Silver Spring Resident to Bring Pinball Museum to Georgetown
• June 18, 2013

Silver Spring Resident David Silverman is currently building a pinball machine at the Shops at Georgetown Park, Vox Populi reports. Silverman hopes the museum, which currently consists of 50 pinball machines displayed in a warehouse in his backyard, will be ready to open in Georgetown in September.

Residents who stop by the pinball museum won’t solely spend their visit playing this long-beloved arcade game. They can also learn about pinball’s history and how pinball machines are constructed.

According to the Georgetown Metropolitan, a neighborhood blogger, Silverman is looking for financial support to allow for these amenities. He plans to charge $25 for admission to the museum, a fee which doesn’t include the cost of using the machines.

Read more on Vox Populi and Georgetown Metropolitan

Rumors of Apple Store Sinkhole Squashed
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Rest assured.

If you’ve visited the Apple Store in Georgetown lately, you can’t help but notice that half the sidewalk is blocked off and under construction. Rumors have even circulated suggesting the blocked-off sidewalk is actually a sinkhole.

However, one construction worker at the site told The Georgetowner the sidewalk in front of Apple is not that at all. Instead, the workers are tying lines into the water and sewer for the new store.

“It’s all for the Apple Store,” he said.

The worker said the construction should be completed in a few days.
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Phase Two of Waterfront Project Begins
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The construction on the second phase of the Georgetown Waterfront Park project has begun after lack of funding delayed the project. The park is expected to be 225 miles, the “largest park to be created in the Nation’s Capital in 30 years since Constitution Gardens was completed on the National Mall in 1976,” according to the National Park Service.

The former parking lot is already showing signs of a city park, with much of a shoreline pathway completed. The completed project will have flowers, benches, a fountain, promenades, bike trails and river overlooks with “sculpted granite slabs etched with historic images of Georgetown’s maritime heritage,” the National Park Service said.

The first stage of construction, removing the parking lot, has made room for these developments over the past four years. [gallery ids="99151,102814,102817" nav="thumbs"]

ANC Update: The Return of the Left Turn
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-It’s one of those taken-for-granted rudiments of citizenship on the road, a rule instinctively digested, if for no other reason than a driver’s ed instructor shouted at you until you learned it. Yield at the light, even if you have to wait for a yellow. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a green arrow, a boon to send you on your way.

Even that has seemed a scarcity for eastbound drivers on M Street, who frequently discover — or are reminded — that making a left turn into upper Georgetown is awfully difficult. But thanks to a little coaxing by Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, the ANC 2E and others, that’s about to change.

“We need a united community behind us … People have to be aware of it, they have to like the idea,” Evans said of a petition to DDOT to remove from Wisconsin Avenue a left turn restriction in place on nearly every street north of M. Neighbors have complained for years that the regulations drives traffic, freight vehicles included, up the few narrow streets that do permit left turns, namely 33rd Street.

At the ANC’s June 28 meeting, DDOT Director Gabe Klein was invited up to the podium, where he sketched a rough plan for removing the no-left-turn sign at the Wisconsin and M intersection with minimal impact to traffic density and wait times.

The major obstacle? Such a change would impact the time eastbound drivers wait at the light, according to DDOT projections handed out at the meeting. At an intersection that already sustains a daily volume of 40,000 vehicles, adding a left-turn phase to the light cycle would cause the wait time to double throughout the day. In a worst-case scenario, morning drivers heading downtown could sit at the light for almost six minutes. You can bet DDOT would hear about that one.

“We’re trying to find a balance between time and space,” Klein said. His solution is to remove 11 parking spaces near the intersection, which would better distribute car volume across M Street’s three lanes — and keep wait times consistent with current levels.

The plan enjoyed rave reviews by most meeting attendees. The BID’s Jim Bracco said, “Without equivocation, we’re for this.” Hazel Denton, CAG’s transportation committee chair, agreed.

“The residents would love to do something that would take some of the traffic out of the neighborhood,” she said. The ANC submitted a resolution in unanimous support of the plan.

Others aired friendly suggestions to Klein. Though he voted for the measure, Commissioner Ed Solomon added that more work needs to be done to alleviate traffic volume throughout Georgetown’s stretch of M Street. Neighbor Ken Archer proposed removing the bus stop at the Wisconsin and M intersection, saying it would alleviate congestion caused by buses turning onto M Street and immediately stopping.

Klein agreed to consider it. Good feelings all around. Imagine that: the whole neighborhood in agreement.

The left turn restriction is expected to be removed by the end of August 2010.

