Latest News

Kelly Byrnes • July 16, 2015

Dozens of protesters gathered July 9 at the Old Post Office Pavilion, the site slated to become the Trump Hotel next year, to join forces against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

At the same time, a smaller group of Trump supporters also showed up near the protestors.

Led by local elected officials and activists of community groups, the crowd voiced anger towards Trump’s recent comments in which he degraded Latinos and Mexican immigrants, referring to them as “criminals” and “rapists.”

At the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street NW, shadow Sen. Paul Strauss (D) of the District of Columbia rallied the crowd, saying, “This building is on the people’s land, and it is the American people’s building. The Trump name stands for nothing but intolerance and hate.”

Strauss cited recent racial victories, including the passage of a bill to take down the Confederate flag from the statehouse in South Carolina and the court ruling to cancel the Washington Redskins trademark registrations over concerns that they convey a derogatory image of Native Americans, to provoke passion from the crowd.  

Latino presence was strong at the protest, with participants vigorously chanting Spanish phrases, such as “Si se puede” –translated to English as “Yes, we can.”

Maryland state Sen. Jamie Raskin (D) called upon the Republican Party and its constituents to recognize Trump’s controversial comments. He also urged citizens of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia to “boycott Trump hotels, boycott Trump casinos and boycott Trump politics.”  

The protest comes just one day after celebrity chef Jose Andres, a Spanish immigrant, backed out of plans to head a restaurant in the upcoming Trump Hotel.

Trump has faced plenty of backlash for his discriminatory comments, as NBC, Univision and Macy’s have all cut their corporate ties with the business mogul. 
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Robert Devaney •

West End Cinema, the independent movie theater at 23rd and M Streets NW that closed March 31 after four years of operation, will re-open July 17 as part of Landmark Theatres, the cinema chain announced this week.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Landmark Theatres is known for showing documentaries, independent and foreign films and operates 50 theaters — 229 screens in 21 markets — across the U.S. Its first spot in D.C. was E Street Cinema at 555 11th St. NW in Penn Quarter, and it also operates Bethesda Row Cinema. In 2016, Landmark’s footprint in D.C. will expand with new screens in the old Atlantic Plumbing building at 8th and V streets NW later this year and at the Capitol Point project at New York Avenue and N Street NE, one block from the NoMa/Gallaudet U Metro station.

Previously known as the Inner Circle triplex before Josh Levin revived the place as West End Cinema, the new theater in the West End neighborhood will have two screens, and its lobby service will include alcoholic beverages.

Landmark President Ted Mundorff said that the new M Street venue will “bring even more films and events to the Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown neighborhoods.”

Peter Murray •

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center reopened and resumed regular operations Monday afternoon after being shut down and searched by police for the larger part of the day. Police were there in full force due to reports of a shot fired on the 243-acre medical campus in Bethesda, Md.

Montgomery County Police officials arrived on the scene in force, with dozens of officers and a number of armored vehicles, after receiving a call reporting a single gunshot around 10:48 a.m. Federal agents were also on-site to search for a shooter.

Meanwhile, medical center staff and patients were ordered to shelter in place and all non-emergency appointments were cancelled for the day.

After three hours of searching, MPC tweeted “Walter Reed UPDATE: Police operations are complete, there is no evidence of a firearm discharge. Normal operations expected to resume soon.”

The scene of swarming local and federal police to a military facility based on false reports of gunshots echoed that of the Navy Yard last week. Reports of shots fired there shut down the surrounding area and became national news briefly, before the “All Clear” was given by authorities when search for a shooter failed to come up with any evidence of a shooting.

Georgetowner • July 6, 2015

Free Beer at Martin’s Tavern

July 2nd, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Free | Event Website

Stop by Martin’s Tavern for free beer on July 2nd, from 8 -10 p.m. The Miller Lite Team will be buying guests Miller Lite at the bar. Don’t forget, the early bird gets the beer!

Address

Martin’s Tavern; 1264 Wisconsin Ave NW

HEALTHY DAYS OF SUMMER

July 2nd, 2015 at 06:00 PM | Free | Event Website

Join the Georgetown Business Improvement District as we celebrate Healthy Days of Summer in Georgetown, a free series of outdoor fitness classes, fit-savvy menus and other promotions highlighting the wealth of health and wellness options within Georgetown.

Attend FREE outdoor fitness classes hosted by Georgetown yoga, barre and other fitness studios.

