Robert Devaney • September 13, 2012

After being honored by the community six days before, Timothy Downs died peacefully at his home on Aug. 22.

Born in Detroit, Mich., on April 26, 1942, Downs graduated from Wayne State University and Wayne State Law School. He practiced law in Detroit with Craig, Farber and Downs. Soon after moving to the Washington, D.C., area in 1988, he retired from law practice but continued to work nationally on many election contests, including the 2000 recount in Florida. He was active in the Georgetown community, most recently for his efforts on safety concerning the O and P Streets Rehabilitation Project, where historic trolley tracks and streets stones have been refitted and replaced, along with street lamps and other curb work. Downs regularly checked on the project on the west side of Georgetown; work was completed in front of his house. He was almost known as an avid tennis player.

“Tim was a dedicated man who truly cared about his community,” said Jeff Jones, an advisory neighborhood commissioner for Downs’s district. “I found his conversations very engaging, and I enjoyed every minute I was able to spend with him. He will always be an inspiration to me.” Said another ANC member Ed Solomon: “I will miss my friend. Tim was a voice of reason on many issues in Georgetown. I sought his advice and valued his judgement.”

Downs leaves his wife, Barbara; his son, Justin Downs of Brooklyn, N.Y.; three sisters, Elizabeth Collins of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Katherine Downs of Pinckney, Mich., and Sarah Downs of Orlando, Fla., as well as many devoted friends and admirers. A memorial service will be held at Dumbarton House on Sept 16; time yet to be determined.

See Georgetowner story on the Aug. 16 gathering

Robert Devaney •

Georgetown is preparing for its big Fashion Night Out on Sept. 6, as stores open, re-open or show off their best.

Suitsupply near the Four Seasons Hotel at 2828 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., opens today at the corner of M and 29th Streets with a grand-opening party, beginning 6 p.m. The Amsterdam-headquartered men’s clothing company combines nicely priced suits (affordable and custom) with high-end service, such as in-store tailors. The company proved itself “qualified and equipped” as it outfitted the Dutch Olympic team for the London Games. Check out the smartly and cleanly arranged retail space — www.SuitSupply.com.

Formerly located at the western corner of Georgetown Park near Dean & Deluca, Intermix has moved its business to 3300 M Street, just half a block away. That corner had been occupied for about 10 years by Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers which closed June 9. It is across the street from Georgetown Cupcake. The hip women’s retailer Intermix now has a larger space to display its up-to-the-minute fashions — IntermixOnline.com. [gallery ids="100956,130699,130696" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

Workmen were seen at O and Potomac Streets pressing down the last stones for the O and P Street Rehabilitation Project which began two years ago this September. A closing ceremony is set for mid-September to celebrate the completion of the work, which inconvenienced residents of O and P Streets for a time. The project closed streets and sidewalks, caused dust and noise and took away parking spaces. All of this is nearly over.

O Street and P Street, west of Wisconsin Avenue to 35th Street, are the last spots in Washington when trolley tracks can be seen. This tracks and street stones have been refitted or replaced, along with street lamps and other curb work. The decision was made to preserve the streets as they were to maintain the historic look of Georgetown. Sett stones were used instead of the original cobble stones which had moved or drifted along the surface of the street, making driving difficult for some.

There is just a bit more to do. Here are questions and answers from the project’s website — FixingOandPStreets.com — about the remaining work:

What is the blue-gray dust left on the roadway? Does it serve a purpose?

The blue-gray dust material left on the roadway does indeed serve a purpose. This dust continues the process of filling the gaps between pavers, as the initial filling settles. In this final stage, the dust is repeatedly swept over the area, wet down and swept over again after it dries. This material will be swept off the roadway once it is determined that gaps have been adequately filled. This process also applies to the brick sidewalks.

How about the grout for pavers and the rails?

The area between the rail track and the granite pavers must be filled in with an elastomeric grout. (See rendering below.) This is needed due to how each of these very different materials behaves under various weather conditions and other physical processes. Temperature and moisture greatly impact how the grout pours and cures. Ideally, the temperature should be between 70 degrees and 80 degrees, with no rain for 12 to 24 hours. Areas of the project already open to traffic may experience temporary closures to allow for grouting when the weather allows for these conditions.

