Town Topics

Ari Post • June 18, 2013

-othered by the mild pandemonium brought about by the construction on the 29th, 30th and Jefferson Street Bridges across the C&O Canal. But the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) rehabilitation work continues to progress. The second of the reconstructed bridges is set to reopen and work on the third and final bridge will begin next week.

Work on the Thomas Jefferson Street Bridge, located between M and K Streets in Georgetown, is nearing completion. DDOT anticipates the bridge will reopen on or about Tuesday, January 25, weather permitting. Work is set to begin on the bridge located on 29th Street between M and K Streets, on or about January 27.

Work will take place Monday through Friday, between 7 am and 9 pm and Saturdays between 9 am and 9 pm.? The bridge will be closed to all vehicular pedestrian traffic, and is anticipated to remain closed through January 2012. Local access will be maintained on 29th Street from both M and K Streets.

30th Street will remain open and may be used as an alternative to 29th Street. A temporary pedestrian bridge across the C&O Canal will also be made available on the west side of the existing 29th Street Bridge.

Work on the 30th Street Bridge over the C&O Canal has already been completed. This $6 million project began in August 2009 and is funded by federal and local funds.

Georgetowner •

On January 12, William Lockridge, a longtime community and education activist, died of respiratory failure at Georget Washington University Hospital. He was 63. A member of the State Board of Education, Lockridge was revered throughout the city for helping to modernize local public school buildings.

His funeral, at Temple of Praise Church, SE, drew hundreds of people, including city council members, school board members, community leaders and activists, and Mayor Vincent Gray.

“William Lockridge had the courage of his convictions,” said Gray at his service, who then expressed wanting to memorialize Lockridge’s contributions to the community somehow. Former DC Mayor and current Councilmember Marion Barry and Council Chariman Kwame Brown also spoke.

In lieu of flowers at the funeral, Lockridge’s family asked that people please make a donation to the William Lockridge Educational Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 54012, Washington DC 20032, to help the children he held so dear.

Georgetowner •

-Hook, one of Georgetown’s premier seafood restaurants, has long been known for delivering the freshest of fresh fish, with sustainable, environmentally conscious sensibilities. The restaurant’s profound respect for the ocean’s harvest always comes through with an array of artful, creative, and crave-inducing dishes.

And now it is the hotspot for seafoodies after a long day at the office. Their new Oyster Happy Hour offers one dollar oysters at the bar and four dollar drink specials every Monday-Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

It was only launched a couple weeks ago, but rest assured it is here to stay. Hook’s Chef Alex brings in oysters from the East and West coast of the country, which are currently both in the thick of their oyster harvest. These frigid ocean temperatures are where oysters thrive—and subsequently, so will we.

It’s sister restaurant, Tackle Box, has also just opened a new upstairs bar, Crackle Bar, who will soon begin a “High Seas Happy Hour.” The seafood offering includes oyster shooters and their signature fried and grilled calamari. You can also get beer for a buck fifty and $2 margaritas.

Between the new specials at Hook and Tackle Box, Canal Square’s Sea Catch restaurant offering up dollar oysters at happy hour, and Bourbon Steak’s first-class oyster platter, Georgetown is fast becoming a go-to destination for all of us who adore those briny little boogers. Cheers.

Georgetowner •

-The Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) has just launched their new mobile site, which is linked to its official site, GeorgetownDC.com. According to their press release, the new app is there up to help “answer all Georgetown-related questions and assist visitors in uncovering the area’s hidden neighborhood gems.”

Compatible with any and all smartphones, the new mobile site provides users with easy, convenient access the neighborhood’s historic, popular and local destinations, as well as pointing out hidden gems, parking garage locations, rates and hours.

The site further provides a local events calendar, business directory listings, and Circulator Bus information, including bus arrival times and destinations, called the “NextBus” feature.

The events calendar lists events by local Georgetown merchants and BID-sponsored events, such as Taste of Georgetown and the Georgetown French Market. With over 450 shops, restaurants and hotels, there is something here for even the most seasoned Georgetowner. To see the BID’s new mobile site, visit GeorgetownDC.com from your smartphone.

Georgetowner •

Jeff Coudriet, longtime Ward 2 resident and aide to Councilmember Jack Evans died of cancer on Saturday, February 5. He was 48 years old. Coudriet served as Evans’ Committee Clerk for the Committee on Finance and Revenue. He previously served as Director of Operations at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulatory Administration, as well as worked for Ward 6 Councilmember Sharon Ambrose. He served as President of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, and board member of the Logan Circle Community Association.

“It is impossible to put into words the contributions Jeff made to our city and its residents,” said Evans. “My staff and I share the grief and extend our condolences to Jeff’s family and friends, and deeply mourn his passing.”

A memorial service for Coudriet has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 16 at 11 a.m. at Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, NW. All are welcome.

