Passing A Budget in Difficult Times
• June 18, 2012

Given recent events and the attendant media scrutiny on the Council, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the positive things our government is doing and assure you all that I will continue to work hard for my constituents and the city as a whole. On Tuesday, June 5, the Council had its second and final vote on the Budget Support Act, and I think that it was a definitive improvement over last year’s budget and I want to highlight a few areas of interest.

First, I was pleased that this year’s budget proposal included no tax increases. One of the primary reasons I was unable to support last year’s budget was the inclusion of unnecessary tax increases to support our ever-expanding government. I believe the Mayor and my colleagues should find efficiencies within the agencies they oversee rather than asking our residents to pay continually higher taxes in the face of a recession. We are the only local government in the country to continue to pass the largest budget in our history every year despite the economic slowdown.

Within my committee, for example, I was able, in consultation with our Chief Financial Officer, to identify millions of dollars of unallocated funding through savings achieved in the Gallery Place tax increment refinancing. I was pleased to allocate some of these funds toward enhanced arts programming, which fills a gap in our public education system and supports our small business community. I also recommended additional funding toward marketing dollars that encourages additional tourism in the District. Studies have shown that both of these uses of government funds generate several dollars in new tax revenues for each dollar spent, which increases the pool of money we have for other items of importance to me, such as our libraries, parks, public safety, and education.

Another very positive development is that we were able to push back the implementation of the municipal bond tax another year. If you recall, the initial bond tax proposal initially considered last year would have been retroactive to interest earned on or after January 1, 2011. This was a shocking and unfair proposal. After some amendments, the tax was subsequently set to go into effect for interest earned on or after January 1, 2012, to be included in one’s tax filing in the spring of 2013 if a taxpayer files on an annual basis. As a result of the fiscal year 2012 supplemental budget bill, which we also passed on Tuesday, we were able to push back implementation an additional year, to interest earned beginning January 1, 2013, for inclusion in your tax filing in the spring of 2014. This is great in and of itself, as it provides relief for another year of this tax, and it also gives us another opportunity to seek to fully repeal the tax in next year’s budget prior to it taking effect. While I was disappointed that the municipal bond tax was not fully repealed in the budget, particularly after I had identified approximately $800,000 of the $1.1 million necessary for this repeal within my own committee, I am still hopeful for full repeal the next time we revisit the budget.

Thank you for all your letters of support during this difficult time, and let me again commit to you that our work will remain uninterrupted as we move forward with selecting an interim Council Chair pending a special election. ?

In Loving Memory
•

In this issue of The Georgetowner, we celebrate Father’s Day, remember our fathers and honor the qualities and virtues of fatherhood.

It’s an especially poignant time for us at the Georgetowner because my sister, Susan, and I lost our much loved father, Owen G. Bernhardt. Dad died on March 24 after a long, arduous and pain-filled, but also life-filled, struggle with leukemia. It has not been long enough to acquire a distance from his passing and to continue to acquire inspiration from his life and his role as my father.

When you think about the loss of a loved one and try to talk about it, it seems almost surprising to see just how rich, unique and original a tapestry he had created with his life. He was always our father, and we tended to look at him, respond to him and see him in that way.

He was also a husband to our mother, Pilar, with whom he shared a remarkably deep and enduring 43-year marriage. She passed away at 62, much too young to lose, in 2002. Together, they formed an enduring marriage and partnership and made each other complete.

He was an absolutely doting grandfather to Elisa, now 13, and Stefan, now 11, my niece and nephew, my sister’s children.

He was more than that: of Swiss, German and Russian stock, he grew up on a farm in the small-town world of heartland Kansas with a childhood spent during the American Depression. He had some of that quiet, almost stoic, demeanor that might be typical of both his background and generation, but he was also warm, energetic, optimistic and strong and steady. His was the voice I knew that would listen to my plans, my hopes and fears, and he would hear me out, offer advice, and be totally supportive, no matter how crazy the idea or project. That included my foray into newspaper publishing by acquiring the Georgetowner newspaper. I know in my heart that the success we’ve had would not have happened without his support, without that steady voice on the phone, in person and now in spirit.