Revised Hurt Home Plans Gets Thumbs Up From Residents
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The Hurt Home project (3050 R St.) in Georgetown will be brought before the D.C. city council on July 13, after newly proposed renovation plans received a positive consensus from Georgetown residents at a July 1 meeting at Hyde-Addison Elementary School.

The Hurt property, which is owned by the city and once operated as a foster care center and school for the blind, was the sole topic of the meeting, which included Georgetown residents, D.C. officials and the developing team interested in taking on the project.

Members of the community were able to hear the most recent plans for the building from the Argos Group, the lone developer that answered the city’s request for proposal on the property last year. The proposal would develop condominium units within the building while preserving its historic exterior.

Originally, there was a high amount of negativity among community members concerning the number of units the Argos Group planned to develop, said Jack Evans, the District’s Ward 2 councilmember.

Argos’ original plan included 41 units. However, in response to residents’ concerns over the past year have reduced that number to 15 units. Units are expected to be between 1,400 and 1,900 square feet, and each unit will be allotted two parking spaces, according to Gilberto Cárdenas, a principal at the Argos Group.

The smaller amount of units will allow the developer to remove additions added to the building in the past, which will restore the Hurt Home to its original appearance, Cárdenas said.

“We’re actually going to make the footprint of the building smaller,” he added.

In addition, three of the 15 units will be Affordable Dwelling Units, as required by D.C. law. One of these three units will be reserved for the blind or visually impaired as a tribute to the building’s history.

Freddie Peaco, from the D.C. Council of the Blind, said she was excited about the project, but expressed disappointment there was only one unit built especially for the blind or visually impaired as the need for appropriate and affordable units for such residents is so great. Elements such as carpeting, lighting and textured surfaces help blind and visually impaired residents to live independently, Peaco said.

“All of these things make them accessible. They not only add to the value of the property, but to D.C.,” Peaco said.

During the meeting, Georgetown residents suggested an addition of visitor parking spaces to keep cars out of the street. Developers said they will work with a traffic study specialist to solve other traffic concerns as well.

Visual impact was one of the most wide-spread concerns. Developers emphasized they will return the building to its original appearance as much as possible, and are planning to add landscaping to about half of the back of the site to improve the view from Dumbarton Oaks and the surrounding neighborhood.

“It will have almost no visual impact as far as additions or parking. It is set way back from property lines,” Suman Sorg, the principal architect of Sorg Architects who worked on projects such as Cady’s Alley and Phillips School, said. “It’s going to take back the building to the original.”

Residents were also assured that the site will be safe. The Argos team is exploring options for security once the units have been completed and there will be security on duty daily during the construction process. However, the fact that the building will no longer be vacant is already moving toward a safer neighborhood, according to the team.

“An active building is the best thing we can do for the security of the area,” project developer Philip Anderson said.

Perhaps the most vocal concern was the financial backing of the project. Cárdenas assured residents that the project has “a very strong financial backing” through Potomac Investment Properties, one of the largest real estate developers in the city.

“We are at 100 percent of the cost and 100 percent of the equity,” hesaid. “We are going to need debt financing but we have letters of support, letters of intent.”

Cárdenas added that community support was a top priority in this project.

“One thing we will never do is impose something on the community,” he said.

At the meeting, ANC 2E Chairman Ron Lewis gave his vote of confidence to the project.

“This developer has been one of the most receptive to community input I have ever seen,” Lewis said.

The restoration is expected to take about a year, according to the development team.
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Georgetown Concludes Concerts in the Park in Style
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You better believe Georgetown celebrates the Fourth of July.

On the afternoon before celebratory fireworks again lit the monuments of our capital, the denizens of its oldest neighborhood gathered at Volta Park for a little music, a little picnicking and a little time to soak in what would prove to be a model summer day.

That event, of course, was Concerts in the Park, the last installment of CAG’s three-month series armed with a simple formula: bring a band and a few tasty treats to the park, and they will come. It was enough to lure around 100 neighbors, which wasn’t a bad turnout for a holiday weekend, CAG President Jennifer Altemus said.

Co-chaired by Elizabeth Miller and Renee Crupi, the concert series’ afternoon finale kicked off with a parade around Volta Park before transitioning to a lively festival, the kind where everyone’s on a first-name basis and the music is good, no matter who’s playing (for the record, it was reggae-esque rockers Son of a Beach).

Volunteers passed out plush linen towels from Cady’s Alley décor shop Waterworks, along with a few raffle tickets for a facial care package from local doctor Mark Venturi. Most of the youngsters, parents in tow, haunted the activity booths, ranging from cookie and flag decorating to a water balloon toss to the time-honored estimation station (kudos to Edwin Steiner for his correct guess of 4118 M&Ms). Others simply lounged on their blankets, chatting with adjacent picnickers and soaking up the expiring daylight. Miller and a few committee members manned the ice cream stand, scooping up cones here and there for any passerby with a free hand.

