Adour closes, makes away to Decanter
• May 9, 2013

French restaurant Adour at 923 16th NW that opened in The St. Regis Hotel five years ago, will close its doors on Friday, May 31, as the hotel makes way for another dining option, Decanter. The Mediterranean-influenced restaurant will still have some of renowned chef Alain Ducasse’s influence as current chef Sebastien Rondier will reportedly stay on. The new restaurant is set to open June 21. Bolt Burgers signed a lease to occupy 3,280 square feet at 1010 Massachusetts Ave. NW, while Jackpot Tavern is coming to the basement of 726 7th St. NW. Corner Bakery will move into 500 North Capitol St. NW, and FroZen Yo will set up a second location downtown at 712 7th St. NW.

Muralists commissioned to replace graffiti
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D.C. government is looking for muralists to beautify the District. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities with the DC Department of Public is seeking graffiti artists and artist teams to design, create and install aerosol murals in D.C. neighborhoods. Selected participants will work with apprentices between the ages of 14 and 23 under the 2013 MuralsDC Program to replace illegal graffiti. Forty one MuralDC projects now exist across D.C. Grants range from $3,000 to $13,500, and the deadline is Friday, May 10. For more information, email Keona.Pearson@dc.gov, or call 202-724-5613.

Franklin School may become historical site
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The Franklin School at 925 13th Street NW may become a historic landmark. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development issued a Request for Qualifications to have the historic landmark redeveloped. Located across from Franklin Square, the 144-year-old building was shuttered in October 2008 after serving as a homeless shelter for many years. The city is seeking “a high-quality rehabilitation plan for the project that showcases the building’s unique structure and pays homage to its history.” The 51,000-square-foot building was one of the first public education buildings in D.C. Later, it became the site of Alexander Graham Bell’s photo-phone experiments and, in 1880, housed the city’s first high school. Renovation costs are estimated to range from $20 million to $40 million. Questions about the RFQ should be directed to Nimita Shah at nimita.shah@dc.gov.

Fines drop for car photo enforcement
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Fines have been dropped on some photo enforcement and moving violations, but fines still include speeding at 11 to 15 mph over the limit at $92, versus $100, while speeding at 21 to 25 mph over the limit is $150 versus $200. Failure to clear the intersection and a violation of the “No Turn on Red” sign both now lead to a $50 fine, compared to $100. The drop is due to because of wording in the Safety Based Traffic Enforcement Emergency Amendment Act of 2012, officials said in a release.

Potholes filled by D.C. Government
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The District Department of Transportation is patching potholes that keep motorists on pins and needles. Since the first “Potholepalooza,” a month-long campaign that encourages pedestrians and motorists to phone, go online, tweet, use Facebook, e-mail or use the new DC311 smartphone app to request pothole repairs—was held in 2009, more than 21,000 potholes have been filled. The city now aims to fill more—within 48 hours, versus within 72 hours, the normal response time. This year’s Potholepalooza will run through Wednesday, May 22. Residents can call 311, send a tweet, post a comment to the Potholepalooza Facebook page, e-mail potholepalooza@dc.gov or use the DC311 smartphone app. Consumers must identify the pothole location and provide as much information as possible, including the approximate size and depth of the pothole.
D.C. tree report card gives A- for tree coverage
Casey Trees, the nonprofit organization that restores, enhances and protects the city’s tree canopy, has given D.C. a “B-” for overall tree care. The group’s fifth Tree Report Card for the city shows D.C. received an “A-” for tree coverage; a “B-” for tree health; an “A+” for tree planting; and an “F” for tree protection. The latter grade measures the effectiveness of the Urban Forest Preservation Act of 2002. The City Council created the UFPA and its Tree Fund to replace large trees that were removed because of development and related activities. Casey Trees said the UFPA is not achieving its goals because of poor oversight and the city redirected $539,000 from the Tree Fund to the General Fund in fiscal year 2011 to offset budget shortfalls. According to the report, D.C.’s tree canopy fell from 38% to 36% between 2006 and 2011—and from its peak of 50% in 1950, D.C.’s tree canopy has dropped 1.3% every five years. Healthy tree canopies reduce storm water runoff, carbon emissions and energy consumption.

New design for D.C. taxis
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The D.C. Taxicab Commission May 1 voted to publish proposed rulemaking about the uniform color scheme for D.C.’s 6,500 taxicab fleet in the D.C. Registry. The recommendation is for red cars with a gray strip on the side. D.C. Circulator buses and Capital Bikeshare bicycle color will stay red. A public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29, at One Judiciary and anyone can register by calling (202) 645-6018, ext. 4.

