ANC Sides With Residents, Opposes Bowling Alley If Noise Agreement Not Made
• January 11, 2013

Agreeing with residents who live in the Georgetown Park condominiums, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E voted at its Jan. 2 monthly meeting to oppose the construction of a bowling alley in the former Shops at Georgetown Park if an enforceable agreement on noise is not made.

The request by new tenant, Pinstripes, a Illinois-based Italian bistro with bowling and bocce as well as banquet space, caught flak from condo residents, who fear more noise from the proposed bowling alley. Residents also voiced their frustration with living above an ongoing construction zone. One condo dweller, a veteran from Operation Enduring Freedom, told the crowd that living there was “hell” and that it was “worse than sleeping in Afghanistan.”

A representative from Vornado Realty, owner of the huge retail space at 3222 M Street, NW, was on hand to talk about Pinstripes and other new tenants — including T.J. Maxx and Home Goods. Pinstripes’s founder and CEO Dale Schwartz was also at the meeting to address the ANC about the quality and upscale nature of his food operation and talk to the crowd in the hall outside the meeting.

It came down to ANC chair Ron Lewis to offer a resolution that would oppose the bowling alley before the Board of Zoning Adjustment at its Jan. 15 meeting — if the condominium association and Pinstripes do not strike an agreement on vibration and noise control with an “enforceable mechanism for securing that assurance.” The ANC also opposed an outdoor patio, also proposed by Pinstripes.

Repairs to Close Lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge
•

Beginning Jan. 3, the District Department of Transportation is scheduled to conduct repairs and bridge preservation activities on the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek Parkway, according to a DDOT traffic advisory. The off-peak lane closures on the bridge which leads to the western end of Pennsylvania Avenue in Georgetown should last only about six weeks.

The work will be conducted daily, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., DDOT said, and the project is expected to be completed on or before Feb. 15. “The work will require closing one lane of westbound traffic over the bridge during off-peak hours. The lane closures are temporary and will not be installed until the completion of the morning rush hour and will be removed before the start of the evening rush hour.”

Messages boards are in place to alert the traveling public to these closures, DDOT added. Motorists in this corridor can expect some delays but DDOT does not anticipate the lane closures will significantly impact the flow of traffic.

Jack’s Boathouse Lease Canceled
• January 3, 2013

Like a Grinch before Christmas, the National Park Service has canceled its lease with Jack’s Boathouse, the popular canoe and kayak renting facility on the Potomac River next to Key Bridge.

According to a letter received by Paul Simkin, owner of Jack’s Canoes & Kayaks, LLC, from the National Park Service, his business has until the end of next month to vacate the property. Jack’s has been a boat rental location in the same spot on the river since 1945.

The letter, sent Dec. 18 and signed by NPS regional director Stephen Whitesell, stipulates: “This letter serves as notice to Jack’s . . . to terminate its occupancy of the leased premises. Please vacate the property on and before 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2013, and remove all personal property from the premises. . . .”

The letter also reads: “As you are aware, the property upon which Jack’s Canoes & Kayaks, LLC, conducts business became a part of Rock Creek Park when the District of Columbia transferred jurisdiction over certain property along the Georgetown Waterfront to the National Park Service. This 1984 transfer included the October 1, 1973, month-to-month lease (as amended in 1982) for the property popularly known as Jack’s Boat House, located at 3500 K Street, N.W. . . . and said lease was assigned to the National Park Foundation.”

The Georgetowner contacted the NPS to ask why the boathouse lease was canceled, but its public affairs office has not yet responded to the newspaper.

As the latest owner of Jack’s Boat House, Paul Simkin commented on the NPS decision to cancel his business’s lease.

“The Jack’s Boathouse family is heartbroken that after 70 years on the same location, we are told in a form letter that we must be out by 30 days,” Simkin said. “Hearing this at Christmastime will be a huge blow to our 27 employees at Jack’s Boathouse who are losing their jobs which makes this even harder.”

