Burleith Newsletter May, 2000

This year went much faster than I would have thought possible and we are beginning to wind down the activities of the Association. However, we continue to be involved in the issue of St. Mary's Hall and the Georgetown University Ten Year Plan. (Both issues are addressed elsewhere in this issue ).

The May meeting will be the last formal meeting of the year and we are pleased that our Ward 2 Councilmember, Jack Evans, will be present to address the residents. It is becoming a tradition to have him at this year-end meeting where he can elaborate on what is happening both downtown and elsewhere within Ward 2. He is always willing to answer questions and hear our comments.

Elections for the new year will be held at the meeting. The Nominating Committee has set forth an excellent slate. We are fortunate to have several members continue on the Board and are also pleased by the new nominations submitted. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor. It is important that you come to this meeting and cast your vote!

Now we can look forward to our June 10 community picnic. Mark the date on your calendar. It is a great day for children and adults. Look to the June newsletter for more details.

I feel I would be remiss if the issue of the student block party and Burleith's role in the debate were not addressed.

Members of the BCA Board were disappointed when the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board reversed an earlier decision and voted to grant a one day liquor license to the organizers of the Student Block Party. The BCA had sent a letter to the ABC Board asking them not to grant the one day liquor license because of what usually follows in the communities after an event such as this, plus the overall impact of off-campus drinking and parties in our community. Furthermore, the University did not endorse the block party in light of the serious events that have happened recently on campus. Along with West Georgetown, Burleith is impacted more than any other neighborhood by what happens or does not happen on campus.

As you probably read in the Current, the ABC Board first denied the license but then considered an appeal, led by Art Schultz (an ANC Commissioner who lives on the east side of Georgetown), who had vigorously supported Block Party initially. We were appalled, first, that the BCA was never notified that the appeal was to be heard; and second by Mr. Schultz's remarks at the hearing. Mr. Schultz told the ABC Board that MPD Lt. Patrick Burke supported the event, which he did not (in fact, Lt. Burke and the MPD have been publicly non-supportive of events involving sale of alcohol on public space). Reportedly, this misrepresentation of Lt. Burke's position was particularly influential with the ABC Board, whose members respect his efforts to control irresponsible licensees and underage drinking in Georgetown. Next, Mr. Schultz maligned our community, calling Burleith "more or less a suburb of Georgetown" and "not real players" in Georgetown's affairs.

Mr. Schultz was forced to write a letter to the ABC Board backtracking on his comments, particularly his misquotes from Lt. Burke. It is so easy to recant, after the damage has been done.

Pat Scolaro

Beginning May 11 a large blue recycle container will be at the entrance to the athletic field at 38th and R Sts. It is being placed and maintained by the Clothing Recycle Company to collect wearable clothing and small unbreakables. The collected items will be sorted, cleaned and distributed to charitable organizations, including the Unity Health Care and the Central Union Mission here in the District. (Unity Health Care operates a "Clothing Closet" store at 14th Street and Columbia Road, N.W.)

The Clothing Recycle Company is working with Georgetown University and the Community to make the end-of-semester student move out as hassle free as possible. By placing them in the container, items discarded by departing students can be salvaged and put to good use. Similar containers will be on campus and in West Georgetown.

Of course, non-student residents can also take advantage of the convenient location when cleaning out closets and drawers and changing to summer wardrobes.

The General Manager of the company has assured us that the containers will be emptied on a regular basis-daily if necessary. They have operated similar programs at American University and elsewhere in D.C. and in Montgomery and PG counties.

by Peter Pulsifer

Tentative plans are complete for the renovation of the Tot Lot and a meeting was held on May 3 to go over these with the landscape architect (Oehme-van Sweden & Associates), the Corcoran, and interested neighbors. Because of short notice, only a few were able to attend, but there is still some time to comment.

The basic design is pretty much determined by the space available and the requirements for safety spaces around the equipment. Still, a number of options were presented to address the preferences expressed by neighbors at our March 11 meeting. The plans described here are tentative and reflect the preferences of those at the meeting.