July 2 session presented by CorePower Yoga

July 8 session presented by Georgetown Yoga

July 9 session presented by CorePower Yoga

Address

Georgetown Waterfront Park near the intersection of Potomac Street and K Street (Water Street).

Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead

July 3rd, 2015 at 08:00 PM | ADV $15/ DOS $19 | Event Website

Gypsy Sally’s is offering a fun and unique way to spend the 4th of July weekend by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. Enjoy a special appearance by D.C.’s own Grateful Dead tribute band, Beggars Tomb, as they play renditions of classic Grateful Dead tunes. Plus, on Saturday, July 4th, Gypsy Sally’s will show the official simulcast of Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead with a live video cable broadcast of the Soldier Field shows in Chicago.

Address

Gypsy Sally’s; 3401 K Street NW

MOVE featuring Derek & Julianne Hough

July 3rd, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

Join Dancing with the Stars’ champion duo composed of an Emmy-winning choreographer and a Billboard chart-topping movie star as they sing, dance, and perform their way through a “futuristic dance fest that exceed[s] even the ultimate fans’ expectations” (303 Magazine).

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

Tudor Tots: Summer Fun in the Sun

July 7th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | $5 per child. Free for adults | Tel: 2029650400

Tudor Place has enchanted young children for almost two centuries. Experience it yourself on family-friendly Tuesday mornings, joining others to read, sing, and play in the picturesque gardens. Each week introduces a new theme, from “adventurous animals” to “growing gardens” and more. Children enjoy interactive read-alouds, songs, and themed movements related to the week’s topic, sharing a shady green and tranquil setting with the grown-ups who care for them.

Address

1644 31st Street NW

Grace Church 22nd Annual Bach Festival

July 5th, 2015 at 03:00 PM | $20 | [Event Website](http://gracedc.org/)

Visit Georgetown’s historic Grace Church to experience Bach’s most iconic works as they come alive. Starting Sunday, July 5, at 3:00 p.m., the festival will include a series of concerts for $20 admission, concluding on Friday, July 10, with a final concert at 7:30 p.m. For further information and a full list of performances, click here.

Address

Grace Church; 1041 Wisconsin Ave NW

Pop with Stango

July 8th, 2015 at 06:00 PM | free | morgan@aproof.net | Tel: 202-803-2782 | [Event Website](http://www.aproof.net/)

Artist’s Proof is excited to host “Pop with Stango,” which will feature John Stango in a live painting session. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to see first hand how Stango infuses nostalgia and modernity in a way that has brought Pop Art into the twenty-first century. Today, the modern American Pop Art Movement thrives through artists like John Stango. He infuses nostalgia of Pop Art origins with modern subjects from pop culture.

Address

Artist’s Proof; 1533 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Georgetowner • July 2, 2015

The Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E will hold its July monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., June 29, at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 35th Street and Volta Place, NW, Heritage Room, main building, second floor. This following is tonight’s meeting agenda, as provided by ANC 2E.

Approval of the Agenda

= Approval of June 29, 2015, ANC 2E Public Meeting Agenda

Administrative

= Commendation for Retiring Tudor Place Director Leslie Buhler

= Approval of June 1, 2015 Meeting Minutes

= Public Safety and Police Report

= Financial Report

= Transportation Report

Community Comment

= Discussion with DCRA Director Melinda Bolling and staff about short-term and long-term rental regulations

= Update from the D.C. Historic Preservation office on the archeological survey under way at 3324 Dent Place NW (Yarrow Mamout site)

New Business

ABC

= Revised D.C. proposal for regulating signage

= Petition to remove a gingko tree at 1650 Avon Place, NW

= Enhanced directional markers or signage for the 1000 block of Thomas Jefferson Street, NW

= Consideration of a request for stipulated license for Chaia Farm-to-Tacos, 3207 Grace St., NW

= Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown (ABRA-000927) 3205 K St., NW.
Settlement agreement addressing the proposed entertainment endorsement for a piano player only

Zoning

= 3324 Dent Place NW, BZA Application No. 19056 (hearing date July 28): variances from minimum lot width and parking requirements

= 1614 Wisconsin Ave NW, BZA Application No. 19060, Baco Juice & Taco (hearing date July 28): authorization to operate a fast food establishment

= 1351 Wisconsin Ave., NW BZA Appeal No. 19049: appeal of decision to issue building permit

Old Georgetown Board ?

