Georgetown-Burleith ANC Meets Tonight: DDOT Bridge Report; Duke Ellington; P Street Hotel
• January 29, 2015

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E will hold its January meeting, 6:30 p.m., Jan. 5, 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 Jan. 5, 2015, ANC 2E public meeting agenda

Administrative:

Approval of Dec. 1, 2014, minutes

Financial Report

Transportation Report — DDOT report on Key Bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek

Public Safety Report

DPW Report

Proposed ANC 2E meeting dates for 2015

Community Comment

Proposed hotel at 2616-2620 P St., NW

ABC

Via Umbria, 1525 Wisconsin Ave., NW (ABRA-097178) — new Class A retail license

Old Georgetown Board

MAJOR/PUBLIC PROJECTS

Duke Ellington School for the Arts

Design Revisions (for Historic Preservation Review Board)

PRIVATE PROJECTS

1. SMD 02 OG 15-057 (HPA 15-085)

1544 33rd Street, NW

Residence
One-story rear addition, alterations
Concept

2. SMD 05 OG 15-039 (HPA 15-057)

1065 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Commercial Sign – Nadeau
Permit

3. SMD 06 OG 15-063 (HPA 15-103)

1502 27th Street, NW

Residence
Front porch, alterations, wall and fence
Concept

4. SMD 06 OG 15-071 (HPA 15-115)

2707 N Street, NW

Residence

2-story rear addition
Concept

5. SMD 06 OG 15-069 (HPA 15-112)

2701 Dumbarton Street, NW

Residence

Rear addition, dormer, alterations

Concept

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E: The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming Jan. 6, 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, Jan. 2, 2015.

Major/Public Projects

1. Government of the District of Columbia Department of General Services — 3219 O Street, NW — Hyde – Addison Elementary School Addition, alterations to roof at Hyde Concept — revised

2. SMD 05 OG 14-353 (HPA 14-686)

3220 Prospect St., NW

Commercial

New construction
Concept — revised

3. SMD 06 OG 15-074 (HPA 15-118)

1215 31st St., NW

Georgetown Post Office Sign — EastBanc Technologies
Permit

4. SMD 06 OG 15-078 (HPA 15-122)

2709 N Street NW

Alexander Memorial Baptist Church
Alterations
Concept — design development

Private Projects

1. SMD 02 OG 15-061 (HPA 15-100)

3224 R Street, NW

Residence
Replacement fence
Permit

2. SMD 02OG 15-029 (HPA 15-042)

3244 Q Street, NW

Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

3. SMD 02 OG 15-079 (HPA 15-123)

3252 S Street, NW

Residence
Rear dormer
Concept

4. SMD 02 OG 15-072 (HPA 15-116)

1642 35th Street, NW

Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

5. SMD 02 OG 15-060 (HPA 15-099)

1671 35th Street, NW

Residence
Replacement metal fence
Permit

6. SMD 03 OG 15-048 (HPA 15-076)

1525 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Commercial
Signs, canopy – Via Umbria Concept – revised

7. SMD 03 OG 15-080 (HPA 15-124)

3251 Prospect Street, NW

Mixed-use: commercial/residential
New doors, relocation of HVAC equipment to roof
Permit

8. SMD 03 OG 15-070 (HPA 15-114)

3137 O Street, NW

Residence
Two-story rear addition, alterations
Permit

9. SMD 03 OG 15-077 (HPA 15-121)

3103 P Street, NW

Residence
Replacement windows, new window openings
Permit

10. SMD 03 OG 15-012 (HPA 15-025)

3206 N Street, NW

Commercial
Alterations, replacement curtain wall, sign pylon and covering
Concept – revised

11. SMD 05 OG 15-038 (HPA 15-051)

3401 M Street, NW

Commercial
Illuminated signs – Georgetown Running Company
Permit

12. SMD 05 OG 15-073 (HPA 15-117)

1032 29th Street, NW

Commercial
Light fixture – existing, sign – MFJ International
Permit

13. SMD 05 OG 15-041 (HPA 15-157)

1028 33rd Street, NW

Commercial
Sign – Thomas Moser
Permit – revised

14. SMD 06 OG 14-347 (HPA 14-680)

1624 29th Street, NW

Residence
Repair rear garden wall
Permit

15. SMD 06 OG 15-068 (HPA 15-111)

1228 30th Street, NW

Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

16. SMD 06 OG 15-059 (HPA 15-087)

1405 31st Street, NW

Residence
Replacement windows
Permit

17. SMD 07 OG 15-075 2814 R Street, NW (HPA-119)

Residence

Alterations to stairs, site work, sidewalk on public space
Concept

18. SMD 07 OG 14-339 (HPA 14-672)

2816 R Street, NW

Residence
Additions, alterations, site work
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

