Hazardous Waste Collection

Neighbors,

Below please find important information concerning Hazardous Waste

Collection events scheduled to occur in April 2004.

Best,

Jim Berry

ANC 5C

HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION – 4/3 & 4/24

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) will hold its bi-annual

household

hazardous waste event at two

locations on Saturday, April 3 from 9 AM to 3 PM.

Residents may bring household chemicals and other materials to the

Carter

Barron Amphitheatre parking lot at 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW or to

the

Penn

Branch Shopping Center parking lot at 3220 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

This

drop-off service is free and open to all District residents.

DC residents can bring items including old cleaning and gardening

chemicals,

small quantities of gasoline,pesticides and poisons, acids, varnish,

oil-based paints, solvents, aerosols, wood preservatives, spent

batteries of

all kinds, roofing tar, chemistry sets, automotive fluids, even

asbestos

floor tiles to the collection site for environmentally safe disposal.

A professional hazardous waste contractor will remove materials

from residents’ vehicles. The materials will then be taken to an

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved facility for processing.

Electronics recycling, normally conducted in conjunction with the

household

hazardous waste collection, will instead take place at the Carter

Barron

parking lot on April 24, from 9 am – 3 pm.

Residents are asked to bring computers, cell phones,television sets,

office

equipment and other electronics to that special collection event.

Iems that will not be accepted during the Household Hazardous Waste

Collection Day include munitions, explosives, bulk trash, wooden TV

consoles, propane tanks, microwave ovens and other appliances, as well

as radioactive or biologically active wastes.

For more information on household hazardous waste,visit the DPW website

at

http://www.dpw.dc.gov/info/house_haz_waste.shtml

Nuisance & vacant properties

Here is the content of a recent fact sheet on nuisance vacant properties.

For a copy of the fact sheet, (electronic or via fax) reply to this email.

Who to contact regarding nuisance vacant or abandoned properties.

Report Vacant Homes:

1) Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs

Ø Neighborhood Stabilization Program – 442-4610

(Contacts the owner and enforces codes to ensure

that the house is brought up to standards. Also imposes fines for unkempt

homes.

http://www.dcra.dc.gov/about/index_hra.shtm

2) Office of Tax & Revenue fax# 442-6691

http://cfo.dc.gov/services/tax/forms/tax_forms/pdf/vacant_prop_reporting_for

m.xls

Higher tax fines for owners of abandoned/vacant homes- 5 times the normal

rate

3) United States Attorney’s Office/Fourth District

Report Nuisance Properties (for abatement action)

Ø Michelle McIver, 576-5255, Community Specialist

4) DC Office of Corporation Counsel (Neighborhood & Victims Services

Division)

Ø Nicholas Majett, 727-4171, Legal Counsel

5) Jose Sueiro, 671-2338, Ward One, Neighborhood Services Coordinator,

Office of the City Administrator

6) Office of the Fire Marshal (to have homes posted with unlawful entry

sticker), 727.1600

7) Report People in Vacant Homes: AUTOMATIC ARREST IF HOME IS POSTED BY FIRE

MARSHAL FOR NO ENTRY

Ø Metropolitan Police Department/Fourth District/ 3-1-1

8) Yvonne Smith, MPD Community Outreach & Ward One Mayor’s Core Team

ysmith@mpdc.org ? 202.576.8227 phone

9) Operation Crackdown- Bar Association of the District of Columbia

(Volunteer Lawyers)

http://www.badc.org/html/ylocd.htm

(202) 293-1348 opcrackdown@aol.com

In an effort to reduce crime and social disorder in the local Patrol Service

Areas (PSAs), officers of the Fourth District Substation have begun working

on the “Board Up and Lock Up” project. Vacant properties have long

contributed to quality of life issues in the District. Metropolitan Police

Department have partnered with its fellow members of the Ward One Mayor’s

Core Team to begin addressing the issues associated with vacant properties.

