Georgetown and D.C. Take a Snow Day
• February 23, 2015

In the most significant snowfall of the season for the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, most people had Feb. 17 off as the federal government, District governments and public schools closed — along with other jurisdictions. In the morning, Metro bus service was suspended but was restored by midday. Also, by midday, most people were out and about around town. Most businesses were open, but some were closed because employees could not make it in to work. The snow — measuring anywhere from four inches to eight inches and beyond in the outer suburbs — has begun to melt a little, but the freezing temperatures will continue through the week. Remember to shovel the snow in front of your house or business — it’s the law and common courtesy. [gallery ids="101988,135370,135375,135379,135384,135392,135396,135389" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Round Up February 19, 2015
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Labor-Media Breakfast Roundtable

February 20, 2015 at 8:30 a.m. | cgarlock@dclabor.org | Tel: (202) 637-5000 | Event Website

Don’t miss the second annual Labor-Media Breakfast Roundtable on Friday, February 20, from 8:30-10am at AFL-CIO.

The gathering is an “on background” session designed to foster better communication between area reporters and local union communication staffers and leaders.

If you’re a reporter who sometimes needs to quickly locate a local union leader – or member – for a story, the Roundtable is for you. Likewise for local union communications staffers and/or leaders looking to identify which reporters they should reach out to when organizing events, including rallies, picket-lines, organizing campaigns and strikes.

This informal get-together is organized by the Metro Washington Council’s Local Labor Communicators Network, which includes communications staff from many area labor unions.

Space is limited and you must RSVP

Address

AFL-CIO 815 16th Street NW, Washington D.C.

Art of the Piedmont Auction

February 20, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. | Event Website

The Middleburg Community Center will host an evening auction of original artwork from select local artists. Proceeds will benefit Middleburg Montessori School. For details, visit middleburgonline.com
Address

300 West Washington St., Middleburg, Va.

DC Shorts WINS!

February 20, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. | $15-$25 | Media@dcshorts.com | Tel: 202-393-4266 | Event Website

DC Shorts Film Festival, named the “Coolest Short Film Festival” by Moviemaker Magazine, will showcase some of the festival’s most successful films including DC Shorts Audience Favorites. Both nights of the event feature two unique performances, at 7:30 pm (Show A) and 9:30 pm (Show B). Each show is 90 minutes long.

Friday, Feb. 20, 2015; 7:30 pm (Show A) and 9:30 pm (Show B)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015; 7:30 pm (Show B) and 9:30 pm (Show A)

$15 per showcase; $25 double header

Address

Burke Theater, U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004

Show:UP!

February 21, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. | $65 | experience@bestdinnerpartyever.com | Event Website

Imagine a fabulous dinner party, hosted by some of your closest friends…that you have never met and at a location you have never been

Show:UP! is an exciting new performance concept that fuses immersive, improv theater with a real life dinner party. Each performance includes a fully catered dinner and signature cocktails, and takes place in a local area home. Guests are placed in the center of it all, playing an integral part of the storytelling.

Address

Secret Location, to be confirmed at ticket purchase

Dance Rehearsals with Picasso Collection by Diplomats of Dance Society

February 21, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. | dancediplomats@gmail.com | Event Website

Please mark your calendars for the afternoon of Saturday, February 21st! Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company is in residence at the Kreeger Museum in D.C. and is holding several open rehearsals through March. We want to organize a Diplomats of Dance Society group visit to the museum to watch the rehearsal-in-process and see Dana choreographing DTSBDC’s new work “Picasso Dances”, which is inspired by the museum’s amazing Picasso collection. Event followed by a champagne toast!

For more information, photos and what we’ve been up to so far, please visit our website – as well as to see some photos from DTSBDC’s first open rehearsal last Saturday!

Address

Kreeger Museum
2401 Foxhall Road NW, Washington D.C. 20007

Orange Anchor Opens for Brunch

February 21, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. | See Menu for Prices | Tel: 202-802-9990 | Event Website

The new Georgetown waterfront dining spot will open its doors for brunch for the first time this weekend. Make sure to stop in for these new additions to their menu. Brunch will be served Saturday and Sunday.

Address

3050 K St. NW

Balls Bluff Remembrance Day

February 22, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. | $45 | Tel: 703-352-5900 | Event Website

Join the Friends of Ball’s Bluff for their annual fundraising dinner honoring those who fought at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. Guest speaker Frank O’Reilly will tell the story of units who fought at both Ball’s Bluff and Fredericksburg.

