeurism by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Prosecutors say that video retrieved from Freundel’s computer and hard drive substantiates the voyeurism allegations.

According to prosecutors, Freundel used a camera hidden in a clock radio he placed in the women’s bathroom near the synagogue’s mikvah – an Orthodox-required ritual bath used for conversion – to spy on female congregants bathing themselves. Victim Leah Sugarman of Silver Spring told the Washington Post that Freundel, who acted as a rabbi-guide for her conversion, pressured her to bath more frequently in the mikvah to speed up the process. Other young female converts complained to Kesher’s leadership that Freundel was commenting on their looks in an inappropriate way.

Kesher Israel’s board of directors, which immediately suspended Freundel, issued this statement: “This is a painful moment for Kesher Israel Congregation and the entire Jewish community . . . Upon receiving information regarding potentially inappropriate activity, the board of directors quickly alerted the appropriate officials. Throughout the investigation, we cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so.” The synagogue removed information about its rabbi soon after Freundel’s arrest.

On Oct. 20, the Rabbinical Council of America said it had received similar complaints, and some that were more salacious (one detailed that Freundel co-signed a checking account with a woman who was not his wife), that went back to 2012. He was involved in the council, leading its group on protocol for conversions. While the council reprimanded him, he was not removed from the position and “made assurances these behaviors would discontinue.”

Freundel was the leader of Kesher Israel, a modern Orthodox synagogue, at 2801 N St. NW, five blocks from his home. Since 1987, Freundel has been with the synagogue, which counts among its members former Sen. Joe Lieberman and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

Neighbors of Freundel on O Street like Carol Joynt reported on social media that the arrest took place. “Interesting goings on across the street,” wrote Joynt. “Neighbor hauled off in cuffs. Detectives swarming, hauling out hard drives. Police cars here and there. Ah, Georgetown.”

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Beloved Duke Ellington Principal Dies of Heart Attack
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The principal of Duke Ellington School for the Arts — Father John Payne — died suddenly Oct. 9, and a school community is in mourning.

Payne had a cardiac arrest at the school, which is temporarily located at Eugene Meyer Elementary School on 11th Street, NW, while the main Duke Ellington School building on 35th Street, NW, is undergoing major renovation and modernization. He later died at the hospital.

Payne was involved with Duke Ellington School since 1995. He became Dean of Students in 2000 and then was the school’s facilities manager and Director of Student Affairs. Payne has worked on many of the school’s renovations.

In August, Payne was named Head of School, succeeding Rory Pullens.

“Today, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of our friend and colleague Father John Payne,” said District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson in a DCPS statement. “During his decades of service at Duke Ellington, Father Payne helped thousands of students achieve their dreams. Whether you knew Father Payne for years, or for only a few minutes, you instantly felt his passion and commitment as a champion of the arts and education. Father Payne insisted upon excellence for his students and was a stalwart believer in possibility and tradition. He had an abundance of faith in his students, showed them love every single day, and set an example that created a welcoming and thriving school community. While we grieve this tragic loss, we send our prayers, our thoughts and our condolences to his family.”

“Everyone who knew Father Payne regarded him with the utmost respect,” wrote board president Charles Barber on the school’s website. “He was a brilliant, loving and courageous man who had a passion for helping children. He dedicated his life to the students of Ellington for 20 years.”

Payne arrived at Ellington after serving as Associate Pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Church. He was an Augustinian Friar and a native Washingtonian.
There were grief counseling session yesterday and today at the Meyer School at 2501 11th St. NW. Duke Ellington School also holds classes at Garnet-Patterson Middle School, 2001 10th St., NW. Memorial services are pending.

Crime & Safety Report
• October 13, 2014

Overview: Nine people were shot over the Oct. 4 weekend in and around Washington, D.C., including an eight-year-old boy who continues to fight for his life, WJLA reported.

A bicyclist was hit by a car Oct. 4 in the intersection of 34th and N Streets, NW. The Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene; the cyclist was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Assault with a knife: Sept. 25, 10:25 p.m., 1800 block of Wisconsin Avenue, NW.

Burglary: approximately 8:30 p.m., Sept. 23, 3600 block of O Street, NW; 5:15 p.m., Sept. 25, 1400 block of 31st Street, NW.

Car theft: 10:54 p.m., Sept. 27, Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street, NW; 9:45 p.m., Sept. 26, 31st and K Streets, NW; 6:38 p.m., Sept. 26, 3300 block of Dent Place, NW; 2:16 p.m., Sept. 22, 3300 block of Volta Place, NW.
(Crime details from reports by the Metropolitan Police Department, Second District.)