?Major and Public Projects

1. OG 15-248 3700 O Street, NW
Georgetown University
Guard booth
Concept

2. SMD 06 OG 15-239
2715 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Mixed-use
Demolition, new construction
Concept

?Private Projects

1. SMD 02 OG 15-190
3417 R Street, NW
Residence
Addition and alterations
Concept

2. SMD 02 OG 15-254
3254 S Street, NW
Residence
Addition and alterations
Concept

3. SMD 02 OG 15-251
3254 S Street, NW
Residence
Addition and site alterations
Permit

4. SMD 03 OG 15-224
1316 34th Street, NW
Residence
New garage with roof deck
Permit

5. SMD 03 OG 15-238
3331 N Street, NW
Residence
Addition and alterations
Concept

6. SMD 03 OG 15-261
3247 P Street, NW
Residence
Alterations
Concept

7. SMD 03 OG 15-259
3107 Dumbarton Street, NW
?Residence
Raise roof, rear addition, door and window alterations; replacement windows, efis – Existing alterations without review
Concept

?8. SMD 03 OG 15-252
1513 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Mixed-use
Rooftop and rear additions, trellis
Permit

9. SMD 05 OG 15-221
1035 31st Street, NW
Commercial
Alterations, handicap lift – Existing alterations without review
Permit

10. SMD 05 OG 15-242
3109 M Street, NW
Commercial
Alterations, back-lit sign and blade sign – Steve Madden Permit

11. SMD 06 OG 15-260
2905 N Street, NW
Residence
New parking pad, alterations, site work
Concept

12. SMD 06 OG 15-240
3029 M Street, NW
Commercial
Window repair, sign – Moleskine Permit

13. SMD 06 OG 15-247
3010 Q Street, NW
Residence
Alterations
Permit

14. SMD 06 OG 15-255
3018 P Street, NW
Residence
Rear additions to replace open porch, alterations
Concept

15. SMD 06 OG 15-263
3021 P Street, NW
Residence
Demolish and add rear addition
Concept

16. SMD 07 OG 15-196
1617 29th Street, NW
Residence
Site work, paving, fences, landscaping
Concept

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E: The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming July 2, 2015, agenda of the Old Georgetown Board, have not been added to the ANC meeting agenda for OGB-related design review and we do not propose to adopt a resolution on them at this time. If there are concerns about any of these projects, please contact the ANC office by Friday, June 26, 2015.

?Public Projects

1.National Park Service Rock Creek Park 3501 Water Street, NW
Building stabilization and electrification
Final

2. Government of the District of Columbia Department of General Services 3219 O Street, NW
Hyde – Addison Elementary School
Addition
Concept – Design development

3. OG 15-253 ?
3700 O Street, NW
Georgetown University Antennae on Leavey Center
Permit

4. OG 15-236 ?
3800 Reservoir Road, NW
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Rooftop HVAC at Bles Building
Concept

Private Projects

1. SMD 02 OG 15-171
1618 34th Street, NW
Residence
Replacement windows and door at rear
Permit

2. SMD 02 OG 15-257
1655 34th Street, NW
Residence
Fence
Permit

3. SMD 02 OG 15-243
1627 35th Street, NW
Residence
Retaining wall
Existing alteration without review
Permit

4. SMD 02 OG 15-226
3203 R Street, NW
Residence
Alterations
Permit

5. SMD 02 OG 15-229
3227 Reservoir Road, NW
Residence
Replacement slate roof
Permit

?6. SMD 02 OG 15-139
1576 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial
Signs – Georgetown Shell
Existing alteration without review
Permit

7. SMD 03 OG 15-250
1510 31st Street, NW
Residence
Rooftop addition, alterations
Permit

8. SMD 03 OG 15-222
1518 31st Street, NW
Residence
Replacement wood fence, metal fence
Permit

9. SMD 03 OG 15-245
1405 34th Street, NW
Residence
Alterations, window replacements, cameras
Permit

10. SMD 03 OG 15-197 ?
3206 N Street, NW
Commercial
Addition, alterations, stair, signs, vents, lights
Permit

11. SMD 03 OG 15-121
3301 N Street, NW
Residence
Rear addition, alterations
Concept – revised

12. SMD 03 OG 15-180
3112 O Street, NW
Christ Church
Rectory Demolition, rear addition
Concept – revised

13. SMD 03 OG 15-265
3121 O Street, NW
Residence
Site work for permeable terraces
Permit

14. SMD 03 OG 15-188
3300 O Street, NW
1316 33rd Street, NW
1318 33rd Street, NW

Residence
Demolition, addition, alterations
Concept – revised

15. SMD 03 OG 15-230
3249 P Street, NW
Residence
Alterations to rear
Permit

16. SMD 03 OG 15-225
1351 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial
Alterations to canopy, replacement doors
Permit