Address

The Woodlands at Algonkian, 47001 Fairway Drive, Sterling, Va.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

February 22, 2015 at 12 p.m. | Free | Tel: 202-628-1688 | Event Website

There will be a parade on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Chinatown on H Street NW between Sixth and Seventh Streets. It will feature a traditional Chinese Dragon Dance. There will also be Kung Fu demonstrations and live musical entertainment at the event. The firecracker will be lit at 3:45 p.m. There’s a little bit of something for everyone.

Start your celebration a little earlier at Chinatown Community Cultural Center. Programs and activities begin at noon and continue until 5 p.m., including live music and dance performances, traditional Chinese calligraphy, children’s crafts, face painting, tai chi and kung fu demonstrations, lion dancing, poetry readings, film screenings, art and photo exhibits, and raffle prizes.

Address

616 H Street NW

Georgetown Library Closed for 3 Weeks Because of Burst Pipe
•

This time, it’s ice, not fire. Friday the 13th proved unlucky for Georgetown Public Library, the site of a devastating building fire in April 2007.

Because of the cold, on Feb. 13 a sprinkler pipe burst on the top floor of the Georgetown Neighborhood Library on 3260 R St. NW. Water damaged the Peabody Room with its historic collection of Georgetown artifacts on the third floor and poured down the walls to the second and the first floors of the library.

“When the sprinkler pipe ruptured, the fire alarm went off immediately and the building was evacuated,” said library spokesman George Williams. “The water did not seep through to the lower floors until several minutes after the evacuation.”

At this time, there appears to be minimal damage to the Peabody Room and its collection, he added.

“While the library makes repairs to the building and takes steps to reduce the risk of mold, the building will be closed,” Williams said. “We expect the closure to last approximately three weeks. During this time, patron-placed holds will be available for pick up at the Palisades Library. In addition, books can continue to be returned at the Georgetown Library book drop.”

The Peabody Room was closed that Friday, and the library staff had not idea that water was leaking until it hit the ceiling of the second floor and the stairwell, according to Jerry McCoy, special collections librarian and head of the Peabody Room.

“By time I got to the library there was three-quarters of an inch of water in 90 percent of the reading room,” McCoy wrote to a colleague. “Water had started to seep under the walls into the west archives storage room.  Several boxes of collections siting on the floor absorbed water. The good thing is that none of the artwork hanging on the walls was damaged.”

McCoy added that, coincidentally, Feb. 18 is the 220th birthday of banker and philanthropist George Peabody (1795-1869), namesake of Georgetown’s unique room of history and its archives of books, photographs, maps and manuscripts, some of which date back to the 18th Century. The collection was established in 1935.

According to the D.C. Public Library, “the few items in the Peabody Room that were damaged have been moved to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library to be treated by library staff. All damaged items from the Peabody Collection will be recovered and eventually returned to the Georgetown Library.”
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All Things Media: It’s Not About Brian
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The great irony is that Wiliamsgate, Williamsgazi or whatever it is going to be called soon by some internet wag, is no longer about Brian Williams, the anchor of the NBC Nightly News broadcast.

Obviously, it is all about the NBC News anchor monster (although, by all accounts and molded public persona, a very nice fellow). But it is as much about where NBC News is heading.

By now, it is common lore about how Williams gradually embellished his Iraq war experience until he told his Nightly News audience recently that his helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. And, as we all know too well now, it was not.

He admitted he “conflated” events — the copter ahead of him was hit. Someone else might have written the original script, but these were Williams’s own experiences and presumably if someone wrote on the script — “Hi, I’m Tom Brokaw.” He would not read that.

In its shock and horror, NBC has launched an investigation led by the head of its investigative unit. Questions have been raised about Williams’s reporting during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and other places. But really that is a sideshow. The investigation will find that BW conflated actual events with his personal experience. Like he said.

Williams has already taken himself off the air “for a few days.” Whether NBC will formally suspend him, fire him or just say, “Oops. Never mind. We still love you, Brian,” will play out very publicly.

But what this is as much about now is Brian’s boss: NBC News President Deborah Turness. She was brought in from ITV News in the U.K. a year ago to enliven the peacock’s floundering news division and has wielded her presidency like a chainsaw in a slasher movie. “Meet the Press” was gutted, the “Today” show is limping at best, and now Williams. The cause of each were not of her doing, but they are on her watch. Looks more like the Burning of Washington than the Beatles’ Invasion.