His own career was varied and — combined with his first enduring marriage to my mom —original and even colorful. He came from a large family of 11 children. At first, he dutifully took on the role of managing the family farm but ruefully discovered that perhaps he was not meant to be a farmer. Instead, he enlisted in the Air Force, a decision that landed him in Spain attached to the Air Ministry in Madrid in 1956 where he met my mother. He was an enlisted man but operated among the highest ranks. He served in Vietnam and acquired a Bronze Star. At the Pentagon, he had a successful career that made him travel to most places in the world.

My father had a keen curiosity about people, about everything he came in contact with. He was one of those hidden experts who knew a lot about some very specific things, and at least a little about most other things, a good quality for the father of two daughters to have. He played tennis with passion and loved sports, and his favorite football team remained the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mostly, I miss his expertise about life. Even when he was struggling with his illness, which at one point left him without a viable immune system, he remained a visible presence in his own life—and ours. Until the end, he had that unique skip in his gait that told everyone that everything was going to be fantastic.

On Father’s Day, I miss my dad, Owen Bernhardt, a lot. I know that everyone else who knew him more than casually does, too.

On Father’s Day, I remember my father and here at the Georgetowner, we remember and celebrate the life of all the dads, ever, and ask you to do the same.

— Sonya Bernhardt, publisher

THE EU IN CRISIS: A SINKING SHIP BEYOND RESCUE?
• June 13, 2012

In private sideline conversations between
principals during the G-8 summit meeting at
Camp David, some significant decisions were
made that will impact the long-term fate of the
European Union over the coming weeks and
months.

Those conversations centered on the decision
to plunge ahead with the bailout of the
European banks in an effort to save the Euro
system, with Greece still inside. The prime
influencers behind this decision were Managing
Director of the International Monetary Fund
Christine Lagarde and President Obama. Both
Lagarde and Obama are concerned that if Greece
leaves the Euro, the contagion will spread to
Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and, perhaps, even
Italy. President Obama’s unspoken motivation
in preventing a financial meltdown of the Euro
system is the possibility that it would almost certainly
spill over into Wall Street and adversely
affect the U.S. economy.

Christine Lagarde put the IMF squarely
behind a bailout of the European banks, with
the full backing of the U.S. Federal Reserve and
Treasury to boost the leveraged lending of the
European Central Bank (ECB) to prop up the
European banks. The ECB will likely take junk
bonds and other vastly over-priced assets as collateral
for loans to the Spanish, Greek and other
European banks—a move that will offset an
additional estimated $500 billion in new writeoffs
by bondholders of Greek debt.

So, the IMF, the Obama Administration
and the ECB appear to have colluded to further
delay the reality of the financial and banking
crisis through what are–by any measure–very
risky, hyperinflationary measures. From the
Obama Administration’s perspective, however,
the strategy will have succeeded as the crisis is
effectively postponed, taking many months to
fully play out (versus days or weeks), well past
the November elections in the United States.

In his sideline meeting with new French
President Francois Hollande, President Obama
reached a full agreement on this perpetuation of
the Euro. This is an area where Hollande and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will agree
to disagree. They both want to defend the Euro,
but Hollande will continue to insist that austerity
must be limited and a growth program initiated.
While the feasibility of such a dual-track program
is questionable at best, it is nonetheless the
growing agenda of the Euro-socialists, including
Hollande, Germany’s Social Democratic Party
and the Italian Socialist Party. A majority of
Greek voters are in favor of staying in the Euro,
so long as the austerity is reduced.

Hollande will make continued efforts to push
for Euro bonds as one way to implement this
bailout plan. Merkel will continue to oppose and
block the Euro bond argument. Merkel recently
told her party that “under no circumstances”
would she agree to a Euro bond strategy.