17. SMD 05 OG 15-264
1039 31st Street, NW
Commercial
Alterations, blade sign – Chez Billy Sud – Existing alterations without review
Permit

18. SMD 05 OG 15-232
2929 M Street, NW
Commercial
Repaving of parking lot – Existing alterations without review Permit

19. SMD 05 OG 15-246
3150 M Street, NW Commercial
Alterations
Permit

20. SMD 05 OG 15-234
3276 M Street, NW Commercial
Trash enclosure
Concept

21. SMD 05 OG 15-184
3295 M Street, NW
Commercial
Alterations to storefront, signs – Club Monaco
Permit

22. SMD 05 OG 15-244 3111 N Street, NW
Residence
Fence
Permit

23. SMD 05 OG 15-258
3614 Prospect Street, NW
Residence
Alterations, deck
Permit

24. SMD 05 OG 15-228
1071 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW
Mixed-use
Illuminated blade box sign – Curio
Permit

25. SMD 06 OG 15-135
1212 28th Street, NW
Mixed-use
Two-story plus basement rear addition
Concept – revised
New front stoop in public space and rear porch
Concept

27. SMD 06 OG 15-260 ?
2905 N Street, NW

26. SMD 06 OG 15-207
1250 28th Street, NW
Residence
New parking pad, alterations, site work
Concept

28. SMD 06 OG 15-235
3044 N Street, NW
Residence
Stair-railings at roof terrace above garage – Existing alterations without review
Permit
— ANC 2E’s prior unanimous opposition stands ?

29. SMD 06 OG 15-227
3009 M Street, NW
Commercial Sign – Free People
Permit

30. SMD 06 OG 15-237
2722 Olive Street, NW
Residential
Replacement windows
Existing alterations without review
Permit

31. SMD 07 OG 15-233
1534 28th Street, NW
Residence
Alterations: guardrail
Permit

32. SMD 07 OG 15-101
1609 31st Street, NW
Residence
Demolition, new residence
Concept – revised

33. SMD 07 OG 15-262
1687 32nd Street, NW Residence Alterations Concept

34. SMD 07 OG 15-241
2807 Q Street, NW
Residence
Front porch repair, new windows
Permit

35. SMD 07 OG 15-223
2800 R Street, NW
Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

36. SMD 07 OG 15-249
3000 R Street, NW
Residence
Replacement driveway
Permiit

37. SMD 07 OG 15-231
3033 Dent Place, NW
Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

Government of the District of Columbia: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, 3265 S St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 — 202-724-7098 — anc2e@dc.gov — www.anc2e.com

Gary Tischler • June 25, 2015

In our daily lives, news cycles never end—something (awful, strange, crazy, violent, awesome) happens and the news goes viral one night, dominates the next day, is analyzed and commented on ad infinitum and slithers away, replaced by the next story, the next piece of oddness, the next disaster, the next next.    

Hello Bruce, Good grief, it’s Caitlin,  goodbye to both, hello Donald—you know I’m really rich-Trump, (was that Jeb Bush announcing his presidential run?), hello Miss Dolezal, we hardly knew you, but it’s hardly a black or white issue, and you say it is, goodbye Rachel—did you see that no-hitter at Nationals Park?

But sometimes, a story—an event, really—stops everything and a kind of murmuring, shocked stillness ensues in its wake, starting slowly, gaining force, and then, as hours and days pass, and the aftermath itself becomes the event,  all the other things—we’ve seen fire and we’ve seen rain—seem to melt away, leaving us at a watershed in time.

That’s what happened last Wednesday, when the news trickled out slowly, out of Charleston, South Carolina, that there had been a shooting at a historically black church that evening, and it evolved to a full blown, shock and ghost-inducing headline: “Nine Dead in Shooting at Black Church in Charleston, S.C.”  A similar headline greeting morning coffee drinkers in Charleston itself, its two papers carrying the news, which was unfortunately and horribly and  ironically, partially hidden by a sticky ad for a gun shop and shooting range.