How about new street lights?

As part of the O&P Street Rehabilitation Project, street lights within the project zone are being updated or, in many cases, added. In response to public concern for safety, the finalized lighting plan increases current lighting by 40 percent while still preserving the historic feel of the area. You may notice a new light fixture or foundation for a new light fixture near an existing light. In many cases, the existing light will be removed at a later time. Many of the new foundations are covered with orange drums. These drums are in place for pedestrian safety and will be removed once the light poles are installed. Once the new light has been installed and is operational, should the brightness of the light interfere with your evening routine, please contact us. DDOT will send a team to evaluate the light and will be able to make recommendations on how to lessen the impact to your home. Different options could include a shade or adjusting the wattage. Please keep in mind that there could be unusual brightness the first night or two once the new lights are turned on. Per DDOT’s policy, any existing street lights designated for removal will stay turned on until we verify all of the new lights are fully operational. Once they are deemed as such, the existing lights designated for removal will be turned off.

Robert Devaney • August 30, 2012

New undergraduates will begin arriving at Georgetown University’s main campus over the weekend. Students can register Aug. 27 or 28, and classes will begin Aug. 29. Among the freshman class will be Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan, according to the news blog, Vox Populi, of the student-run Georgetown Voice. It reported: “According to a confidential source from the university, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan was here to discuss her son, the prince of Jordan, and his future at Georgetown as an incoming freshman.” Queen Rania and university president John DeGioia were seen meeting at Healy Circle on the main campus Aug. 20. (Jordan’s current ruler, King Abdullah II, attended the university’s School of Foreign Service during the 1980s.)

Meanwhile, Georgetown University got some top grades from the Princeton Review. It got the number-one ranking in the category, “College City Gets High Marks.” (No mention in the town-gown relations category, however.) It came in second under the category, “Most Politically Active Students,” just behind American University up the road and ahead of number-three George Washington University, which had held that number-one rank last year. Georgetown pulled a number-ten ranking in “Most Popular Study Abroad Program.” These rankings and other details can be found in the Princeton Review’s “The Best 377 Colleges, 2013 Edition.” The schools received grades in 62 categories, based on surveys of 122,000 students.

Last week, the university mourned the passing of one of its retired presidents, who last performed his pastoral duties at Holy Trinity Church. Rev. Gerard Campbell, S.J., president of Georgetown University in the 1960s, died Aug. 9 at the university’s Jesuit Community at the age of 92.

Campbell, the 44th president of Georgetown and one of its youngest, led the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher learning from 1964 to 1968–difficult years for America, which saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sen. Robert Kennedy, urban riots and student protests against the Vietnam War.

The university recognized Campbell’s encouragement of “student service to residents in Washington, D.C.” and noted that he reconstituted the board of directors to include its first lay members. He also created the first university senate comprising faculty and administrators. Born in 1919, Campbell received degrees from Loyola University, Chicago, Woodstock College, Fordham and Princeton University. Entering the Society of Jesus in 1939, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1951. After Georgetown and other colleges, Campbell served as director of the Woodstock Theological Center from 1979 to 1983. Until his retirement in 2004, he was the founding director of the Jesuit spirituality center based at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on 36th and N Streets, where

Robert Devaney • August 29, 2012

A female jogger was sexually assaulted along the Capital Crescent Trail July 25 around 9:15 p.m. U.S. Park Police responded (including EMTs and a helicopter) to the crime and are still investigating.

According to Park Police, “The victim in this case was jogging on the trail and the suspect approached the victim from behind, and then placed the victim in a choke hold. The victim lost consciousness and awoke with her pants down and the suspect fondling her. The victim screamed and the suspect then fled on foot toward Fletcher’s Boat House.” The attack took place on the trail close to the 9.5 mile marker — “north of Three Sisters [Islands] in the area of Water Street, NW,” police reported.

