Nw 12 23 2015

Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Vol. XLVIII, No. 51

The Northwest Current

Washington Home concerns linger

holy f amily

■ Public health: Facility

works to finalize closure plan

By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer

Now just under a year from its planned closure date, the Washington Home & Community Hospices is facing continued concerns that some of its elderly residents will be forced into an inferior

facility.

With some stakeholders questioning the availability of other adequate housing for seniors, Washington Home officials said they will work with D.C. government agencies to ensure that the facility can close on schedule Dec. 15, 2016.

The nonprofit announced in September that it will shut down its nursing home at 37th and Upton streets NW and shift

resources toward providing inhome care, which officials said has proved to be more cost-effective and economically viable.

Sidwell Friends School will pay $32.5 million for the property — adjacent to its existing middle and high school campus — and convert it into a new lower school.

At the time of the closure announcement, the Washington Home had 126 long-term residents See Closing/Page 12

Murch swing space options draw debate

By CUNEYT DIL

Current Correspondent

Brian Kapur/The Current

Children of all ages came to the Washington National Cathedral for Saturday’s annual Nativity pageant. Participants dressed as shepherds, angels and animals told the story of Jesus’ birth.

A late proposal to house Murch Elementary School students at Lafayette Elementary’s trailers during the modernization of the former has drummed enough controversy for one city agency to publicly shy away from the option.

D.C. Public Schools, which will decide by Jan. 12 where to house Murch students for the following two school years during construction, is weighing four options. The one that now seems most popular with parents is to build new trailers for Murch classrooms on fields at the University of the District of Columbia in Van Ness.

That’s also the proposal endorsed by the D.C. Department of General Services, which manages the city’s portfolio of government buildings. Others include installing trailers on the Murch campus durSee Murch/Page 12

Brian Kapur/The Current

The cheapest of four options in play for Murch Elementary’s swing space is use of the temporary trailers that Lafayette Elementary students are due to vacate after this school year.

Carolers set to serenade Chevy Chase passersby

Preservation board requests adjustment to library design

By MARK LIEBERMAN

■ Cleveland Park: Proposed

Current Staff Writer

Marelise Voss was born with a significant hearing impairment. Over the years, it’s improved somewhat, but she continues to communicate partly by lipreading.

She’s also a trained musician with a strong grasp of pitch and a deep knowledge of choral traditions.

“I quite literally function in the whole world through rhythm,” she said.

Voss will be demonstrating her skills as a choral group singer — and also as a neighborhood leader — on Thursday morning, when she gathers a group of carolers to spread holiday cheer up and down the Chevy Chase commercial strip.

Carolers, ideally clad in festive attire and silly

NEWS

entrance faulted as uninviting

By MARK LIEBERMAN Brian Kapur/The Current

Marelise Voss and her family are bringing a musical Christmas Eve tradition from Capitol Hill to their new neighborhood of Chevy Chase.

hats, will meet up at the Chevy Chase Starbucks, 5500 Connecticut Ave. NW, around 11 a.m. this Christmas Eve. Everyone is welcome, whether from Chevy Chase or elsewhere, knowledgeable about singing or a total amateur, young or old.

See Carols/Page 22

SPOR TS

Current Staff Writer

Cleveland Park residents and community leaders remain conflicted about the revised design plans for the new neighborhood library, following a unanimous vote from the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board calling for further revisions.

Critics say the designs for the Cleveland Park Library, located at

SHERWOOD

Agency proposes dedicated bus lanes on 16th Street NW

St. John’s offensive coordinator gets head coach post

FreshPAC, you say, and return of Gray: Our politics in rhyme

— Page 3

— Page 9

— Page 6

the convergence of the neighborhood’s residential and commercial districts, will disrupt the area’s historic character. Specific points of contention include a large, elevated porch entryway on Newark Street, and an overall feeling that the materials and modern appearance of the new building will clash with surrounding storefronts.

The existing 1950s library building is slated to close to the public this winter. As proposed, the new $18 million building would be comprised mainly of wood, limestone and brick. While See Library/Page 5

INDEX Calendar/16 Classifieds/21 District Digest/2 Exhibits/17 In Your Neighborhood/14 Opinion/6

Police Report/4 Real Estate/15 School Dispatches/8 Service Directory/19 Sports/9 Week Ahead/2

Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Current

District Digest Budget bill calls for input on flight paths

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton secured language in the 2016 omnibus appropriations bill approved last week regarding flight path changes, including those for Reagan National Airport.

The amendment requires the Federal Aviation Administration to “take a more proactive role in engaging communities that are impacted by the new departure and arrival procedures that have been made to accommodate FAA’s NextGen initiative,” according to Norton’s office.

Many residents of neighborhoods along the Potomac River have complained of increased airplane noise due to changed flight paths at the airport, and Norton has been pushing the issue in Congress.

“Many communities across the country, like those here in the District, are suffering from new and outrageous airplane noise

during sleeping hours as a result of the FAA’s new NextGen flight paths,” Norton says in a news release.

The delegate also has requested a congressional hearing on airplane noise.

Metrobus implements route adjustments As of Dec. 13, a number of bus routes in D.C. saw changes to schedules and stops.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority says it made the adjustments to provide faster travel times and improved on-time performance. In Northwest, the modifications include: ■ elimination of the northbound bus stop for the 64 route on Missouri Avenue at New Hampshire Avenue NW; ■ elimination of the southbound bus stop at 16th Street at Riggs Place NW (affecting the S1, S2 and S4 lines serving 16th Street NW); ■ addition of a bus stop at K

Street NW at 13th Street for the southbound S9 16th Street line; ■ new timetables for the 30N and 30S routes from Friendship Heights to Southeast and for the 31 and 33 routes along Wisconsin Avenue; ■ an earlier departure time of 3:25 p.m. at Coolidge High School for the 62 bus (changed from 3:40 p.m.); and ■ new timetables for the D32 Deal Middle School route.

In addition, for the 90, 92 and 93 buses serving Adams Morgan and U Street, southbound bus service will permanently reroute on Florida Avenue NW at North Capitol Street NW, on 1st Street NE at Florida Avenue NE, and on 1st Street NE at O Street NE before resuming its regular route to the Anacostia and Congress Heights Metro stations. The bus stop at North Capitol Street at P Street NW will also be eliminated.

More information about the route changes is available at tinyurl.com/wmata-bus-changes.

Office on Aging gets permanent director WHAT MATTERS MOST TO

“They’ve helped me feel alive again.”

The caring experts at Community Hospice have helped with what matters most to Ricardo at the end of his life – to feel better, about himself.

By controlling his pain and offering emotional and spiritual support, they’ve changed more than his outlook.

They changed his life.

How can we help you?

Laura Newland, who has been serving as interim executive director at the D.C. Office on Aging since early November, will now take over the position in a long-term capacity, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last week.

Newland previously served as the agency’s interim general counsel and as a special assistant in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.

“In her short time in District government, Laura has proven herself to be an innovative and forward-thinking leader,” Bowser says in a news release. “Her experience and skills will ensure

The Current

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, with Dr. McDonald,

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The week ahead Friday, Jan. 1

Mayor Muriel Bowser will host her second annual “Fresh Start” 5K Run/ Walk at 9 a.m. at the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station, 192 19th St. SE. Registration is free; visit fitdc.com.

Tuesday, Jan. 5

The Mayor’s Agent for Historic Preservation will hold a public hearing on an application to combine five assessment and taxation lots into a single, buildable lot of record in a private alley in Square 1230, located between N, O, 33rd and Potomac streets NW in the Georgetown Historic District. The applicant claims that the failure to approve the requested subdivision would cause unreasonable economic hardship. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Suite E650, D.C. Office of Planning, 1100 4th St. SW.

Thursday, Jan. 7

The National Capital Planning Commission will hold its monthly meeting at 12:30 p.m. at Suite 500 North, 401 9th St. NW. Tentative agenda items include the proposed modernization of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library downtown.

Tuesday, Jan. 12

American University President Neil Kerwin will hold a town hall meeting for neighbors at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of the Katzen Arts Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A New Year’s reception will follow at 8 p.m. in the building’s second-floor rotunda. that District seniors and their caregivers are connected to government resources, and that older residents are able to age independently and comfortably in their communities.”

Newland, who has also worked for AARP and various other nonprofits, has a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College.

15 firefighter/EMT recruits graduate

Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke at a recent ceremony for 15 dualrole firefighter/emergency medical technician cadets graduating from D.C.’s nearly yearlong training academy.

During her remarks, Bowser also announced the results of a new fire department entrance exam, which about 4,000 people took in June, 3,774 of them passing. The department will consider other factors as well in accepting recruits, and officials expect that 30 will start training early next year. In recent years, cadet school — available to D.C. high school graduates — has been essentially the only way to join the force; the entrance exam provides a new path.

“We changed the system and created the entrance exam so that even more District residents can participate,” Bowser says in a news release. “I applaud the graduates of Cadet Class 18 for their courage and compassion to help others, and I look forward to welcoming another group of first responders to our team.”

World War I-era debris from Spring Valley in February, upon moving a protective tent at 4825 Glenbrook Road NW to its third and final location.

The tent will be moved at the Glenbrook site above the former basement of the home that once stood there. The Army previously demolished that home after the site was found to be contaminated by the munitions testing station formerly located on the land of present-day American University.

The Army has suspended its “shelter in place” emergency response program until the tent is moved, but the program will be tested about 30 days before the work resumes.

WIS student receives Eco-Hero recognition

Washington International School student Mikaela MateraVatnick recently won an honorable mention in the nonprofit Action for Nature’s 2015 International Young Eco-Hero Awards.

Matera-Vatnick, 15, submitted a film project titled “Are we unconsciously destroying our environment? A vision from two hemispheres.” It documents the scientific collaboration between two labs in different countries that are both testing how the crop herbicide Atrazine affects commercially important crayfish. Her project will be honored this week at a reception in San Francisco.

Since 2003, Action For Nature has recognized young people who are “taking important steps to solve tough environmental problems,” according to a release.

Glenbrook cleanup to Corrections As a matter of policy, The Curresume in February rent corrects all errors of substance.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to resume removing

To report an error, call the managing editor at 202-567-2011.

ch n The Current W ednesday, December 23, 2015

Delays push back reopening Agency eyes rush-hour bus lanes on 16th St. of sidewalk at Park Van Ness

By NATHANIEL KRESH Current Correspondent

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

The Park Van Ness project will open in April at 4455 Connecticut Ave. NW after several months of delays, representatives from the developer told community members at the area’s advisory neighborhood commission meeting last week.

The new timetable means a longer wait for the reopening of the heavily traversed Connecticut Avenue sidewalk.

Construction crews broke ground for the mixed-use project in 2013, razing the former Van Ness Square and Chevy Chase Ice Palace building to make way for 271 residential units and groundfloor retail, including a Soapstone Market deli and Italian restaurant Sfoglina. The new building will stand 65 feet tall, with six stories facing Connecticut Avenue and 11 levels at the rear looking out over Soapstone Valley Park.

The project was generally supported by the community, but many residents have chafed at the impact of the extended sidewalk closure required by the construc-

Brian Kapur/The Current

The Park Van Ness project is slated for completion in April.

tion — particularly coming in tandem with the nearby closure of a Van Ness Metro station entrance.

The Connecticut Avenue sidewalk will reopen in front of the project site around Feb. 26, project officials said at last week’s meeting, though a portion near Yuma Street will intermittently close to allow construction crews to move across it.

Park Van Ness was originally slated to open in January. “We underestimated the amount of time, energy and resources that are necessary, so we’ve fallen behind schedule,” developer B.F. Saul senior vice president of construcSee Van Ness/Page 22

Rush-hour bus lanes and off-board bus fare payment were among possible transit improvements along 16th Street NW that the D.C. Department of Transportation presented in a meeting last week.

The agency was sharing its preliminary preferences for addressing issues with reliability, overcrowding and overall performance along the busy corridor. This “draft preferred alternative” outlines which elements of previous proposals the Transportation Department is now favoring.

Perhaps most notable would be reserving a lane exclusively for bus traffic during rush hours.

The proposal calls for creating dedicated southbound lanes from 7 to 10 a.m., and then northbound lanes from 4 to 7:30 p.m. The city estimates this change could save riders up to 2.7 minutes of travel time.

Additionally, off-board payments would be available for all 16th Street bus stops, buses would receive traffic signal priority at 20 intersections, automated enforcement measures would combat driving and parking in bus lanes, and some routes and stops would be modified or relocated.

The Transportation Department is not currently backing various previously considered options, including replacing parking with a bus lane all day, providing dedicated towing service to remove illegally parked cars, and removing midday park-

Council hearing looks at Walter Reed plans

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

A pivotal step in the Walter Reed redevelopment project has reached the D.C. Council, with final approval of the city’s land acquisition scheduled for the new year.

The legislation under consideration, proposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in early November, would authorize the transfer of 67 acres of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus from the U.S. Army to the District. The law would also establish a redevelopment fund for collecting tax revenue, and would grant the developer a nearly 30-year lease.

“I don’t know that I want to say this is the final act the council would be taking, but this is clearly a significant step in completing what the city needs to do in order to ensure that the redevelopment of the Walter Reed site can proceed,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said at a Committee of the Whole hearing Thursday.

A team of developers seeks to transform the site into “The Parks at Walter Reed,” a vibrant mixeduse community with residences, retail and office space, public buildings and parks. The team has already received zoning approval for the plans and hopes to begin construction by the end of 2016.

Passing this legislation would be one of the last hurdles for the project before the more conventional redevelopment process can

Rendering courtesy of Hines-Urban Atlantic-Triden

Much of the former Walter Reed campus will become a mixed-use community with new construction and adaptive reuse. begin, Mendelson said.

Ward 4 Council member Brandon Todd spoke passionately about the Walter Reed project at the hearing, noting that he was a staffer for Bowser — then the Ward 4 council member — when the process began. He called it “the greatest economic development opportunity that our city will see for many years” and said he hopes the council will “move swiftly” to enact the key legislation.

The project, expected to yield more than 2,000 housing units, is seen as a catalyst for re-energizing the Georgia Avenue corridor.

Many of the new residences will offer support for low-income residents, seniors and the city’s homeless population.

“This development will hope-

fully honor the site by providing much-needed benefits to the Ward 4 community and the entire city,” Todd said.

Victoria Davis, president of the Urban Atlantic development firm, testified that the Army is prepared to sign off on the land but requires D.C. Council approval to proceed.

The earlier the legislation passes, the better, Davis said, in order to maximize tax credits for homeless services that will expire by next fall.

“Time is of the essence,” Davis said. “We would like to be able to be in a position to close the acquisition and transfer on the property this spring.”

Once the transfer is complete, the developer will carve out parSee Council/Page 22

ing.

Residents and community leaders at the meeting had a generally favorable response to the agency’s proposal, though some raised concerns about specifics.

Kishan Putta, a former Dupont Circle advisory neighborhood commissioner who has advocated for bus lanes for years, praised the city’s consideration of dedicated bus space during peak periods.

“It’s always weighing pros and cons,” said Putta. “During rush hour, it seems clear to me pros outweigh cons. During the middle of the day, I don’t know that the pros outweigh the cons, because it would impact parking.”