The alleged shooter turned out to be a  21-year-old, white high school drop-out named Dylann Roof of Eastover, South Carolina, who was apprehended by local police on Thursday, at least partly due to being identified by relatives.  The victims were parishioners at members of a bible study group at Emmanuel AME Church, the South’s oldest African American Church. 

Roof, as it turned out, held strong white supremacist views and apparently wrote a manifesto about his beliefs which warned against the country being taken over by blacks and minorities, including Hispanics and Jewish people.  

The very deed brought up ghosts that had always haunted this country, where slavery was considered its original sin.  They were ghost from slavery days, Jim Crow days, routine lynching in segregation days and nights, the shocking violence done during the high water marks of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s including a bombing that killed little girls in an Alabama church. It made false the claims that racist times were a thing of the past with the coming of America’s first black president, a notion that had already begun to re-take hold in the wake of a series of fatal police shootings of black men and demonstrations in the wake of incidents that ran from Missouri to New York City to Baltimore, which was struck by anger and fiery demonstrations and looting.

Yet, the shootings—which have been detailed elsewhere and dramatically on television, blotted out the sun and the sum of all other things, including a enormously influential papal encyclical on the environment and income disparity—stopped time itself for a time and left everyone—black and white, everyone with the remarkable effect of seeking solace with each other, not apart, but together.

What else to do in times like that, with the losses so familiar for the victims and their relatives looked and behaved like the kinds of people whose lives we could aspire to, no matter what our skin color?

They embodied decency, generosity of spirit, forgiving natures, they were all about love and family and so it seemed that in South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag—at least, for now—is still allowed to fly freely at the State Capitol, whites, ordinary people and the governor and the senator, and all, flocked to the same church to console each other and be the people which belied the alleged killer’s bigoted and racist claims and embodied the exact opposite.

We think now of that moment in time that this nothing-much person could be welcomed by this group of people, old and young, pastor and retired folks, parents and grandparents and all, look at them for an hour, listen to what they had to say, and commence to shoot because he says he had to. 

He could not in the course of an hour, see them at all, for kind hearts, for civil words, for lives they had and lived.

Not at all.  He could not image them, let alone see them.

He just commenced to shoot and kill, as if he were just the most important soul under the sun.

He is not.  

The nine people whose lives were taken became a loss for everyone who streamed to the church, became a loss for all of us, a huge loss which may yet transform our lives and sense of who we are together and apart.

Georgetowner • June 24, 2015

A woman was hit by a delivery truck turning on Calvert Street at 37th Street and near Wisconsin Avenue around 6 p.m. on June 11. The female pedestrian died that evening. The intersection, where the incident occurred, is along Glover Park’s busy commercial district.

Officials from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the fatal accident that involved a Giant Food Peapod truck and closed the 3700 block of Calvert Street NW and 2800 block of 37th Street NW for their investigation for a time. The driver remained on the scene.

The victim has not been identified. The MPD has also not yet responded to Georgetowner inquiries concerning the cause of the crash as well as if any charges against the driver have been brought.
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Gary Tischler •

Christopher Lee, who passed away in London June 7 at the age of 93 of heart and respiratory problems — will always be known for playing Dracula— but, oh, there was so much more.

His was a life in full—and sometimes, he surprised us after a period of absence by his re-appearance, better and bigger than ever.   In this way, he was something like the movie, “Dracula.” He would always come back in yet another film, another sequel, another apparition for that matter.

Lee, who began life as a member of an aristocratic English military family, wanted to fly but an eye problem prevented it. He worked for British intelligence for a time.  And then, he decided to become an actor. After stage stints and a small part in the Laurence Olivier’s black-and-white version of “Hamlet,” he emerged from the British horror movie works, Hammer Films, to play not only Dracula time and time again but also the creature in the Frankenstein epics which Hammer also made.

The Hammer style in the 1950s and 1960s was color—blood red, dripping from teeth, necks and Victorian low-cut bodices. They hardly resembled the Universal black-and-white films of Bela Lugosi’s time.  But Lee, with a tony aristocratic and recognizable voice, added class to these films, along with Peter Cushing, who played Dr. Frankenstein and Dracula’s nemesis in many films.

Lee’s Dracula was singular—not quite like the stilted living ghost of Lugosi, not as sexy as Frank Langella and not as weird as Gary Oldman. Lee was lean, scary and totally hypnotic and authoritative.

Those were qualities he brought to his later, resurrection-mode films as the deeply compromised evil wizard Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings” films and another villain, Count Dooku in the prequel “Star Wars” movies.