“A Euro bond would take a few years to
implement because there are lots of technical
issues to solve and also implementation of the
Euro bond procedure would take several years,”
Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen says. “So
Euro bond[s] are not a solution for this current
crisis,”

The total amount of assets on the books
of the US Federal Reserve and the European
Central Bank, combined, fall well short of the
currently estimated 4 trillion Euro liability of
the European private banks—something that
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is
acutely aware of.

Treasury said, in a written statement, that
Katainen and Geithner recently met and “discussed
the global economy, including the United
States’ economic recovery and the plans of
European leaders to reinforce the institutions
of the Euro area.” Federal Reserve Chairman
Ben Bernanke, conspicuously absent from the
Treasury statement, also was also present and
participated in the same discussions.

Both Bernanke and Geithner are said to be
extremely worried about the worsening trajectory
of the Euro crisis. While they know they are
in a position to delay a breakup of the EU, they
may well be powerless to prevent it if the downward
spiral continues unabated. Geithner’s
message has been a clarion call to EU leaders to
address their core problems now, not later. With
unemployment at depression era levels, and the
periphery of the EU experiencing zero growth,
the massive deficits of countries like Greece,
Italy and Portugal are simply too large to bail
out, even with U.S. help.

So, while EU politicians sit on their deck
chairs, discussing ways to achieve deeper integration
in the 17-nation euro area, Germany,
Austria, and the Netherlands are privately donning
life vests, preparing for the EU ship to sink
in cold, unchartered waters.

When that happens, the well-practiced
S.O.S. call will go out to U.S. rescue ships in
the area, as always, only to find out that they’ve
run out of gas.?

Father’s Day
•

In this issue of The Georgetowner, we celebrate
Father’s Day, remember our fathers and
honor the qualities and virtues of fatherhood.

It’s an especially poignant time for us at the
Georgetowner because my sister, Susan, and I lost
our much loved father, Owen G. Bernhardt. Dad
died on March 24 after a long, arduous and painfilled,
but also life-filled, struggle with leukemia.

It has not been long enough
to acquire a distance from his
passing and to continue to acquire
inspiration from his life
and his role as my father.

When you think about
the loss of a loved one and
try to talk about it, it seems
almost surprising to see just
how rich, unique and original
a tapestry he had created with
his life. He was always our
father, and we tended to look
at him, respond to him and see
him in that way.

He was also a husband to
our mother, Pilar, with whom
he shared a remarkably deep
and enduring 43-year marriage.
She passed away at
62, much too young to lose,
in 2002. Together, they formed an enduring marriage
and partnership and made each other complete.

He was an absolutely doting grandfather to
Elisa, now 13, and Stefan, now 11, my niece and
nephew, my sister’s children.

He was more than that: of Swiss, German and
Russian stock, he grew up on a farm in the smalltown
world of heartland Kansas with a childhood
spent during the American Depression. He had
some of that quiet, almost stoic, demeanor that
might be typical of both his background and generation,
but he was also warm, energetic, optimistic
and strong and steady. His was the voice I
knew that would listen to my plans, my hopes and
fears, and he would hear me out, offer advice, and
be totally supportive, no matter how crazy the idea
or project. That included my foray into newspaper
publishing by acquiring the Georgetowner newspaper.
I know in my heart that the success we’ve
had would not have happened without his support,
without that steady voice on the phone, in person
and now in spirit.

His own career was varied and — combined
with his first enduring marriage to my mom —
original and even colorful. He came from a large
family of 11 children. At first, he dutifully took
on the role of managing the family farm but ruefully
discovered that perhaps he was not meant to
be a farmer. Instead, he enlisted in the Air Force,
a decision that landed him in Spain attached to
the Air Ministry in Madrid in 1956 where he met
my mother. He was an enlisted man but operated
among the highest ranks. He served in Vietnam
and acquired a Bronze Star. At the Pentagon, he
had a successful career that made him travel to
most places in the world.

