Town Topics

Robert Devaney • August 10, 2012

Although traffic in the nation’s capital has always been an issue, the rising number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths is becoming more of a cause for concern. In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 13 of the 24 traffic-related fatalities that occurred in D.C. were pedestrians.
In contrast, 101 of the 493 traffic-related fatalities in Maryland were pedestrians. Meanwhile, Virginia tallied 73 of 740.
While the total number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths is lower in the District than its neighboring states and even the states with the most pedestrian fatalities, including California, Florida and New York, its percentage of 54.2 is the highest in the United States. NHTSA also found that a majority of pedestrian fatalities occurred in an urban setting, at non-intersections, during the night.
However, drivers may not always be to blame for being distracted. In this digital age, more and more pedestrians are crossing streets with smartphones in hand, headphones synced in and heads facing down, completely tuned out to the world. As these traffic statistics continue to stagger in, keep in mind that it is both the pedestrian’s and the driver’s responsibilities to be aware of their surroundings.

Robert Devaney •

The next episode of “America’s Most Wanted,” with host John Walsh, focuses on Georgetown. The show, which will premiere June 29, at 9 p.m. on Lifetime, focuses on the search for a man accused of murdering Christine Mirzayan and is wanted in connection with nine sexual assaults. Police have dubbed him the “Potomac River Rapist.”

The Christine Mirzayan case has appeared on “America’s Most Wanted” before, but a newly discovered link between this murder and nine other rapes have led to this cold case to be re-assessed. “We are revisiting the Christine Mirzayan case to give it, and the other nine rapes, the national attention they deserve. It is important to Mr. Walsh,” said Roger Chiang of “America’s Most Wanted.”

Recently re-examined DNA links two crimes: the murder of Christine Mirzayan and the sexual assault of another victim. Intern and graduate student Christine Mirzayan was murdered in the summer of 1998. She was walking home from a dinner gathering when she was dragged into the woods, sexually assaulted and murdered. The crime took place at Canal Road near the entrance to Georgetown University. The other sexual assault case happened in 1996, less than two miles from the Mirzayan murder. The victim was walking along a row of homes and woods in the Palisades neighborhood in the 4900 block of MacArthur Blvd., when she was dragged into the woods and sexually assaulted. This case has also been linked to several other sexual assault cases that happened between 1991 and 1996.

Chiang wanted to spotlight Amanda Haines, Detective Tony Brigidini and Detective Todd Williams, the cold case team that helped to discover the DNA link between the cases. “If it wasn’t for their hard work … we would have basically nothing,” Chiang said. “I want to give kudos to this great cold case unit.”

Because of what Haines, Brigidini and Williams have done, he said, a DNA link has been discovered and there is a new composite sketch of the man who committed these crimes. Chiang hopes these latest developments can take the case to the next level — including finding a match and prosecution. Police believe the perpetrator has ties to the D.C. area. With the new evidence, the renewed profile and national attention these cases are getting, there is hope that the “Potomac River Rapist” can be brought to justice.

Tune into “America’s Most Wanted” Friday, June 29, 9 p.m. on Lifetime.

Robert Devaney •

On June 21, neighbors at 29th and Dumbarton Streets closed the street and met for a sit-down alfresco dinner to celebrate the continuation of Scheele’s Market, their longtime grocery store. They said farewell to former Scheele’s shopkeepers, Shin and Kye Lee, and welcomed the new business owner, Doug Juk Kim, and thanked the owner of the building, Jordan O’Neill.

Malcolm “Mike” Peabody and his group rescued Scheele’s Market at 29th and Dumbarton by making an agreement with 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 has served the town for 118 years. With funds raised by the party, the goal has just about been met. And with music by Wayne Wilentz at the keyboard and Sidney Lawrence on vocals, diners enjoyed food from Stachowski Market and Deli, Georgetown Haagen-Dazs and, of course, Scheele’s. To make a donation, e-mail Mike Peabody at mpeabody@ptmanagement.com.

Robert Devaney •

DMV to Return to
Georgetown Park

The Georgetown office of D.C.’s Department of Motor Vehicles, formerly located in
the lower level of the Shops at Georgetown
Park, that closed May 19 will return to the M
Street shopping mall, Ward 2 Councilmember
Jack Evans announced at the May 30 annual
awards and election meeting of the Citizens
Association of Georgetown.

At the time of the DMV’s closure, it was
not certain that an office would return to
Georgetown. Evans said that there would be
a new DMV office in the mall in less than
a year, when renovations are completed, in
agreement with the Georgetown Park landlord.
Mayor Vincent Gray, who also addressed the
Citizens meeting, called the future return of
the DMV to the neighborhood as showing how
the District government provides “customer
service” to its citizens.

On June 4, the DMV will open a temporary
service center at 301 C Street, N.W.,
where its Office of Adjudication Services is
also located; hours of operations are Monday
through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. For other
locations and questions, visit DMV.DC.gov

Historic Pie Company Is
Reborn in D.C.

“It is an honor and with great pride that
we announce that the Connecticut-Copperthite
Pie Baking Company will make its historical
return to Washington, D.C., at the Taste
of Georgetown,” stated Mike Copperthite,
descendant of a family business started in the
1880s, the Connecticut-Copperthite Pie Co.,
which cornered the market on pies. The company
baked pies on 32nd Street, recounted the
enthusiastic Copperthite, who plans to set up
shop in town again. “In anticipation of a fall
opening of retail store to be called Shut Your
Pie Hole — ZipYourPieHole.com.”

Tasters agreed that the Copperthite pies
were filled with flavor — and that the company
was full of history. More to come. Welcome
back.