Will Brian Williams survive? It will be hard to keep him on with media watchers baying for blood, but they might. NBC can ill afford to lose the one thing that is keeping it at number one. And the network has no Jimmy Fallon in the news wings.

If he does leave permanently it will be the end of era of network anchors dominating American journalism: think Cronkite, Rather, Jennings and Brokaw. Williams is the last of the news anchors with that kind of global recognition. Several classes of journalism college students were asked recently, and Williams was the only anchor they could name. The names of Scott Pelley of CBS News and David Muir of ABC News drew blank looks. And those were journalism students.

But this type of network news scandal is rarely just about the facts. CNN’s Tailwind scandal was as much about the Atlanta homeguard wanting to knock off then CNN top dog, Rick Kaplan who personified the hated New York media elite and then-president Tom Johnson wanting to get rid of the head of Investigative Unit Pamela Hill (both forced out). Rathergate (when CBS News accused President George W. Bush in 2004 of shirking his National Guard duty year before) was as much about the fact that the CBS News body-politic had had enough of anchor Dan and president Andrew Heyward (both went). The people love Williams, but plenty would be happy to see Turness on the next plane back the U.K.

So, It is not just Williams’s job on the line, it is the entire direction of NBC News.

Welcome to Turnessgazi.

Weekend Round Up February 12, 2015
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Georgetown Arts 2015

February 13, 2015 at 11 a.m. | latiscornia@gmail.com | Tel: 202-368-5878 | Event Website

Georgetown Arts 2015, the sixth annual art show of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, will showcase artwork by local Georgetown residents and artists who have studios in Georgetown. The show also will feature “art talks” on Sat., Feb. 14 and Sun., Feb. 15 at 2 pm, when chosen artists will discuss their art pieces. Most works will be for sale, with the proceeds going to support CAG, which aims to preserve the historic character and quality of life of Georgetown.

Address

House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20007

Crimes of Passion at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment

February 13, 2015 at 6 p.m | $80 | guestservices@crimemuseum.org | Tel: 202-393-1099 | Event Website

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment hosts “Crimes of Passion” on Valentine’s Day with handcuffed tours (you can take the cuffs home after). Also included are hands-on forensic demonstrations and opportunities to learn about crimes of passion like catfishing, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and political scandals. You can also get temporary prison tattoos with your date and find out what they mean, take personality tests to figure out if you or your significant other could be serial killers, and more. Tickets are available for times every half-hour from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Address

575 7th Street NW

Chocolate and Wine Pairing at Greenhill Winery

February 13, 2015 at 6 p.m. | Event Website

Friday to Sunday of Valentine’s weekend, Middleburg’s Greenhill Winery and Vineyard hosts an event pairing Greenhill wines with handcrafted chocolates from Choquette, a family owned Guittard chocolate store in Bethesda. Reservations are required for the Club House and for groups of 10 or more in the Tasting Room.

Address

23595 Winery Lane, Middleburg. Va.

“Chicago” at the National Theatre

February 13, 2015 at 8 p.m. | $58-$108 | Event Website

The musical “Chicago” has been honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy. Check out this tale of fame and murder in the jazz age. The show is Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Address

1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington D.C.

SpeakeasyDC’s Sucker for Love

February 14, 2015 at 9 p.m. | $25 | Event Website

SpeakeasyDC is putting on its 7th annual Valentine’s Day show at the 9:30 Club. Sucker for Love will feature stories about all kinds of love. You might laugh. You might cry. You will definitely be moved. The 6:30 p.m. show is sold out. Get your tickets for the 9:00 p.m. show before they sell out. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Address

9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, Washington, DC

Cupid’s Undie Run

February 15, 2015 at 2 p.m. | Event Website

Cupid’s Undie Run is designed to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Participants run a 1.75-mile lap in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. This is the event’s fifth year in Washington D.C. Make sure to register to participate in your red/pink/heart-covered underwear.

Address

East Capitol Street Northeast & First St SE, Washington, D.C. 20004

A Via Umbria Valentine’s Dinner

February 15, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. | $125 | Tel: 202.333.3904 | Event Website

Why just celebrate love (and wine) on one day? Join Via Umbria for an extended Valentine’s Day weekend where the celebration continues on Sunday. Birthday boy Bill Menard turns 55, so you know it will be a party!