Park Police described the suspect as a black male with medium complexion, 5 feet 8 inches to 11 inches in height, “approximately 180 to 200 pounds; muscular/fit build; dreadlocks, three to four inches long; light scruffy beard; wearing a white shirt, possibly a tank top or cut off sleeves, and wearing long jersey type black shorts; no weapons used.”

The police seek the public’s assistance: “If you come in contact with any individuals that match the above descriptions, please take the appropriate action, document the contact thoroughly, and notify Detective Glenn Luppino, 202-610-8750; reference case #12-36735. U.S. Park Police Tip Line: 202-610-8737.”

The Capital Crescent Trail — which begins in Silver Spring, Md., and follows the abandoned right-of-way of the Georgetown Branch rail line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad — parallels the C&O Canal towpath as it bends into D.C. and ends at Rock Creek and Thompson Boat Center.

Robert Devaney • August 27, 2012

Councilman-at-large Vincent Orange and staffer Elizabeth Webster and members of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, Crystal Sullivan, Nancy Miyahira and John Wiebenson, as well as a member of the press were given a hard-hat tour Aug. 20 of the on-going reconstruction of the Shops at Georgetown Park by Vornado Realty Trust’s Jennifer Nettles, who is manager of the huge 3222 M St., NW, retail space.

Required to wear hard hats and take no photos of the work, the group walked around what remained of the M Street level of the former Victorian-styled shopping area, now stripped down to its walls. Escalators are gone and so are the fountains on either side of the complex. Demolition is moving along, as plans call for the floors to be extended from front to back. The group looked out at the open space of the atrium which once provided a dramatic look and feel for the shopping center, opened in 1981. The atrium and its green railings will soon disappear.

“This is the de-mallization,” Nettles said, as she guided Orange and others. Where once sat 130 stores, there will now be 15, she said. The largest one of them will take up 45,000 square feet, making it the largest retail space for Georgetown; another will be 31,000 square feet. Some will have multiple levels; all will have an entrance from the street, whether it is from M Street, Wisconsin Avenue or the remaining entrance next to Dean & Deluca. There will be no mall-like corridors for the public.

Half of the space has been leased, Nettles said. Names of the lessees were not disclosed. Observers have speculated or suggested such companies as Bloomingdale’s boutique shop, foodie paradise Eataly or even a Target locate there. Two or three new stores will open in early 2013. As of today, Georgetown Park can only boast a few shops that include H&M or J. Crew. The Washington Sports Club will remain open during the entire construction period.

Robert Devaney • August 22, 2012

Washington Gas trucks, seen last Thursday and Friday and over the weekend along Prospect and N Streets on the west side of Georgetown, were looking for a gas leak, said advisory neighborhood commissioner Jeff Jones. Gas company trucks were parked at corners from Booeymonger’s to Georgetown University, as Washington Gas workers knocked on doors of houses and sought to check each individual line. For the sake of safety, according to Jones, Washington Gas shut off gas lines to 240 buildings. Most of the underground lines date back to the 1930s.

“I thought Washington Gas responded very well,” said Jones, who is also a community contact for the O and P Street Street Project. “Along with other contractor trucks, they set up a mobile command center at Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street.”

As it turned out, according to Jones, there was no leak. “It was supply-line system problem,” he said. Along with the upgrades in the O and P Street Project, gas lines are now high-pressure lines, Jones said. One of the benefits of high pressure is that it makes it easier to find a leak in the system; low pressure allows a leak to seep into the ground. Regarding the exact nature of the problem, Jones said that Washington Gas would have to be contacted for a more detailed explanation.

As of press time, July 30, Washington Gas was still contacting some homeowners about their shut-off gas; most gas service to the effected buildings has been restored.

Jones said that he expected a full update from Washington Gas and that he would be pushing the utility company to restore the sidewalks and all public spaces according to specifications after its emergency work.

Robert Devaney •

Councilman-at-large Vincent Orange and staffer Elizabeth Webster and members of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, Crystal Sullivan, Nancy Miyahira and John Wiebenson, as well as a member of the press were given a hard-hat tour Aug. 20 of the on-going reconstruction of the Shops at Georgetown Park by Vornado Realty Trust’s Jennifer Nettles, who is manager of the huge 3222 M St., NW, shopping area.