My father had a keen curiosity about people,
about everything he came in contact with. He was
one of those hidden experts who knew a lot about
some very specific things, and at least a little about
most other things, a good quality for the father of
two daughters to have. He played tennis with passion
and loved sports, and his favorite football
team remained the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mostly, I miss his expertise about life. Even
when he was struggling with his illness, which at
one point left him without a viable immune system,
he remained a visible presence in his own
life—and ours. Until the end, he had that unique
skip in his gait that told everyone that everything
was going to be fantastic.

On Father’s Day, I miss my dad, Owen Bernhardt,
a lot. I know that everyone else who knew
him more than casually does, too.

On Father’s Day, I remember my father and
here at the Georgetowner, we remember and celebrate
the life of all the dads, ever, and ask you to
do the same.

— Sonya Bernhardt, publisher

News BuzzJune 13, 2012
•

**The Peace of 2012: Georgetown?s Town-Gown Relationship Is Reset**

After months of contentious discussions, private and public meetings and news coverage on Georgetown University?s 2010-2020 campus plan, the town-gown relationship of the oldest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., with the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in America has been reset and has become collegial.

The war is over. Peace has been declared. Discussions continue: a special meeting is set for June 14.

?This is an extraordinary event in the life of our community, and it?s very promising. We have found a way — the community and the university, together — that offers a new cooperative spirit and real results on issues that have divided us for years.?

So said Ron Lewis, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, at a sunlit media announcement at the intersection of 36th and P Streets, N.W., just outside the university?s main campus June 6.

Assembled at the peace-treaty-like setting were Mayor Vincent Gray, Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans, Georgetown University President John DeGioia, the Office of Planning?s Jennifer Steingasser, peacemaker Don Edwards and other advisory neighborhood commissioners and university officials as well as Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall neighborhood leaders.

Praise rang all around between the players in this conflict resolution. Said Gray: ?What they have done is developed a prototype and set a precedent for how these issues are to be dealt with in the future.? Evans called the mayor ?a miracle worker.? DeGioia called the agreement ?exciting? and noted that it ?reset the relationship? between the neighborhood and the university. ?Without the mayor,? DeGioia continued, ?this moment would not be possible.?

Lewis ended the announcement, saying that details would be issued the next day.

And here they are, according to ANC2E, issued June 7:

**Key elements of the revised plan** ?

? A new collegial partnership of senior GU leadership and community representatives ? the Georgetown Community Partnership ? to work toward making the Campus Plan a success and to work together on planning for the future

? A Campus Plan for a seven-year term, beginning January 1, 2011, and ending December 31, 2017

? 450 more undergraduates housed on campus at the Leavey Center and other on campus locations by Fall 2015, including 65 moved from the ?Magis Row? townhouses on 36th Street NW and housed on campus by Fall 2013 so that the ?Magis Row? townhouses can transition to faculty and staff housing or daytime administrative offices

? Undergraduate enrollment to remain at a maximum of 6,675 and total enrollment at the main campus over the Campus Plan period to be a maximum of 14,106 students; and a new, more accurate method for measuring enrollment semester-by-semester

? New emphasis on a living and learning campus that centralizes student social life on campus

? Clear standards for appropriate off-campus behavior and a results-based system for maintaining the peaceful, quiet atmosphere of our residential neighborhoods

? Significantly improved measures for relieving parking and traffic congestion from GU traffic

? A new commitment to explore providing university-sponsored graduate student housing outside the Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall communities.

? Acknowledgement of long-term goals of the community and GU (attached) for the future, including a new satellite campus of up to 100 acres located elsewhere; at least 90 percent of undergraduates living on campus by Fall 2025 (an additional 244 beds); cooperating in developing and implementing a 20 year campus plan following on the success of the 2011-2017 plan; and the mutual goal of ?a collegial and harmonious relationship between the University and the community to address future plans and common issues in an effective, creative and lasting way? Further details of the proposed Campus Plan are available on the ANC 2E website, anc2e.com.