Freeze Hits Local Pinkberrys as Franchisee Files for Chapter 7
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According to court records uncovered by the Washington Business Journal, the local franchisee for local Pinkberry frozen yogurt shops has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The future of Pinkberry Mid-Atlantic LLC’s frozen yogurt outlets in the area, including shops in Georgetown, Dupont, Arlington, Fairfax, Tysons Corner and National Harbor, is in question and a Pinkberry store in Leesburg closed in 2014.

In court documents, the company lists debts at over $1.2 million and assets at around $820,000. Mid-atlantic banking behemoth BB&T is the largest creditor, with claims upwards of $500,000. Pinkberry also owes tens of thousands of dollars to Sysco Food Services and area utilities. The company also owes close to $100,000 to Arlington County and Virginia state each in back taxes.

The Chapter 7 filing could mark the end of D.C.’s expanding frozen yogurt trend, which began with a bang including an onslaught of openings 2009 and 2010 but has since petered out. Pinkberry arrived in D.C. in 2010.

Update: P Street 7-Eleven Robbed Twice in 48 Hours
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The 7-Eleven convenient store at 2617 P St. NW was robbed 5:13 a.m., Jan. 7. and again at 2:20 a.m. on Jan. 9, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The robber on Jan. 7 wielded a handgun and was seen on surveillance tape wearing a dark jacket with white stripes around the waist and sleeves, light blue jeans, white gloves and black shoes with white details. His face was mostly covered by a hood and a face mask. Police say the suspect was a black male weighing between one hundred and one hundred twenty pounds and between 5’2″ and 5’5″ in height.

A 7-Eleven employee said that the robber got away with about $40 and some packs of cigarettes.

Then, according to police, four black males robbed the store in the wee hours of Jan. 9. A surveillance photo from the convenient store shows one wearing a dark bomber hat lined with a light fur lining, a leather jacket and white gloves. Another man is wearing an orange and blue jacket with face covered with a bandana and sunglasses and the third wears a dark jacket and covers his face with a black hat and a red bandana. Police say the robbery occurred at 2:23 a.m.

The store’s owner, Girma Hailu posted to a neighborhood safety message board that he is “very stressed out” by the incidents and that the second robbery was worse than the first, though nobody was harmed in either incident. He also said that on both occasions the robbers used “27th st as cover,” taking advantage of the dark street and the store’s window on that street, which is largely covered.

The MPD is urging anyone with information about either robberies to contact the department with details.

D.C. police also advise area residents to take the following precautions in day-to-day activity: always be aware of your surrounding; do not be distracted by your cell phone, music, reading, etc.; avoid traveling alone, especially at night; do not openly display electronics; use ATMs during the day in well-populated areas.

Anyone with information on the Jan. 7 or Jan. 9 robbery should inform the 2nd District headquarters — 202-715-7300.
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Tudor Place’s Buhler to Retire
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Leslie Buhler has announced she will retire at the end of June after 15 years as executive director of Tudor Place.

Since 2000, Buhler has overseen an expansion and updating of the museum’s educational programs, bringing more visitors to Tudor Place from around the District and the suburbs. While mindful of the need for historic preservation, she has directed archaeological investigation on the property and made the house and lawn available for selected events. She also coordinated a master plan.

“I’ve experienced great professional and personal satisfaction in advancing one of the greatest house museums in the nation’s capital, bringing attention to the extraordinary collection and archive it holds, and engaging the public with wonderful historic and cultural resources unique to Tudor Place,” Buhler said.

A national historic landmark on five-and-a-half acres, on Q Street between 31st and 32nd Streets, Tudor Place was completed in 1816 by Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Custis Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington. It is noted for its architecture, garden and historic collections, including more than 200 items owned by Martha and George Washington. The estate had only been open to the public for 12 years when Buhler became executive editor.

