Truancy

Neighbor Nathan over at the DC Education Blog has a few posts on DC addressing it’s truancy problems. Walking to the metro the other day to run some errands I saw teens hanging out at the corner around 9AM and wondered if I should call it in. Question, who would I call? Police? 311 or 911? More likely the non-emergency 311 number. Then, what time does school start?
I have no clue about these things. I know approximately when school gets out because the streets are awash with kids. There are kids from the school of Our Lady of Really Ugly Uniforms, feral pre-teens, gansta teens, all over the corner of Rhode Island and 7th, all on the metro giggling and cursing, everywhere between 3 and 4pm.
I wonder how the public is supposed to help with the truancy? I know how they are targeting parents of chronically absent kids. But how will police (or who ever) respond to calls from non-parents about truant kids?

Or I could move

My architect neighbor, who I admire and adore, and his partner came over for dinner. The purpose besides neighborliness was to talk about possible additions to our homes. These additions would not show up until well into the future (ie when we pay off our second mortgages).
We were talking and though it I believed I heard their concerns. From what I heard I understand it would be preferred if I didn’t build to the property line. Ok. Well I guess I have to scratch a certain idea. Oh well.
The thing that got me was the ballpark figure given for what I’d like to do, with smaller footprint. $300,000. Dang. For that amount of money I could move. If it does cost that amount I would move into something newer and roomier. I was thinking $100,000 and that’s taking in cost overruns and working around the kitchen. The price I heard for some other neighbors to put on their addition, $35K, maybe I could do it in my range.
He did suggest something I will take into consideration, doing one side of the house. The additions I want would be for the back of the house. He suggested doing what I need to do to the front of the house first. Fixing the windows and doors and expanding the space of the bathroom. Ok. That sounds do-able.