It looks like we will be able to have three swings and a sandbox. Most of the ground will be covered by a special rubberized surface, but under the tree canopies will be uncovered, and there will be planting beds on the periphery. (The two large trees will remain). In the center will be the large piece of play equipment pictured on the cover of the Newsletter, which has modular play panels and (hopefully) two slides, according to present plans a curved tube slide and a spiral slide. Nearby will be the play house shown on the cover.

The existing chain-link fencing will be removed and replaced with a 42-inch tall iron fence (sketched on the cover). This fence is currently planned to surround the Tot Lot and leave the walkway along the building open, but that might be changed (saving money!) to enclose the walkway in the play area-with a gate at the steps.

The existing benches and picnic table will be re-installed after renovation. In addition, a community sign board will be erected and a small storage shed for play equipment (like push toys ands scooters) will be set against the building.

Deciding among options involved looking at the design to see how a new or alternative toy, with its required safety buffer, could fit into the available space. Trisha McManus, the designer, provided stencils and transparencies of the right size to work with. (One decision at the meeting was that spring toys were lower priority than the sandbox and play house.)

All the possible designs were attractive, and it looks like we'll all be delighted with the Corcoran's contribution to our families. The project will be very expensive, and some tradeoffs may still be needed to meet the budget. Probably the single greatest expense is the rubberized play surface now included, and one tradeoff might be to substitute a mulch play surface and use the saved money for equipment. But mulch requires more maintenance and so might not be cheaper in the long run. Meeting participants preferred the rubberized surface, but we weren't sure what we'd give up for it.

At this point, the process is only beginning: Since it's in the Georgetown Historic District, it must be approved by the ANC, the Old Georgetown Board, and possibly other agencies. The ANC expects to consider it at the June 6 meeting, but because of awkward scheduling it might be voted on as early as the May 23 meeting on the Georgetown University campus plan. The Corcoran is counting on enthusiastic neighborhood support to speed the approval process.

Some preliminary plans will be available at the May 10 BCA meeting. For more information, call Peter Pulsifer at 337-3065.

by Bonnie Hardy

As most of you know, the Burleith Garden Club has been limping along over the last couple years. What used to be a vibrant club-monthly meetings with a membership of 20 to 30-has dwindled down to about 12 members. The Board of the Garden Club meet a few weeks ago and decided that, instead of being a separate organization, the Club would request to become a standing committee of the Burleith Citizens Association. As a committee, we will focus on neighborhood issues such as street trees, the Tot Lot, and the general appearance of the neighborhood. We also plan to sponsor a few speakers at BCA meetings to cover horticultural subjects that we hope the neighborhood would be interested in. We bring with us a healthy treasury and an enthusiasm to get back to the "grass roots."

This month we are sponsoring a contest featuring container gardening. It is a pleasure to walk around Burleith and see lovely window boxes or a pot or two of appropriate flowers on the steps or porches of Burleith. We encourage you to put your "best container forward" and show us what you can do. Judging will take place over the Memorial Day weekend and the winner (or winners) will be announced at the June 10 Picnic. Also at the picnic, we hope to have a container-gardening workshop conducted by an expert who specializes in this type of gardening. Any questions? Call Bonnie Hardy at 338-6470 or Peggy Breckenridge at 337-3503. THANKS!

Because we did not have a quorum we held a "meeting by consensus" on Friday, April 28 at the Washington International School.

Charles Mallett reported that we have $6,148.34 in the treasury and all bills are current. He was also happy to report that 35% of Burleith households are members of the BCA.

The GU Ten Year Plan: There was a 30 day postponement of the BZA hearing until June 13 when the University will make the presentation and the communities respond the following month. The Office of Planning has decided that, prior to the actual hearings, the involved communities and the University will meet with a mediator who was selected by the Office of Planning. As it stands now Pat Scolaro and Peter Pulsifer will represent Burleith at the table. This gives us an opportunity to discuss, and perhaps resolve, all issues prior to the actual hearings. Please note that the BCA Board and membership have voted that we would not agree to any enrollment increase-other issues may have to presented to the Board for approval.

