Citizens Association Honors Town’s Best; Elects New President
• June 3, 2013

The best of Georgetown was on display May 29 at Dumbarton House during the annual awards meeting and officers’ election of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. Its new president is Pamla Moore.

After departing president Jennifer Altemus welcomed the crowd, councilmember Jack Evans of Ward 2, who lives with his wife Michele and their children on P Street, presented Altemus with a proclamation from Mayor Vincent Gray, designating “May 29, 2013, as Jennifer Altemus Day.”

Evans, for his part, reminded the group that May 29 was the birthday of President John Kennedy, who lived in Georgetown in many houses through his years of public service in D.C. The presumptive mayoral candidate also launched into his “Georgetown’s Golden Age” stump speech which lauds the achievements of the neighborhood since the late 1990s and likewise touts the dynamism of D.C. as one of America’s leading cities, a true “boomtown,” cited by recent media reports.

Then, it was time for the awards during the briskly paced meeting.

The Captain Peter Belin Award was presented to Karen “Cookie” Cruse “for her expert and dedicated work in preserving the historic character of Georgetown.” Cruse said the prestigious award was “frosting on the cake” in her gratitude of the town.

The William A. Cochran Award was presented to Leslie Buhler, executive director of Tudor Place, for “exceptional efforts to protect and enhance the community’s parkland and architectural resources.” While living elsewhere, Buhler said she “loved Georgetown” best.

The Charles Atherton Award was presented to Dana Nerenberg, principal of Hyde Elementary School, for “exceptional service by a dedicated public-sector professional for outstanding work preserving and protecting historic Georgetown.” Nerenberg said that she had “the best job ever.”

The Martin-Davidson Award to the business persons who have contributed significantly to the community was presented to Clyde’s Restaurant Group’s Ginger and John Laytham. Noting Clyde’s longtime involvement in the community and its 50th anniversary in June, John Laytham said, “I hope Clyde’s is around for another 50 years.” Ginger Laytham also noted Clyde’s community efforts and thanked CAG for its leadership.

A special appreciation award was presented to Ray Danieli, now retired from Georgetown University, for his dedicated and distinguished service to the Georgetown community. Danieli said, “The city and the university now have a great relationship.”

Election of CAG officers and four directors also took place at the meeting. Here is the new line-up: Pamla Moore, president; Bob vom Eigen, vice president; Barbara Downs, secretary; Bob Laycock, treasurer; and directors: Diane Colasanto, Karen Cruse, Hazel Denton and Luca Pivato. Jennifer Altemus will remain on the board as immediate past president.

Upon her election as CAG president, Moore recalled that when asked to run she thought about it and then told the audience: “The reason I said yes was you.”
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Park Service to Discuss Boathouse Study May 22 at West End Library
• May 30, 2013

The National Park Service will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m., May 22, at the West End Public Library to discuss its Georgetown non-motorized boathouse zone feasibility study. The library is at 1101 24th St., NW, at the corner of 24th and L Streets.

The NPS study has been completed and outlines various tracts of land near Key Bridge that could accommodate a boathouse for rowing, canoeing and kayaking. It envisions three kinds of development scenarios: high density, medium density and low density.

The high-density option calls for work at land west of the Washington Canoe Club (which would be renovated and included in the land use) along with a site west of the Potomac Boat Club and the present Key Bridge Boathouse and land at 34th and K Streets. The medium-density plan calls for use of the western most shoreline in the study, as in the high density plan, not use of the Washington Canoe Club, and use of the Key Bridge Boathouse and the land at 34th and K. The low-density plan uses only the property east of Key Bridge and is included in all three plans. This site at 34th and K Street is seen as having the least impact and is expected to be primarily used by universities (Georgetown and George Washington) and high schools. It would hold a three-story building. This tract is west and adjacent to Georgetown Waterfront Park, which was completed last year.

The following are comments from the National Park Service as well as from its “Georgetown Nonmotorized Boathouse Zone Feasibility Study.”

“The feasibility study examined the potential implementation of a non-motorized boathouse zone on the shore along the District of Columbia’s side of the Potomac River waterfront in Georgetown. The NPS examined the structures and facilities related to non-motorized boat usage, including rowing, canoeing and kayaking, that can be accommodated within this zone, as well as other uses, such as cycling and passive recreation. This study will lay the groundwork for future decision-making regarding: (1) scenarios for development/improvement of NPS facilities or potential land exchanges for private development of boathouses; and (2) further planning and National Environmental Policy Act/National Historic Preservation Act compliance as necessary to implement the non-motorized boathouse zone.”