All vacant properties will be reported to the Department of Consumer and

Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). Officers will make sure each site has been

reported to the Office of the Fire Marshal to determine if they are eligible

for posting. Once homes are posted (though postings may be illegally

removed), officers will make arrests. This means anyone caught inside,

without official permission from the owner (i.e. making repairs) will be

immediately arrested. A hotline will be provided to neighbors, surrounding

vacant homes to report any violations. We will not tolerate vacant nuisance

properties in our neighborhood! This effort is another way officers and

neighbors can do their part to help “Take a Bite Out of Crime.”

Yvonne Smith, Community Outreach

Metropolitan Police Department

750 Park Road, NW

Washington, DC 20010

202.576.8227 phone

MEETING NOTICE

The D.C.DEPT.of HEALTH’s VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ADVISORY BOARD MEETING

is

Friday April 16,2004 9:30 a.m. 825 North Capitol St.N.E. 4th Floor Room

4131.I chair the sub-committee on CHILD MALTREATMENT. pass the word.

Bishop

Imagene B.Stewart www.houseofimagene.org

Housing and Home Ownership

Tax Assessments Public Meeting: Sposored by Councilmember Phil Mendelson’s Office

Community Meeting on Property Tax Assessments, sponsored by At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson’s office.

Date: Thursday March 25, 2004

Time: 7:00 PM

RE: Tax Assessments & understanding the Appeals Process

Location: Watha T. Daniel Library, 1701 8th St. NW @ RI Avenue, for residents of Shaw, LeDroit Park, and Eckington.

Questions, contact the Councilmember’s office at: 202.727.8274.

SHAW ECO VILLAGE NEEDS SPACE

Hello!

Shaw EcoVillage (SEV), a 501©3 non-profit, operating in the Shaw

neighborhood, is looking for space and we need your help!

Shaw EcoVillage trains youth to be catalysts for sustainable change in

Washington, DC’s urban neighborhoods. We do this through two programs,

EcoDesign Corps and Chain Reaction. EcoDesign Corps empowers youth by

engaging them in hands-on community based projects and providing them with

the design and organizing skills necessary to create sustainable economic,

environmental, and social change in DC. Chain Reaction educates youth about

the role of the bicycle in sustainable communities, equips youth with job

skills, and provides residents of Washington, DC, with safe, affordable, and

pollution-free transportation.

If you know of any space available, within the boundaries of Shaw, meeting

the following specifications, please contact Noel Petrie at 202.265.2019, or

sev.noelpetrie@verizon.net.

1. Rent: SEV cannot afford more than $2,200 a month for any new property.

Our current rent is $1460 per month.

2. Retail Space: The new location must have at least 1500 square feet of

1st floor retail and storage space.

3. Program and Education Space: A new location must have adequate space for

onsite Chain Reaction Programs and School Year EDC Programming. This means

400 square feet for Chain Reaction classroom space and 400 square feet of

EDC classroom space. Totaling 800 square feet.

4. Office Space: 600 square feet of office space is needed.

5. Outdoor Space: 400 square feet of parking / outdoor work space is needed

6. Utilities to Code: All utilities must be to code and able to handle the

demands of the retail and office equipment.

If you have any questions, would like more information, or would like to

contribute to our efforts, please do not hesitate to call.

Thanks for your time, attention, and support!

Best,

Noel

Noel Petrie

Outreach and Development Coordinator

Shaw EcoVillage

202.265.2019

1701 6th St., NW

Washington, DC 20001

sev.noelpetrie@verizon.net

www.shawecovillage.com

Racist or being careful?

East of Easy Street (washingtonpost.com)

I really liked this article, of course it takes place in the cool section of Shaw but it tells the story of all Shaw. I especially liked “date me, date my hood.”

Yet the thing that got me thinking was the author’s (white) accusation of his friends’ racism towards the neighborhood, in their attitude and comments.

Quote:

As I related the story to friends, one said, “Well, at least he had the courtesy to look before shooting you.” If my friends were being racist, they didn’t think they were. In their view, they were simply being suitably cautious about where they lived and drove.

