The DuponT CurrenT
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Vol. XV, No. 21
Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Adams Morgan & Logan Circle
Dupont seeks upgraded rec center
A TRUE ORIGINAL
■ Recreation: Advocates eye
2018 budget for Stead project By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Two years ago, Dupont Circle’s Stead Park underwent a longawaited $2 million renovation, resulting in a new turf field, running track, pavilion area, spray park and other enhancements.
Now, stakeholders have turned their attention to the site’s recreation center, which they say remains in need of repair and expansion. At a meeting last Thursday, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B (Dupont Circle) unanimously urged the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to renovate the center. Two members of the nonprofit Friends of Stead Park group said that the parks
department is considering the recreation center as part of developing the agency’s upcoming fiscal year 2018 capital budget proposal. The friends group wants to see the project remain a priority. A spokesperson for the parks department didn’t return requests for comment on Tuesday. Friends group president Kari Cunningham said at the meeting that the park is the most heavily See Stead/Page 5
Rittenhouse deal ends up in court battle By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens eighth-graders presented an original song inspired by civil rights icon Cesar Chavez on Friday after months of collaboration with the local nonprofit Chords of Courage. See story, page 25.
Residents of The Rittenhouse, a nine-story apartment building in Brightwood, have been getting an in-depth look at the complications of the city’s tenant rights laws after trying to move beyond a failed deal with one developer. Under D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act of 1980, commonly known as TOPA, prospective buyers of residential buildings must notify current residents of their plans and give them the option to purchase the property themselves. If tenants can’t come up with funds to buy the building on their own, they can also opt to partner with a new owner of their choosing. Though the law has achieved some high-profile success stories over the years, some lawmakers and advocates have expressed concerns that participants See Rittenhouse/Page 11
Brian Kapur/The Current
Tenants at the 6101 16th St. NW building in Ward 4 are attempting to arrange a buyer for the property, but hit a legal snag under the city’s TOPA process.
Local villages aim to expand appeal to a broader age range
Permeable lanes eyed along Woodley Road By MARK LIEBERMAN
■ Seniors: Nonprofits offer
Current Staff Writer
Plans to create permeable parking lanes on a stretch of Woodley Road NW are moving forward, after the D.C. Department of Transportation assured community leaders that the project wouldn’t prevent power lines from eventually going underground there. The project — which runs from 34th Street to Wisconsin Avenue — is part of the Transportation Department’s Klingle Valley Green Streets Initiative to retain stormwater and improve water quality uphill from the Klingle Valley Trail, which is currently undergoing extensive stabilization and restoration work. The permeable pavement would capture stormwater runoff and filter pollutants on those three blocks of Woodley Road, which make up the north-
access to local social events
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
Brady Holt/Current file photo
The city has previously installed permeable parking lanes in Chevy Chase, shown here, and elsewhere.
ern boundary of the Washington National Cathedral. Over the summer, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C (Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Massachusetts Avenue Heights) had objected to the plans’ possible effect on power lines. “We have been on the record over and over again supporting underground See Woodley/Page 5
The Dupont Circle Village — one of several groups across the city that help older residents age in place by providing services and social activities — has launched two new programs to expand its reach to a slightly younger population. Meanwhile, comparable organizations across Northwest have also been recognizing the value of that goal in recent years.
Earlier this year, Dupont’s village announced Next Gen 2.0, a program geared largely toward residents between 50 and 65 years old, who generally don’t feel they need the village’s services but still want to participate socially. Village board member and former president Iris Molotsky told The Current that the program, which has already gathered nearly 25 members, was born out of a desire to incorporate the neighborhood’s younger aging population into its activities. “We really should be unified in our concern and wanting to enrich See Villages/Page 38
VOTERS GUIDE
PASSAGES
EXHIBITS
INDEX
At-large races
‘Company of Women’
‘From Here On Now’
Calendar/26 Classifieds/37 District Digest/2 Dupont Circle Citizen/9 Exhibits/27 In Your Neighborhood/14
Candidates for D.C. Council, Board of Education explain their visions for city / Pullout
Lifestyle blogger set to discuss book that profiles inspiring D.C. female designers / Page 25
Phillips Collection show features glazed ceramic sculptures by New York-based artist / Page 27
Opinion/6 Passages/25 Police Report/4 Real Estate/13 School Dispatches/8 Service Directory/35
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