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The Bulletin Board
Menkiti Breaks Ground on Project in Historic Anacostia The Menkiti Group and Enlightened Inc. in partnership as MLK Gateway Partners LLC (MGP) broke ground on the rst phase of their MLK Gateway project. Located at the corner of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, MLK Gateway will become a catalytic commercial center for historic Anacostia. Phase One features the restoration of 14,000 square feet of ground oor retail as well as 20,000 square feet of newly built o ce space. The project is anchored by Enlightened Inc., an award-winning minority-owned information technology and cybersecurity rm that will relocate its nearly 150 district-based employees to a new headquarters in the project. The building’s design and incorporates existing historic facades to provide a rich backdrop for new vibrant street-fronting retail. Phase Two of the project will include construction of a new building at 1909- 1913 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE with street-level retail and multistory o ce space above.
Bo Menkiti and The Menkiti Group were joined at Jan. 8’s groundbreaking by Enlightened Inc. President and CEO Antwanye Ford, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White (D), Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuf e (D), Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio and community members. Photo: Andre Russell
Mayoral Budget Engagement Forums Share values, priorities and ideas with Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) to aid her in the development of her FY21 budget. On Feb. 10 at noon, there is a Senior Budget Engagement Telephone Town Hall. To RSVP, call 202-442-8150. There are Budget Engagement Forums on Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., at Edgewood Rec Center, 301 Franklin St. NE; Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m., at UDC Student Center, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW; and Feb. 22, 11 a.m., at Kenilworth Rec Center, 4321 Ord St, NE. For more information and to RSVP, visit 2020BudgetForums.eventbrite.com.
Maximize Social Security On Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m., at Francis A. Gregory Library, attend a complimentary seminar to learn potential strategies for maximizing Social Security bene ts. Find out about eligibility, timing bene ts and other factors. Francis A. Gregory Library, 3660 Alabama Ave., SE. dclibrary.org/francis.
Free Tax Help Through April 15, meet with a quali ed AARP tax aide to help answer your tax questions and prepare your 2019 income tax ling. Get free help on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Bellevue Library; on Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anacostia Library; on Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Capital View Library; and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Francis Gregory Library. For more information and to nd other sites o ering tax assistance, visit dclibrary.org/incometax. Benning Streetcar Project Open House The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will hold an open house on Feb. 20, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at River Terrace Education Campus, 405 Anacostia Ave. NE, for the Benning Road Reconstruction and Streetcar Project. As part of the ongoing Benning Road and Bridges Transportation Improvements Environmental Assessment (EA), DDOT has initiated this preliminary design project aimed at improving the Benning Road corridor to safely and e ciently accommodate all modes of transportation. The project also will study potential modi - cations of the DC-295 and Benning Road interchange. At the open house, DDOT sta will provide an update on the project, present the DC-295 and Benning Road interchange preferred options and solicit public input. For more information, visit https://www.benningproject.com/. Park Cleanups On Jan. 12, 140 members of the World Mission Society Church of God converged on Ft. Stanton Park and removed 6,000 pounds of trash from the area around 2709 Bruce Place, including 161 large trash bags, 91 tires and over 500 pounds of scrap metal. On Dr. Martin Luther King Day, a contingent of Ward 8 Woods volunteers gave out 150 reusable grocery bags at the annual Ward 8.
On the rst Saturday of every month, help remove trash and invasive plants from Fort Stanton Park, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers meet in front of the Ft. Stanton Recreation Center, 1812 Erie St. SE. Gloves, bags and light refreshments are provided. Wear work boots and durable pants. Bring a water bottle-re lls provided. Documentation of community service hours will be provided upon request. Ward 8 Woods also holds Shepherd Parkway clean-ups every sec
Longtime Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC) member Vernard R. Gray passed away on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, in Cuba.
Vernard R. Gray, 1941–2020 Longtime Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC) member Vernard R. Gray was a visionary curator, art collector, photographer, Jazz fan, videographer/ lmmaker and fashion designer. He is best known as owner of the Miya Gallery (1976-2001), the District’s first Afrocentric gallery, named for his daughter. A native Washingtonian, he promoted the current “Made in East River” initiative which encourages DC government to allow use of vacant city-owned properties for cultural use, including food-producing greenhouses! He and the ACC collaborated for several years on events and projects to promote Jazz in DC--particularly east of the river.