Charles Luck Stone Center
Opens on 34th Street at C&O
Canal

Richmond-based specialty stone center,
Charles Luck has opening its first D.C. location
at Cady’s Alley. Built in the late 1800s as
a stable, the two-story building – overlooking
the C&O Canal – has just more than 700
square feet of showroom space downstairs. (It
once belonged to brewmaster Gary Heurich.)

“We have a prime location,” said Anderson
McNeill, president of Charles Luck Stone
Centers, who is enthusiastic about the neighborhood.
An opening party at the store on
June 13 said hello to Georgetown. “The stone
center is a source of inspiration and features
distinctive products for style-minded homeowners,
a destination for those whose passion
for beautiful stone.”

Selling stone architectural elements, such
as countertops, interior and exterior walls,
pathways, furniture and accessories, Charles
Luck takes its place in Georgetown’s design
area. “We’re also excited to join the ranks with
other style-minded neighbors, including Ann
Sacks, Baker Furniture, Boffi, Janus et Cie,
Design within Reach, Poggenpohl and Waterworks,
to name a few,” Anderson said.

Thos. Moser Shuts M Street
Store, Plans Another in Area

Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers closed its
D.C. showroom on M Street June 9. It is
expected that Intermix clothing will set up
shop at the empty space soon.

“We have enjoyed our present location at
3300 M Street for nearly ten years, and we are
very grateful for all the customers who have
supported us during this time. However, as
our lease nears its expiration, we have made
the difficult decision to close,” wrote Thomas
Moser, founder and president of Thos. Moser
Cabinetmakers. “Please know we remain committed
to the Washington, D.C., and suburban
Virginia and Maryland markets and hope to
find a suitable new location. In the interim,
our shop remains vibrant and rest assured that
current and future orders and scheduled deliveries
will not be impacted by this change. We
will continue to actively support our customers
through our Customer Care Center in Freeport,
Maine.”

HomeMade Pizza Co.
Closes Wisconsin Ave. Spot

After a February 2011 debut, the Home-
Made Pizza Co. store at 1826 Wisconsin Ave.,
N.W., near Safeway has closed. Other D.C.
store locations remain: Chevy Chase, Spring
Valley and Logan Circle.

Betsey Johnson Store
Closes

The fabulousness that lived at the store
run by Jenny Zinn and her co-workers is over.
After weeks of farewell parties and discounts,
the town’s flashy, pink and fun Betsey Johnson
store on M Street near the Old Stone House
closed June 9. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson’s
chain of stores went bankrupt April 26.
“Johnson won’t be losing her job — but as
many as 350 store workers will,” reported the
New York Daily News. Women’s Wear Daily
reported the designer will retain control of the
Betsey Johnson clothing label.

Robert Devaney •

There are hundreds of congressional hearing in Washington each year. Administration officials and others sit before House or Senate inquisitors answering each as fully and dutifully as they can. These hearings usually occur on Capitol Hill and make for some drama or political theater.

On June 19, a congressional hearing was in Washington but held in Georgetown. Not only was it in Georgetown, but it was in a place which evoked the opposite of what most think about when considering Georgetown real estate: an empty, broken-down heating plant, now for sale by the federal government.

The hearing in the West Heating Plant on 29th Street was a bit of political theater, staged by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) , chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee. Its title was “Sitting on Our Assets: The Georgetown Heating Plant.” Reviews have been generally favorable.

The representatives — including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) — set up tables and chairs within the massive plant and grilled one witness: Flavio Peres, the deputy assistant commissioner for Real Property Utilization and Disposal at the General Services Administration.

Their questions hit on why it has taken so long to put up that for-sale sign for this highly valuable property, just south of the C&O Canal and the Four Seasons Hotel. (The sign went up the day before the hearing.) The 1940s-era structure once generated energy for federal buildings and then stood as a back-up. It has been totally shut down since 2000 and has cost the government $3.5 million in maintenance fees.

Denhan and Mica want other unused federal property to get on a faster track to be sold by the GSA, as urged by the Obama Administration. They aptly used their site-of-the-day to make that point to GSA and to the public. They have held hearings off Capitol Hill before and threaten to hold more around the country, if necessary.

Peres took his hits from Mica, who said of his testimony, “We don’t know if it [the plant] was turned on. We don’t know if it has an operating license. We had other places to store what was stored here. . . . It just doesn’t seem like anyone is minding the store or taking care of the assets. This is a pretty valuable piece of property.”

Denham asked, “How is GSA going to ensure that this time we are going to get the highest value on this property that is the biggest piece of acreage in downtown Georgetown?” Peres said that the market was strong and developers and planners knew of the impending sale. He said that the on-line sales auction for the heating plant property would likely be in late September.

As for the GSA, it holds 142 properties, compared to other agencies that hold 14,000. And, yes, a GSA official spoke to Georgetown’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission about the impending sale last year. There are plans, set by financiers and architects and ready to roll, as evidenced by the Levy Group’s designs. Neighborhood groups want to make sure that some land within the mixed-use site can be used for public parkland, connecting Rock Creek to the riverfront. The huge building itself must be gutted and restructured for condos and the like.

After the hearing, Mica, Denham, congressional aides and media went to the plant’s rooftop with its commanding views of Georgetown, Cathedral Heights, West End, Rosslyn and the Potomac River. Dramatic? Yes, political theater plays well in this town.
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Lisa Gillespie • August 9, 2012

After several months of remodeling, the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum reopened to the public July 30. Back on view at the museum is the popular exhibition, “Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia,” which examines the history of African-Americans in baseball from Reconstruction to the second half of the 20th century.