Join acclaimed Umbrian winemaker Roberto Di Filippo for an intimate and delicious dinner featuring the biodynamic wines of Di Filippo and Plani Arche at your private table.

With presentations throughout the evening, Roberto will draw you in with stories about his life in Umbria, the role of food and wine in his culture and, of course, a deeper understanding of his wines and how they pair with different foods. It’s part dinner, part theater, and all wine.

Come February 15 for a very special four-course dinner curated by Roberto Di Filippo. Reservations are required. Call Via Umbria to make your reservation or for further information.

Address

Via Umbria, 1525 Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.

Save the Date: Georgetown Media Group Presents Cultural Leadership Breakfast Series: February 19

Join the Washington community and the Georgetown Media Group for an informative morning focused on cultural leadership in our region. Ari Roth, former artistic director of Theater J, shares his plans for the intercultural company he will soon launch at Atlas Performing Arts Center.

From 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., enjoy a light breakfast, informal remarks and a Q&A with the leaders of Washington’s top cultural organizations.

$15 George Town Club Members; $20 non-Members
RSVP to Richard@Georgetowner.com or 202-333-4833

Address
The George Town Club; 1530 Wisconsin Ave. NW

‘O Captain! My Captain! Our Fearful Trip Is Done’ – Presidents’ Day Doings
•

Friday, Feb. 13

To mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the Newseum will open its new exhibit, “President Lincoln Is Dead: The New York Herald Reports the Assassination” on Friday, Feb, 13.

The exhibit will include an unparalleled collection of New York Herald special editions from April 15, 1865. For the first time since 1865, the exhibit brings together all seven editions, beginning with the 2 a.m. edition, which contained the first Associated Press report that Lincoln had been shot.

*”When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d,
And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night,
I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.”*

The poem was written by Walt Whitman in the summer of 1865 during a period of profound national mourning in the aftermath of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865.

The display will also include a recently discovered ”extra” that was one of the first newspapers to report the president’s death. Visitors will be able to view the newspaper’s complete coverage of the tragic event as it unfolded. The museum is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

Monday, Feb. 16

Celebrate George Washington’s Birthday, Monday, Feb. 16, by visiting his Mount Vernon home and burial site. There will be a number of special events and displays, free of charge throughout the day.

Visitors will have the opportunity to mingle with costumed characters from George Washington’s world from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ”General Washington” is on the grounds to greet visitors and receive birthday wishes all day.

Mount Vernon, one of the nation’s most beloved historic sites, is open 365 days a year and located at 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va. 22121.

Other events celebrating Presidents’ Day

Sunday, Feb. 15

Presidential family fun day: a museum-wide patriotic day with a variety of crafts and performances dedicated to our nation’s famous past leaders, meet Presidents Washington and Lincoln, participate in arts and crafts, listen to a local a cappella group and more. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. Free.

George Washington Classic 10K Race and 2K Fun Run: Certified course through Eisenhower Valley. Registration, 6:30 a.m. to 7:55 a.m.; race at 8 a.m.; $10 to $35. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 600 Dulany St., Alexandria, Va. 703-829-6640. www.washingtonbirthday.net

“Walking With Washington”: An hour-long walking tour of sites in Alexandria associated with George Washington. 2 p.m. Ramsey House Visitors Center, 221 King St., Alexandria, Va. 703-829-6640. Free; reservations required. www.washingtonbirthday.net

Monday, Feb. 16

Library of Congress: Presidents’ Day semiannual open house for visitors to the Jefferson Building’s Great Hall. Exhibitions, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Main Reading Room open. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Library of Congress, Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. 202-707-8000. Free.

Madison’s Washington: A National Park Service ranger discusses what the city looked like at the time of President Madison’s administration. 2 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Memorial, 900 Ohio Drive SW. 202-497-1397. Free.

George Washington Birthday Events: Features a Breakfast and Meeting of the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution and an Armed Forces Community Covenant Ceremony. For a complete schedule, www.washingtonbirthday.net. 703-829-6640; free.

Tuesday, Feb. 17

Abraham Lincoln’s life in music: Pianist Elizabeth Smith Brownstein performs pieces from the Civil War, offering insights into rarely considered aspects of his temperament and leadership. 7 p.m., Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172; $20, in advance $15.

Georgetown’s Future: Dreams and Realities
• February 20, 2015

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE . . .

The Washington watchword is change: change everywhere. Change in Adams Morgan, change in Petworth, Brookland, big changes to the downtown infrastructure and skyline. And, who knows, maybe someday the blessings of change will reach as far as Wards 7 and 8.

And guess what? Change is coming to Georgetown.

The village known as the place most resistant to change is about to change – if all the buzz about ongoing projects and future vision is any indication. There’s been a lot of talk – and at least one recent meeting – about the contents of the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s action plan.

The Georgetown 2028 Plan was presented to the public in December of 2013. But, much as a rumor gets around as something brand new, changes in Georgetown are a hot topic these days.

“Georgetown was getting left behind a little bit,” Georgetown BID CEO Joe Sternlieb said. “People weren’t talking about it as much as they had. It wasn’t the only place to go on a Saturday night anymore.”

We’re talking gondolas over the Potomac, a Metro station in Georgetown (somewhere in the near or far future), special lighting under Key Bridge, even the big Kennedy Center renovation, which will better connect the center to the river and to Georgetown.

We’re talking a lot. Georgetown’s reputation for elitist inclination is grounded mostly in the perception of a 1960s rejection of a Metro station (and the fact that the term affordable housing seems to be an alien term). What’s coming – if it happens, and there are a lot of ifs – is not necessarily dramatic, all the high-end goodies aside. The end result may be that Georgetown, and Georgetowners, will be more connected to the rest of the city and its other wards, villages and neighborhoods.

In fact, there’s always been change in Georgetown. The historic core remains, and probably always will. That’s the advantage of being a historic district. But the commercial part of Georgetown has always gone through changes. Many of the restaurants and shops and bars from the 1980s are gone, replaced by something different. The flavors change, but the overall image doesn’t.

The proposed changes have to make a grueling journey through all the bureaucracies that the city and village has to offer. Big dreams of shining cities and gondolas are susceptible to change and resistance. Just look at what’s happened to the long-awaited H Street streetcar project, or the hit-and-run zoning battles being waged over pop-ups.

The buzz is likely to be ongoing. It’s a marketing and educational issue as much as anything. Gone are the days (we hope) when residents and commercial interests clashed hysterically and unreasonably. Thanks to the late Art Schultz – who also helped promote the legislation that led to the creation of BIDs – there’s a more friendly and cooperative attitude in the village, one more receptive to new ideas and newcomers.

In the end, though, here’s a fairly safe prediction: Georgetown will still be Georgetown, recognizable and historic, if a little more wired and connected to the city of which it’s a singular part.

CHANGE IS COMING: BID AND OTHERS TAKE ON THE FUTURE

Gondolas and Metro stops and parklets, oh, my.

We are sure about some new buildings and businesses, as well as expanded bus service. And we are fairly sure about a Metrorail station (a question of when) and even a boathouse or two (a question of where).

As far as the imagined aerial gondola from the west side of Georgetown to the Rosslyn Metro stop, it is possible, shall we say, but it is also a great publicity stunt for the village.

Causing all this ruckus and media buzz about the town’s future is the Georgetown Business Improvement District with its “Georgetown 2028 15-Year Action Plan,” presented in December 2013.

The report and the resulting discussion are welcome in a town – founded in 1751 as part of Maryland – where George Washington was a frequent visitor and the likes of Thomas Jefferson and John Kennedy lived. The village has lost some of its commercial mojo and is no longer the nightlife capital of the capital, but that is not point here.

As Ward 2 council member and Georgetown resident Jack Evans likes to say: “Now is the golden age of Georgetown.”

Evans is one of the influencers, ranging from the District government with the advisory neighborhood commission, the Old Georgetown Board (part of the federal Commission of Arts), the Board of Zoning Adjustment and the National Park Service to the Citizens Association of Georgetown, the Georgetown Business Association and Georgetown University, the largest private employer (with Medstar Georgetown University Hospital) in D.C. Center-stage of late: the Georgetown BID, which gets its funding from taxing member property-owners and business tenants. The BID covers commercial M Street down to the river and commercial Wisconsin Avenue up to R Street, along with parts of some side streets.

After years of disagreements, it appears that peace reigns in the land. After all, CAG and Georgetown University reached an agreement on the university’s 2020 Campus Plan in a process that then-Mayor Vincent Gray called “historic.” (Already, three new student dorms are underway.) Before that, the citizens and the merchants came to terms and now almost speak with one voice.