“Last summer was the best summer we ever had in D.C. at the boathouse with our business booming and our customers happy,” he said. “We were brought into the National Park Service offices and assured a minimum of a three-year contract — and then to be told this now is just devastating.”

Simkin said that he has grown Jack’s seasonal customer base from 4,000 four years ago to 72,000 in 2012.

The Georgetowner will have an update to this news story next week — along with a review of possible boathouse projects on the Potomac and the proposal to move Jack’s Boathouse upstream.

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District Council Approves Sunday Liquor Sales, Greater Say for Neighbors
• December 21, 2012

Soon, after attending Sunday mass at Holy Trinity in the new year, you will likely be able to stop at nearby Dixie Liquor and buy that special cognac. The District Council has approved Sunday sales at D.C. liquor stores among other changes to the alcohol beverage control bill.

The move to open on Sunday is resisted by some stores because they are small business run by families. Sunday is the only day they can take off, as Steve Feldman of Potomac Wine & Spirits told the Washington Examiner: “Basically, none of us want to work on Sunday. By Sunday, people have already done most of their partying for the weekend. . . . How much scotch and vodka are you going to buy on Sunday when you already have a hangover from Saturday night?”

“If they are going to let us open, we will open,” said Sean Clark of Dixie Liquor at 35th and M Streets.
“If I don’t open on Sunday, I might lose a customer who comes in during weekdays.”

While advisory neighborhood commissions have priority in governmental or legal comment, D.C. residents may organize into a group of at least five to protest any liquor license application. An increase in the number of ABC inspectors is proposed as well as new training programs for bartenders and waiters. The council also approved the use of growlers — half-gallon containers used to carry beer home from a brewery or bar.

Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham led on the alcohol bill changes especially the compromise on Sunday sales instead of extending bar hours to 4 a.m, all in a bid to increase sales tax revenue for the District. Nearby Arlington and Montgomery counties already have sold liquor on Sundays for a few years now.

Just Do It: Nike Town Opens Oct. 25
•

“Nike Georgetown opens 10/25. Your official destination for all things Nike in the nation’s capitol [sic].” So read the Nike D.C. tweet, formally alerting runners, walkers and shoppers to the Washington area’s only Niketown, ready for business Oct. 25. The 3040 M Street address, at the corner of Thomas Jefferson Street, once housed a Barnes & Noble book store, its loss widely lamented, and, before that, the movie theater Cerberus.

While there are Nike factory stores in Virginia and Maryland, the large M Street store in the nation’s capital will be a showcase for the Oregon-based company which is the world’s leading supplier of athletics shoes and a major manufacturer of sports equipment. At the end of its fiscal 2012, Nike posted more than $24 billion in revenue.

Besides being famous for its Air Jordan shoes, the company owns Converse, Cole Haan, Hurley International and Umbro.

Also, D.C. can expect a slight uptick in its job numbers, as Nike — which employs more 44,000 persons worldwide — has advertised for positions at the new store: “Nike Store Assistant Head Coach” (assistant manager), “Nike Store Coach” (department manager) and more.

Nike (Georgetown)

202-471-5870

3040 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

Georgetown Biz Group Honors 2012 Achievers, Affirms 2013 Officers
• December 20, 2012

The Georgetown Business Association held its Annual Meeting and Holiday Soiree at Dumbarton House Dec. 12, affirming its 2013 officers and board and honoring individuals and businesses.

The 2013 GBA officers are Riyad Said, president (Wells Fargo); Janine Schoonover, vice president (JSW Group); Karen Ohri, treasurer (Georgetown Floorcovering); Molly Quigley, secretary (Clyde’s Restaurant Group).