Parking is a particular concern for residents and businesses along 16th Street. Gale Black, a Crestwood neighborhood commissioner, praised the “good news” that midday parking wouldn’t be affected under the current proposal.

Even so, Putta expressed worry about the bus lane’s proposed evening hours.

“While I’m glad morning rush-hour parking restrictions are being expanded until 10 a.m., I am not sure we need to extend evening parking restrictions until 7:30 p.m.,” Putta said. “That’s a long time to wait for people who drive home around 6:30 p.m. and can’t afford to pay for their own parking space.”

Some proposals have attracted little controversy, such as allowing riders to pay for their rides before boarding rather than queuing to pay the driver, and allowing them to board the bus at any See Buses/Page 5

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Police Report This is a listing of reports taken from Dec. 14 through 20 by the Metropolitan Police Department in local police service areas.

psa PSA 101 101 â&#x2013; downtown

Assault with a dangerous weapon â&#x2013; 500-599 block, 14th St.; 9:40 p.m. Dec. 17 (with knife). â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, New York Ave.; 10:36 a.m. Dec. 18.

Motor vehicle theft â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, G St.; 12:32 a.m. Dec. 20.

Theft â&#x2013; 1000-1059 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 11:46 a.m.

Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, G St.; 4:47 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, G St.; 10:41 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, 11th St.; 4:35 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, 13th St.; 10:33 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 1000-1099 block, H St.; 3:07 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, 11th St.; 5:14 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, G St.; 8:47 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 900-999 block, F St.; 6:52 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1000-1099 block, H St.; 12:07 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1000-1099 block, H St.; 12:18 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, G St.; 8:58 p.m. Dec. 19.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 1300-1399 block, L St.; 12:47 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, L St.; 7:47 a.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 1200-1299 block, L St.; 11:32 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 1100-1199 block, G St.; 2:05 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 1000-1049 block, New York Ave.; 9:46 a.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 900-999 block, New York Ave.; 5:48 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1000-1091 block, 11th St.; 8:22 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 900-999 block, 11th St.; 2:35 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 500-599 block, 10th St.; 8:26 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1000-1019 block, 10th St.; 7:29 p.m. Dec. 20.

psa 102

â&#x2013; Gallery place PSA 102

PENN QUARTER

Robbery â&#x2013; 400-499 block, H St.; 9:35 p.m. Dec. 15.

Assault with a dangerous weapon â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 2:20 a.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 400-499 block, H St.; 5:17 p.m. Dec. 19 (with knife).

Burglary

â&#x2013; 600-699 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 1:03 p.m. Dec. 14.

Theft â&#x2013; 500-599 block, Indiana Ave.; 5:45 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 900-999 block, 9th St.; 9:32 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 400-497 block, L St.; 3:03 a.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 2:39 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 400-457 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 9:43 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 700-799 block, 7th St.; 2:42 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 12:39 a.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 700-799 block, 7th St.; 10:02 a.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 3:31 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 800-899 block, 7th St.; 1:13 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 800-899 block, 7th St.; 2:11 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 5:12 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, F St.; 3:12 a.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 400-457 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 5:08 p.m. Dec. 20.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 900-979 block, 7th St.; 1:24 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 400-443 block, K St.; 9:43 a.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 400-443 block, K St.; 10:36 a.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 700-899 block, K St.; 3:33 a.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 600-699 block, New York Ave.; 2:31 p.m. Dec. 20.

psa PSA 201 201

â&#x2013; chevy chase

Theft â&#x2013; 2700-2799 block, Military Road; 4:49 p.m. Dec. 17.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 2600-2699 block, Military Road; 4:24 p.m. Dec. 15.

psa 202

â&#x2013; Friendship Heights PSA 202

Tenleytown / AU Park

Burglary â&#x2013; 4200-4299 block, Butterworth Place; 11:53 a.m. Dec. 14.

Motor vehicle theft â&#x2013; 4800-4899 block, 41st St.; 1:36 p.m. Dec. 20.

Theft â&#x2013; 4100-4199 block, Albemarle St.; 1:26 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 5100-5199 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 3:15 a.m. Dec. 17.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 4200-4211 block, 38th St.; 7:08 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 5100-5199 block, 42nd St.; 6:59 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 5300-5399 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 1:41 a.m.

Dec. 20.

psa 203

â&#x2013; 1600-1639 block, 20th St.; 2:25 p.m. Dec. 15.

cleveland park

Motor vehicle theft â&#x2013; 1800-1899 block, S St.; 9:53 a.m. Dec. 20.

â&#x2013; forest hills / van ness PSA 203

Theft â&#x2013; 4200-4399 block, Connecticut Ave.; 9:43 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 4400-4499 block, Connecticut Ave.; 9:36 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3900-4099 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 9:26 p.m. Dec. 20.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 3600-3699 block, Newark St.; 8 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3600-3699 block, Ellicott St.; 9:05 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3600-3699 block, Davenport St.; 9:16 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3600-3699 block, Davenport St.; 9:49 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3100-3399 block, Rodman St.; 5:07 p.m. Dec. 20.

psa 204

â&#x2013; Massachusetts avenue

heights / cleveland park woodley park / Glover PSA 204 park / cathedral heights

Robbery â&#x2013; 2111-2199 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 6:11 a.m. Dec. 20.

Theft â&#x2013; 3000-3199 block, Connecticut Ave.; 8:38 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 2600-2649 block, Connecticut Ave.; 10:51 p.m.

Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 3800-3899 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 12:41 p.m.

Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 2200-2298 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 5:21 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 2200-2298 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 10:07 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 2900-3099 block, Cathedral Ave.; 7:38 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 2300-2315 block, Calvert St.; 1:35 p.m. Dec. 18.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 2900-2998 block, Cleveland Ave.; 4:19 p.m. Dec. 16. â&#x2013; 4000-4299 block, Cathedral Ave.; 9:48 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 2900-2999 block, 39th St.; 4:16 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 3900-3999 block, Cathedral Ave.; 8:47 a.m. Dec. 19.

psa 205

â&#x2013; palisades / spring valley PSA 205

Wesley Heights / Foxhall

Motor vehicle theft â&#x2013; 2222-2398 block, 48th St.; 9:29 a.m. Dec. 14.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 4600-4699 block, Garfield St.; 9:45 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1500-1543 block, 44th St.; 3:31 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 2900-2999 block, 45th St.; 9:19 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 5032-5135 block, Tilden St.; 10:10 a.m. Dec. 18.

psa 208

â&#x2013; sheridan-kalorama PSA 208

dupont circle

Burglary

Theft â&#x2013; 2200-2299 block, M St.; 10:01 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Church St.; 2:08 p.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 1900-1999 block, N St.; 5:39 p.m. Dec. 15. â&#x2013; 1400-1499 block, P St.; 5:15 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1309-1399 block, 19th St.; 6:26 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1300-1699 block, Connecticut Ave.; 8:07 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1-7 block, Dupont Circle; 10:20 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1300-1699 block, Connecticut Ave.; 9:44 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1800-1899 block, Swann St.; 12:39 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1-7 block, Dupont Circle; 2:15 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 2146-2191 block, Florida Ave.; 5:06 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1200-1219 block, Connecticut Ave.; 5:55 p.m. Dec. 19.

Theft from auto â&#x2013; 1200-1221 block, 17th St.; 12:42 a.m. Dec. 14. â&#x2013; 2100-2199 block, N St.; 12:39 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Q St.; 1:42 p.m. Dec. 17. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, N St.; 2:34 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1800-1899 block, N St.; 2:58 a.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Rhode Island Ave.; 3:47 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 2100-2199 block, California St.; 3:54 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Rhode Island Ave.; 4:16 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1500-1523 block, 15th St.; 6:48 p.m. Dec. 18. â&#x2013; 1500-1599 block, Church St.; 1:11 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 2000-2099 block, Q St.; 1:45 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 2:44 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1200-1399 block, 16th St.; 3:13 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1700-1799 block, Rhode Island Ave.; 4:35 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1500-1519 block, 16th St.; 6:02 a.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1500-1599 block, O St.; 12:32 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1500-1599 block, Church St.; 5:53 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1320-1399 block, 22nd St.; 11:40 p.m. Dec. 19. â&#x2013; 1500-1599 block, Church St.; 2:19 a.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 1500-1599 block, Church St.; 4:24 a.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 1800-1899 block, Riggs Place; 5:04 a.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 1300-1499 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 2:03 p.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 2100-2199 block, O St.; 4:35 p.m. Dec. 20. â&#x2013; 1200-1219 block, 15th St.; 4:52 p.m. Dec. 20.

ch n g The Current W ednesday, December 23, 2015

5

BUSES: Improvements discussed LIBRARY: ANC wary of proposed modern design From Page 3

door. The city estimates that alldoor boarding could save riders almost one minute, depending on the bus line. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that will speed things up quite a bit,â&#x20AC;? agreed Michael Upright, a Dupont Circle neighborhood commissioner involved since the first public meeting.

Putta also supported those improvements. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worked in a lot of places. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worked really well in New York, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking forward to implementation in D.C.,â&#x20AC;?

Putta said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will take work and technology, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worked elsewhere, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long overdue for D.C.â&#x20AC;?

Some of the service improvements proposed were noted for both their positive and negative impacts. One of these is truncation of the S2 and S4 lines, which would no longer run past McPherson Square. Transit planners say that change would improve reliability and reduce bus bunching due the greater predictability of a shorter route. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a route that residents do use to get to the Mall area, the museums and so on,â&#x20AC;? Upright said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hate to see it being made more difficult in ways, for people to have to switch bus lines or follow an alternative route.â&#x20AC;?

Another contentious change was the removal and consolidation of bus stops to speed up service.

Evelyn Brewster, who lives near 16th and Lamont streets NW, said seniors may have difficulty walking to the bus if the stop there is eliminated, as is currently proposed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think the effort is not appreciated or understood, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just a city of young people,â&#x20AC;? Brewster said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Old people like me are paying taxes, raising money, and we feel like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being left out. When I was 25, shoot, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d walk 40 blocks. Now, I

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to walk an extra block and a half. Sometimes I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;?

Black, the Crestwood neighborhood commissioner, echoed Brewster after the meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It may not seem like much to have to walk three blocks to get to your stop,â&#x20AC;? Black said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on crutches, or have a walker, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s huge.â&#x20AC;?

Upright agreed that certain stop removals should be re-examined to make sure seniors or others arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t being too greatly inconvenienced. But he added that with any plan like this, there will be trade-offs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and in the case of 16th Street, the tradeoffs are justified. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we need to try it, just because things have gotten so congested on that line. If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try something, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just going to get worse,â&#x20AC;? said Upright. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are going to be adjustments for people, but I also think they are adjustments we can all make without a relatively great deal of pain.â&#x20AC;?

Upright encouraged residents to make their voices heard to the Transportation Department as its plan moves forward.

The agency will hold its final public meeting from 3:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW, an open house-style event that will allow further community comment. At 4 and 7 p.m., transportation planners will provide an overview of the project, present the draft of optimal improvements and discuss a timeline for how their proposed changes would be implemented.

Putta said residents can be optimistic that the city will value their feedback. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The study process has been extensive, comprehensive and thorough. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involved a lot of transparency, and a lot of public meetings and public input,â&#x20AC;? Putta said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to say, I saw that the public input mattered to them.â&#x20AC;?

From Page 1

the entryway on Newark would be more pronounced, the main entrance is designed as a large, flat rectangular archway on Connecticut Avenue, with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cleveland Parkâ&#x20AC;? sign above the door.

Preservation board chair Gretchen Pfaehler noted that the new plans, revised from the initial concept design in October, seem to reflect several goals that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite gel together. She urged the project team to return to her board in the future with a plan incorporating feedback from the Historic Preservation Office.

That agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff report (available at tinyurl.com/ CPLibraryReport) suggests the possibility of reducing the height of an upward-sloping portion of the new building, perhaps shifting that elevation to match neighboring buildings along Connecticut Avenue.

Perkins-Eastman architect Matt Bell explained at Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preservation board hearing that placing a large porch entranceway on Newark Street was a strategic decision to avoid building atop several large metal grates associated with the Cleveland Park Metro station on Connecticut Avenue. But board member Nancy Metzger criticized the dissonance between the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance on Connecticut versus its Newark Street side. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought the entrance [on Connecticut] was pretty grim. Part of it was because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all flat,â&#x20AC;?

Metzger said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an inviting spot to me, whereas the Newark Street [entrance] is very inviting.â&#x20AC;?

Cleveland Park advisory neighborhood commissioner Nancy MacWood testified at the hearing that several residents have complained that the overall building design doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look like it belongs in Cleveland Park. The neighborhood commission voted last week to encourage a warm, welcoming exterior design for the library, and a project that maintains the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s established scale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think there is nowhere in the city that has retained the village quality thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Cleveland Park,â&#x20AC;?

MacWood testified. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think that is difficult to achieve if the design does not emulate the scale and form of the existing area.â&#x20AC;?

In contrast, the Cleveland Park Historical Society is less opposed to the modern design, executive director Carin Ruff told The Current yesterday. The societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Architectural Review Committee expressed minor concerns about the Newark Street entrance, but

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Of Of The The Largest Largest â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Carwashes in Americaâ&#x20AC;?

Carwashes in Americaâ&#x20AC;?

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the group opted not to testify before the preservation board because its objections werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that strong. Ruff said her group is â&#x20AC;&#x153;much happier with the design as a contemporary statement that reflects the Connecticut Avenue existing buildings than the ANC.â&#x20AC;?

The library will be the first new building along Connecticut in the Cleveland Park Historic District â&#x20AC;&#x153;in a long time,â&#x20AC;? MacWood said at the hearing. Zoning regulations in effect at the site restrict building heights from topping 40 feet and strictly cap the nonresidential density.

Architect Bell pointed to a number of deficiencies in the existing library building, which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t match with all of the historic district regulations that took effect well after its construction. The nature of the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior space doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lend itself to the vibrant range of activities that will be possible in the new building. And on the outside, the 1950s architecture fades into the background, Bell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The current building does not assert much of a presence. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very simple, and there are some things about it to appreciate, but its presence is not one of them,â&#x20AC;? Bell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It certainly has the potential to be more in that location.â&#x20AC;?

The old library building offers 15,000 square feet of interior space, while the new facility will boast 5,000 square feet of meeting space in addition to 20,000 square feet of library space. In contrast to the recently built Tenleytown library, which Bell criticized several times, he said the Cleveland Park building will feature large windows, natural light and an inviting appearance that will attract passersby. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they can see something going on inside, they may be more inclined to go in there, even if they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t inclined to do that in the first place,â&#x20AC;? Bell said.

Going forward, library officials plan to continue negotiating with neighborhood groups with the goal of arriving at a design that pleases the largest number of stakeholders, according to D.C. Public Library spokesperson George Williams. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We take all of that feedback and look at it to see what the sentiment of the community [is] and how that can be expressed in the library design,â&#x20AC;? Williams said.

As planned, a temporary library site would serve the neighborhood until the new library opens, likely in fall 2017. The location for that interim space has not been determined, Williams said.

Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday and Happy New Year

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6

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

ch

The Northwest

Current

Davis Kennedy/Publisher & Editor Chris Kain/Managing Editor

Envisioning safer streets

As part of the city’s “Vision Zero” plan, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024, officials recently rolled out a slate of increased fines for drivers. Unsurprisingly, many motorists are protesting the proposals. We support the big-picture effort to reduce injurious traffic incidents, and some changes in penalties seem like a reasonable approach for increasing safety.

People have been balking in particular at the new $1,000 fine for driving in excess of 25 mph over the speed limit. We wonder if those objecting are looking simply at the dollar amount and not thinking hard about the violation. On most District roads, speeding to that degree is patently dangerous. Research shows that a pedestrian’s chance of surviving being hit by a car increases from 25 percent at 50 mph to 94 percent at 20, and many of our roads don’t warrant speeds much above that. Our answer to those complaining about the stiff fine for egregious speeds would be simple: Don’t drive like that.

The plan also significantly boosts the fine for turning right on red without first coming to a full stop, from $50 to $200. Some Upper Northwest residents have complained that this rule isn’t always properly enforced. They point in particular to receiving automated tickets when stopping over the crosswalk line — but not actually turning — during a red light at Nebraska Avenue and Fessenden Street NW. Enforcement ought to focus on the right infraction, but we do agree that crosswalks should be sacrosanct, and thus fully able to protect pedestrians from incursions by vehicles.

We also appreciate the increased focus on drivers who overtake another car stopped at a crosswalk or intersection for a pedestrian (the penalty increases from $250 to $500). That sort of behavior is extremely hazardous to people crossing the street.

The risks cars pose to pedestrians are something to keep in mind when we consider criticisms — such as those raised by the motorist organization AAA — that the new penalties should have a more diffuse focus, to include stricter rules for pedestrians and cyclists as well. We agree that officials should better enforce rules on jaywalking and biker misbehavior, considering heightened fines for both. But the primary fault in most traffic incidents lies with drivers. There’s no absolute right to drive, and people in cars should be aware of the power they wield.

We do think some concerns about some of these fines warrant more consideration. For instance, stopping or parking in a bike lane would yield a $200 ticket for regular drivers. The rule seems fair for parking, but a brief stop to drop someone off? What if it’s an elderly or disabled passenger, and there’s nowhere else to stop? This one is too strict.

Overall, we hope officials will take a careful look at the feedback they receive over the next month during the public comment period. We wonder if there isn’t some way to bring drivers on board with the plan without abandoning the city’s important safety goals. “If we can accomplish the safety benefits at a lower dollar value, I’m fine with that,” D.C. Department of Transportation director Leif Dormsjo told The Post.

The question is whether we can.

The right call

The Current

n

We’re pleased that a federal appeals court recently sided with the District on the city’s concealed-carry law, which requires individuals applying for permits to state a “good reason to fear injury to his or her person or property” or another reason for carrying a concealed weapon.

New York Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. had rejected the local law.

But the District argued that Judge Scullin did not have jurisdiction to hear the case, and the higher court agreed. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts had assigned Judge Scullin to hear only an earlier gun case in D.C. Both D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton cheered the news.

Mr. Racine said the decision “increases the likelihood that the case will be heard before a judge from our community — something that we have argued is crucial to understanding the public-safety issues at stake.” He also noted that the law is comparable to those of Maryland, New Jersey and New York, all upheld by federal appeals courts.

Del. Norton said the city — or at least its courts — should get to make decisions on D.C. gun laws. The case will now go back to the lower court, where it will be assigned to a new judge.

We agree with both Mr. Racine and Ms. Norton, and we hope this decision will end challenges to a reasonable and important law.

A holiday ‘poem’ …

T

he Notebook wishes everyone a happy and hopeful new year.

Before we take a holiday break, we offer a few doggerel thoughts.

A ReFresh Button. For Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The mayor’s first year was good overall, Though the homicide spike cast a big pall.

One big stumble, a money-grab attack.

Her “friends,” they labeled their new scheme FreshPAC. For anyone else, it only fell flat.

pooped.

Now the once mayor eyes a council victory tour, Around town at-large, or at least Ward 7 for sure.

And out of that legal “shadow,” and back on the trail, Maybe it’ll be time for Mr. Gray to detail, How his closest supporters, wanting him to win, Cheated and schemed and, somehow, it was news to him.

TOM SHERWOOD’s

Notebook

At minimum, it was done with her consent, Developer friends chasing dollars and cents.

FreshPAC was to be her million-dollar shield, Against all who, ’fore Bowser, declined to kneel.

Her too-soon anxious eye fixed on re-election, Should have left some time for a bit more reflection.

By year’s end, even Post editorial friends, Were asking quite seriously where it would end.

Pepco and Exelon, merger already suspect, Got caught up in the odd doings of dear ol’ FreshPAC.

A ReBoot. For Everybody.

Soon all the tinsel we strung will be down, Gone in the trash with barely a frown.

And the glow of all the New Year’s Eve bling Will be just a memory starting ’16.

The issues and problems and hopes won’t go away, We’re just getting started, heading every which way.

Income disparity, between the haves and havenots, A problem to solve; in D.C. we’ll give it a shot.

The voters might vote, if given the chance, For $15 an hour, the wage to enhance.

The mayor did finally say, the PAC most foul would go away.

No, not a bad-idea retraction, Just that it became a big distraction.

FreshPAC, it smelled bad right from the start, In ending it, at least Bowser looked smart.

And babies, yes they are all cute without compare, But many new parents struggle with unpaid care.

So maybe 16 weeks’ paid leave for mom or pop, Could become the new standard unless it is stopped.

It’s an old lesson, one ever relearned.

In politics, it’s friends who get you burned.

Some folks see Bowser as the route to riches untold.

It’ll be up to her to keep them out of the fold.

Her promise to bring prosperity to all eight wards, Holds headaches galore, if she won’t slam that sleazy door.

And for potheads in town (you know who you are) Who wish for pot parties in clubs with a bar, You’ll have to wait till the council no longer fears Interference from Congress coming down severe.

A Restart Button. For Vincent Gray.

Yes, surely it’s even a cliche to say, But Christmas came early for dear Vincent Gray.

Years in the sights of prosecutors who snooped, Came word in December, their probe was just

Letters to the Editor Vandal won’t stop local Little Library

This past spring we installed a Little Library in front of our home on Yuma Street NW in Tenleytown.

Peter assembled it, Rhoda painted it and Peter figured out how to set its base permanently into the ground. Rhoda then stocked the Little Library initially with a supply of our old children’s and adult books of likely interest to others.

Over the past months our Little Library has become popular not only with the neighborhood children and their parents but with the workers who walk by on their way to and from the

And before we leave you, our bad rhyming all done, We must mention tickets, bane of everyone.

New ways to ding you, to flatten your wallet, Are just straight ahead, no matter what you call it.

Even sweet Santa, who is now on his way, Had better watch out or they’ll ticket his sleigh.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.

American University law school construction site, with contractors assisting in nearby homes and with students and others who happen to be passing by.

Some take books — fiction and nonfiction; some leave for others books that they have read.

We are told that some in the neighborhood have begun to refer to our house as “the one with the red Little Library in the front.”

On late Sunday afternoon, Dec. 20, someone took the books that Rhoda recently added to the library. Then either those borrowers or someone else vandalized the library. They ripped off the front door of the structure and pulled out its hinges. And they pulled from the ground the nearby nightlight.

Why would anyone engage

in such an antisocial act? We will repair the Little Library quickly and promise that it will again be fully functional. There are, to be frank, few precautions that we can take to prevent a recurrence of the vandalism. We will ask the neighbors to watch with us.

If you damaged our Little Library and read this letter, we ask that you think about the children and many others who benefit from using it. We forgive you for what you did.

Please consider making amends by leaving a few good books for a neighbor. And feel free to take one or more books for yourself.

We want you to appreciate why our Little Library deserves to be left alone to carry out its modest mission.

Peter and Rhoda Trooboff Tenleytown

The Current

Award-winning nonprofit has D.C. roots VIEWPOINT mittie quinn

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I

t all started right here in Sunday Schoolâ&#x20AC;? at Georgetownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dumbarton United Methodist Church. So says Justin Eldridge Otero, cofounder of the Organization for Youth Empowerment, a nonprofit that helps the youth of Honduras overcome poverty and violence.

Last month, the group received the International Spotlight Award from the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the only international organization to be so honored this year. The groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth leaders accepted the award at a White House ceremony hosted by first lady Michelle Obama.

In the 10 years since its birth, the Organization for Youth Empowerment has expanded from a scholarship program to an organization that provides safe space, mentors, job training, peer group discussions, recreational activities, a radio station and a wide range of life skills training to over 100 young people. In Honduras, the organization is known as OYE, which means â&#x20AC;&#x153;Listen up.â&#x20AC;?

Justin and Ana Luisa Ahern were just teens and attending the Georgetown church when they first visited Honduras on a mission trip, going to the city of El Progreso. Honduras has been identified as one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world, and El Progreso, just 30 minutes from San Pedro Sula, is currently identified as the most violent city. With a population of around 300,000, El Progreso is located along the northern border where Mexican drug cartels routinely ply their wares and target youths as both workers and victims.

As volunteers in mission, Justin and Ana supported the work of the Copprome Orphanage, where they lived among the children they served, heard their stories and shared stories of their own lives.

They discovered that when the children reached the age of majority (16 years), they were turned out on their own, usually without any training for what

Letters to the Editor Initial PARCC scores show D.C. inquality

Yes, we should be concerned that only 25 percent of D.C. students scored proficient on reading tests they took last spring, as Robert L. York argues [â&#x20AC;&#x153;Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poor English scores require action,â&#x20AC;? Letters to the Editor, Dec. 2]. That figure applies not only to the high school tests Mr. York wrote about, but also, as we now know, to tests given in lower grades as well [â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lower grades struggle on PARCC,â&#x20AC;? Dec. 2].

But Mr. Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter betrays some fundamental misunderstandings of what the new PARCC tests measure and how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re administered.

He suggests, for example, that students did poorly because some material on the tests was â&#x20AC;&#x153;unfamiliar.â&#x20AC;? But these arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tests of material students actually study in school; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re standardized reading comprehension tests. That

they would encounter in the real world. Many of the girls ended up on the streets, easy targets for drug warlords.

Returning to the U.S., the young teens were haunted by the stories and memories. They began to think about ways to make a change for the children they met. They decided to ask their church family for help. One Sunday morning during sharing they asked for donations to fund scholarships that would allow five young women to go on to school rather than to the streets. They easily raised the modest sum, but pulled by their yearning to make a difference, and encouraged by Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachings of helping the poor and seeking justice for the marginalized, they returned to El Progreso after college to spend a year volunteering.

Ana and Justin continued to collect information, interview students and find out more about Honduran life. They realized that access to education was one of the biggest roadblocks to overcoming the cycles of poverty and violence. But more than scholarships, they knew that the youth needed training in basic life skills, leadership, public speaking and managing money. They envisioned a program that would empower the young people to help themselves. They thought that a nonprofit group might be the way to carry out that dream. OYE was born.

Over the years, the organization has changed the lives of hundreds of young people. This year the group awarded 75 scholarships that allowed more students to go to college. Moving into the future, OYE is working to engage businesses and the government to support its mission and hopes to award 95 scholarships next year. Its latest campaign, #Reason2Stay, encourages young Hondurans to plan a future in Honduras rather than head north, working to turn the negative cycles around. You can find out more about the group at oyehonduras.org, including what a contribution of $600 can do to change the life of a young Honduran student.

Mittie Quinn is a member of Dumbarton United Methodist Church.

means students are given reading passages on a random variety of subjects, designed to test their general reading ability, not their grasp of any specific material.

Mr. York also wonders â&#x20AC;&#x153;how D.C. students were recruited to take the test.â&#x20AC;? But students werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recruited. Federal law requires D.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional public and charter schools to administer the tests to all students in grades 3 through 8, and once in high school.

In fact, not all students did equally poorly: White students scored far better (about 80 percent proficient) than minority and low-income students. One major reason is that reading comprehension exams are essentially tests of general knowledge and vocabulary. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough background knowledge to understand the reading passages â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the PARCC tests contain sophisticated passages â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t answer questions about them.

White and affluent students generally enter school with larger vocabularies and a broader base of knowledge than low-income

and minority students do, and they continue to acquire more vocabulary and knowledge both at home and at school. For decades, elementary schools serving poor children have focused on improving studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; general reading comprehension skills rather than on building their knowledge and vocabulary: Students practice â&#x20AC;&#x153;finding the main ideaâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;making inferencesâ&#x20AC;? on a random variety of books, when what they need is immersion in a single topic for weeks in order to absorb it and acquire related vocabulary.

By the time these students get to high school, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so far behind in acquiring background knowledge that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re often unable to understand high-school-level texts.

If we want to boost reading scores for poor and minority children, we need to ensure that elementary schools start building their knowledge systematically, beginning in the earliest years.

Natalie Wexler

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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Education blogger, dceduphile.com Education editor, Greater Greater Washington

Letters to the editor The Current publishes letters and Viewpoint submissions representing various points of view. Because of space limitations, letters should be no more than 400 words and are subject to editing. Letters and Viewpoint submissions intended for publication may be sent to letters@currentnewspapers.com. The mailing address is Letters to the Editor, The Current, Post Office Box 40400, Washington, D.C. 20016-0400.

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The Current

Spotlight on Schools Annunciation Catholic School

Last Thursday, Dec. 10, our school hosted this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas pageant and eighth-graders, including me, were assigned to demonstrate the Nativity scene to the whole school. All the classes performed great music and it related to the whole story. One performance was when the pre-K class sang â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somebodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Knocking at Your Doorâ&#x20AC;? after the scene where Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem. The way everyone performed their songs was definitely awesome. Our costumes were about 30 years old, yet they still look brand new.

Those old yet new costumes make the Christmas pageant feel like a tradition for a long time.

Overall, performing in the Christmas pageant felt like we were in the timeline itself. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Bettina Henares, eighth-grader

Eaton Elementary

There was a great boys basketball game between the Eaton Eagles and the Murch Mustangs last week. The game was at Eaton Elementary and there were a lot of fans there for both sides. People were cheering and Eaton had its Eagle mascot for good luck.

The Eaton boys had an excellent start by scoring quickly and taking the lead in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Murch started to score some points and the Eaton boys turned on their defense. They had extraordinary blocking, which kept Murch from scoring a lot. Also, the Eaton boys stole the ball many times. In the second half, Eaton continued

School DISPATCHES

to play well by passing quickly and making fast breaks where the boys moved the ball really quickly down the court to shoot baskets. During the fourth quarter, Eaton held the lead and kept up the pressure. In the end, Eaton got the win. What a great start of the season. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Katheryn Carline, Lilly McCarthy and Alice Newnham, fifth-graders

Hearst Elementary

This past week we participated in many activities to celebrate the change in season from fall to winter and also learned about different traditions practiced and holidays celebrated in the month of December. We cooked latkes and learned about the Hanukkah menorah; they were so yummy!