Along the banks of the Potomac, the Georgetown Waterfront Park has been completed, and the ice skating rink at Washington Harbour is a winner. And, now, boathouse proposals by the NPS are heating up again.

The two public schools in the neighborhood, Duke Ellington School for the Arts and Hyde-Elementary School, are undergoing significant renovation and reconstruction. On the east side and the west side, thanks to Anthony Lanier’s EastBanc Co., gas station property will become condo space. Richard Levy and his partners hope to remake the defunct West Heating Plant, south of the Four Seasons Hotel, into a condominium. Also, architect Robert Bell is remaking the old Georgetown Theater into retail and residential spaces on Wisconsin Avenue. Micro apartments are slated for the former Latham Hotel on M Street.

Into this mix, the Georgetown BID presented its grand scheme after months of meetings with experts and community leaders: “Simply put, the 2028 vision is to build an economically stronger and more sustainable Georgetown commercial district while bolstering the residential community by preserving what is great about Georgetown, fixing what is broken and creating what is missing.”

The BID’s strategic plan contains 75 action items, of which the following are highlights:

First and foremost is the preservation of the C&O Canal, a crown jewel of Georgetown. The BID is helping fundraise for a new canal barge and also wants to put a dock on the canal near 34th Street. It is noted that 2028 is the bicentennial of the canal.
The new barge and its education programs could cost $3 million. (The dock runs around $40,000 and may be ready this summer). As far as the deterioration of Lock 3 is concerned, the repairs could cost around $5.5 million.

The Georgetown Metro station would be part of a $3.3 billion expansion of the system. It may be ready by 2040 and is something out of the BID’s control.

Quick changes are also looked for. Temporary parklets at Luke’s Lobster and Baked & Wired and temporary widening of sidewalks have proved popular and will continue. New small public spaces have been made available. Already set up is signage around town – something lacking for decades – pointing the way to landmarks. There are designs for large entry signs for Georgetown, too.

Free Circulator bus service up Wisconsin Avenue from K Street to Whitehaven Street is also a quick way to get visitors moving around town. Will streetcars ever make it to K Street?

As a way to connect to Metrorail, an attention-grabbing gondola would cost $20 million and take about five years to complete. The BID defines: “A gondola lift consists of a loop cable between two stations with individual cabins accommodating anywhere from four to 20 passengers…. A gondola lift can carry more than 4,000 passengers in each direction, per hour, similar to light rail transit and much larger than a typical bus route running at five-minute intervals.” The BID has $100,000 earmarked for a feasibility study – with more money needed from Arlington Country and others – that will determine if an aerial gondola ever gets off the ground.

Also proposed is the artistic lighting of the understructure of Key Bridge and Whitehurst Freeway.

All this was taken up at a Feb. 3 BID annual meeting at the House of Sweden, where the 2028 Plan was discussed and ideas taken from residents and businesspersons. The day before the meeting, the Washington Post ran a splashy roundup piece about the plan in its Style Section, while other media outlets have been reporting about the BID’s plans from the get-go.

Yes, change is coming.

FUTURE BOATHOUSES ON THE POTOMAC

In the next few years, if the dreams of Georgetown and George Washington universities come true, the Georgetown riverfront will look very different. At a National Park Service (NPS) public “scoping” meeting held on Feb. 5 at the D.C. Palisades Public Library, the agency unveiled plans they intend to make a reality for the hotly contested Georgetown waterfront – from 34th Street to a parcel of land just upstream of the Washington Canoe Club.

The 1,500 feet of riverfront – not long ago a vast wasteland of dumps, rendering plants and sewage runoff areas – is now considered some of the most valuable land in the city, and it is owned and controlled by the NPS.

The NPS push toward new rowing facilities is based on the belief that the Thompson Boat Center has long been inadequate for the growing needs of rowers. The project to change the area into a center for elite collegiate and scholastic rowers, as well as a place for recreational paddlers to launch from, has been bounced around since the 1970s.

At the library meeting, the future possibilities for the area were limited to four scenarios, beginning with a “No Action Alternative,” under which no changes would take place. The other options were labeled low-, medium- and high-density solutions.

In determining the necessity for the new boathouses, the NPS relied on its own 2013 Boathouse Zone Feasibility Report. The report specified that the combined number of college athletes involved in competitive rowing from the two schools was 280, a number they say is too high to be serviced properly at the existing Thompson’s space.