Outgoing GBA president Rokas Beresniovas reviewed 2012’s work: revised bylaws, partnerships with Georgetown-based businesses and a wider marketing effort. Along with new events like the candidates’ forum and the Financial Policy Institute seminar, Beresniovas said that the customary senior advisory luncheon will be relaunched in spring 2013 with some changes. The new GBA president Riyad Said thanked Beresniovas and said his last name was easier to pronounce. GBA vice president Janie Schoonover spoke of GBA’s ability to lobby the government as well as zoning and parking.

Schoonover also led a moment of silence with the audience to remember Curtin Winsor, chair of the Bank of Georgetown, who died suddenly Dec. 11.

Proud to be thanking the crowd was one of the communitarians of the year, Terry Bell of Salon Ilo, whose latest charitable effort was a Dec. 5 Kitty Kelley booksigning, a fundraiser for the D.C. Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Georgetown Public Library.

Business person of the year Zubair Popal, whose Malmaison at 34th and K Streets will open in January, recalled his journey from Afghanistan to the D.C. area and noted that his children went to Georgetown University and George Washington University. Popal assured that his new restaurant would exude “traditional Afghan hospitality.”

Said called Linda Greenan’s lifetime achievement award a “half-life award,” as he expected she had a lot more to do beyond her last GBA board meeting.

Georgetown resident, Iraq War veteran and a bronze star recipient, Army Major David Alexander, was introduced by GBA board member Ed Solomon, who is also an advisory neighborhood commissioner. The major’s father, Sam Alexander, was also in attendance. The Alexander family has owned several local properties, one of which on P Street was rented by a young John F. Kennedy, a representative in Congress at the time.

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans proclaimed D.C. the “most dynamic city in America” and welcomed At-large Councilman Vincent Orange to close the meeting. Orange thanked his Georgetown voters and said, “The Evans-Orange team is back.”

The following recipients were honored at the ceremony:

= 2012 Joe Pozell Public Safety Award was presented to Officer Antonial Atkins and Officer Kathryn Fitzgerald, both of the Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd District.

= 2012 The Art Schultz Communitarian Award was presented to Salon Ilo owner Terry Bell and to Rose Park community activist David Abrams.

= 2012 Business Person of the Year was presented to owner of Cafe Bonaparte, Napoleon and the new Malmaison in Georgetown, Zubair Popal.

= 2012 Business of the Year was presented to the historic George Town Club.

= 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to recently retired Georgetown University Associate Vice President for External Relations, Linda Greenan.

The soiree, sponsored by Fox Ventures, SugarPlum Tents, Atlantic Valet and Dumbarton House, featured a specialty cocktail menu, ample and heavy hors d’ oeuvres and a night of dancing after the award ceremony. Many members and visitors stuck around chatting and complemented the food, drinks and music — as well as the cool vibe of the evening.

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Curtin Winsor, Bank of Georgetown Co-Founder, Dies
•

Curtin Winsor III, executive chairman of the Bank of Georgetown, died Dec. 11, the Washington Business Journal first reported. He died of a heart attack in Arlington. A funeral service is scheduled for Dec. 17 at Christ Church at 31st and O Streets, with burial at Oak Hill Cemetery, according to Carol Joynt.

Born and raised in D.C., the 49-year-old Winsor lived with his wife Deborah and three daughter on 34th Street. Their home was the site of the 2010 Georgetown House Tour Patron’s Party and was once occupied by Ambassador David Bruce and his wife Evangeline. Winsor was a board member of the Georgetown Business Improvement District.

Here is additional biographical information from the Bank of Georgetown website:

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Winsor has had an active role in the area’s financial and philanthropic communities for more than 20 years. In 2005, he founded Bank of Georgetown with Michael Fitzgerald. Prior to that, Winsor was a principal and founding partner of Columbia Partners Investment Management, LLC, a registered investment advisory firm managing in excess of $3 billion in equities for pension funds, endowments and high net worth individuals.