He appeared in 250 films—including as a villain and nemesis for Roger Moore’s James Bond in “The Man With the Golden Arm.”

But wait, there’s more: Lee was by all accounts a swell singer, singing “Name Your Poison” in a film called “The Return of Captain Invincible,” and he merged operas with heavy metal in recordings he made on which he also sang. He appeared in “Sweeney Todd” and “Corpse Bride” from director Tim Burton, king of the intellectually weird in cinema.

He played Sherlock Holmes and Rasputin the mad monk.

He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1978 and played a character called Doctor Death.

He was knighted by Prince Charles. So, that’s Sir Dracula to you.

He was married for 54 years to the Danish painter and former model Birgit Gitte Kroncke.

The world learned of his death today. I would — out of respect — check that, just to be sure.

Gary Tischler • June 22, 2015

The annual meeting of the Citizens Association of Georgetown presided over for the last time by President Pamla Moore at Sea Catch Restaurant this week was many things for many people—a way to catch up with old acquaintances, the passing of leadership batons, and appearances by Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, both feeling chipper after the District Council approved an $13 billion spending plan without too much blood on the floor, after weeks of sometimes heated arguments and disagreements.

It was an evening to honor Georgetowners who contributed to maintaining the health, the practical get-things-done spirit and the citizen values of Georgetown.

Evans showed up to for several reasons himself.  He gave a reprise of the budget—which includes lots of money for affordable housing , little in the way of tax raising , help for transit and schools.  “And,” he said, “I’m happy to report that there will be money—three million—to repair and renovate and get up and running again the C&O Canal in Georgetown, so that we’ll have the boat again in operation.”

That drew cheers from a large gathering, as it should, since the canal boat and the canal itself are physical and traditional  manifestations of Georgetown, not to mention a tourist attraction.

Mayor Bowser was also pleased with the passing of the budget, and lauded Evans for “as you know being my best friend on the council.  We went up to New York to present our financial status, and we came back with our bond rating being upped.  And I’ve put a lot of pressure on Jack by tasking him to be the council’s representative on the Metro board.”

“I think after six months in office I can say we can be proud in making progress,” Bowser said. “We have great people doing important jobs. In education, we’re trying to find the proper balance between our public schools and charter schools. We have the best police chief in the country, as far as I’m concerned. We’re getting the basics done and going beyond that toward our goal of becoming not only the best national city but a world-class city.”

Evans was awarded the Charles Atherton Award “for Exceptional Service by a Dedicated Public-Sector Professional Public-Sector Professional for Outstanding Work Preserving and Protecting Historic Georgetown.”

Barbara Downs  who seems to have quietly served on an impressive number of  organizational boards in Georgetown for years, including several CAG boards (she is a former CAG president) and committees, the Friends of the Waterfront Park, the Jackson Art Center, and as a volunteer for numerous village projects.  She has done this with grace and class, in a style and manner that befits the definition of Georgetown citizenship.  Downs was awarded the Peter Belin Award for Distinguished Service to the Georgetown Community, presented to her by Harry Belin, Peter Belin’s grandson.

The William A. Cochran Community Service Award (named after the late architect, CAG president and preservation leader) was given to Dr. Sachiko Kuno, President and CEO of the S&R Foundation, which has in short order become a prominent intellectual, cultural and educational presence in Georgetown with the  purchase of two iconic Georgetown properties, Halcyon House and Evermay.

The Martin-Davidson Award for an  Outstanding Business Serving the Community and Enhancing the Historic Character of Georgetown was given to the law firm of  Foley and Lardner LLP.

Special Appreciation Awards were given to Lauralyn Beattie Lee, who was Associate Vice President of Community Engagement and Strategic Initiatives at Georgetown University for the past 13 years; Diane Colasanto who was on the CAG Board of Directors for seven years and effectively co-chaired CAG’s public safety program, and Cory Peterson, who is Director of Neighborhood Life at Georgetown University.

The meeting was also an occasion for the passing of leadership batons, with the membership unanimously voting to elect a new leadership slate consisting of Bob vom Eigen, President, Jennifer Altemus, Vice President, Barbara Downs, Secretary, Bob Laycock, Treasurer, and directors Karen Cruse, Hazel Denton, Hannah Isles and John Rentzepis.

“My favorite kind of election,” Evans quipped, “where there’s only one candidate.”
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