To help the recreational boater, the NPS under three of the four plans is intending to build sanded “beaches” from which no-rental recreational paddlers can launch, as opposed to floating docks.

Working under a firm deadline, Peter May, the NPS Regional Director for Lands, Planning, and Design for the National Capital Region, stated that the public would have until March 5 to weigh in with comments about the proposals presented at the library meeting. Under the NPS overall plan, additional opportunities for public comments will be given later. Only unnamed white boxes where structures are planned were shown on the map renderings displayed at the meeting.

When asked by an audience member what schools were being considered for each outlined spot, Kevin Brandt, NPS Superintendent for the C&O National Historical Park, stated, “The short answer is that we don’t know. We have not identified specific groups or universities or individuals that go with these white boxes.” When asked when the information would be available to the public, Brandt commented, “We think maybe by the time that we get to the end of this project, we will have a much better idea, but at this point we don’t know.”

The NPS officials, when asked, could not yet state how the project would be funded, nor what criteria would be considered internally at the NPS in making their final decisions.

In the Q&A period of the public meeting, the NPS chose not to answer questions posed by audience members regarding parking, traffic congestion, project timetables or the use of powerboats in the area. Queries relating to the status of the mostly shuttered Washington Canoe Club, as well as the possible impact of the city’s massive Clean Rivers sewage project, were not answered at the meeting by the NPS, which stated that the information will be provided to the public at a later point in the planning phase.

When asked what D.C. officials had been involved in the planning and the determination of the four scenarios, Peter May stated that various city agencies, among them the Department of Transportation and the Office of Planning, were consulted, but he could not provide any specificity as to which officials and their level of involvement. When contacted after the meeting, D.C. Council member Jack Evans stated that his office had not been contacted by the NPS regarding any of the proposed concepts, nor has he been asked by the agency for input. Officials from the Mayor’s office also expressed their surprise about the meeting after being contacted by The Georgetowner.

Following the public comments phase scheduled to end March 5, the NPS will undertake the additional steps mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). These steps are expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Latest Issue of the Georgetowner
• February 10, 2015

Rabbi Refuses to Vacate Synagogue-owned House
• February 9, 2015

The congregation of Kesher Israel synagogue told fired Rabbi Barry Freundel that he needs to vacate the house on O Street provided to him as part of his employment by Jan. 1.

Over a month later, he still has not done so.

Kesner Israeil’s housing was considered part of Freundel’s pay when the synagogue employed him for 26 years. However, he was fired in October after he was charged with six counts of voyeurism.

Freundel’s attorney Jeffrey Harris claims that the synagogue would revoke Freundel’s back wages and his pension of $100,000 if Freundel chooses to stay in the home until March, according to ABC7 news. Lawyers for Kesher Israel argue that this will give the former rabbi plenty of time to move out.
The Georgetown home Freundel inhabits is valued at $1.5 million.

The Rabbinical Council of America has gotten involved in regard to this case. The RCA established a committee to review the conversion process and protect converts. Recomendations from the committee were reported to the RCA Jan. 31. They will be released to the public at an unknown time.

It is alleged that Freundel filmed women while they undressed and cleansed themselves in the ritual bath at the National Capital Mikvah, including a Georgetown student. He acted as professor for one of her classes.

In mid-December, two more women added their names to the class action lawsuit being brought against the man. The civil lawsuit was filed with the D.C. Superior Court. The women claim to have been sexually exploited, but it is not clear if they were also videotaped in the ritual baths.

Weekend Round Up February 5, 2015
•

Save the Date: Georgetown Media Group Presents Cultural Leadership Breakfast Series: February 19

Join the Washington community and the Georgetown Media Group for an informative morning focused on cultural leadership in our region.
Ari Roth, former artistic director of Theater J, shares his plans for the intercultural company he will soon launch at Atlas Performing Arts Center.

From 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., enjoy a light breakfast, informal remarks and a Q&A with the leaders of Washington’s top cultural organizations.

$15 George Town Club Members; $20 non-Members

RSVP to Richard@Georgetowner.com or 202-333-4833

Address

The George Town Club; 1530 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Hill’s Kitchen Cocktail Event Benefiting No Kid Hungry

February 5th, 2015 at 06:00 PM | areddy@strength.org | Tel: 202-734-3536 | Event Website

Taste of the Nation DC is excited to announce a special “Sip & Shop” cocktail event at Hill’s Kitchen just in time for Valentine’s Day! From 6-8pm on Thursday, February 5, the gourmet kitchenware store will highlight a selection of seven beloved Capitol Hill restaurateurs’ favorite items. Hill’s Kitchen will generously donate twenty percent of the event’s revenue to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America.