Union Station’s front yard gets spiffy
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Union Station finishes the Columbus Plaza project, which improves access for pedestrians and vehicular traffic traversing the plaza en route to Union Station. Before the project finished, cars had to navigate through the plaza’s configuration and pedestrians had to walk around construction to the front of Union Station. The federally funded project was implemented through a partnership that includes the District Department of Transportation, Amtrak, the Architect of the Capitol, the National Park Service, the Federal Transit Administration, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The 18-month construction phase commenced in September 2011 and the total project cost was approximately $10.8 million. A redesigned traffic circle now allows vehicles to loop around the plaza to enter and exit Union Station, with larger sidewalks and an enhanced traffic-signal system.

Quarterly homeless count shows more people sleeping outside
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There were 165 homeless individuals in the Downtown area on the night of Monday, April 15, according to a count done by the Downtown DC BID. There was a 14.6% increase from 2012 and a 44.7% increase from the quarterly count performed in January 2013. Officials said the uptick may have been because the end of hypothermia season means individuals go from sleeping in shelters to outdoors. BID reported that 12% of respondents to the count requested help to move into permanent supportive housing. Sixty-eight percent of those counted were male, while 20% were female and the gender of 11.5% was unknown. Fifty-seven percent were African American, 12.1% were Caucasian, 1.8% were Hispanic and .6 percent were Asian. The race of 28.5% of the respondents was unknown. Almost 9% were veterans, and 22.5% admitted to having health issues, while 3% had some form of employment. McPherson Square continues to be an area with a high concentration of homeless individuals as city parks often serve as a safe haven and are accessible public space for the homeless. About five volunteers participated in April’s quarterly count, which started at 10:30 p.m. and ended between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Key Bridge Boathouse Replaces Jack’s Boathouse; NPS Continues Study of Another Boathouse
• April 25, 2013

“We look forward to working with Boston Outdoor Recreation as they continue on the tradition of providing a valuable service to visitors,” said the National Park Service’s Rock Creek Park Superintendent Tara Morrison said in a press release. “Visitors to the newly renamed Key Bridge Boathouse will find the same or similar services offered as before.”

With those words, Jack’s Boathouse is gone. The NPS awarded the new contract in March. “At some point, you can’t fight the Feds,” said Jack’s Boathouse owner Paul Simkin earlier this month. The new boathouse opened April 20. As for Boston Outdoor’s commitment to hire all of the old Jack’s Boathouse employees, that prom- ise appears to have hit a snag.

Meanwhile, the NPS continues its study of a new boating facility on Potomac in Georgetown.

The NPS states:
“The National Park Service is examining the feasibility of implementing a non-motorized boathouse zone along the District of Columbia’s side of the Potomac River waterfront upstream of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. This study represents an opportunity for the NPS to identify specific ways to enhance access to the river for user groups, as well as complement the riverside experiences provided by the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This is particularly challenging, given that there is limited space for and a high amount of demand.

“The NPS will be studying what structures and facilities can be accommodated within this non-motorized boathouse zone that are related to waterfront, access to the river, and are con- sistent with the necessary and appropriate uses for this zone. This study will lay the ground- work for future decision-making regarding (1) scenarios for development/improvement of NPS facilities and (2) further planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance as necessary to implement the non-motorized boathouse zone.”

The NPS will host a public meeting on this study, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., May 22, at the West End Public Library, 1101 24th St., NW. For more information, contact: Tammy Stidham, National Capital Region at 202-619-7474 or tammy_stidham@nps.gov.

Body Found in Potomac April 17
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A body was found floating in the Potomac April 17, west of Key Bridge. It was the fourth body found in the Potomac’s waters this month.

According to the Washington Post, “Wednesday’s discovery came about 12:20 p.m., when fire officials said two kayakers pulled the body of an adult male to the shore from a spot about 400 yards west of Key Bridge. Police went to the 3700 block of Water Street, NW, near the Washington Canoe Club. Authorities would not give additional details.” Observers feared that it might have been Changquing Yang, who was, according to the United States Park Police, “reported missing by his family and last seen on April at 11 a.m. on the bank (Maryland side) of the Potomac River in the area of Chain Bridge Road . . . was last known to be wearing a red sweater or jacket, a white t-shirt, and grey pants. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Chiangquing, please contact Detective Bumbray at United States Park Police Criminal Investigations Branch at 202-610-8730, reference Case #13-00145 or contact the United States Park Police Tip-Line at 202-610-8737.”