Category: Uncategorized

Seeking Adult Mentors!

Are you interested in making a difference in the life of a child? Consider becoming a mentor.

We are organizing a community mentoring program, in collaboration with Big Brother Big Sister, and Mentors Inc., for children ages 8-18 years old, in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of NW Washington DC. I’m currently seeking adult (21+ years old) mentors who are looking to make a difference in the life a child. Time commitment is one hour per week.

Please come to our community information meeting to learn more.

What: Community mentoring information meeting

Who: Adult mentors, 21+ years old, interested in making a difference in the life of a child.

When: Monday, March 30, from 6:30 – 8:00pm

Where: Florida Avenue Baptist Church

623 Florida Avenue NW

***Please note that you will have to enter the building via the rear entrance off of U Street, at the corner of U and Bohrer (one block west of 6th Street NW).

RSVP: Margot Hoerrner, 2/341 5686, hoerrner at gmail period com

Capital Sporting Grounds: Preface and Introduction

This is the first book I’ve read by someone I know who wasn’t my professor. That is a factor, in that those assigned books by professors pushing their products, were something to quickly get through. Heck knows I probably never read the preface or acknowledgements. If I did read the introductory chapter, it was more than likely skimmed.
B.’s or Dr. Brett L. Abrams’, PhD (American U) book, is so far, so good, but with some bumps. If I weren’t making notes in the book, I probably would read faster as this is not a difficult read, he’s telling a story. However, at points, I’m finding myself in disagreement with his writing style, and my notes are reflecting that. These are just minor stylistic things like where a sentence is in a paragraph. My other notes are just markers, either summing up a thought or highlighting major points. Habitually with non-fiction I tend to make notes in books (I own), as a way to talk with the author. Of course, in this case I could just walk over and talk with the author.
The Preface tells why this book is different from what’s out there. Books covering the topic of stadiums are coffee-table picture books or technical tomes on economics or construction. There are books that are about single stadiums, in other cities, not D.C. So what B. is doing is filling a vacuum, looking at the District of Columbia/ DC Metro area and stadium development taking in account the politics and history of that development.
The Introduction provides the historical background of the growth and development of Washington, DC as a city. He quickly reviews DC’s character as four cities, an international city, a federal city, a local city, and a regional city.

Howard Theater

IMGoph has a post up about the presentation for the streetscape around the Howard Theater area.
I’ve kinda lost general interest in the Howard because in the early 2000s I attended the meetings and heard the presentations for saving the Howard Theater, and then nada. Nothing. Zip. The Howard, the O Street Market, and anything else I was waiting for to get going during the real estate boom years, didn’t. So now I’m jaded.
I got to thinking, if the Howard is restored and turned into a working theater, wouldn’t it be in competition with the Lincoln up the street?

B.’s Stadium Book gets WP write up

My next door neighbor/co-worker B. has his book Capital Sporting Grounds out now and his book got some love from Marc Fisher. I just got the book in my hot little hands today, and I hope to give an honest as I can report of it once done.
I’m a bit more interested in Capital Sporting Grounds than the other book he released last year, because its topic is development history in Washington DC. Also B. gave a pretty interesting presentation sometime back at the Historical Society about stadium development and some of the backroom dealing involved. B. is interested in the story and I look forward to experiencing his storytelling.

Real Estate TMI

Georgetown Metropolitan said it best, “sort of creepy”. The site is called Block Shopper. On one level it is good to know how many hands a property that’s up for sale went through since 2001. However, when it gets down to Technology Engineer Bob Brown sells Dupont Circle house for $899,088, that’s too much information. Seriously, too much.
Also (I just noticed) they STOLE, STOLE, as in not attributing or crediting, my Flickr pix. A few weeks ago I got on the case about this with the owner of one 4th Street house who used my picture of his house (and the neighboring houses) to advertise it as a rental. Hey-zeus Christie people, I don’t want money but I do want to be asked or acknowledged. Yes, someone’s getting a terse email.

Friday Misc


Not far from the S Street exit of the Shaw/Howard U metro station exit is this event at the New Community Art Space. The graphic I was given has been a bit hard for me to read but there is a web site artspacedc.org.

Well the Bates Area Civic Association (BACA), which covers the northern portion of the Truxton Circle area, has a new blog. Jim Berry, who sent me the notice about it also informed me about a knitting crocheting group forming:

HAVE YOU WANTED TO LEARN TO KNIT OR CROCHET? HERE’S YOUR CHANCE!!! A group is being formed at St. George’s Episcopal Church and you are invited to sign-up. The purpose of this group is to meet and fellowship while learning and sharing the crafts of knitting and crocheting. The group is open to the community; both female and male, adults and children (9 years of age and older) are welcome. The first meeting will be held in St. George’s Parish Hall, 160 U Street, N.W., on Saturday, March 21, 2009, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00p.m. Bring your needles

And speaking of yarn, last week I wandered into the neatest little yarn store evah! Not in DC but along Route 1, Rhode Island Ave/ Baltimore Ave, across the street from Franklin’s in what I’m generally going to call Hyattsville. It’s called a Tangled Skein. I’ve always passed by it, and after subduing my driver with Franklin’s food I talked him into joining me across the street to check out this place. If you are allergic to wool, do not enter because you will die. They have alpaca wool, cashmere wool, plain old wool, wool blends, and silk yarns. The shop gave me the same thrill as fabric stores as I went around feeling the different yarns. I bought, for my mom, a couple of acrylic wool blend skeins.

Starting a Rumor- Angelina Jolie @ 7th and PA NW

There have been cars blocking one land of traffic since I came into work and many are still there. On my way to Momiji I saw what I guess are catering trucks or vague vendors with snacks and coffee outside the Starbucks. When I asked a friend what was the commotion he said that Angelina Jolie is filming something at the Navy Memorial.
CAN ANYONE CONFIRM?
The only thing I can confirm is there is a film crew, and a big crowd at the Archives Navy Memorial metro station.