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ond Saturday of the month, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers meet at 555 Newcomb St. SE. For questions, contact Nathan at 301-758-5892 or nathan@ward8woods.org. Free Career Assistance Need assistance looking for work? Possess the basic digital literacy skills required in the workplace? Attend one of the two-hour Job Seekers Drop-In Clinic on Mondays, Feb. 10 and 24; 5 to 7 p.m. at Capitol View Library, 5001 Central Ave. SE. Seen on rst-come, rstserved basis, everyone will receive oneon-one assistance. Learn to create an email account; establish a job board account; building and typing a résumé; conducting online job searches and completing online job applications. dclibrary.org/capitolview. Volunteer at Kenilworth Park Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens partners with the National Park Service to host special events and celebrations throughout the year. Spring cleanup volunteer events are from 9 a.m. to noon on March 28, April 25 and May 30. Read more and register at kenaqgardens.org/events. Anacostia Playhouse Name Your Own Price Tickets Name Your Own Price tickets are available for each Theater Alliance performance at the Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. SE to ensure that the price of a ticket does not stop anyone from seeing live theater. To claim a ticket under the program, just show up at the box of- ce one hour before the show and there will be a minimum of 10 Name Your Own Price tickets available. thetheateralliance.com. Earth Day Cleanup 2020 On April 25, 9 a.m. to noon, join the Anacostia Watershed Society to clean up the riverbanks of the Anacostia. With nearly 40 sites across the watershed, volunteers will be collecting litter while beautifying and restoring the river. Volunteer registration opens on March 2. To nd out more, email the AWS Earth Day team at earthday@anacostiaws.org. Join the Earth Day email list at anacostiaws.org. Shakespeare Theatre Ticket Lottery The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) o ers a ticket lottery that theatregoers the opportunity to purchase $20 tickets to upcoming productions of the 2019/20 Season, beginning with James Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner.” Each lottery runs for two weeks. Winners receive a unique promo code to purchase up to four tickets for any performance during the rst two weeks of the show’s run. Patrons may visit https://www. shakespearetheatre.org/account/ a_ lottery_login.aspx?eve=7:30 to enter. Examining the Earned Income Tax Credit On Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U St, The Nationals Are Hiring The Washington Nationals are in search of part-time gameday sta to join the World Series champions for the 2020 season. Each year, the Nationals recruit new candidates to ll more than 200 part-time positions. Interested candidates are invited to apply at teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/washington-nationals by Feb. 14. Those quali ed will be interviewed at the annual hiring event planned for late February. Photo: Courtesy of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club
NW, attend a forum on “Examining the Role of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in Poverty Alleviation & Wealth Creation in the District of Columbia.” For the past four decades, the EITC has been considered the most e ective poverty alleviation public policy in the nation. In 2019, over 49,000 low and moderate-income families received over $161 million associated with the EITC. However, around 20,000 eligible families did not claim the credit. Explore national research and local opportunities to maximize the EITC for the bene t of low and moderate-income individuals and families in DC. Visit www.caab.org/en/ do-you-know-about-the-role-the-eitcplays-in-lifting-thousands-of-washingtonian-families-out-of-poverty-everyyear for more information. DC Free E-Cycling Find a list of 2020 DC e-cycling collection events in all eight wards at rlgamericas.com/DCecycling. Discover where residents and businesses can drop o covered electronic equipment for recycling through Dec. 18, 2020. Desktop and laptop computers, tablets, E-readers, small-scale servers, portable digital music players that are battery powered, computer monitors, mice, keyboards, computer speakers, desktop printers, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, DVRs, signal converter boxes, cable and satellite receivers and gaming consoles used with TVs are all covered. All recycling events are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. Apply for Events DC Community Grants The Events DC Community Grant Program provides nancial support to nonpro t organizations dedicated to supporting youth sports or performing or cultural arts in the District of Columbia. Applications for this grant cycle are due no later than March 1, 2020. For more information about the grant program requirements and application process, visit eventsdc.com or email communitygrants@eventsdc.com. Have in an item for the Bulletin Board? Email the information to bulletinboard@hillrag.com. ◆
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