Most of us ate ours with applesauce. Some of us were even brave enough to taste them with sour cream like our teachers. We also played with â&#x20AC;&#x153;snowâ&#x20AC;? that was actually shaving cream. It was a great sensory activity! Yesenia said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love shaving cream. I like to play with it.â&#x20AC;? Jonatan loved it too; he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soft. I touched it with my hands.â&#x20AC;?

On another day, we also made applesauce and cinnamon ornaments. We loved cutting out gingerbread men and candy canes from the squishy mixture. It smelled wonderful! Jason picked out a special cookie cutter and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made a snowman.â&#x20AC;? Lastly, we made snowmen from rice krispy treats. We learned to measure and follow a recipe. We

counted how many eyes, arms, noses and scarves to put on each snowman. It was sticky and squishy, but lots of fun! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ms. Marber, Mrs. Hicks and Mrs. Montgomeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s K-2 CES (Communication and Education Support) class

l ight o n e ca n d l e

Lafayette Elementary

Happy holidays from Lafayette! How do you celebrate the holidays? Do you have any traditions? Lafayette does! Every year we throw a holiday party for each class. So each kid is excited for sweet treats, games and whatever fun teachers and room parents have planned. Every class is expecting a visit from our very own Lafayette carolers. Lafayette carolers are a group of teachers who come around and sing holiday songs and jingles. Some teachers have â&#x20AC;&#x153;White Elephantâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Secret Santaâ&#x20AC;? planned. Not to mention everyone is giddy for winter break, even the teachers!

Last week we had our winter concert in which our bands, drum line and ensembles performed.

The title was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Warm Beginnings,â&#x20AC;? because of the warm weather we have been having. We even won both our basketball games, a Christmas miracle!

Many kids are already parading around in Santa hats and holiday sweaters.

To wrap things up, we wish you will be as jolly, giddy and in the spirit as we are, and we wish you happy holidays, Lafayette style! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Addy Darnell, fifth-grader

Maret School

In third grade, we have many

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Photo by Ben Zweig

Rabbi Aaron Alexander, associate rabbi of Adas Israel Congregation, lights the Hanukkah menorah this month as kids from the synagogueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gan Hayeled preschool look on. different activities. Recently, our class studied Japan. On the first day, our class thought about different topics to research. Then we started studying. The class got facts on the computers and in books. Every one of us had to have at least 10 facts about our topic. The next step is putting some of the facts on posters, so that it is colorful and has the facts. Finally, our class will have Japan Day! We will do all the Japanese traditions, for example, taking off our shoes in school!

Then we present our projects to the grade. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned so much, and I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to learn more! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Loretta Talbott, third-grader PE this year is awesome! On Monday through Thursday, we do a physical education unit, and then on Friday it is Game Day! On Game Day, we sometimes play dodgeball, and pin dodge is one of my favorite games. One unit we did was a fitness unit to get those abs going. Another one was the jump rope unit. One time we did Frisbee golf, and believe it or not I got three holes-in-one!

Now we are doing a volleyball unit on setting and serving, but no spiking. I just wanted to give you a peek on the inside stuff of Maret PE. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Asante Jenkins, third-grader

Murch Elementary

Do you like riding bikes? Do you like the feeling of the breeze in your hair and the sound of your bike wheels turning? Well, D.C. Public School second-graders are experiencing that right now.

A! B! C! Air! Brakes! Chains!

The 2015 second-graders are the first to take part in the D.C. program â&#x20AC;&#x153;How to Ride a Bike.â&#x20AC;? In certain parts of the city, fewer kids are learning how to ride, but now they can learn at school as part of the second-grade physical education curriculum. The idea is that the skill will have a lasting impact, for fun and for the future.

When they are adults, there may

be more bike lanes so they might be able to bike to work and cut down on pollution. Camille Jackson, a Murch second-grader, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like biking because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting. We get to learn signals like putting your hand out to the left, which means youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re turning left.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fun thing to learn at an early age,â&#x20AC;? says Tim Johnson, PE teacher at Murch. And Andrew Bennett also says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love riding bikes. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun going long distances and knowing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting muscles.â&#x20AC;? Elizabeth Schafer, second-grade teacher, is also excited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incredible watching kids grow and learn the skills. When they come to me and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ms. Schafer, I just learned how to ride a bike!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just amazing.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Naomi Rea and Yohanna Murawiec, fifth-graders

Our Lady of Victory School

On Monday evening, Dec. 14, Our Lady of Victory School held its annual Christmas program. All of the students from pre-K to eighth grade participated. The program included performances by the school bands and two choirs and a play, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jingle Jury.â&#x20AC;?

The beginner band started the program off with four songs, including the holiday favorite â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jingle Bells.â&#x20AC;? They have only been playing for a few months, but they played well. Next, the advanced band played. We played three songs, including the very timely â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star Warsâ&#x20AC;? theme. My friend Adelaide and I played a duet of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let It Snowâ&#x20AC;? on our flutes. Then both choirs, the Cherubs and the advanced choir, sang. The Cherubs are in grades one through three. They sang very enthusiastically! The advanced choir sang a beautiful rendition of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hail, Holy Queenâ&#x20AC;? from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sister Act.â&#x20AC;? Finally, the eighth-graders performed their play, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jingle Jury.â&#x20AC;? The whole school was involved in the play.

After each scene, a grade would See Dispatches/Page 13

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Athletics in Northwest Washington

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December 23, 2015 ■ Page 9

Cadets name new football coach

By BRIAN KAPUR Current Staff Writer

For the first time in 12 seasons, the St. John’s football program will be led by a new head coach. The school last week dismissed Joe Patterson from the position and elevated Joe Casamento, who served as the team’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator last season.

“I had the best job in D.C. I was the associate head coach, so that meant the head coach had all the responsibility, but I was next in command,” Casamento said in an interview with The Current on Thursday.

But “when the opportunity presented itself, and if [St. John’s] was going to be excited about me, why not step up to the plate instead of letting them go out and hunt for somebody?” he said.

Patterson had been part of the Cadets’ football coaching staff for nearly two decades before his ouster last week.

“We are grateful to Joe Patterson for the 17 years he has dedicated to coaching the young men in our football program,” St. John’s president Jeff Mancabelli said in a release from the school on Wednesday.

In taking over the position, Casamento brings a wealth of experience. Before joining the Cadets’ coaching staff earlier this year, he was the head football coach for 17 seasons at the Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., where he compiled a 143-27 record and captured a state title. He also earned a spot in the school’s hall of fame for his contributions and served as dean of students. He had previously coached at Henninger High School in Syracuse.

Casamento earned a number of promi-

nent accolades for his coaching in Syracuse, including recognition as one of the best high school coaches in the country by USA Today and one of the 12 National Sports Ethics Fellows by the Institute for International Sport and the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University.

At St. John’s, though serving on the coaching staff was part of his initial job description last season, Casamento was drawn by the school’s opening for a director of its Entrepreneurial Center for Innovation and Leadership.

“I took the opportunity to come down here because of the Entrepreneurial Center and then they offered me the opportunity to work with football as well, so that was nice,” he said. “There is a big vision here for everything, and to be here for it and to be part of it is great.”

The Cadets’ new head coach has a background working with nonprofits, and the chance to build that type of program at the Chevy Chase school was part of the allure.

“I was the executive director of a nonprofit for 14 years that did leadership and character development,” Casamento said of his work off the field in Syracuse.

When asked about the widespread speculation that he was brought in to St. John’s with the idea of becoming the team’s coach if they moved on from Patterson, Casamento, who was 67 when he took the job prior to the 2015 football season, dismissed the rumor. “Look at me — I’m old,” he joked. “I wasn’t thinking of head coach in waiting.”

But Casamento does have a bit of a head start after serving as second-in-command this past year, when he designed the Cadets’

Photo courtesy of Matt Seal

Joe Casamento, right, takes over as the Cadets head football coach after serving as the team’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator last season. offense and called the team’s plays. He aims to use an attack that can thrive in a variety of circumstances — from using wide-open formations that take advantage of speed to bringing bigger bodies onto the field to pound the ball on the ground.

“We will still be a team that spreads it

out to throw and run,” the coach said. “But we also have to have the triple-option game.

We will probably be a bit broader, more than last year, because the kids understand it better.”

Perhaps more importantly, the Cadets’ See Cadets/Page 10

Cubs reload for a repeat championship run

By BRIAN KAPUR Current Staff Writer

Brian Kapur/The Current

Visitation expects junior Maeve Carroll, right, to take a step forward and emerge as a go-to offensive player for the Cubs.

On most days after Visitation’s Alexis Gray finishes practice with the Cubs, she heads to Georgetown Prep. The senior then continues to hone her craft while her father, Larry Gray, serves as an assistant coach for the Little Hoyas in Bethesda.

“I come here every day pretty much, and after practice I’m here,” said Gray. “This is kind of like my home court in a way. It’s fun to play here.”

That familiarity showed as Gray led the Cubs with a gamehigh 13 points in a victory over Holy Cross at Prep Sunday afternoon. The game, which pushed the Cubs’ record to 6-1, was part of the annual Shepherd Foundation Hoops Classic.

The Cubs are defending as Independent School League and D.C. State Athletic Association champions, and Sunday’s state-

ment win over a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference team was a chance to remind everyone of Visitation’s potential.

“We can be really good,” said Cubs coach Mike McCarthy. “Last year everything went our way — we won every close game and had great chemistry. This team is getting there. We’re doing a lot of great things, but we’re just not scoring. This team can be just as good as last year.”

One of the biggest reasons for McCarthy’s confidence is freshman forward Ellie Mitchell, who replaces graduated post player Kate Delaney.

“It’s amazing having Ellie because she plays like she’s been playing high school basketball for a while now,” said senior forward Maddy Reed. “A lot of freshmen are scared to handle the ball, but Ellie is just so comfortable around the basket that it’s just a blessing to have her.”

On Sunday, the freshman

scored 10 points in the post, including a critical putback that resulted in a four-point possession in the second half when Holy Cross tied the game.

“That was big,” said McCarthy.

“We’ve had trouble scoring at times. We’re playing the best defense I’ve seen us play, but we aren’t able to get separation.”

While Mitchell, who also plays tennis and lacrosse for Visitation, adds new sizzle to the lineup, the Cubs return a bevy of contributors from last year’s title team.

They’ll again be led by sharpshooting Gray from the point guard position. Visitation’s floor general, known for her strong outside shot, has worked to add new wrinkles to her arsenal for her final year at Visitation.

“I’ve gotten stronger with the ball and have started to drive more,” said Gray, who will play for Loyola University Maryland next year. “I’m not just taking the See Cubs/Page 10

10 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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DCSAA All State Teams (Part I) The D.C. State Athletic Association released its Fall All-State teams yesterday. Football coaches from across the District voted to determine the selections.

AA FOOTBALL Offense Quarterback Steven Williams, Wilson; quarterback Khalil Wright, H.D. Woodson; wide receiver Max Fisher, Gonzaga; wide receiver Delontae Moore, Ballou; wide receiver Sean Savoy, Wilson; tight end Patrick Hesse, Gonzaga; offensive lineman Eligah Hunter, Friendship Collegiate; offensive lineman Johnny Jordan, Gonzaga; offensive lineman Daquann Kerns, Ballou; offensive lineman Micah Royster, St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; offensive lineman Jauan Williams, Carroll; running back Tyree Randolph, Gonzaga; running back Jamal Speaks, Ballou; kick returner Nykeim Johnson, Friendship Collegiate; kicker Brian Johnson, Gonzaga.

Defense Defensive lineman Jamar Bolden, Coolidge; defensive lineman NaSheed Bridgeman, Gonzaga; defensive lineman Jerome Brooks, Carroll; defensive lineman Terrell Hall, St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; defensive lineman Jaylen Twyman, H.D. Woodson; linebacker Phillip Morgan, Dunbar; linebacker Khamal Peterson, Wilson; linebacker Trevon Shorts, Carroll; linebacker Kyle Taylor, Gonzaga; defensive back Marquis Hamilton, Ballou; defensive back Deon Jones, Carroll; defensive back Luke McCaleb, Gonzaga; defensive back Parnell Motley, H.D. Woodson; punt returner Lawrence King Jr., Carroll; punter Brian Johnson, Gonzaga.

A FOOTBALL Offense Quarterback Ted Hefter, Sidwell Friends; quarterback Jarome Johnson, Eastern; running back Charles Brooks, Bell; running back Mark Chichester, Sidwell Friends; offensive lineman Ronnie Brooks, Maret; offensive lineman Nathaniel Jackson, Sidwell Friends; offensive lineman Peter Jerome, St. Albans; offensive lineman Malik Smith, Roosevelt; offensive lineman Marquis Stubbs, Cesar Chavez; wide receiver Traevon Battle, Eastern; wide receiver Maurice Edwards, Cesar Chavez; wide receiver Dylan Greynolds, Sidwell Friends; tight end Greg Gaskins, Bell; kick returner Alonte Sanders, Richard Wright; kicker Mahineyaa Kao, Roosevelt.

Defense Defensive lineman Jeff Dandridge, National Collegiate; defensive lineman LinDon Harris, Sidwell Friends; defensive lineman Jah-Quan Meadows, KIPP DC; defensive lineman Juwan Morris, Eastern; linebacker Michael Broadus, Cardozo; linebacker Damon Quigley, Bell; linebacker Cheyenne Snead, Cesar Chavez; linebacker James Tyler, National Collegiate; defensive back Garrison Burnett, Maret; defensive back John Johnson, Eastern; defensive back Jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Quan Spriggs, Cardozo; defensive back Tykivis Hunter, KIPP DC; punt returner Demonte Hines, Roosevelt; punter Devon Brown, Bell.

The Current will include the girls soccer, boys soccer, volleyball and cross-country honorees in next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue.

CUBS: Visitation aims to repeat as ISL, state champs From Page 9

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jumpers anymore, but driving to the basket [as well].â&#x20AC;?

The Cubs will also return versatile senior forward Maddy Reed, who will play for Cornell University next year. Like Gray, Reed has taken on more of a leadership role, a position both girls relish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really enjoy having more of a say on how plays are run and the energy on the court,â&#x20AC;? said Reed.

In addition, the Cubs bring back senior guard Keelyn Leonard, who McCarthy said is â&#x20AC;&#x153;playing really good, smart basketball; she really just fills up a stat sheet.â&#x20AC;?

And the coach said fellow senior guard Lauren Martin â&#x20AC;&#x153;has been giving us a lot of good minutes.

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart and rebounding well.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to the strong senior class, one returning player whom McCarthy points to as a potential X-factor is junior Maeve Carroll. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maeveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been great for two

years, and now sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone to another level,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now a go-to player on offense.

When we need a basket inside, we feed her.â&#x20AC;?

With a loaded roster that lost only two key contributors from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s championship squad, the Cubs have a simple goal: repeat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just want to win championships,â&#x20AC;? said Gray. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to win the ISL and try to go back and win D.C.â&#x20AC;?

CADETS: St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s makes change after 12 years From Page 9

new head coach already has a feel for the school and the direction of the program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The culture here is great,â&#x20AC;? said Casamento. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very diverse school, and I think kids from all different types of backgrounds have an opportunity to thrive here. For the longest time I was a teacher and a dean of students in Syracuse, but we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the opportunity to offer as many things as St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.â&#x20AC;?