SSURA history

SSURA-Shaw Urban Renewal Area
I’ve been tearing up the house trying to find an eyeglass perscription among the piles of paper that litter my house. One of the piles was ‘neighborhood history that I’ll blog about at some point’. As I wait for a bunch of podcasts to download, I’ll type out this find. It is a transcript from the National Capital Planning Commission’s Executive session March 3, 1966, starting around page 42:

Chairman Rowe
Now we get to this review, Mr. Conrad, of the proposed urban renewal area in the Second Precinct around the Shaw School. Would you give us the background.
(Mr. Roberts departed the meeting at 4:55 o’clock p.m.)
ITEM NO. 4- SHAW SCHOOL URBAN RENEWAL AREA
MR. CONRAD: In 1958 the staff prepared a general neighborhood renewal plan in the Second Precinct area which is about the same area as you see encompassed by the red line on the map on the board which was 14th Street to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, North Capitol Street to the east and then down to Massachusetts Avenue and 10th Street on the south.
This is a rather large area. It contains about, oh, I believe nine to 12 projects that were supposed to be done over a period of ten years but were very limited when we went into the study of this area.
We were limited because of the housing tools that were available at that time. We were also restricted because of the high cost of rehabilitation and no write down to the process of urban renewal at that time. We were also restricted because there was very little citizen interest in this area.
As a result the large area was cut down to what the Commission knows as Northwest Number One which is about a 76-acre project which we have approved and which the Redevelopment Land Agency now is carrying out.
Since 1958 there have been quite a few changes. It is possible to get write down on rehabilitation. There is the 221-d-3 moderate cost housing, relocation housing. There are new forms of public housing which we have. The President is coming up with a demonstration city where we should get larger areas in order to be able to stage the development. Also the Shaw School has come into its own as a need and the President has also pointed out the examples where we should take schools and make them examples for other cities and this is a wonderful location to do it.
So last week Mrs. Rowe, three District Commissioners, Walter Washington, the staff and also some citizens from this area got together and now the citizens are asking for public help to do something with their area.
Reverend Fauntroy was there representing the area as well as Mr. and Mrs. — was that Lawson?
CHAIRMAN ROWE: Judge Lawson.
MR. CONRAD: Judge Lawson. They feel that the citizens are ready for this and they are looking for help from the proper public bodies.
We are working with D.C. on this as well as the Redevelopment Land Agency and we propose to come back to the Commission at its next meeting in April with specific boundary lines for approval so that we can go in for planning advances to at least study this area for urban renewal.

There is more but this was long enough and the keys on my keyboard get kind of sticky.

City Websites Compare and Contrast

I was asked for input on something DC related and to attempt to be fair in my expectations I looked at other cities’ and towns’ websites addressing similar issues. Looking at different cities sites on other urban topics of interests there are different things that pop out. Whether a city is good at communicating or addressing one or another thing through their web presence could be related to a whole host of things. Regardless, lets take a look.

DC.Gov
I use DC.GOV for a lot of things, mainly looking up tax assessments. I tend to ignore most of the top and scroll down to “Popular Online Services” and “Online Services”. Why these aren’t closer to the top beats me. It seems the most popular things relate to cars, as in finding the DMV, paying parking tickets and locating a towed car. Those are the things the people want. The only thing near the top that I have any mild interest in is a reminder that the Mayor’s call center number is 311 and the location of free Wi-Fi hotspots.
What is at the top that is useful when I’m not looking at assessments are the tabs “DC Guide”, “Residents”, “Visitors” and such. This s where I go to take the long way to the DC Council, MPD, and other agencies I don’t visit often. There are sections under the umbrella of DC.GOV that I really like, others that have lots of room for improvement, and others that seem pointless. Instead of getting into those I want to move on to other city’s sites.

PHILA,GOV
I have to admire the entrepreneurial spirit of the right hand frame of this site, labeled “Make a Payment”. This is a city that knows it can make money providing its citizens services. You can pay and view police reports and deeds. You can pay your water bill, gas bill, parking tickets, and pay your taxes by clicking a link on their homepage.
Also on the home page on the left hand side is “Help Me” which looks like “Help Us Help You.” Its links let you report a pothole, illegal activity, fraud, etc.

Chicago Egov.cityofchicago.org
I had high expectations but this site has a whole lot of room for improvement, starting with the URL. What it lacks in sophistication it makes up for in simplicity.
Moving on.

NYC.GOV
Who knew the S.I. Ferry Schedule was in such demand? But it is, along with getting birth certificates, and paying your property taxes. Though not at the top, the most popular items don’t require scrolling to get to. Because I’ve been looking at individual NYC departments’ and agencies’ sites, the home page for the city government doesn’t even hint at how great those sites are. Like Chicago, the home page is a little bit of a let down.

Boston CityofBoston.Gov
Here students get their own friggin tab. The Student tab links you to city information you need to know if you’re a student moving to Boston. You can find out about housing, pets, what to do with your car, etc. In some ways the Boston site is simple and requires a good amount of scrolling, but the feeling I get from the site is, “Hi, I’m Bahstan and I’m here to help.”

Seattle.Gov
Taxes don’t seem to be popular as I can’t find on the home page anything about tax assessments or property taxes. But you know what’s popular? The Live 911 Dispatch.

Lastly or this will be too long
Los Angeles www.ci.la.ca.us
Hate it. Slow loading, and once it did load the characters were too small and the home page was too busy. Oh and look at that URL.

So far my favorite is Philly. Something about “Block Party Permit” on the home site that makes me think the city can be fun, and encourages the citizenry to organize a good time.