“This nonmotorized boathouse zone (NMBZ) extends from 34th Street, NW, at the western edge of Georgetown Waterfront Park to approximately a quarter mile upriver from Key Bridge in the District of Columbia. The zone encompasses both public and private lands, including portions of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal NHP) and Rock Creek Park, and several private parcels (the Potomac Boat Club, several private residences, and a small parcel accessible from the shoreline only).”

“While the public involvement effort of the feasibility study did not produce a groundswell of support for a single development vision, stakeholders were in agreement that a better-defined development program for the entire zone was desirable (in contrast to site-by-site development). Next steps in planning for the NMBZ would likely include preparation of an EIS that would further analyze the development scenarios, a revision of the Georgetown Waterfront Park Master Plan, and proposals for one or more land exchanges for boathouses.”

The deadline for public comments to the NPS is on May 24. The NPS May 22 public open house will run 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the West End Library’s large meeting room.

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Percy Plaza to Be Dedicated May 23 at Wisconsin & K
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The Senator Charles H. Percy Plaza will be dedicated 4 p.m., May 23, by the District of Columbia and the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park. At the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and K Street, Percy Plaza forms the gateway to the park, which the longtime Republican senator from Illinois and Georgetown resident helped make a reality by his leadership and commitment at a critical time in the park’s development. All are invited.

Participating in the ceremony are Council Jack Evans and Sharon Percy Rockefeller, Percy’s daughter. Also invited are Mayor Vincent Gray and District Council Chair Phil Mendelson.

The $24-million, 10-acre park, a joint project of the National Park Service, the Friends of the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the District of Columbia, opened officially on September 13, 2011, four days before Percy’s death on Sept. 17.

“No one would have loved more to be here front row and center,” said WETA president and CEO Sharon Percy Rockefeller of her 91-year-old father, Sen. Percy, during the September 2011 park dedication. “He would be thrilled to see this magnificent setting. It is his fondest and last best work.”

“The Georgetown Waterfront Park would not be here today without the commitment and support of Senator Percy and his family,” said Bob vow Eigen, president of Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park.

A plaque in Percy’s honor at the park reads, in part: “Senator Charles H. Percy was pivotal in the creation of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. Senator Percy—a Georgetown resident, lover of the waterfront, and supporter of local high school rowing—chaired the Georgetown Waterfront Park Commission that was so instrumental in the park’s creation.”

Percy was a U.S. senator from 1967 to 1985. He was a WWII veteran, a Navy ensign, and became president of Bell & Howell at the age of 29. In the Senate, he focused on legislation involving business and foreign relations. He was a moderate Republican, who found himself on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies’ list.” As a retired senator, Percy remained active and could be seen and heard at meetings around town, such as those of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.

Georgetown architect Outerbridge Horsey remembered going to see Percy downtown with the late architect Bill Cochran to ask Percy to take on the leadership role in the waterfront project. “He was very amenable and agreeable,” Horsey said. “And he wasn’t just a figurehead with a famous name. He chaired every meeting in the early years until he resigned, and he had that voice and bearing of authority which got people to work together. He was very much a good citizen and member of the Georgetown community.”

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JP’s to Uncover in June
• May 23, 2013

JP’s Night Club, the longtime strip club up at 2412 Wisconsin Ave., NW, is set to reopen in June to new clients and a new design after a January 2008 fire destroyed most of the building. The new interior will look like “more of a high-end lounge than a gentleman’s club,” JP’s managing partner Mathew told the Glover Park Gazette. “It’s well-lit. It’s not anything seedy.”

When the owner of JP’s, the ironically named BJ Enterprises, re-opens the place with its unique liquor license — no kitchen required — protests will then be entertained by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board about any problems. Already, some are concerned about planed private booths in the back — which if any closeness or groping is involved — could get the joint shut down in a heart beat.

Jonah’s Treehouse Abruptly Closes
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Jonah’s Treehouse, the baby, toddler and preschooler gym, at 2121 Wisconsin Ave., NW, has closed. Owner Vicki Gersten sent a letter in April to clients informing them that classes would end by the beginning of May, according to the Hyperlocal Glover Park blog.

Georgetown 2028: ‘Come Out and Plan’
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The Georgetown Business Improvement District is thinking big picture and long range.

How is what it is saying about its Georgetown 2028 Program: “Wondering about how to improve transportation in Georgetown? Like to see different kinds of restaurants or shops? Have some ideas for Georgetown? The Georgetown BID would like to invite you to participate in Georgetown 2028 to help us develop a strategic vision for ensuring Georgetown remains a world-class commercial district. We will be working on transportation, physical space, economic and environmental issues and work toward an action plan which includes short-, medium- and long-term steps. Georgetown 2028 is already in motion, and we will finish before Thanksgiving.”