ANC 2E will hold a special public meeting to consider the proposed revised GU Campus Plan on Thursday, June 14, 6:30 p.m., at Georgetown Visitation Prep, 35th Street NW at Volta Place, N.W.

**Citizens Re-elect Officers,
Present Awards at Annual
Meeting**

The Citizens Association of Georgetown
re-elected its officer and directors May 30 at
Dumbarton House, as Mayor Vincent Gray and
Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans assisted with
its awards ceremony. The annual CAG awards
were presented to Nancy Taylor Bubes, Karen
Daly, Ron Lewis and Ruth Werner.

Gray talked about the campus plan agreement
with Georgetown University which was
made public a week after CAG?s meeting and
also touted the District government dedication
to customer service. Evans, one of whose
staffers received an award, said, ?Citizen participation,
exemplified by the award recipients,
remains a major force in making Georgetown
the unique place it is.?

Awardees approached the podium in following
order:

Ron Lewis, chair of Advisory Neighborhood
Commission 2E, received the Captain
Peter Belin Award for Distinguished Service.
Lewis ?patiently orchestrated the G.U.-community
relations discussions? and ?has been
instrumental in securing city services.?

Karen Daly, executive director of Dumbarton
House, received the Bill Cochran Award
for Exceptional Efforts to Protect and Enhance
Parkland and Architectural Resources. Daly
?has significantly increased the public programming
at Dumbarton House? and ?seen
museum attendance surge by 75 percent? over
two years.

Ruth Werner, community liasion between
the District Council and the Office of Jack
Evans and Georgetown, received the Charles
Atherton Award for Exceptional Service by
a Public-Sector Professional. Werner ?works
tirelessly to improve, preserve and protect
historic Georgetown? and ?was central in identifying
additional funding for . . . Georgetown
Waterfront Park.?

Nancy Taylor Bubes, a top real estate agent
at Washington Fine Properties, received the
Martin-Davidson Award for an Outstanding
Business. Bubes ?actively supports numerous
organizations. [Volta Park, Rose Park, Georgetown
Village] . . . Her ability to connect businesses
and newcomers is unparalleled.?

The CAG slate remains: Jennifer Altemus,
president; Luca Pivato, vice president; Topher
Mathews, secretary; Bob Laycock, treasurer —
with directors, Diane Colasanto, Hazel Denton,
Bob vom Eigen and Pamla Moore.

Komen Race for the Cure Draws 27,000 to the National Mall (photos)
• June 11, 2012

The Susan G. Komen Foundation said that 27,000 walkers and runners participated in the Annual Komen global race for the cure for breast cancer on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on June, 2. The event drew about 30 percent fewer participants than last year due in large part to the organization’s controversial withdrawal of funding from Planned Parenthood. Komen quickly reversed the decision, but it left many wondering whether politics influenced its decision-making. That did not seem to diminish the enthusiasm of those that did turn out on a beautiful spring day. The Komen website estimated that $1.8 million was raised from Saturday’s walk.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation raises awareness and funding for breast cancer research and services. The opening ceremony was held at the Washington Monument. It is one of the largest 5K runs and fitness walks in the world.

View our photos of the event by clicking on the photo icons below. [gallery ids="100834,125857,125866,125874,125884,125892,125900,125908,125917,125925,125933,125941,125949,125958,125966,125849,125841,125998,125753,125993,125988,125761,125981,125770,125778,125787,125798,125808,125816,125824,125832,125974" nav="thumbs"]

Weekend Roundup June 7, 2012
•

Puerto Rico…¡fuá!

June 7th, 2012 at 08:00 PM | $20-$38 | info@galatheatre.org | Tel: (202) 234-7174 | Event Website

A hilarious and satirical take on the island’s most notorious times in history and the development of today’s “Boricua.” Ferrari, an established and frequently produced playwright in Puerto Rico and co-founder of the distinguished Nuevo Teatro Group, spins tales of the Taíno natives, the many invaders from the Conquistadores to the USA, and the ups and downs of contemporary life in the enchanted island. In Spanish with English surtitles.