The new coach also has an appreciation for the level of competition in the rugged Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This conference is deeper than any of the leagues Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been in,â&#x20AC;? said Casamento. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You normally have one or two teams that are powerhouses. But here all of these teams are deep and talented. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the biggest difference.â&#x20AC;?

Casamento has a tough act to follow with the

Cadets. Patterson closed out his tenure with a strong season that included wins over top local competition.

During the 2015 season, the Cadets knocked off their biggest rival â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Gonzaga â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which was ranked No. 1

by The Washington Post at the time, and also beat the then-No. 2 Good Counsel.

Patterson guided the Cadets into The Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rankings each season for at least one week during 11 of his 12 years, and he helped them reach the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs 10 times and the league finals in 2013.

Although Patterson will no longer be on the sidelines at the games, he will remain at the school as a full-time member of the English Department. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coaching is a special profession that allows for tremendous relationships and tremendous growth for both the player and the coach,â&#x20AC;? Patterson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m humbled by the sacrifices that the players and coaching staff made over the years.â&#x20AC;?

The Current

Wednesday, December 23, 2015 11

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12 Wednesday, december 23, 2015

ch

n

The currenT

MURCH: Parents bemoan idea of relocation to Lafayette trailers

From Page 1

ing construction, installing trailers at a Forest Hills church and — most controversial — to use trailers already in place on Lafayette’s field.

That expansive — and expensive — setup was constructed to accommodate Lafayette’s own renovation, which is set to be completed this coming August. But many Chevy Chase community members said co-locating two large elementary schools in a quiet residential area would be dangerous and disruptive, and it would also deprive students and residents of open space for another two years.

Proximity of any temporary site to Murch is another key consideration. Swing space at UDC would be roughly 0.7 miles away from Murch and closer to a Metro station and bus lines than Lafayette, which is about 1.3 miles from Murch. Murch is located at 4810 36th St. NW, Lafayette is located at 5701 Broad Branch Road NW, and the UDC athletic field is located near the corner of Van Ness Street and International Court NW. Many parents have warned that adding roughly 600 additional students from Murch to Lafayette’s campus would bring the traffic, infrastructure and logistical issues that come with effectively merging two schools at one site.

That the option is even on the table incensed Lafayette parents after the city assured them less than two years ago, when their renovation began, that the trailers would be removed from the school’s field

by the 2016 school year.

Last week Ward 4 D.C. Council member Brandon Todd called the proposal to use Lafayette’s trailers “unacceptable.” And in an online community survey in Chevy Chase, 649 respondents, 89 percent, said they strongly oppose using that option.

“We find the safety risks are terrifying for both [groups of] kids,” one Lafayette parent said at a meeting last Thursday on the Murch project, emphasizing the potential increase in car traffic at the school.

The General Services Department agrees. “[Lafayette] is an option, but DGS has recommended this not be the option because of the safety concerns,” the agency’s Kenneth Diggs told more than a hundred residents at the Murch meeting.

The proposal has led to an at-times testy back-and-forth between Murch and Lafayette parents on Internet message boards, which Lafayette’s principal directly addressed at another public meeting on the topic last Tuesday.

“I think our biggest risk at this point as a community … is that we get sucked down the rabbit hole of Internet nastiness,” principal Carrie Broquard told over a hundred residents gathered at Lafayette last Tuesday.

“I’m gonna be just real frank with you, nobody who is making this decision is monitoring anybody’s listserv or any [DC Urban Moms and Dads] site. So any posts that are posted there at this point are damaging communities.”

The $68.3 million project at Murch is slated to begin this summer and last roughly two years. Through multiple phases, the

modernization will renovate the existing main building and construct an addition with a cafeteria and gym to hold 700 students.

In the interim, the top choice for the General Services Department — and many Murch parents — is building trailers over two soccer fields at the UDC’s Van Ness campus.

The two other options under consideration are keeping students on the Murch site in trailers, next to an active construction zone, or combining trailers with a shift of the pre-K and kindergarten classrooms to Capital Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church at 3150 Chesapeake St. NW. “Of options under consideration, DGS suggests to DCPS that UDC would be the best option in terms of location, student drop-off [and pickup], space available for play/field use,” Diggs wrote in an email to The Current. “However, the [estimated] cost is an issue with respect to Murch’s overall project budget.”

That estimate for the UDC plan is $6 million, the highest among all four options and $1.5 million more than using Lafayette’s trailers. Another obstacle for the city would be the proximity of the swing space to several embassies in Van Ness. Diggs said conversations would need to be held with the U.S. State Department before moving forward.

The tight deadline for the city to decide on a path forward also worried parents at Thursday’s Murch meeting, particularly that the timeframe allows less time to complete a traffic study for whichever swing space is

Brian Kapur/The Current

Construction at Lafayette Elementary is slated to wrap up in August.

selected.

“This is incredibly frustrating,” Ari Zentner, a Murch parent, told Diggs on Thursday. “You called us here to get our feedback and you don’t have anything close to complete answers.”

Diggs wrote in an email that while the decision may appear to be last-minute, the city reviewed over 15 potential sites over the last year, “and due to logical challenges, budgetary pressures, timeline coordination, or school-specific needs such as play spaces, most of these have been determined to not be suitable.”

Rejected sites included the Intelsat building at Van Ness, Fannie Mae’s headquarters, American University, art centers, churches and other places that all for a variety of reasons didn’t fit the project, according to Diggs. D.C. Public Schools criteria for the Murch swing space calls for 35 classrooms, parking, a gym, and room for a cafeteria and outdoor play, among other considerations.

At the Murch meeting, the UDC option was the most well-received, drawing applause from attendees. “This is a clear winner,” said one parent.

CLOSING: Families, residents urge Washington Home officials to extend deadline

From Page 1

— many of whom had expected to stay there for the rest of their lives.

Even three months later, relatives who attended a meeting of the home’s family council last Wednesday said some of them are still reeling from the news and struggling to find alternative placements, citing long waiting lists at desirable facilities.

Many called for the Washington Home to exercise a six-month leaseback option, which would keep the facility open until midMay 2017, but officials from the home said that shouldn’t be necessary.

“We’ve given the residents and the families 15 months,” nursing home administrator Janine FinckBoyle said in an interview. “We can’t make the decision for them, and we understand that families feel that some of the facilities are not comparable or accessible to them. … We have pretty much an idea of families or residents that might not be accepting.”

Mary Mason, co-chair of the family council, said she’s worried that other nursing homes will be selective in accepting patients from the Washington Home — and that those with the most difficult needs, such as her own mother, will still have nowhere else to go next December. She also alleged that the home staff already hasn’t been providing the prom-

ised assistance to help residents move out. “The people left at the end will be the hardest to place,” she said.

Added another relative: “We cannot control who the other nursing homes select, ultimately, but we can control what is the dropdead date that the resident has to move out of the Washington Home.”

In an interview, Finck-Boyle and Washington Home executive director Tim Cox fired back against most of the criticisms levied at the home at last Wednesday’s meeting, saying the attendees were not necessarily representative of the general attitude.

For instance, Finck-Boyle said that the home’s social work staff has attempted to reach every family affected by the closure, and was successful except for those who “didn’t want to receive that message.”

She also said there are many beds available at other area nursing homes and noted that the D.C. Department of Health Care Finance — which is responsible for residents on Medicaid — will allow Washington Home residents to move to select Maryland and Virginia facilities, rather than requiring them to stay within the District to continue their D.C. coverage.

During the three months since the sale was announced, 22 residents have already moved out and six have died, leaving a population

of 98 as of Monday, she said. The facility hasn’t been accepting new residents since March.

In the final days before Washington Home closes, any residents who remain would be the subject of daily meetings with family members and D.C. government

❝It just doesn’t appear as though there is a plan even in the absence of an approved plan … .❞ — Lynne Person agencies to find a suitable replacement site, Cox said. He’s confident each resident will match up with a suitable facility in time, and that the half-year delay won’t be necessary.

“The leaseback [option] was for us as an organization if we couldn’t get everyone placed, not for everyone to stay for another six months as a luxury,” Cox told The Current.

In fact, the Washington Home hopes that everyone will have already moved out by Oct. 2, providing about two months for the facility to remove furniture and records without disturbing any elderly residents, Cox said at the meeting.

That new date prompted an outcry from attendees, who had

never heard it before; a D.C. Department of Health official at the meeting, Sharon Lewis, said it was not enforceable.

“We cannot be surprised by new dates, and the date that we have in the original letter that was sent was December,” Lewis said at the meeting. “This facility will have to stay functional until December.”

The Health Department is responsible for approving the closure plan for Washington Home, which is now in the process of responding to the agency’s requests for further information.

In the interview, Finck-Boyle said the Washington Home board arrived at the October date in response to previous family council concerns about patients remaining there in the final days. At the meeting, relatives suggested that the board hasn’t been properly engaged on this issue.

“As these decisions are made, how involved are the board members with the residents that are being put out? … Do they visit, do they know these people?” asked one woman, to a chorus of no’s.

Lynne Person, the D.C. longterm care ombudsman in the AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly, said in an interview that what she saw at last week’s meeting pointed to systemic flaws in the Washington Home’s communication and planning.

“The clock really started ticking

once the Washington Home gave the written notification about the closure, and it just doesn’t seem that they were prepared to follow through from that day forward to ensure that it could be a seamless transition,” Person said. “It just doesn’t appear as though there is a plan even in the absence of an approved plan — there is no systematic way of doing business.”

Finck-Boyle did concede that Washington Home’s communication efforts could improve, and said outreach in the new year will include monthly updates via mail and email and a more detailed website. The home has also hired an additional social worker and a director of nursing with closure experience, which Person lauded.

There is precedent in D.C. for the closure of a nursing home, with the Washington Home’s decision coming just eight years after Beverly Living Center announced it would shut down in Cleveland Park just a few blocks away.

Located at 3333 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Beverly was then the District’s largest nursing home, with more than 300 residents.

Person said that facility placed its residents efficiently and with less of the turmoil that last week’s Washington Home meeting revealed. Many were relocated outside of D.C., however, and Person expects the same will occur again despite some families’ opposition.

The Current

DISPATCHES From Page 8 come out and sing a song. My favorite was the pre-K and kindergarten kids who were dressed in star costumes and sang â&#x20AC;&#x153;Away in the Manger.â&#x20AC;? The play was about a boy named Jim Dandy who has lost the holiday spirit and how he gets it back. The play ended with Santa coming down the church aisle and surprising everyone.

The Christmas program is always very special and puts me in the holiday spirit. It is one of my favorite events at OLV! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kate L., eighth-grader

Oyster-Adams Bilingual School

Every year before winter break, we have a Peace Concert for students and teachers to perform and show off their talents.

The Peace Concert this year was amazing. Talents included students playing the violin, students singing, students playing the saxophone and teachers dancing! It was also a great opportunity to support our friends and to congratulate them for their courage to perform.

This week was also Spirit Week to help close out the year.

On Monday, we had Pajama Day. Students came in wearing their comfiest pajamas and onesies. On Tuesday we had Thankful Twin Day, where pairs dressed up together. On Wednesday, we had Sport Day. There were lots of soccer fans present that day! On Thursday, we had Spanish Character Day. Some costumes included Salvador DalĂ­, Sonia Sotomayor, Mafalda and Selena. On Friday we had Tiger Pride Day, where we show our school spirit.

This is been an amazing way to end 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Jennifer Quispe-Lopez and Blanca Morales, seventh-graders

St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Episcopal Day School

Every year at St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the whole school participates in the Christmas pageant. Second-graders play the roles of the three kings â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who sing solos during the song â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Three Kingsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Mary and Joseph (we use a baby doll to play Jesus). Firstgraders back them up, playing sheep and angels. Third-grade students dance and sing, and students in fourth through seventh grades make up the choir. Leading up to the pageant, our chapel slowly becomes decorated, starting simply with an advent wreath and then gradually transforming into a whole new setup of chairs and bleachers.

As a sixth-grader, I am part of the choir. Choir members sit on both sides of the Nave, and our job is to support the fourth- and fifth-grade choir members. We sing every single song throughout

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

13

Wilsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; flashes back to the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s Hippies: the members of a subculture who made a significant revolution in the United States during the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s. These flower children, as demonstrated then and now, donned their long hair and beads and brought their bohemian lifestyle into the world, fighting for peace, and freedom, while using hallucinogenic drugs. In November, Wilson High School delivered a timeless performance of this subculture through the revolutionary rock musical â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hair.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,â&#x20AC;? abbreviated to simply â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hair,â&#x20AC;? is a rock musical with a book and lyrics authored by James Rado and Gerome Ragni with music composed by Galt MacDermot.

The musical tells the story of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tribe,â&#x20AC;? a group of hippies living in New York City fighting against being drafted into the Vietnam War. It follows Claude and his fellow hippie friends, including Berger and Sheila, as they balance growing up and taking part in the revolutions of the world around them.

Claudeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s introspection about his life becomes wrenching as he must decide whether to follow the Tribe and resist the draft or to follow the conservative society set before him and serve in Vietnam. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hairâ&#x20AC;? is a defining musical in the genre of rock musical, as it uses an integrated cast and deals with many controversial issues in its time, like profanity, use of illegal substances and disregard for the American flag. It is still considered one of the most daring and phenomenal shows in musical theater history.

the pageant, and lead the younger kids throughout. We have performed in this event year after year, and it is still amazing that we all come together to create this magical performance. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kate Chamberlin, sixth-grader

Sheridan School

Every year Sheridan School has one of the best and one of the most musical winter assemblies in the D.C. area. We call it the Winter Assembly because it encompasses all cultures. We always start the assembly with a kindergarten and first grade performance, and then move up to 8th grade. Every year every class does something new and different. This year the seventh- and eighth-graders are combining â&#x20AC;&#x153;While My Guitar Gently Weeps,â&#x20AC;? a popular song by the Beatles, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carol of the Bells,â&#x20AC;? a holiday song by Mykola Leontovych. We are doing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carol of the Bellsâ&#x20AC;? because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a holiday song, plus itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of festive. We are playing â&#x20AC;&#x153;While My Guitar Gently Weeps,â&#x20AC;? because it represents giving back, as well as some deep thinking. It makes you think about who you are, your identity and your privileges.

Between performances, two students from each class, and sometimes teachers, talk about their holiday traditions, and why they do what they do. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great because you get insight into other

Filling the theater hall with his astounding portrayal of Claude, Ben Topa led the show spectacularly. Harnessing stunning vocals and constantly staying in the moment, Topa connected with his character in a way not many actors can do. He grew with his character, feeling Claudeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotions and demonstrating an introspection that the audience could feel. Zac NachbarSeckel, depicting the role of Berger, stole the show with his smooth idiosyncrasies, dedication to his character and overall hippie persona. Topa and Nachbar-Seckel synchronized with one another as Claude and Berger; their relationship felt real and inthe-moment, as both actors grew off of one another and created an indescribable bond.

As Sheila, one of the many flower children, Joey Schulman brought an engaged personality and was dedicated to her role as the hippie fighting for change. Playing the role of Jeanie, Eva Schulman had consistent pregnant mannerisms and clear-cut vocals that brought out the soft, kind character all could sympathize with.