The rest of the article just talks about how, as a white guy, he assimilated into the neighborhood and the 7-11 at the corner of 7th and Rhode Island. I know that 7-11, I know of the Calvin of whom he speaks. I know it is where the cops hang out when they are ignoring things or taking a break.

But back to the main topic. I hear it all the time in little code words. “Safe neighborhood”, “good neighborhood” and other things. In a discussion group for swing dancers someone announced an event on U Street, towards 14th Street. Someone else, an upper-middle class girl from Mt. Vernon, VA, said the neighborhood wasn’t safe and you should watch out. It’s the frickin’ city. Yes, there is more crime, might have something to do with the higher concentration of people. But does it deserve to be written off as an unsafe neighborhood.

Then I got to thinking some more. Is there a safe, good black neighborhood? I’m sure there are places in Upper Marlboro, PG County that are, but they aren’t near a metro, so they don’t exist. Then that’s another factor, class. Upper Marlboro is/was a very upper and middle class black area. I know my own relatives (black, in case you didn’t know), living in Laurel and Riverdale dislike my neighborhood (which is why my will has a non-relative inheriting my house). In their case I call it classism. Lewisdale, is okay, working class, safe enough but it doesn’t scream safe from outward appearances. And is that what a lot of it is? Outward appearances?

My hood. Okay for me, bad for cars, really bad for people buying drugs (it increases your chance of getting shot), and crappy for quality of life issues, but it’s mine.

Brief Notes from PSA 312 Community Coalition Meeting 3/10/2004

Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 21:09:10 -0500

Neighbors,

I attended the PSA 312 Community Coalition Meeting last night. In

brief,

Lt. Dennis gave us an overview of the “Operation Fight Back” plans that

she

is implementing in the PSA, along with DPW, DCRA, DOT and other members

of

the Ward Five Neighborhood Services Programs Core Team.

A lot of attention was focussed on the persistent problem of “open air”

drug

activity along Q Street, N.W. and I reiterated my request for the more

frequent use of the Drug Free Zone strategy to assist in the MPD’s

ongoing

efforts to abate this problem.

The need to supplement the efforts of the Office of Property Management

to

keep the building that formerly housed the Armstrong Adult Education

Center

secure and free from the destruction of vandals, is also a goal that I

asked

Lt. Dennis to give some special priority to.

With respect to the ever-increasing sound of gun shots in the

neighborhood,

Lt. Dennis advises that we contact the police every tme we think that

we

hear gun shots so that the volume of calls that we place, can bump our

concerns up to a higher priority for the police who cover our area. I

know

that the coming of the summer months will further complicate this

situation

(what with the constant sound of fire crackers, cherry bombs, and other

minor explosive devices that we begin to hear from May through August).

However, we must continue to call to make our record as well as to

justiy

our need for more police coverage for our area.

Finally, it seems that Lt. Dennis is having a measure of success in

getting

the city to come by to pick up abandoned cars; hence, please email her

when

you discover abandoned vehicles on our blocks. And, please include in

that

email as much relevant informtation about the color, make, model, year

and

current location of the abandoned vehicle as you can compile. Lt.

Dennis’

email address is ADENNIS@MPDC.ORG.

Best,

Jim Berry

ANC 5C

Neighbors,

Please help us to spread the word concerning the next two meetings of

ANC

5C.

Best,

Jim Berry

ANC 5C

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 5C

POST OFFICE BOX 77761

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20013

TELEPHONE: (202) 832-1965/1966

www.anc5c.org

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICES

Monthly Meeting

Issues to be discussed include:

North Capitol Main Streets

New York Avenue Corridor Study

MPD Public Safety Report(s)

Where: Franklin P. Nash

United Methodist Church

2001 Lincoln Road, N.E

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Time: 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.

__________________

Monthly Forum

Where: St. George’s Episcopal Church

2nd and U Streets, N.W.

When: Tuesday, April 6, 2004

Time: 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.