St. Mary's Hall: Hearing was held on April 18. Unfortunately, although the hearing went until 6:30, time ran out for the communities opposing the plan to convert the building from housing to an administrative building. We are rescheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, May 10. Community support is always important. Please call me if you would like to attend this hearing.

Recycling Bin at the Athletic Field: the Clothing Recycling Company, in cooperation with Georgetown University, will place a blue closed recycling container at the entrance to the field. This program should help to eliminate some of the discards we find in the alleys at the end of the year. The container will be there from May 11 until shortly after graduation. They will empty the container twice a week or more often if necessary.

Web Site: Burleith's own Internet address is www.Burleith.org, and is a good way for newcomers, and residents alike, to learn about the community. Also, it contains a link to the GU ten year plan, among other things. The cost is $25.00 per month.

Student Block Party: The ABC Board denied the one day license to serve alcohol on the street for the April 28 Block Party, but after an appeal was entered by the students, with the support of Art Schultz (ANC 2E-07), the Board reversed itself and granted the permit. Burleith had sent a letter opposing this event but we were never notified about the appeal. Guy Gwynne addressed this issue with the Board and the BCA sent a letter of protest.

Summer Picnic, June 10: We agreed to a budget of $1200 for this community tradition.

Burleith Garden Club: Bonnie Hardy notified the Board that the Garden Club is taking a sabbatical from the national federation and communicated the Club's wish to merge with the BCA and function as a standing committee. One BCA meeting during the course of the year would be sponsored by the Garden Club. The issue was not resolved, and may be considered at the May General meeting.

The May 10 meeting is the Annual Meeting for the Burleith Citizens Association, when officers are elected for the coming year. New officers will begin their terms in July.

All member households are entitled to vote (one vote per household). This year, eligible persons are permitted to join the Association and vote at the same meeting. (If you plan to do so and aren't known to the Membership Chair, please bring some evidence of eligibility). Membership is open to all residents of Burleith (whether owners, renters or freeloaders) as well as to individuals owning property in Burleith. There are no institutional memberships.

The BCA Nominations Committee has picked a slate of willing nominees. Nominations at the May 10 Annual Meeting are those of the nominating committee and such other nominations as are offered from the floor, providing that any such nominee submits his consent to serve, either in person at the meeting or in writing at the time his nomination is offered.

Nominees were printed in last month's Newsletter. They are, for President: Pat Scolaro; 1st Vice President: Ed Solomon; 2nd Vice President: Tom Bryant; 3rd Vice President: Jeff Daniel; Recording Secretary: Sarah Revis; Corresponding Secretary: Ann Gallagher; Treasurer: Charles Mallett; Newsletter Editor: Peter Pulsifer; Delegates to the Federation of Citizens Associations: Guy Gwynne, Janice Hopper and Virginia Warren; Delegates to the Federation of Civic Associations: Pat Scolaro (ex officio), Michael Farquhar, Holly Dempsey, Margaret Meenahan, Marilyn Reis.

Summer is almost here, and the time is getting near to register for classes at the Guy Mason Recreation Center, located at 3600 Calvert Street in nearby Glover Park. Registration begins Saturday, May 13, with classes starting the week of June 12.

Here is your chance to get in shape for your trip to the beach and keep your tension levels low with Jacki's Aerobic Workout and Strong Step, Dancersize, Yoga, Qi Gong, and Self Defense/Karate (adults and children 7-12).

The mind and its creative juices need not sleep during the summer. Keep growing mentally with classes in Spanish, China Painting, Art, Copper Enameling, and Pottery.

Games classes include Bridge and Chess. And as always there is the Retirees Club, with no fee: on Wednesdays between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., bring a partner and dance!

Class fees are very reasonable, from $40 to $90 plus material fee if applicable, with a low per-session fee for exercise classes and bridge. Chess classes-on Wednesdays between 3:15 and 4:15-are free.