Kellik Dawson portrayed Hud, the proud African-American, and gave the audience an entertaining yet thought-provoking experience. His defining words and personality made him a standout revolutionary. Lorin Kayla Holland, playing the role of Dionne, truly hit the hearts of the audience with her gorgeous voice that spread throughout the auditorium.

While the principals were breathtaking, what brought together the entire show was the Tribe. Each member was in the moment

peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday traditions. Some people have some quite interesting traditions. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun to learn about them.

Every year every class does a different song or performance

Brian Kapur/Current file photo

Wilson Highâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production transported audiences to an age of rebellion.

as their characters, and not one person seemed out of place or undedicated to their role of the group.

From vibrant flashing lights, flowery clothes and a psychedelically designed set, each facet of the show meshed and interweaved to capture the true 1960s aesthetic.

The orchestra, otherwise known as The Hair Band, consisted of only five members who together became a powerhouse that harmonized with the actors and the mood of the show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hairâ&#x20AC;? is, in complete candor, an eminently intricate and difficult show to perform. But Wilson High School went above and beyond in touching the audience on a personal level and leaving each member with a feeling of admiration and wonder. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lucy Dolcich, South Lakes High School This review was prepared as part of the Cappies program through which high school students are trained as critics and attend shows at other area schools.

than they did last year. But there are always two songs that stick around: â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Candle Lights the Wayâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Encircle the Earth With Peace.â&#x20AC;? The chorus that sings those two songs includes

third- through eighth-graders.

Even though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s optional, there are always a lot of people who want to sing. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Benjamin Adomaitis, seventh-grader

Everyday moments " DPNNVOJUZ JT NPSF UIBO KVTU B QMBDF UP MJWF *U T B TQFDJBM QMBDF XIFSF OFX GSJFOET BSF GPVOE BOE DIFSJTIFE NPNFOUT BSF LFQU *OHMFTJEF BU 3PDL $SFFL USVMZ JT B TQFDJBM DPNNVOJUZ NBEF VQ PG SFNBSLBCMF BOE JOUFSFTUJOH GSJFOET BOE OFJHICPST XIP TVQQPSU BO FOHBHFE BOE BDUJWF MJGFTUZMF )FSF DPNNVOJUZ JT OPU KVTU B XPSEÂ&#x2030; JU T B XBZ PG MJGF %JTDPWFS BO FYUSBPSEJOBSZ SFUJSFNFOU MJGFTUZMF XJUI UIF TFDVSJUZ BOE QFBDF PG NJOE UIBU DPNFT XJUI B GVMM DPOUJOVVN PG DBSF

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14 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

n

The Current

Northwest Real Estate ANC 2C ANC 2C Quarter Downtown/Penn

â&#x2013; downtown / penn quarter

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, in Room A-3, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. For details, visit anc2c.us or contact 2C@anc.dc.gov.

ANC 2D ANC 2D Sheridan-Kalorama

â&#x2013; sheridan-kalorama

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church, California Street and Phelps Place NW. For details, visit anc2d.org or contact davidanc2d01@aol.com.

ANC 3B ANCPark 3B Glover

â&#x2013; Glover Park / Cathedral heights

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at Stoddert Elementary School and Glover Park Community Center, 4001 Calvert St. NW. For details, email info@anc3b. org or visit anc3b.org.

ANC 3C ANC 3CPark Cleveland â&#x2013; cleveland park / woodley Park Woodley Park massachusetts avenue heights Massachusetts Avenue Heights Cathedral Heights At the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dec. 15 meeting: â&#x2013; a Woodley Road NW resident complained about tour buses that stop near the Washington National Cathedral and block traffic, cause accidents and create a safety problem for local children. â&#x2013; commissioners unanimously agreed to voice no objection to a

sign to be erected in public space

by St. Albanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parish at 2001 Wisconsin Ave. NW. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to support several local citizens associations requesting relief â&#x20AC;&#x153;from significant adverse impactsâ&#x20AC;? caused by new airplane arrival and departure routes and extended operating hours at Reagan National Airport. The resolution requests a review of final decisions of the Federal Aviation Administration to permanently authorize flight arrival and departure routes at the airport â&#x20AC;&#x153;without proper notification and opportunity for comment.â&#x20AC;? Commissioners said flight paths had been along the Potomac River, but now are more spread out over residential neighborhoods. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to raise no objection to a Historic Preservation Review Board application for a one-story, 14- to 15-foot rear addition to a 1924 home at 3008 Ordway St. NW, while opposing a proposal to raise the roof height approximately 16 inches to correct ice dams unless the review board finds that the change is the only way to avoid internal damage to the building.

Commissioners also voted unanimously to support a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for relief from side-yard restrictions for the project. The immediate neighbors have no problems with it, commissioners said. â&#x2013; commissioners voted 6-0-2, with Lee Brian Reba and David Valdez abstaining, to urge major changes in the proposed design for a new Cleveland Park Library in the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic dis-

trict.

The commission had no objection to demolishing the current non-historic building, but said its replacement should have three major goals: maintaining the established scale of the historic area, using materials that â&#x20AC;&#x153;announce a civic use in a basically domestic building formâ&#x20AC;? and creating a warm, welcoming exterior that announces a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cozy, functional and safe interior.â&#x20AC;?

Commissioners called on the architect to refine the design â&#x20AC;&#x153;to better emphasize the design concept featured in the historic district.â&#x20AC;? Unlike the current proposal, the commission wants the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest height to be on Connecticut Avenue NW with a lower height on Macomb and Newark streets. It called for reducing the size of the curtain wall structure on both Macomb and Newark streets and for there to be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dominant materialâ&#x20AC;? for the structure with â&#x20AC;&#x153;a complementary material for detail and decorative features,â&#x20AC;? and for considering removal of the proposed balconies on the Macomb and Newark sides of the building. Commissioners complained that the loading dock driveway is probably too narrow and is squeezed against an adjoining residential property. And they suggested that the proposed childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden could be replaced with outdoor space for all library patrons. â&#x2013; commissioner Lee Brian Reba complained to Mike Mathews of the mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office that some leaf pickup contractors blow leaves onto Connecticut Avenue. â&#x2013; commissioner Nancy MacWood said she would be testifying at an

Swim and Entertain All Year Round with Heated, Indoor Pool

informational gathering on the subject of â&#x20AC;&#x153;great weightâ&#x20AC;? being held by at-large D.C. Council member Anita Bonds. â&#x2013; commissioner Catherine May expressed a need to coordinate with other advisory neighborhood commissions on traffic questions and the Sidwell Friends School expansion. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to request that the commission be notified on zoning matters by mail rather than email.

Frequently emails are sent that refer to tracking numbers for detailed information.

Commissioner Nancy MacWood said the zoning authorities used to send all the relevant information as a package. She said she would ask at-large D.C. Council member Anita Bonds to hold a hearing on the way the city gives out public notices. Added commissioner Lee Brian Reba, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to be detectives as each agency sends its information differently.â&#x20AC;? â&#x2013; commissioner Arthur Barkmann said Yes! Organic Market, 3425 Connecticut Ave. NW, plans to ask for a beer and wine license. â&#x2013; commissioner Catherine May said the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has done nothing about some residential properties being used for illegal commercial parties. Commissioner Nancy MacWood added that the department had stonewalled some of her requests for information.

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at the 2nd District Police Headquarters, 3320 Idaho Ave. NW. For details, visit anc3c.org.

ANC 3D ANCValley 3D Spring â&#x2013; spring valley / wesley heights Wesley Heights palisades / kent / foxhall The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, in Conference Room 2 at the Sibley Memorial Hospital Medical Building, 5215 Loughboro Road NW. For details, call 202-957-1999 or visit anc3d.org.

ANC 3E ANC 3E Tenleytown â&#x2013; american university park American University Park friendship heights / tenleytown

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The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Chevy Chase Pavilion, 4300 Military Road NW. For details, visit anc3e.org.

ANC 3F ANCHills 3F Forest

â&#x2013; Forest hills / North cleveland park

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o: 202.491.1275 m: 301.943.0314

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At the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dec. 15 meeting: â&#x2013; Lamond-Riggs advisory neighborhood commissioner Judi Jones urged the commission to pass a resolution in opposition to the Pepco-Exelon merger, which she said threatens D.C. ratepayers and

the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental efforts. â&#x2013; commissioner Mary Beth Ray announced that the second round of interviews for the new director of Van Ness Main Streets would begin Dec. 16. The initial applicant pool had 22 contenders, with seven heading into the second round. â&#x2013; commissioner Sally Gresham announced that the Italian restaurant Sfoglina and the prepared food deli Soapstone Market will be moving into the under-construction Park Van Ness complex at 4455 Connecticut Ave. NW. â&#x2013; commissioner Sally Gresham announced that the west staircase at the Van Ness Metro station will close once again in February or early March because of an escalator replacement project, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. â&#x2013; B.F. Saul senior vice president Don Hachey announced that the sidewalk along the Park Van Ness construction project at 4455 Connecticut Ave. NW will open on or around Feb. 26, with the overall project scheduled to wrap up by April.

Hachey and other B.F. Saul staffers also offered detailed explanations for numerous delays to the project, including infrastructure failures in underground ducts and manholes; a surprising number of inclement weather days; and general construction complications. â&#x2013; representatives from Sidwell Friends School at 3825 Wisconsin Ave. previewed plans for the new facility in the former Washington Home building at 3720 Upton St. NW. The plans include new bus routes and other measures to address increased traffic stemming from the consolidation of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two campuses into the single location. â&#x2013; commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a grant of $3,000 to Friends of Peirce Mill to rehabilitate its historic water mill. â&#x2013; commissioners voted 5-0 to establish a technical review committee of two commissioners and several local residents with specialized knowledge to work with Chick-fil-A on engineering plans and applications for its new Van Ness location at the current Burger King location at 4422 Connecticut Ave. NW. â&#x2013; commissioners voted 5-0 to urge the Office of Planning to widely disseminate its Van Ness Commercial District Action Strategy in order to let local businesses know about the possibilities for the area.

The resolution also urges city officials to consult this document and act upon it in the process of developing the Van Ness neighborhood in the years to come.

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at Forest Hills of DC, 4901 Connecticut Ave. NW. For details, call 202-670-7262 or visit anc3f.us.

A Look at the Market in Northwest Washington

December 23, 2015 â&#x2013; Page 15

Extensively renovated row house fits neatly in Petworth

F

or a row house renovated from top to bottom, check out the listing at 404 Emerson St. NW in Petworth. Over the

ON THE MARKET betH coPe

past few months, the property has been gutted and completely replaced with a contemporary space geared toward modern living.

The four-bedroom, three-anda-half-bath house is on the market for $749,900.

The updates extend behind the walls, with new plumbing and wiring, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also visible from the sidewalk. The company VTR LLC redid the whole front of the house, creating a legal basement in the bottom level and a new cement front porch with new railings.

Inside the decorative front door, the first floor is an open space containing a front living area, a kitchen in the middle and a den in the rear, all topped by a coffered ceiling.

The first eye-catching feature here is an 11-foot slab of gray-

swirled granite, which tops an island and runs down either side.

It demarcates the kitchen and provides both prep and eating space, with a sink in its middle and room for at least four or five stools.

The cool granite contrasts with the new cherry on the floors here and upstairs. White cabinetry and stainless LG appliances fill out the kitchen space, and a metallic backsplash adds further detail, as do distinctive lights hanging over the island.

The second standout feature of this level is a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and entertainment center on the rear wall. Covered in custom ceramic tiles, it encases both an electric fireplace with different light effects and a 65-inch, curved-screen TV above. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to imagine friends lounging around the screen while others chat over the kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s island, and still more entertaining goes on in the front living space.

Across from the kitchen are a powder room and two closets with room for pantry goods, coats and electronic equipment. The latter includes a system of surveillance cameras that feed onto a

Photos courtesy of Avery-Hess Realtors

This four-bedroom row house in Petworth is priced at $749,900. built-in screen above the closets.

There are also speakers installed in the ceiling here and out back, in a small patio area located just outside glass doors next to the fireplace. Behind this is a two-car garage.

Up a flight of stairs near the front door, the master bedroom sits in the front of the house, offering three windows overlooking the street as well as a skylight and high ceilings. Three closets provide plenty of storage space, and an en suite bathroom features

a glass-topped double vanity and a dual shower with glass door.

Two more bedrooms offer windows toward the rear, and a hall bath has a glass-enclosed stall shower. A closet contains an LG washer and dryer.

Two levels down, the bottom floor could be a rental apartment or simply an extension of the ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space. The main room is a kitchen/living space, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bedroom with its own bath.

Materials are similar to above, though the floors are wood-style tiles. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a full-size fridge and dishwasher, and a stacked washer-dryer. As well as the front entrance, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an exit to the garage out back.

This four-bedroom, three-anda-half-bath house at 404 Emerson St. NW is listed for $749,900. For details contact Iris Aponte of Avery-Hess Realtors at 202-3783850 or iaponte@averyhess.com.

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16 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Wednesday, Dec. 23

Wednesday december 23 Class ■ The Vajrayogini Buddhist Center will host a weekly class on meditation. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $6 to $12. Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1787 Columbia Road NW. 202-986-2257.

Concerts ■ The Encore Chorale, a dynamic ensemble formed by first-time or returning musicians over the age of 55, will perform crowd-pleasing holiday music. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ The Kennedy Center will present its annual “Messiah” singalong, led by conductor Barry Hemphill and featuring members of the Opera House Orchestra, professional soloists, a chorus of 200 and enthusiastic audience members. 8 p.m. Free; tickets distributed in the Hall of Nations beginning at 6 p.m. Concert Hall, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ French violinist Julien Chauvin and soprano Rosa Lamoreaux will join the Folger Consort to present “The Season Bids Us: Christmas Music Featuring Guido’s ‘Four Seasons.’” 8 p.m. $40 to $50. Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St. SE. folger.edu.

■ The Gypsy Sally’s Holiday Grass Show will feature the Woodshedders, the Plate Scrapers and Brandy Station Company. 8 p.m. $10. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

■ Jazz musician Elijah Cole will perform. 8 and 10 p.m. $10. Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz.com.

■ Herb Scott will host a weekly Capitol Hill Jazz Jam. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; two item per person minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

Performances ■ Pointless Theatre will present “A Very Pointless Holiday Spectacular: The North Pole’s 239th Annual Talent Show,” an irreverent winter cabaret featuring puppetry, improv and a reindeer band. 8 p.m. $17 to $22. Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW. pointlesstheatre.com/holiday. Performances will continue through Jan. 2.

■ Theater Alliance will present “Black Nativity,” Langston Hughes’ soulful musical of faith, endurance and the birth of blackness. 8 p.m. $25 to $35.

Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. theateralliance.com. Performances will continue through Jan. 3.

■ Dwayne Lawson-Brown will host an open mic poetry event. 9 to 11 p.m. $5.

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Events Entertainment 5th St. NW. 202-789-2227.