Red Fire Grill Kabob Extinquished
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The Red Fire Grill Kabob at 3299 M St., NW, the corner of 33rd and M, next to Rhino and across Georgetown Cupcake, has closed after less than two years. The kabob chain restaurant replaced the famed and favorite Aditi Indian Restaurant in fall 2011.

Washington Cathedral Wins Preservation Vote
• May 22, 2013

The Washington National Cathedral was the top vote-getter in the Partners in Preservation contest, sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It won a $100,000 grant. Coming in a close second, George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate will also receive $100,000. Partners in Preservation will issue grants to other historic places in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

“We are overjoyed by this vote of support for our restoration efforts,” said the Very Rev. Gary Hall, dean of Washington National Cathedral. “This money will be put to good use restoring this incredible structure that has been entrusted to us by the American people. The generosity that American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have shown is equaled only by the remarkable work they have done calling attention to the critical preservation projects that are in need of support across the region. Our success is made greater by the knowledge that many other competitors will also be able to move forward with their projects.”

The cathedral will use the money to repair the vault of the nave, which is now shrouded with netting to catch any fragments loosened by the August 2011 earthquake. Mount Vernon plans to use the grant to restore George Washington’s large dining room.

“The National Cathedral is one of the most prominent landmarks in a city full of iconic buildings, and it is a huge contributor to our crucial tourism industry,” said Mayor Vincent Gray. “Moreover, the building is not only historic and beautiful but a gathering place for people of all races, backgrounds and faiths and a setting for scores of concerts, speeches and dozens of other cultural events throughout the year. I’m thankful to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Express and the voting public for the funding to help restore this gorgeous space to its pre-earthquake grandeur.”

Other grant winners in the District — with prizes ranging from $90,000 to $50,000 — included Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Congressional Cemetery, All Souls Church Unitarian, the Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site, the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue and Meridian Hill Park and the Gala Hispanic Theatre at the Tivoli.

While Georgetown’s Heyden Observatory at Georgetown University and Abner Cloud House at the C&O Canal got consolation prizes of $5,000, its Dumbarton Oaks Park on R Street will receive $50,000, which the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy plans to use to repair the garden’s original built structures including viewing platform, stone houses and retaining wall.
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Record-Breaking Georgetown Garden Tour Sells Out
• May 16, 2013

We know Georgetown loves its homes and trees. Now, we know for sure that it loves its gardens just as much, if not more.

The 85th annual Georgetown Garden Tour began to run out of tickets May 11 as neighbors and visitors kept up a steady stream as they went to Christ Church to check in and then to Georgetown back and side yards. Tour volunteers had to write on some tour tickers, “admission for two.”

Although the weather forecast was mixed, the day got busier and warmer with more than 700 tickets sold, a record for the garden tour.

Lovers of horticulture and design had the chance to see seven unique private gardens as well as 27-acre Dumbarton Oaks Park — “America’s Secret Garden” — on R Street.

On Monday, May 13, it was announced by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation that the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy would receive a $50,000 grant to repair the garden’s original built structures including viewing platform, stone houses and retaining wall, as part of Partners in Preservation’s multi-million-dollar commitment to preservation.

The tour included gardens that featured spring foliage and a palette of flowering trees, shrubs and perennials as well as the contemporary sculptures in a garden of an R Street home. Aligned with Georgetown’s history and the neighborhood’s close quarters, each garden displayed its own sense of privacy and peace.

All proceeds from the Georgetown Garden Tour will go to the preservation of the historic parks, public spaces, and tree-lined streets of Georgetown, the garden club said.

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U.S.News & World Report Celebrates 80th Birthday
• May 10, 2013

Who knew that U.S.News & World Report (where the editor of this newspaper once worked) is as old as Martin’s Tavern? It was an 80th anniversary and a homecoming as staffers, current and former, met at U.S. News headquarters on Thomas Jefferson Street May 2 to remember the past and affirm the future. The magazine, founded by David Lawrence in 1933, evolved to become one of the three big newsweeklies of America beside Time and Newsweek during the heyday of print journalism. For decades, U.S. News was headquartered on N Street in the West End. While its last print issue was in December 2010, U.S.News & World Report continues in the digital world of news along with its printed and popular best-of directories which rank universities, hospitals and other institutions. [gallery ids="101289,149595,149589,149577,149583" nav="thumbs"]