Elsewhere, Georgetowners tested their mettle at a lineup of good-old-fashioned, county fair-like contests. A tug-of-war match pitted East Georgetown against West (this year, the East villagers came out on top), and a long table clothed in blue plaid served as battleground for a pie-eating contest, in which a handful of boys, their braggadocio notwithstanding, gave up the ghost to eight-year-old Emma Robinson, who apparently can chow down with the best of them.

It was, as you so rarely see in the city, a family affair. Kids and adults came and went, some rushing off for fireworks, others mingling with friends, carefree as summer.

Most of all, it was an instance of Georgetown as it should be — an aggregate of neighbors and loved ones, joined as one community.
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Maryland Earthquake Rattles Georgetown
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–This morning’s earthquake, epicentered in Gaithersburg, MD, was even felt across Georgetown. Several residents were abuzz throughout the day on a local e-mail list, sharing their experience with the 3.6-magnitude shaker.

Like many who were awakened by the quake, Joan Kennan immediately thought something sinister was afoot. “I felt the room vibrate in an odd way, accompanied by a very deep rumbling noise,” she said. “I thought that maybe there had been an explosion somewhere in the city, but when I did not hear any sirens after a while I began to think I had imagined it.”

Some responded with impressive sangfroid. Traci Siegel said she realized the disturbance was an earthquake, but brushed it off as a dream and went back to sleep.

Ultimately, no damage was reported anywhere in the metropolitan area, even among the centuries-old structures scattered throughout Georgetown. Washington, it seems, dodged a bullet.

Now if we can just get San Francisco and Santiago to stop laughing their heads off.

What was your experience with this Washington rarity? Share it here.

Waterfront Nears Completion, Despite Hang-ups
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Local blogger Topher Mathews posted an interesting update today on the long-anticipated second phase of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. The two-part project opened the first half of the park in summer 2008 to widespread acclaim, but the second phase, which includes a waterfront staircase (doubling as seating for boat races), fountain and promenade, has stalled in recent months, owing to budgetary snafus and unforeseen construction obstacles. (You know, the usual.)

The final tab overshot the original budget by $2.2 million, $1.9 million of which has been covered by appropriations by the city council and matching NPS funds. Now it looks like it’s largely up to the public to cover the remaining $300K (and indeed, it’s risen to the challenge, already having raised half that figure for the project). If enough money is raised, Georgetowners can expect to see a completed waterfront as early as 2011.

Prospective donors can go here to make a contribution.

Thomas Jefferson Street to Close Next Week
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As part of a three-year project to rehabilitate the aging roadways that cross Georgetown’s C&O Canal, Thomas Jefferson Street’s bridge will close on July 26 until July 30, 2011, according to an announcement released by DDOT.

The project, which slated a year of repairs for each bridge, recently completed its work on 30th Street. 29th Street is on deck after TJ.

The project caused an initial stir when it was proposed last summer, mostly by residents who argued it would exacerbate the notorious traffic congestion already facing the village. Sustained opposition to the repairs never materialized, however, and so far the work seems to have had a minimal effect on traffic flow.

Parking will be restricted only on the west side of TJ, and traffic will still be able to access businesses and residences from M Street or K Street (and yes, you can still get to Baked and Wired).

All work will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. No work will be conducted on Sunday.

Five Bike Sharing Stations Coming to Georgetown
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Under a new bike sharing system in the District, Georgetown is expected to receive five stations, as announced by the D.C. Department of Transportation today.

The system called Capital Bikeshare will begin in the fall and will replace the SmartBike program that was introduced in 2008, according to the Georgetown Metropolitan.

Georgetown’s five stations will be among the 100 Capital Bikeshare stations that will set up in D.C. The five stations are spread throughout the Georgetown area, including one on K and 30th Streets in front of the Swedish Embassy. Another location — which was a proposed expansion area of SmartBike — is on Wisconsin Avenue just above the canal. The third will be located at Georgetown University and the fourth will be at Hardy Middle School across from the Social Safeway. The final bike station is on Wisconsin Avenue near 34th Street, as shown by DDOT’s Capital Bikeshare map.

Each Capital Bikeshare station will have the BIXI system, a solar-powered docking station that has multiple capabilities, according to Vox Populi. The stations will accept cash, credit card or a BIXI key.

The cost of the program has not yet been announced.