GOP? What GOP Takeover, Asks POTUS at SOTU
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Was it just last November that the Republicans won their shot to take control of the Senate this month, added to their numbers in Congress and routed the Democrats by running mainly against the policies and the poll numbers of President Barack Obama?

If you were watching President Obama’s sixth State of the Union (SOTU to acronym lovers in the media and policy circles) address, you might be excused if you thought that he—aka POTUS, the President of the United States—didn’t get the message.

In a robust, sometimes rambling, Tony-the-Tiger speech that seemed to be full of confidence and sometimes questionable bravado, the president seemed to be announcing that things were swell, because his policies had been vindicated and worked.

He could indulge in a little chest-beating—the stock market was at record highs, jobs were going up, although wages did not follow, the unemployment rate was at its lowest since before the recession,  lower gas prices for whatever reasons were allowing people to spend and/or save, and expanded health care coverage (never mind that the GOP will still be trying to repeal it, and it was all because he had been right all along).

Even his startling Cuban initiative, these days, has been a popular choice if polls are any indication.

The one thing that people remain mad about is the lack of amity in Washington, which the president didn’t exactly help.  While talking about cooperation and bi-partisan efforts—perhaps on tax reform, trade, and other possibilities—he also rolled out the veto card time and again, on environmental matters, sanctions against Iran and other issues.

Obama offered up free community college tuition for everyone,  easing tax credits for college education, expanded sick leave for parents, more focus on early childhood education.

He barely said anything about the thorny issue of immigration reform, touched somewhat disingenuously  on the battle against Isis and terrorism in the Middle East, promised to safeguard privacy for internet users.

He also spent precious little time on foreign policy, which is—day-by-day—becoming increasingly important. He seemed to be operating in a time lag against events—Yemen, which allows the U.S. bases from which to launch  drone strikes, seemed to be collapsing, the backlash against the use of images of the prophet goes on relentlessly, and Isis is holding or making gains in Iraq and Syria, something he did not seem to be aware of.

Still, these SOTUs are more often than not about appearances, emotions, story-telling, scenes from the crowd, claims and counter-claims, the poker faces of the listeners, the size and length of applause and where it is coming from, in the sometimes devilish details.

The president always speaks at the podium, as the vice president and the house speaker frame a kind of living background.   Thus, you were faced with Vice President Joe Biden’s sometimes grim smile and the appearance of House Speaker John Boehner, who appeared to be battling a cold.  You could pretty much tell how the politics of legislation would go this year by how many times Biden stood up and how many times Boehner did not.   Mention of vetoes seemed only to deepen the speaker’s grim demeanor.

The president used one middle class family as an illustration about the ebb and flow of the struggle to stay above financial waters.  The middle class, in fact, will be the battleground in coming elections and in battles over issues.

The media made much of the lack of amenity at these affairs,  all rituals aside. When the president noted that there would be no more campaigns for him, there was a ripple of laughter from the GOP side, or perhaps a sigh of relief.  Duly noted by the president, who shot back: “That’s because I won two of them.”

Some media types suggested that this was not the way to work towards bipartisanship, that it was an ill-mannered comment, somewhat like goading a bull with a reminder of his wounds.

Good grief.

Rhetorically, Obama regained his stride after that, heading into the home stretch with a blast from the past and a little bit of hope and change and a lot of optimism, climaxing with “We’ve laid new foundations.  A brighter future is ours to write. Let’s begin this news chapter together—and let’s start the work right now.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, the newly elected Iowa Republican and the first female senator from Iowa, gave the opposing party’s rebuttal. Ernst grew up in rural Iowa and recalled having only one good pair of shoes, working  construction and plowing her family farm fields.  She said the Obama years were time of suffering and hardship and disunity, blaming Obama and Washington, D.C. She pledged that the new Republican congress would be reformed by the new majority. She also called Obamacare part of a stale mind set and that Republicans would continue to fight to repeal and replace it.  [gallery ids="101973,135584,135569,135600,135588,135573,135578,135597,135592" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Round Up January 22, 2015
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The Widow Lincoln

January 23, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. | Starting at $20 | tel: 202-347-4833 | Event Website

Veteran stage, screen and television actress Mary Bacon embodies the life and spirit of a grieving Mary Todd Lincoln in a new play by James Still, who wrote the dazzling “The Heavens Hung in Black” (which re-opened the renovated Ford’s in 2009). Directed by Stephen Rayne with an all-female cast. At Ford’s Theatre, Jan. 23–Feb. 22.