According to Nettles, the Georgetown office of D.C.’s Department of Motor Vehicles — which closed May 19 and was located in the lower level — will not return to the property. The popular locale had been expected to be included in the re-do, as assured by Mayor Vincent Gray and Councilman Jack Evans.

Required to wear hard hats and take no photos of the work, the group walked around what remained of the M Street level of the former Victorian-styled shopping area, now stripped down to its walls. Escalators are gone and so are the fountains on either side of the complex. Demolition is moving along, as plans call for the floors to be extended from front to back. The group looked out at the open space of the atrium which once provided a dramatic look and feel for the shopping center, opened in 1981. The atrium and its green railings will soon disappear.

“This is the de-mallization,” Nettles said, as she guided Orange and others. Where once sat 132 stores, there will now be 15, she said. The largest one of them will take up 45,000 square feet, making it the largest retail space for Georgetown; another will be 31,000 square feet. Some will have multiple levels; all will have an entrance from the street, whether it is from M Street, Wisconsin Avenue or the remaining entrance next to Dean & Deluca. There will be no mall-like corridors for the public. (Georgetown Park’s total retail square feet, according to the Vornado website, is 316,822.)

“I love Georgetown Park, and I’m excited about its rebirth,” said Councilman-at-large Vincent Orange. “However, I will miss and treasure the fond memories of the original mall which was enjoyed immensely with family and friends. In 2013, the joy returns.”

Half of the space has been leased, Nettles said. Names of the lessees were not disclosed. Many observers have speculated or suggested such companies as Bloomingdale’s boutique shop, foodie paradise Eataly or even a Target locate there. Two or three new stores will open in early 2013. As of today, Georgetown Park can only boast a few shops that include H&M or J. Crew. The Washington Sports Club will stay open during the entire construction period.

Robert Devaney • August 16, 2012

The United States Park Police questioned a person along the C&O Canal Aug. 13 around 4 p.m. The individual appeared to match the description of a suspect who sexually assaulted a woman near the canal in July. The pursuit brought out officers, detectives, members of the SWAT team and a K-9 team as well as a helicopter which circled above the vicinity of Key Bridge and the canal.

After the show of force, most Park Police officers left the scene as detectives continued to question the individual. Officers declined to say whether the “person of interest” was suspected of being involved in the July 25 incident along the Capital Crescent Trail where a female jogger was choked and molested in the area north of Three Sisters Island or the July 7 sexual assault where the suspect led the victim onto the C&O Canal towpath just off of 31st Street and pushed the victim down into the bushes. The victim was able to get away from the suspect.

One officer said he was grateful that the local media, including this newspaper, was getting the word out about the attacks and added that persons need to aware of their surroundings at all times and not be distracted by earplugs and the like. Parks after dark, another said, become different places, requiring everyone to be alert.

The police continue to seek the public’s assistance on these assaults. Call the U.S. Park Police Communications Section at 202-610-7505, or the U.S. Park Police Tip Line 202-610-8737, reference case #12-33695. Also, call Detective Glenn Luppino, 202-610-8750; reference case #12-36735. [gallery ids="100941,130204,130197" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • August 10, 2012

Although traffic in the nation’s capital has always been an issue, the rising number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths is becoming more of a cause for concern. In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 13 of the 24 traffic-related fatalities that occurred in D.C. were pedestrians.
In contrast, 101 of the 493 traffic-related fatalities in Maryland were pedestrians. Meanwhile, Virginia tallied 73 of 740.
While the total number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths is lower in the District than its neighboring states and even the states with the most pedestrian fatalities, including California, Florida and New York, its percentage of 54.2 is the highest in the United States. NHTSA also found that a majority of pedestrian fatalities occurred in an urban setting, at non-intersections, during the night.
However, drivers may not always be to blame for being distracted. In this digital age, more and more pedestrians are crossing streets with smartphones in hand, headphones synced in and heads facing down, completely tuned out to the world. As these traffic statistics continue to stagger in, keep in mind that it is both the pedestrian’s and the driver’s responsibilities to be aware of their surroundings.