In addition to serving as chairman of the bank, Winsor sits on the Board of Directors or has an advisory role with several hedge funds and investment partnerships. He is also a member and Trustee of the W.H. Donner Foundation in New York City and the Donner Canadian Foundation in Toronto, Canada, for which he oversees the respective foundations’ investment portfolios and program development areas.

Winsor is very active in civic and charitable causes in the Washington, D.C., area and serves as a trustee of the National Taxpayers Union; the National Taxpayers Union Foundation; the Starlight-Starbright Children’s Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Chapter; Georgetown Business Improvement District; and the Washington Scholarship Fund, where he serves on the executive committee. He is also a trustee of the Washington Opera. [gallery ids="101102,138173" nav="thumbs"]

America Mourns
•

President Barack Obama ordered that all flags at government buildings, military installations and naval vessels be flown at half-staff through Tuesday, Dec. 18, at sunset, in honor of those massacred at a Connecticut elementary school Dec. 14. The dead included 20 children.

The following is part the president’s remarks on Friday afternoon, Dec. 14:

“The majority of those who died today were children — beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers — men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.

“So, our hearts are broken today — for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.

“. . . While nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need — to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours.

“May God bless the memory of the victims and, in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.”

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, also ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol lowered to half-staff in honor of those massacred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14.

The photo shown of a lowered flag at the U.S. Capitol was taken by photographer Jeff Malet on Friday, Dec. 14, 8 p.m. The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in the foreground came from a nation forest as a gift from Colorado.

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Kelley Charms the Crowd at Library Booksigning
• December 19, 2012

The Georgetown Public Library on R Street had about a hundred extra readers past its regular hours Dec. 5 as supporters of the D.C. Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Georgetown Library waited in line to greet author Kitty Kelley and have her sign her latest book, “Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the Kennedys.”

Along with other local businesses, major sponsors for the event were Ilo Salon and Terry Bell and TTR Sotheby’s and Julia Diaz-Asper.

Kelley, who lives six blocks from the library and is a longtime supporter herself, donated an outside bench in honor of her late husband Jonathan Zucker, M.D. Recalling her years growing up in “a noisy Irish-Catholic family,” the biographer said she always thinks of a library “as a haven of quiet.” Kelley added that her mother would punish her by taking away her library card. She also thanked those at the reception who received a copy of the new book for their $100 donation to the foundation and also enjoyed food and refreshments from Martin’s Tavern, Clyde’s, Paolo’s, Manny & Olga’s, Macaron Bee, Patisserie Poupon, Sprinkles Cupcake and Cafe Bonaparte.

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Council Approves Sunday Liquor Sales, Greater Say for Neighbors
• December 14, 2012

Soon, after attending Sunday mass at Holy Trinity in the new year, you will likely be able to stop at nearby Dixie Liquor and buy that special cognac. The District Council has approved Sunday sales at D.C. liquor stores among other changes to the alcohol beverage control bill.

The move to open on Sunday is resisted by some stores because they are small business run by families. Sunday is the only day they can take off, as Steve Feldman of Potomac Wine & Spirits told the Washington Examiner: “Basically, none of us want to work on Sunday. By Sunday, people have already done most of their partying for the weekend. . . . How much scotch and vodka are you going to buy on Sunday when you already have a hangover from Saturday night?”

“If they are going to let us open, we will open,” said Sean Clark of Dixie Liquor at 35th and M Streets.

“If I don’t open on Sunday, I might lose a customer who comes in during weekdays.”

While advisory neighborhood commissions have priority in governmental or legal comment, D.C. residents may organize into a group of at least five to protest any liquor license application. An increase in the number of ABC inspectors is proposed as well as new training programs for bartenders and waiters. The council also approved the use of growlers – half-gallon refillable containers used to carry beer home from a brewery or bar.

Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham led on the alcohol bill changes especially the compromise on Sunday sales instead of extending bar hours to 4 a.m, all in a bid to increase sales tax revenue for the District. Nearby Arlington and Montgomery counties already have sold liquor on Sundays for a few years now.