Address

GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St., NW

Join us on the Patio!

June 8th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | mguerrin@ldry.com | Tel: 202-342-1430 | Event Website

Let’s celebrate a summer evening on Morton’s patio in Georgetown! Enjoy complimentary filet mignon sandwiches, specially priced beverages and good company!

6:30pm – 7:30pm

Beer $5.50

Wine $7.50

Cocktails $8

Address

Morton’s The Steakhouse – Washington D.C. (Georgetown), 3251 Prospect St. NW

Brightest Young Things & Capital Pride Present: Wild Life

June 8th, 2012 at 09:00 PM | $20 Pre-sale, $25 day-of | Event Website

Join Brightest Young Things in celebrating the WildLife for this year’s Official Capital Pride party at the newly restored historic Howard Theatre! The first LGBTA event at Howard will feature international superstar Amanda Lepore, queer legend JD Samson (Le Tigre/MEN), Big/Bright, Natty Boom, DJ MAJR, Summer Camp, AutoRock, Heidi Glüm, Pu$$y Noir, and more. Follow @BYGays on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Address

The Howard Theatre, 620 T Street, NW

Lawyers Have Heart 10K & Fun Run

June 9th, 2012 at 07:30 AM | $40 until May 30; $45 May 31-June 9; $10 for 12 & under | lawyershaveheartdc@heart.org | Tel: 301.928.8570 | Event Website

Race along the Potomac River and through Georgetown to raise awareness and funds for the American Heart Association. Presented by Baker Tilly, this annual tradition is open to everyone and brings together top law firms and their vendors, elite athletes, runners, and walkers of all experience levels. The run begins in two waves at 7:30 am., and the 3K Fun Walk begins immediately following. Post-race party on the plaza with refreshments, music, giveaways and prizes. Registration required.

Address

The Washington Harbour, 3050 K Street, NW

Pointless Theatre Company: The Solar System Show

June 9th, 2012 at 09:30 AM | Free | information@nationaltheatre.org | Tel: (202) 783-3372 | Event Website

Kids take a fun-filled trip through our solar system with self-acclaimed scientist, Dr. Canterbury Osmand and his robot assistant Sparko as they visit planets, make scientific observations and try to find the planet that best suits their adopted “pet rock.”

Address

The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Potomac River Festival

June 9th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Free | info@colonialbeach.org | Tel: 804-224-8145 | Event Website

Small town fun just 60 miles south along the banks of the Potomac River in Colonial Beach, Virginia the weekend of June 8th – 10th, 2012. Join the festivities of the 61st annual Potomac River Festival and experience parades, crafts, carnival rides and Fireworks. When not enjoying the festivities, don’t miss out on our sandy beaches, historical attractions, galleries, wineries, and waterfront dining and entertainment.

Address

This weekend festival; is located throughout the Town of Colonial Beach. Center of Activities are in town on Washington Street, Colonial Beach, VA 22443

Civil War Georgetown: House and Walking Tours

June 9th, 2012 at 10:30 AM | $8-15 | mkatz@tudorplace.org | Tel: (202) 965-0400 | Event Website

Experience life in Georgetown during this American ordeal. On the house tour, learn how masters and enslaved workers managed on the estate during wartime. Hear family stories and see where Union officers boarded in their midst. After a lunch break, join or rejoin the group for an early afternoon walking tour of Georgetown burial sites, a Union hospital, officers’ residences, and a neighborhood that housed enslaved and free African Americans.

Address

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, 1644 31 Street NW

DC Capital Pride Parade

June 9th, 2012 at 04:30 PM | Event Website

The annual Capital Pride parade steps off on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 4:30 pm. It will travel through Dupont Circle and 17th Street and end in the Logan Circle neighborhood of northwest Washington, DC.