Service ■ “Carols by Candlelight” will feature holiday music. 6 p.m. Free; passes required. Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. 202-537-6200. The event will repeat Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Special events ■ The 11th annual Downtown Holiday Market will feature exhibitors, local food and live music. Noon to 8 p.m. Free admission. Sidewalk of F Street between 7th and 9th streets NW, in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. downtownholidaymarket.com.

■ “ZooLights” will feature environmentally friendly LED displays, a light show set to music, a model train exhibit, three 150-foot-long “snow tubing” tracks, the Conservation Carousel and live entertainment. 5 to 9 p.m.

Free admission.

National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. nationalzoo.si.edu. The event will repeat daily through Jan. 2 (except Dec. 24, 25 and 31).

Sporting event ■ The Washington Wizards will play the Memphis Grizzlies. 7 p.m. $18 to $899. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-745-3000.

Support ■ Widowed Persons Outreach — a community program sponsored by Sibley Memorial Hospital, Iona Senior Services, Capital Caring, the William Wendt Center for Loss & Healing and Joseph Gawler’s Sons — will host a meeting of its Bereavement Ongoing Support Group. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Free; reservations requested. Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-537-4942.

■ Widowed Persons Outreach will host a twice-monthly meeting of its Younger Widows Support Group (for ages 69 and younger). 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Free. Second-floor Conference Room 5, Sibley Medical Building, 5215 Loughboro Road NW. 202-364-7602.

Thursday, Dec. 24

Thursday december 24 Children’s program ■ Upshur Street Books will host a singalong for children with John Ray. 11 a.m. Free. Upshur Street Books, 827 Upshur St. NW. upshurstreetbooks.com.

The event will repeat Sunday at 11 a.m.

Concerts ■ The Beltway Brass Quintet will perform jazzy and cheerful arrangements of holiday favorites. Noon. Free. Millennium

Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ “An Evening at the Garden” will feature Tony Craddock Jr. and Cold Front performing jazz. 6 to 8 p.m. Free. Garden Court, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ The Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ will present the 18th annual Christmas Eve Jazz Vespers, led

by Peoples Jazz Society artistic director Davey S. Yarborough and featuring special guest artists Tre Mezzi. 7 p.m. Free.

Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ, 4704 13th St. NW. 202-8295511.

■ Opera star Alessandra Marc, the Universalist National Memorial Church Choir and the Maytime Symphonette will perform joyful and inspirational holiday music. 8 to 10 p.m. Free; reservations required. Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th St. NW. universalist.org/opera.

Discussion ■ National Gallery of Art lecturer David Gariff will discuss “The Christmas Story in Art.” 1 p.m. Free. West Building Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Film ■ The Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market will present Frank Capra’s holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart. 5 p.m. $7. Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St. NE. angelikafilmcenter.com.

Services ■ The Contemporary Choir will perform a Christmas Prelude, at 4 p.m.; the Rev. W. Ronald Jameson will celebrate the Vigil Mass of Christmas, at 4:30 p.m.; the Rev. Rafael Barbieri will celebrate a Spanish-language Mass of Christmas, at 6:30 p.m.; the Schola Cantorum and Festival Singers will perform a Christmas prelude; and Cardinal Donald Wuerl will celebrate the Solemn Mass of Christmas, at 10 p.m. Free.

Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. NW. 202-3473215.

■ St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, will present Carols and Anthems, at 4:30, 7 and 10:30 p.m.; a Pageant and Choral Eucharist with choir, at 5 p.m.; and the Festival Choral Eucharist, at 7:30 and 11 p.m. Free. 16th and H streets NW. 202-347-8766.

■ The National Presbyterian Church will host a Family Nativity Service with a narrated re-enactment of the Nativity story with music, at 5 p.m.; and Candlelight Services with carols, at 8 and 10 p.m. Free. National Presbyterian Church,

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Family Service 5 P.M. Family Service 5 P.M. Candlelight Services 8 & 10 P.M. Candlelight Services 8 & 10 P.M. THE NATIONAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 4101 Nebraska Ave.PRESBYTERIAN NW Washington, DC 20016 THE NATIONAL CHURCH 202.537.0800 www.nationalpres.org 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016 202.537.0800 www.nationalpres.org

trumpeter Tom Williams, bassist James King and vocalist Delores Williams. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

Wednesday, december 24 ■ Concert: The Washington DC Jewish Community Center will present “Stars of David: Story to Song,” a concert musical celebrating the lives of favorite Jewish public figures and featuring Joshua Dick, Sherri L. Edelen, Emily Levey and Aaron Serotsky (shown). 7:30 p.m. $27 to $52. Washington DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. washingtondcjcc.org.

The performance will repeat Thursday at 3 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 3 and 7:30 p.m.

4101 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-5370800.

■ The Choir of the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart will perform a choral prelude, and the Rev. Walter Rossi will lead a Children’s Mass with pageant, at 5 p.m.; a choir will offer Choral Meditations on the Nativity, at 10 p.m.; and Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, will lead the Solemn Vigil Mass of Christmas Eve, at 10:30 p.m.

Free. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE. 202-526-8300.

■ The Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church will host a Family Christmas Eve Service with a live Nativity and carols, at 5 p.m.; a Candlelight Communion Service, at 7:30 p.m.; and a Candlelight Service with musical prelude, at 10:30 p.m. Free. Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW. 202-3634900.

■ The Washington National Cathedral will celebrate Christmas Eve with a Festival Holy Eucharist service. 10 p.m.

Free; passes required. Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. 202-537-2228.

Special event ■ A Chevy Chase Christmas Caroling event will organize local residents to spread holiday cheer through song. 11 a.m. to noon. Meet outside Starbucks, Connecticut Avenue and Livingston Street NW. Friday, Dec. 25

Friday december 25 Concerts ■ Washington National Cathedral organist Benjamin Straley will perform a Christmas Day recital. 4:30 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. 202-537-6200.

■ The 17th All-Star Christmas Day Jam will feature host/vibraphonist Chuck Redd, drummer Lenny Robinson,

Services ■ The Washington National Cathedral will celebrate Christmas with a Festival Holy Eucharist service, at 11 a.m.; and the Blessing of the Crib: A Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols, at 3 p.m. Free. Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. 202-537-6200.

■ Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, will lead the Solemn Christmas Day Mass, at noon; and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, will lead the Spanish-language Christmas Day Mass, at 2:30 p.m. Free. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE. 202-526-8300.

Special event ■ The Washington DC Jewish Community Center will hold its 29th annual Day of Service, featuring events at dozens of sites throughout the area. Various times. $10 to $20 fee; registration required. washingtondcjcc.org/d25.

Saturday, Dec. 26 Saturday december 26 Book signing ■ Sandra O’Connell will sign copies of her book “An American Family in World War II.” Noon to 5 p.m. Free. Mall Store, National Museum of American History, Constitution Avenue between 12th and 14th streets NW. 202-6331000.

Children’s programs ■ Keegan Theatre will present “How to Catch a Leprechaun,” its new children’s musical based on an Irish folk tale (for ages 3 and older).

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. $15. Andrew Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. 202-265-3767. The performance will repeat Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

■ A park ranger will lead a planetarium program about the season’s brightest stars, planets and constellations (for ages 5 and older). 1 to 1:45 p.m. Free.

Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070. The program will repeat Sunday at 1 p.m.

■ The Kennedy Center will present “Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!,” a vaudevillian romp of a musical based on Mo Willems’ children’s book (for ages 3 and older). 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. $20 to $25. Family Theater, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600. Performances will continue through Jan. 3.

■ A park ranger will lead a planetarium program about distant galaxies, nebulas and other deep space objects (for ages 7 and older). 4 to 4:45 p.m. Free.

Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.

Class ■ The Mount Pleasant Library will present “Saturday Morning Yoga.” 10 a.m. Free. Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. 202-671-3122.

Concerts ■ Family of Praise, a RichmondSee Events/Page 17

Continued From Page 16 based gospel music group, will perform gospel and holiday music. 6 p.m. Free.

Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202467-4600.

■ The Yeonas Brothers Band will perform. 8 p.m. Free. Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys. com.

■ The Rick Alberico Jazz Project will perform. 8 and 10 p.m. $15. Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz.com.

■ Katita and the Fajitas, Projected Man and West Main will perform. 8:30 p.m. $10. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Films ■ National Geographic Museum will present “Jerusalem 3D,” featuring the first-ever large format aerial footage of the Old City. Noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. $7.

Grosvenor Auditorium, National Geographic Museum, 1600 M St. NW. 202857-7700. The film will also be shown Sunday through Thursday at the same times.

■ “Twenty-Five Years of Milestone Film” will feature Philip Haas’ 1988 film “A Day on the Grand Canal With the Emperor of China,” about two tableaux of antique bustling streets and waterways. 12:30 p.m. Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

■ The National Gallery of Art will present the Washington premiere of Randall Wright’s 2014 film “Hockney,” about British artist David Hockney. 2 p.m. Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Performance ■ The “Chinese Menu” comedy show will feature an all-star mash-up with local improvisers performing with D.C. ex-pats. 7:30 and 10 p.m. $10 to $12.

DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. decmenu.bpt.me.

■ Stand-up comedian Erin Jackson will perform. 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. $20; two item minimum. DC Improv Comedy Club, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202296-7008. The performance will repeat Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Special event ■ The Washington Harbour ice skating rink will hold a weekly “Cartoon Skate” event, from 10 a.m. to noon; and a weekly “Rock n Skate” event, from 8 to 10 p.m. $9 to $10. Washington Harbour, 3000 K St. NW. 202-706-7666.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Capitals will play the Montreal Canadiens. 7 p.m. $71 to $398. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-745-3000.

Tours and walks ■ “Gardener’s Focus: Bones of the Winter Garden” will feature a tour led by Hillwood horticulturist Bill Johnson. 11 a.m. $15 to $18; tickets distributed at the Visitor Center upon opening each day. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. 202-6865807. The tour will repeat Tuesday at 11 a.m.

■ The National Gallery of Art will present a “Picture This! Audio-Described Art Tour” for individuals with impaired sight or who wish to enhance their art

&

The Current

Events Entertainment experience with verbal descriptions. 1 to 2 p.m. Free. National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-842-6905.

Sunday, Dec. 27

Sunday december 27 Children’s program ■ A park ranger will use the story of Goldilocks to explain what exoplanets are and discuss the search for another Earth. 4 p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-8956227.

Class ■ Dumbarton House will host an “English Country Dance” workshop.

12:30 to 2:45 p.m. $5. Dumbarton House, 2715 Q St. NW. 202-337-2288.

Concert ■ Brothers Todd and Shawn Simon will perform a holiday concert. 8 and 10 p.m. $10. Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz.com.

Discussion ■ National Gallery of Art lecturer Dianne Stephens will discuss “The Kaufman Collection of American Furniture.” 1 p.m. Free. Meet in the West Building Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Films ■ The National Gallery of Art will present the Washington premiere of Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s 2015 film “Wondrous Boccaccio,” about a circle of young friends who flee plague-ravaged Florence for a private villa. 2 p.m. Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

■ The National Gallery of Art will present Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira’s 2001 film “I’m Going Home,” about a Parisian actor in his late 70s who has to care for a young grandson when his wife and daughter are killed. 4 p.m. Free.

East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Performances ■ “Holiday Vaudeville” will feature Cajun cellist Sean Grissom, magician Mark Mitton and klezmer quartet the Alexandria Kleztet. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600. The performance will repeat Monday at 6 p.m.

■ Petworth Citizen will host a comedy showcase. 8 to 11 p.m. Free. Reading Room, Petworth Citizen, 829 Upshur St. NW. petworthcitizen.com.

Walk ■ Park rangers will lead a “Winter at Fort DeRussy” hike to the Civil War installation and explain how soldiers passed the cold winter months in the forts surrounding Washington (for ages 10 and older). 2 p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

17

Exhibit highlights airport towers “Art of the Airport Tower,” featuring 50 photographs of air traffic control towers by Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo, opened recently

On exhibit

at the National Air and Space Museum and will continue through November 2016.

Located at 6th Street and Independence Avenue SW, the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

202-633-1000.

■ “Louise Bourgeois: No Exit,” presenting 21 works by Bourgeois that explore her grounding in surrealism and ties to existentialism, opened recently at the National Gallery of Art and will continue through May 15.

Located at 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 202-895-6070.

Monday, Dec. 28

Monday december 28 Children’s program ■ D.C.-based singer-songwriter Marsha Goodman-Wood will present “Rise + Rhyme,” a storytelling and performance series for ages 5 and younger. 9:30 to 11 a.m. $5 per child. Busboys and Poets Takoma, 235 Carroll St. NW. 202-7260856.

Classes and workshops ■ Yoga Activist will present a weekly yoga class geared toward beginners. 7 p.m. Free. Second-floor meeting room, Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-282-3080. The class will also be offered Tuesday at 7 p.m.

■ Poets on the Fringe will host a weekly poetry workshop. 7 to 8 p.m.

Free. Stoddert Recreation Center, 4001 Calvert St. NW. passapamela@aol.com.

Concert ■ The Philadelphia-based septet Live at the Fillmore, a tribute to the Allman Brothers Band, will perform. 7:30 p.m. $15 to $23. The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW. thehamiltondc.com.

Discussion ■ National Gallery of Art lecturer Eric Denker will discuss “The Golden Legend Illustrated: Saint Nicholas.” Noon. Free.

Meet in the West Building Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

The talk will repeat Tuesday through Thursday at noon.

Film ■ The Music and Poetry Club will screen the 1985 film “That’s Dancing,” starring Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minnelli and Gene Kelly. A performance by the Blues Muse ensemble will follow. 7:30 p.m. Free. St. Mary’s Court, 725 24th St. NW. 202-393-1511.

Performances ■ The Anacostia Community Museum’s Kwanzaa celebration will feature a performance by the mime and perfor-

a.m. to 6 p.m. 202-737-4215.

■ “Age of Lawyers: The Roots of American Law in Shakespeare’s Britain,” offering a close-up look at the rapid increase of lawyers and legal actions during the time of William Shakespeare, opened recently at the Folger Shakespeare Library, where it will continue through Jan. 3.

Located at 201 East Capitol St. SE, the library is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

202-544-4600.

■ “Photo Ark,” a multiyear project by National Geographic to create portraits of the world’s species before they disappear, is featured in an exhibit that opened recently at the National Geographic Museum.

Continuing through April, the exhibit highlights the work of photographer, speaker, author, teacher and National Geographic fellow Joel Sartore.

Located at 1145 17th St. NW, the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to

mance group Crazee Praize Nation based on the seven guiding Kwanzaa principles. 10:30 a.m. to noon. Free; reservations required. Fort Stanton Recreation Center, 1812 Erie St. SE. 202-6334844.

■ Busboys and Poets will present an open mic poetry night hosted by Drew Law. 9 to 11 p.m. $5. Busboys and Poets Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE. 202-636-7230.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Wizards will play the Los Angeles Clippers. 7 p.m. $27 to $899. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-745-3000.

Tuesday, Dec. 29

Tuesday december 29 Children’s program ■ A Kwanzaa program for children and families will feature arts and crafts workshops. 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Free; reservations required. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE. 202-633-4844.

Carolyn Russo’s “Birmingham Airport, United Kingdom” is part of an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum.

6 p.m. Admission costs $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, students and military personnel; and $10 for ages 5 through 12. 202-857-7588.