Address

Hills Kitchen; 713 D Street SE

Opening Reception: Anytime/Anywhere

February 6th, 2015 at 06:00 PM | FREE | gallery@callowayart.com | Tel: 202-965-4601 | Event Website

On view from February 6 thru March 7, opening reception March 7, featuring the artworks of award-winning oil painter Carl Bretzke. Anytime/Anywhere will focus on Bretzke’s modernist sensibility in the plein air world; showcasing Bretzke’s use of traditional methods of direct painting with an emphasis on atypical subject matter. Bretzke’s work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Address

Susan Calloway Fine Arts; 1643 Wisconsin Ave NW

WomenHeart Fundraiser at Aveda Georgetown

February 7th, 2015 at 11:00 AM | Free | eswartz@womenheart.org | Tel: (202) 965-1325 | Event Website

Get pampered for a great cause! Join WomenHeart at Aveda Georgetown for a fun day of beauty, shopping, and heart health education. Aveda Georgetown will donate $10 for each product or service purchased on Saturday and throughout American Heart Month. Just mention “WomenHeart.”

Free heart health information and experts will be at the event Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm.

To schedule a salon or spa appointment, visit http://www.avedageorgetown.com or call (202) 965-1325

Address

Aveda Georgetown; 1325 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

National Museum of the Marine Corps Third Annual MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) Cook Off

February 7th, 2015 at 12:00 PM | Free | michele.r.flynn@usmc.mil | Tel: 703-296-8446. | Event Website

The National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC) is looking for more Top Chef-loving, food enthusiasts to compete in the third annual MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) Cook Off taking place Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the NMMC in Triangle, Va. This cook off is unique & challenging as contestants mostly use MREs to create a delicious meal in hopes of winning the Golden Canteen Cup. There is still space left for participants or teams (consisting of two adults).

Address

18900 Jefferson Davis Highway; Triangle, VA 22172

The Craft of Music-Stringed Instruments from Bach to Bluegrass

February 7th, 2015 at 01:00 PM | $20-$40 | Event Website

A celebration of the sound and craft of stringed instruments, this event will include exhibit, demonstrations, panel discussions with luthiers, classical performances by Arcovace Chamber Ensemble, guest performance by aMuse, and Bluegrass performance by Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band.

Saturday, February 7, 1:00-5:00pm

Address

The Katzen Art Center at American University; 4400 Massachusetts Ave

PRAVA – Pike & Rose Audio Visual Arts Festival

February 7th, 2015 at 06:00 PM | Free | Event Website

Pike & Rose is pleased to announce the first-ever Pike & Rose Audio Visual Arts Festival. The free-to-attend event on Saturday, February 7, 6PM – 2AM, is a one-night immersive art experience featuring international, national, and regional artists.

Artists will present musical performances and art installations spanning 40,000 square feet over three floors of office space. The event is open to guests 18 and older and is free to attend with online registration at www.PRAVAFest.org.

Address

Pike & Rose; 11580 Old Georgetown Rd; North Bethesda, MD 20852

Chapter Two by Neil Simon

February 7th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | $14-17 | Thunderous_Productions@hotmail.com | Tel: 301-937-4532 | Event Website

Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical Chapter Two offers the quick wit & humor Simon fans expect, but is often raw & downright tragic. It tells the stories of George-a novelist & recent widower-and Jennie, an actress & divorcee. The two are set up by their respective best friends, Leo & Faye. They play matchmakers to George & Jennie, while also planning trysts of their own. Will George & Jennie be able to deal with their pasts & keep up their new exuberant relationship?

Address

Anacostia Arts Center; 1231 Good Hope Rd SE

Richard Strauss’ “Guntram” Opera Gems

February 11th, 2015 at 03:30 PM | $10 | pdubroof@iona.org | Tel: 202-895-9407 | Event Website

New to opera and want to learn more? Longtime opera fan? On February 11 from 3:30 – 5:30 pm, Iona is hosting a class that explores key dramatic and musical scenes from Richard Strauss’ “Guntram.” Led by Peter Russell, the lecture will feature audio and video examples.

Address

Iona Senior Services; 4125 Albemarle Street NW