We’ll have some great entertainment on the 15th & P Streets stage next to Tortilla Coast. They are:

DJ Steve Henderson – 2:30 pm

MC/Host Lena Lett – 3:15 pm

Joe Zangie – 3:30 pm

Fahrahri – 3:45 pm

Billy Winn – 4:00 pm

Sophia May – 4:15 pm

Entertainment for the stage is provided by ElectricFM.com.

Address

It will travel through Dupont Circle and 17th Street and end in the Logan Circle neighborhood of northwest Washington, DC.

Cocktails and Confections

June 12th, 2012 at 07:30 PM | $125 | ebyram@strength.org | Tel: 202-478-6527 | Event Website

Fresh off being named the James Beard Foundation’s 2012 Rising Star Chef of the Year, Christina Tosi will be joined by Baltimore’s Chris Ford, recently named Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Pastry Chef, and five of their peers at the first ever Cocktails and Confections DC.

Enjoy sweet delights and cocktail concoctions with stunning views of the U.S. Capitol and National Mall.

All proceeds support Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign to end childhood hunger in America.

Address

101 Constitution Ave NW Rooftop, Washington, DC

Scheele’s Market Saved by Neighbors; Farewell Party for the Lees
• June 8, 2012

Malcolm “Mike” Peabody and his neighbors successfully rescued Scheele’s Market at 29th and Dumbarton through an agreement with property owner Jordan O’Neill to pay $70,000 for improvements and other covenant details. The neighborhood group, Friends of Scheele’s, has worked to keep the store, which served the town for 118 years, operating for another 15 years and with a new shopkeeper, Dougjuk Kim.

Meanwhile, a retirement party for Shin and Kye Lee will take place on June 21, from 6 to 9 p.m., along 29th Street between Dumbarton and O Streets. The neighborhood will also welcome Kim as well as O’Neill, who lives in the second-floor apartment. The neighborhood still needs more money to complete the purchase of the covenant by June 30. Sponsors have already stepped up; more are needed, however. Come join the celebratation honoring a great neighborhood tradition. For more information or to make a donation, contact Mike Peabody at mpeabody@ptmanagement.com.

Make a Splash: Volta Park Pool Is Open
•

The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation has opened its pools for Memorial Day weekend, including Georgetown’s only public pool at Volta Park (1555 34th St., NW) — 202-645-5669.

For the weekend of June 2, outdoor pools will be open on weekends only (Fridays and Saturdays), from noon until 6 p.m., until June 17 when District Public Schools are dismissed for the summer months. After June 17, all outdoor pools will operate on a summer schedule —open six days a week and closed one day per week for cleaning and maintenance.

DPR Director Jesús Aguirre said: “While we want everyone to have a great time in the District’s pools, I would like to remind everyone that safety is key. We encourage everyone to learn how to swim and to follow all pool rules.”

Pool Schedule—General Public Swim: Monday through Friday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.

Lap Swim—Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Closed on Monday.

For more information regarding DPR aquatic facilities, please visit DPR.DC.GOV or contact DPR’s Aquatic Office at 202-671-1289 during regular business hours. For pools updates, schedule changes and the most up-to-date summer information, be sure to follow DPR on Twitter@DCDPR.

Georgetown Village Plans June 21 Reception
•

Georgetown Village has received a $10,000 grant from Wells Fargo Bank. It was the nonprofit’s first major corporate grant, founder Sharon Lockwood said. On June 21, a private reception for Georgetown Village will be held at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Nigra, 3038 N Street, NW, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Georgetown Village is a nonprofit membership organization providing services and programs in the Georgetown area so older residents can live better and longer in their homes; among its services are transportation of appointments, grocery shopping, computer and cell phone help, gardening and household help.

For more information, visit www.georgetown-village.org, call 202-999-8988 or email lynn@georgetownvillage.org.