Address: 511 Tenth St, NW, Washington, DC 20004

E-Reader Rescue Weekend

January 24, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. | Free | julia.strusienski@dc.gov | tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Did you get a new e-reader, tablet, or other digital device over the holidays? Want to use it to access library e-books, e-audiobooks, popular magazines, and more?
Then join us for a special extended instructional session from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where library staff will provide one-on-one assistance with all of your library digital resource needs.

Address: 3260 R St. NW, Washington, DC 20007

Burns Night Supper at Oatlands

January 24, 2015 at 06:30 p.m.| $100 per person | lkimball@oatlands.org | tel: 7037773174 x.103 | Event Website

Snow date: January 25, 2015 – 6:30 p.m.

Join Becky and Scott Harris, owners of Catoctin Creek Distillery, to celebrate the birthday of poet, Robert Burns. A traditional Scottish dinner of local lamb, neeps, tatties, and trifle will be served. And, of course, there will be haggis!
Advance reservations are required. Cash bar featuring local wines and Catoctin Creek Distillery whiskey.

Address: 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA 20175

Exhibition Opening: HOT TO COLD: an odyssey of architectural adaptation

January 24, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. | efilar@nbm.org | tel: 202-272-2448 | Event Website

After the resounding success of their BIG Maze last summer, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group’s HOT TO COLD focuses on how local culture and climate shapes the firm’s design solutions. More than sixty three-dimensional models will be suspended from the second floor balconies of the Museum’s historic Great Hall in an unprecedented use of this public space. Featured projects from across Europe and the United States will draw from the firm’s extensive archive of process material. Through August 30, 2015.

Address: 401 F Street, NW, DC 20001

SOUP-er Bowl at Waterfront Station

January 24, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. | Free | shelby@brandlinkdc.com | tel: 202-733-5223 | Event Website

Soup for you! Waterfront Station launches first-ever SOUP-er bowl in DC. A championship soup competition and taste-off, SOUP-er Bowl will feature: Soup and chili samplings from the region’s top restaurants, a beer garden with complimentary football lounge streaming some of the greatest Super Bowl highlights, live music from Motown band The Original Moonlighters, DJs and more.

Address: 425 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20024

The DUMC Winter Festival

January 25, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.| mdoan96@yahoo.com| Event Website

Fun for all ages: youth, children and adults. There will be board games, life-size games, a snowball fight, arts & crafts, bolo toss game, a hunt for hidden penguins and food.

Address: Dumbarton United Methodist Church, 3133 Dumbarton St. NW.

2028 Georgetown BID Meeting

January 26, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. | Free | events@georgetowndc.com | Event Website

The Georgetown BID invites you to a community meeting to celebrate accomplishments, discuss future goals, and mark one year of progress toward 2028 and a better Georgetown. The event will take place at House of Sweden from 6 to 8 p.m.

Address: 2900 K St. NW, Washington D.C. 20007

Update: Drone Causes White House Lockdown
•

A drone about 2 feet in diameter caused a two-hour lockdown at the White House early Monday morning.

The frenzy it created was much larger than the drone itself.

It has come to light that the drone was being operated by an off-duty staff member of a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency He was reportedly intoxicated at the time of the incident and lost control of the drone.

Several emergency vehicles were called to the scene. Secret service officials searched the grounds with flashlights, looking for more flying objects that might have landed on the White House lawn.

The drone was not dangerous—but it’s raising questions about future security problems.

It’s the last thing the White House security staff needs. The storm has finally died down from the fence-hopping intruder, who might as well have waltzed through the front door.

Drones, which can be purchased as glorified toys, are easily equipped with cameras for aerial photography or surveillance.

Photos taken at the White House could pose a privacy threat to the Obama family.

The President and his wife missed the commotion. They are traveling in India. However, his daughters may have been at home. Their location has not been released by White House staff.

Updated Jan. 27 5:35 p.m.

Phil Mayhew (1934-2015)
•

A good neighbor, classic Georgetown gentleman and friend of The Georgetowner, Philip Mayhew died of cancer Jan. 9.