Georgetowner •

Kaya Henderson, Interim Chancellor for DCPS, has named Daniel Shea the Interim Principal of Hardy Middle School. Shea currently serves as the DCPS’s head of scheduling for all high schools and middle schools, and has previously worked as a school principal in Montgomery County. On February 7, Henderson said in a letter address to the parents and guardians of Hardy Middle School students:

“Mr. Shea is an experienced middle and high school principal. For over 20 years, Mr. Shea worked as a teacher and administrator in Montgomery County. For 15 of those years, he served as a middle and high school principal. Mr. Shea brings the requisite experience to lead a middle school and prepare to transition students to succeed in high school.”

A parent meeting to formally introduce Mr. Shea to the Hardy community will be scheduled shortly.

Georgetowner •

An amendment has been made to a DC law that gives police officers discretion to arrest citizens for noise that is potentially disruptive to the surrounding neighborhood. This is one of several amendments recently added to the city’s disorderly conduct laws that allow for arrests between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. citing “unreasonably loud noise.”

The law is intended to help control the copious noise complaints the police receive from the neighborhood. However, the discretionary nature of the amendment has drawn concerns among some students and residents, many of whom question the basis of judgment of a given police officer.

But Lieutenant John Hedgecock of the Metropolitan Police Department assured residents at an ANC meeting last week that police officials were “Getting all kinds of legal opinions on what we can and cannot do,” in terms of enforcing these new safety measures.

The law seems to have specific ramifications for Georgetown University students, often the target of noise complaints within the residential areas of Georgetown and Burleith, with residents complaining of blaring music and house parties on a rolling basis. “According to the new law,” wrote Todd Olsen, Vice President for student affairs, in an email letter addressed to students, “if the police observe a house party that is producing ‘noise that is likely to create a disturbance of the peace’ the officer can make arrests without warning. The hosts and residents of the house could be arrested.”

The new ordinance is also indirectly affecting to the recent troubles of the Prospect Street nightclub George, who’s owners have been at odds with the ANC in an attempt to expand their occupant limit and terminate their voluntary agreement with the ANC that regulates liquor-related issues such as noise and crowds. The ANC is currently protesting the establishment’s liquor license before the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration.

George is a regular source for noise complaints from the residential block that sits behind it. But Andrew Kline, who represents the owners of George, explains that the complaints are largely due to the line of people outside the club trying to get in. He insists that if the occupancy limit were expanded, more people could be inside and fewer disturbances would be caused to the public. All matters all still relatively debatable, as it were.

Georgetowner •

According to the Georgetown BID, the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Thomas Jefferson Street Bridge rehabilitation project that began in July 2010 is expecting to be completed five months ahead of schedule. The project, which was expected to take one year to complete and involved demolition of the previous Thomas Jefferson Street Bridge, reconstruction of the road on both sides of the bridge, and construction of a new bridge deck and sidewalks, is estimated to wrap up this month.

The weather played a big role in the speedy rehabilitation process, says the BID, with mostly sunny days allowing workers to be on-site almost every day, from Monday to Saturday.

DDOT’s third and final phase of the C&O Canal Bridges Rehabilitation Project is taking place on the 29th Street Bridge, with a completion date set for January 2012. The third phase will begin this month.
Please contact DDOT’s Mark Clabaugh at 202.671.4566 or Mark.Clabaugh@DC.gov with any questions or concerns about the project.

Georgetowner •

Georgetown takes their Valentines very seriously. From Friday, February 11 through Monday, February 14 Georgetown restaurants will be serving up unique, themed cocktails. All priced at two for $14, the cocktails at each restaurant contain at least one natural aphrodisiac.

Participating restaurants are: Bourbon Steak, Neyla, Ristorante Piccolo, Paolo’s Ristorante, Mie N Yu, J. Paul’s, Martin’s Tavern, Clyde’s, 1789, Daily Grill, Café Bonaparte, Nick’s Riverside Grill, Degrees, Peacock Café, Thunder Burger, Bangkok Joe’s, Bodega, Farmer’s & Fishers, and Sea Catch Restaurant.

CAG will also be hosting a Valentine’s Cabaret Party, kicking off its 2011 Concerts in the Park series. The Cocktails and Song Valentine’s Cabaret Party on Monday, February 14, from 6:30-8:30 at Halcyon House, will feature music by Georgetown’s own Rebecca McCabe. Tickets are $225 per couple and $125 per person. Word on the street is they want you to dress in red.

Even Citronelle is joining in the fun. Usually closed on Sundays, the frighteningly popular restaurant hotspot will open February 13 from 6 to 10 p.m. for dinner reservations. Michele Richard has put together a three-course prix fixe menu, which includes short ribs braised for 72 hours and served with a raisin-peppercorn sauce and roasted center cut veal rack. There is also a nine-course Promenade Gourmande menu, which you can get with wine pairings.

Georgetowner •

With the City Councilmember seat vacated by now Council Chairman Kwame Brown, his yet-undetermined replacement will be casting some hefty votes in the coming years, having a tremendous impact on Georgetown and the city at large (think GU Campus Plan). If you’re curious to learn more about the candidates, come ask them questions and join a public discussion during a candidate forum on Wednesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. at the Social Safeway on 34th and Wisconsin Ave. NW. The forum, co-hosted by the Georgetown Dish and The Georgetown Current, will be moderated by Georgetown Current publisher Davis Kennedy and Georgetown Dish publisher Beth Solomon.