Classes and workshops ■ A certified yoga instructor will lead a class targeted to ages 55 and older.

10 a.m. Free; reservations required.

Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. geoyogarsvp@dc.gov.

■ The Georgetown Library will present a yoga class practicing introductory viniyasa techniques. 11:30 a.m. Free; reservations required. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. geoyogarsvp@ dc.gov.

Concerts ■ The Holocaust Survivor Band — a duo formed by drummer Saul Dreier and accordionist Reuwen (“Ruby”) Sosnowicz — will present “L’Chaim to Life, a Sentimental Journey of Music and Song.” 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ “An Evening at the Garden” will feature Project Natale performing jazz. 6 to 8 p.m. Free. Garden Court, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

See Events/Page 18

Advent Mass Sunday, December 13, 2015 Part I at 9:30 AM & Part II at 11:00 AM

“Magnificat”

by Johann Sebastian Bach

Foundry choirs, soloists, and Baroque orchestra will celebrate this time honored Advent cantata. Lead by Stanely Thurston, Director of Music Ministries.

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18 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Current

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■ A New Year’s Eve concert will feature Pimps of Joytime and the Ron Holloway Band. 9 p.m. $30 to $38. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Continued From Page 17 ■ Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge will host its weekly open mic show. 8 p.m. Free.

Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Discussion ■ National Gallery of Art lecturer Bela Demeter will discuss “Dragons in Art.” 1 p.m. Free. Meet in the West Building Rotunda, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

Films ■ “Tuesday Night Movies” will feature Billy Wilder’s 1960 romantic comedy “The Apartment,” starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. 6 p.m. Free. Room A-5, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-727-0321.

■ The Washington DC Jewish Community Center will present Evgeny Ruman’s 2015 film “The Man in the Wall,” a psychological drama that unfolds over the course of a single evening in a Tel Aviv apartment. 7:30 p.m. $13. Goldman Theater, Washington DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. washingtondcjcc.org.

Performances and readings ■ The Washington Improv Theater’s “Harold Night” will feature performances by the ensembles Blot and Richie, at 8 p.m.; and by Discoteca! and a second ensemble, at 9 p.m. By donation.

Source, 1835 14th St. NW. witdc.org.

■ The Beltway Poetry Slam will present a featured reading and open slam. 9 to 11 p.m. $5. Busboys and Poets Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE. 202636-7230.

■ Busboys and Poets will present an open mic poetry night hosted by Khadijah Moon. 9 to 11 p.m. $5. Langston Room, Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.

Special event ■ “WWE SmackDown Live” will feature stars such as Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns. 7 p.m. $20 to $110. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-745-3000.

Wednesday, Dec. 30

Wednesday december 30 Classes and workshops ■ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rock Creek, will host a weekly tai chi class. 2 p.m. Free. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rock Creek, 201 Allison St. NW. 202726-2080.

■ The Vajrayogini Buddhist Center will host a weekly class on meditation. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $6 to $12. Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1787 Columbia Road NW. 202-986-2257.

Concerts ■ Herb Scott will host a weekly Capitol Hill Jazz Jam. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; two item per person minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ Jazz guitarist Jack Waugh will perform. 8 and 10 p.m. $10. Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz.com.

■ A pre-New Year’s Eve concert will

Performance ■ The DC Improv Comedy Club will present stand-up comedian Orny Adams.

7:30 and 10:15 p.m. $35 to $75. DC Improv Comedy Club, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-296-7008.

Thursday, December 31 ■ Concert: A New Year’s Eve concert will feature local musicians Rosa Lamoreaux (shown), J. Reilly Lewis, Ann Colgrove, John Hurd and Diane Heath performing “Bach Through Modern.” 6 p.m. $30 donation suggested; free for students. St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle St. NW. columba.org. feature the Brooklyn-based funk/soul/ dance pop band Pimps of Joytime and DC’s funky neo-soul group Aztec Sun. 8:30 p.m. $20 to $25. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Performances ■ “Comedy at the Kennedy Center” will feature Nate Bargatze performing stand-up.

6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600.

■ Busboys and Poets will host an open mic poetry event. 9 to 11 p.m. $5.

Cullen Room, Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW. 202-789-2227.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Capitals will play the Buffalo Sabres. 7 p.m. $55 to $341.

Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-7453000.

Thursday, Dec. 31

Thursday december 31 Concerts ■ A New Year’s Eve Celebration will feature soul/funk artist Sir Joe Quarterman and FreeSoul, as well as the young soulful singers Michael Mwenso & the Shakes featuring Brianna Thomas. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ “A Jazz New Year’s Eve” will celebrate the centenary of Frank Sinatra with a performance by pianist and vocalist Diane Schuur accompanied by a jazz quartet and a full complement of strings. 7 and 9 p.m. $90. Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ “New Year’s Eve at the Kennedy Center” will feature international music icon and 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan. 8:30 p.m. $55 to $149. Concert Hall, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ Twins Jazz will present a New Year’s Eve dinner and concert with jazz artist Kelly Shepherd. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. $85. Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz.com.

Special events ■ “Noon Yards Eve,” a family-friendly New Year’s Eve festival, will feature music, dancing, balloon artists, inflatables, trackless trains, face painting, kids’ crafts and a balloon drop at noon.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free. Yards Park, 355 Water St. SE. theyardsdc.com.

■ A Family Yoga NYE Party led by Geneva Moss will feature partner poses, shared laughter and breath, and meditation on goals for 2016 (geared to families with children ages 3 and older). 4 to 5 p.m. $25 per family; reservations required by Dec. 29. lil omm yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave. NW. lilomm.com.

■ “Neo Year’s Eve at Woolly Mammoth!” will feature a performance of “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” by the Chicago Neo-Futurists, with a pre-show happy hour and a post-performance party with a Champagne toast, dessert by Milk Bar and unlimited beer and wine. 10 p.m. $115 to $150. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939.

■ ArtJamz will host its annual New Year’s Eve Glitter Ball, featuring art materials, a canvas, studio time, hors d’oeuvres and a midnight Champagne toast. 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. $65 to $75; $95 to $105 per couple. ArtJamz Dupont Studio, 1728 Connecticut Ave. NW. artjamzdc.com.

Friday, Jan. 1

Friday january 1 Class ■ “New Year Detox and Rejuvenation Workshop” will offer a chance to reset for 2016 with asanas and pranayama to detoxify body, mind and soul. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $30 per person or $50 per pair. lil omm yoga, 4708 Wisconsin Ave. NW. lilomm.com.

Concerts ■ Balladeer Anthony Compton will perform jazz and blues. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; two item per person minimum.

Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ Kelly Shepherd and NoMad Stories will perform jazz. 9 and 11 p.m. $15.

Twins Jazz, 1344 U St. NW. twinsjazz. com. The performance will repeat Saturday at 9 and 11 p.m.

Performances ■ The Culkin School of Irish Dance will celebrate Irish culture with a performance of Irish music and dance. 6 p.m.

Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600.

■ Beny Blaq will host “Live! From Busboys” open mic and talent showcase. 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. $5. Langston Room, Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Wizards will play the Orlando Magic. 7 p.m. $19 to $899.

Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-7453000.

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22 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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THE CURRENT VAN NESS: Mixed-use project delayed by weather, infrastructure issues

From Page 3

tion Don Hachey said at the meeting.

Hachey said the site’s steep drop-off from Connecticut Avenue proved more difficult to work around than initially anticipated. And more than 60 days of inclement weather, including “torrential downpours” and last winter’s frigid temperatures, exceeded the block of time the construction company had set aside in anticipation of weather delays.

The most recent setback for the project, Hachey said, came when the construction company tried to excavate within the public right of way on the northern portion of the site. Crews anticipated working around existing duct banks and manholes, but they were surprised to find the ducts deteriorated, the manholes collapsed and live electric cables sticking out.

B.F. Saul contacted Pepco in October to inquire about repairs. Pepco representatives told the firm the area could be completely fixed within four to six months, which would have set the Park Van Ness project back even further.

Instead, Hachey said, the developer took a

more proactive approach.

“We chose to beg and plead and grovel and agree to rebuild it at our expense,” Hachey said. The process took only two months.

D.C. Department of Transportation deputy associate director Matthew Marcou — who oversees the use of public space, such as the sidewalk closure — said at the meeting that nobody is harmed by these delays more than B.F. Saul, which is losing “tens of thousands of dollars.”

He assured residents that construction will continue and the stakeholders will do everything in their power to get back on track.

“This is not somebody that anybody’s taking lightly,” Marcou said. “Everybody’s moving as expeditiously as possible.”

Commission chair Adam Tope told The Current he doesn’t think the commission can do much to push the project forward, other than hold the developer accountable for finishing in the time allotted.

Fellow commissioner and Van Ness Main Streets president Mary Beth Ray takes a more optimistic view, particularly regarding the new

businesses.

“While we’re frustrated with the sidewalk delay, we appreciate BF Saul’s transparency and willingness to work with the community,” Ray wrote in an email. “As both an ANC Commissioner and President of the Board of Van Ness Main Street, I predict it won’t be long before other developers ask themselves ‘why aren’t we in Van Ness?’”

Sfoglina is the latest restaurant from Fabio and Maria Trabocchi, who also own Fiola at 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; Fiola Mare at 3100 K St. NW; and Casa Luca at 1099 New York Ave. NW. According to media reports, handmade pastas will be the focus for the new eatery, which gets its name from the Italian word for a woman who makes pasta.

Soapstone Market will have indoor and outdoor seating, a bar and several deli and meat counters, according to media reports. It comes from Tracy Stannard and John Fielding, also responsible for Broad Branch Market at 5608 Broad Branch Road NW in Chevy Chase.

Photos and renderings of the project are available at tinyurl.com/ParkVanNess.

CAROLS: Local woman launches new Chevy Chase holiday tradition From Page 1

Voss will hand out songbooks she curated and printed herself, and the group — or groups, depending on how many people show up — will set off along Connecticut Avenue to make merry through song. The carolers will also be encouraged to patronize Chevy Chase’s family-owned businesses after the singing.

Voss practiced this Christmas Eve tradition for several years on Capitol Hill, where she lived with her husband, James Soriano, and their son Jacob from 2010 to late 2013. Voss and Soriano wanted to move to Upper Northwest to take advantage of the well-regarded public elementary schools in the neighborhood, particularly Lafayette Elementary, which Jacob will enter as a kindergartner next fall.

“Chevy Chase is about as close to a warm, small-town village as you can get in the city,” Voss said.

“People are very gracious and neighborly here, which I particularly appreciate.”

On the Hill, the annual Christmas caroling was an outgrowth of a program Voss hosted at the Southeast Library called “Booliwah,” which helped young children gain basic learning skills

through sign language, movement and music. Jam sessions were a primary component of her classes, and Voss took great pleasure in designing lesson plans to maximize rhythm and melody. For the caroling event, the focus was on children and their parents, but all demographics were welcome.

Former Capitol Hill caroler Nicole Bartels was such a fan of the event that after she and her family moved to Bowie, Md., in 2013, they returned to the city on Christmas Eve to continue the tradition.

“It was great because it was this eclectic group of littler kids, all races, coming together to celebrate the holidays and trying to spread cheer to others,” she said.

Bartels has noticed her daughter has recently developed a strong interest in the tradition, and she points to Voss’ energy as a factor.

She noted that some carolers had never sung a note before, but Voss assured them that the point was to have fun, not to hit every note perfectly.

“Marelise is great at welcoming people and making people feel like they matter,” Bartels said.

Living and singing in Chevy Chase brings Voss full circle from her childhood. She grew up in

Brian Kapur/Current file photo

Carolers will meet at 11 a.m.

Christmas Eve at the Starbucks at 5500 Connecticut Ave. NW.

Illinois, but often visited family friends in the D.C. neighborhood with her mother, who had attended Catholic University. In the ultimate example of fortuitousness, the backyard of her new home is adjacent to the former home of the friends Voss visited as a child.

“If you’d told me I was going to live in D.C., I would have been ecstatic, but I think I would have been very surprised,” Voss said.

This year, in another effort to give back to the community, Voss and her family have also been participating in the “12 Days of Kindness” concept, which began on Dec. 12 and will culminate with the caroling event on Christmas Eve. Each day, the family participates in an act of kindness, like delivering cookies across the neighborhood or participating in a Ward 4 coat drive.

In the future, Voss is interested in introducing a version of Booliwah to Chevy Chase, at a location yet to be determined. She’s also thought about hosting a Chevy Chase choral program where adults and children can simultaneously learn basic singing techniques and music theory.

But for 2015, her focus is the caroling. In her ideal vision of the event, people walking down the street will spontaneously join in on the singing, as they’ve done during her previous gatherings.

“What is more joyous than singing?” Voss said. “I’m hoping this will be the purest expression of a true holiday spirit these folks will have this season.”

cels on different regions of the property for demolition, remediation and new construction in phases. Each parcel will be sold to an individual component developer, according to Michael Jones, principal at Triden Development.

The development team, which also includes the Hines firm, is in talks with Wegmans for a new store in the designated spot for a grocer on the property. According to Jones, Wegmans is in the process of compiling a market study for the site, which it will complete by the end of January.

“The discussions that we’re having with them will be much more robust after the site analysis,” Jones said. “We believe there is strong interest in both parties to make that happen.”

In response to a question from Mendelson, Jones admitted that the timeline for the project means the grocery store likely won’t open until 2021 or 2022. The store would take over the former hospital facilities at Walter Reed Building 2, which requires a demolition process of three years. Then excavation would begin, taking up to another year before the retailer could move in.

Also moving into space at Walter Reed is the District of Columbia International School, a collaborative venture of five existing language immersion charters. The school could open doors to a new campus facility at the corner of 16th and Aspen streets in September 2017. Ultimately the venture hopes to expand its Walter Reed campus to offer an International Baccalaureate program from grades six through 12.

Current student Gabriel Madison testified that students at the program’s incubator space in Mount Pleasant now have to walk 20 minutes to a nearby church for gym class. The problem will only get more severe as the program grows from 400 to 1,200 students over the next five years, according to a D.C. International School trustee.

“This is terribly inconvenient, and it means that students lose instructional time,” Madison said.

“This will easily be resolved if we can retain our space on the Walter Reed campus.”

Jones said an earlier plan would have put the school in its new campus by next September, but various project delays affected the schedule.

Developers at the hearing also mentioned soliciting community feedback about the best use for the 20 available acres of green space.

Possibilities include a farmers market and outdoor movies.

The public record on this legislation will close on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. After that, the bill will go to committee for markup before heading to the full council for a vote.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015 23

The Current

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24 Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Current

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5230 Elliott Road, Bethesda, MD 20816, $949,000.

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WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

We have exciting new listings that will be coming on the market in the New Year.

Remember, If you are thinking of selling we have buyers ready to purchase today!

Call us today for more information.

Please go to tayloragostino.com for more photos and links to MRIS for all of our featured the properties.

Steve Agostino 202.321.5506 Nancy Taylor 202.997.0081 Keene Taylor Jr. 202.321.3488 5506 Connecticut Avenue NW #28 Washington, DC 20015 Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. If your property is listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation of that listing.

202.362.0300 or visit tayloragostino.com/walkthrough to schedule an appointment.