Born in San Francisco Dec. 1, 1934, Mayhew lived around the world: in the Philippines as a boy, Washington state, Pennsylvania and, then, as a foreign service officer with the State Department, in Laos, Congo, Jordan, Vietnam and Thailand.

A 1956 graduate of Princeton University, Mayhew served in the military and worked for the Washington Post briefly. He also worked with the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the Defense Department. The King of Thailand presented Mayhew with the Order of the White Elephant for his diplomatic service.

After faithfully representing the U.S., Mayhew returned to his Georgetown townhouse on 35th Street hill. He is one of the last of a generation of neighbors that included Emerson Duncan and Paul Hartstall. There, Mayhew personified the lesson of Voltaire’s “Candide”: after all your adventures, tend your own garden.

Neighbors on 35th Street and Prospect Street are planning a celebration of Mayhew’s life; time to be determined. Call The Georgetowner for details at 202-338-4833.

Fillmore School Property Lists for $14 Million
•

The Fillmore School property, located at 1801 35th St. NW, has been listed for $14 million with TTR Sotheby’s International Realty by seller George Washington University, it was announced last week.

The university acquired the historic schoolhouse and its more than one acre of land last year as part of a deal with the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, when GW took possession of all Corcoran real estate. The Fillmore space has been used by the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design since it purchased the former D.C. public school in 1998.

In April, TTR Sotheby’s and GW will begin reviewing purchase offers. The Corcoran School will hold classes in the Fillmore building until the end of the spring semester

Here’s what TTR Sotheby’s International Realty writes in its listing for the 35th Street property: “The Fillmore School is a landmark opportunity in Georgetown. Built circa 1893 and named after President Millard Fillmore, the school served as an architectural and educational anchor for the community for more than a century. The all-brick, fully detached structure encompasses nearly 23,000 square feet of finished space on four levels. Notable features include soaring ceilings, double hung windows, a modern elevator and two staircases. The existing building holds tremendous conversion potential, ranging from condominiums or apartments to office or institutional use. The 1.25-acre site offers parking for 100 cars and frontage on 34th and 35th Streets NW. For more information, visit www.Fillmore-School.com.” The listing agent is Michael Brennan, Jr., vice president of TTR Sotheby’s.

Money from the sale of the 35th Street property will go toward renovation — estimated at about $80 million — of the former Corcoran Gallery’s 17th Street building, which will continue to hold classroom and studio spaces for the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design.

Jack Evans Report: Keeping Agencies Accountable
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I wrote last month about the community side of a council member’s role. Attending community meetings, working with civic associations and handling constituent services are all critical parts of the job I’m thankful you have elected me to do. The other side is legislative. This part includes both writing and reviewing potential and existing laws and providing oversight of government agencies – to make sure they are efficiently and effectively utilizing your tax dollars.

That oversight happens throughout the year, but during February and March the D.C. Council undertakes a robust performance oversight process of all agencies. Over the next few weeks, I will send questions to the agencies under my purview to collect data on agency structure and recent spending. On Feb. 25 and March 11, the Finance and Revenue Committee, which I chair, will hold hearings with members of the public and representatives from the agencies that the committee oversees to make recommendations on adjustments to next year’s agency budgets.

A schedule of all of the Performance Oversight Hearings can be found on the D.C. Council’s website: dccouncil.us.
After the conclusion of the oversight process, the mayor will release a draft budget proposal for the 2016 fiscal year. At that time we will have another round of hearings with the agencies that fall under the committee’s oversight responsibility. After we make changes to the budget that we consider appropriate, a final version will be passed in June.

The Performance Oversight Hearings are an excellent opportunity to share your experiences – both positive and negative – with D.C. government agencies over the past year. This is the right time to recognize good work and to bring accountability to areas that need improvement.

I also want to announce that I am co-chairing a joint public oversight roundtable on the Jan. 12 incident at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station and the response by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and D.C. agencies. The hearing will take place on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building.

As some of you may know, I joined the WMATA Board of Directors four days before this incident occurred. WMATA’s acting general manager announced 10 safety enhancements last week to improve the safety of the system. Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board will likely make safety recommendations as part of their final report to WMATA. I am fully committed to working to implement these safety improvements and to continue to make Metro safer, more reliable and better able to respond to the transit needs of our city and region.

Jack Evans is the Ward 2 Councilmember, representing Georgetown since 1991.