For further information visit the Center, or contact Vincent Cain or Caryl King at 282-2180.

On Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can bring your old paints, solvents, pesticides, motor oil and batteries to the household hazardous waste collection site at the Carter Barron Amphitheater parking lot, 16th and Kennedy Streets, NW.

Also accepted will be computers (but not monitors), printers, keyboards, computer mice, power cords, and circuit boards. Not accepted will be monitors or TVs, stereos, radios and VCRs.

For more information call the Department of Public Works at 727-1000.

(ELECTIONS: Last meeting before Fall)
Wednesday, May 10, 2000, 7:00 p.m., Washington International School

7:00-Lt. Pat Burke - Police Report

7:15-Jack Evans, Ward 2 Councilman and Chair of Finance & Revenue Committee
Jack's recent accomplishments include a tough new anti-noise law and stricter regulation of false IDs for underage drinking

8:00-Short Business Meeting (Elections, Tot Lot, Campus Plan, Garden Club, more)

All are Welcome - Refreshments served

Earlier this year, as reported in the Newsletter, unknown persons jumped a fence at a house of 37th St and smashed some lawn furniture there. Recently the following letter was dropped off at that house, along with a gift basket containing fancy foods.

Dear Friend,

We are writing this day to lament the vandalism that befell you recently at the hands of certain members of the community. As both neighbors [and] fellow concerned community members, we find it unfortunate that we should all live in fear of such activities by a hostile minority of individuals.

Whether viewed on television or experienced close to home, this sort of disrespect for any individual and their property is something that fills us with a good deal of frustration and anger. As such. we feel that it is time for us to recommit ourselves to making our community a safer place and for fostering a great sense of love between all of us. It is for this reason we extend this olive branch to you.

As a token of our sympathy and the potential fraternity we believe is possible to be felt between everyone in Georgetown, we give you this small gift, a symbol of our feelings of indignation over and pity for such an incident happening to one of our neighbors.

In response to this incident, we promise to be further committed to trying to foster a greater sense of camaraderie between the student population of Georgetown and the surrounding community. We all share residence in this community and it is high time we acted as such, as neighbors.

We hope that you accept our gift with open arms and also our prospect for a commitment to a real expression of love and peace between all of our neighbors.

Happy Easter,

Sincerely,

The Students of Georgetown

by Peter Pulsifer

The Georgetown University campus plan is heading for hearings before the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The first hearing, originally scheduled for May 16, was postponed until June 13 (with the consent of the University) at the request of several community organizations (including the BCA). The biggest reason for delay was the start of formal mediation between the University and the community, a process that is only now beginning but which could make the process much easier for all parties. Mediation is sponsored by the D.C. Office of Planning (OP) and will involve OP, the University, and representatives from all of the local community associations. The goal will be to reach a consensus on everything or on some things that all parties can support.

The new campus plan has been described in the past couple Newsletters. Major ingredients are a 500-student increase in the undergraduate enrollment cap and 1.26 million square feet of new development. The big academic projects (total 739,000 square feet) include a new 350-seat theater complex, a new science building and a new business school, the latter two to be built just south of Leavey on a large baseball diamond. Longer-term projects are a Lauinger library addition and a Reservoir Rd building. The medical projects (432,000 square feet) include three big buildings or additions, at least one designated as a doctors' office building.

Neighbors have several concerns about the University's plan. Burleith and others have definitely said "no" to the undergraduate enrollment increase. No positions have been taken about other aspects, partly because of a lack of information. (The approach seems to be to take few positions, but ask many questions). Traffic is a particularly difficult issue, because few good facts are available and there's serious concern. Particularly troublesome for Burleith is the alignment of 38th St with Entrance 1, which could greatly increase "cut-through" traffic, as well as the high-density development on the north campus. Planned reductions in student recreational space, especially if combined with enrollment increases, might increase demands on community resources like Ellington field or the Green Lot. There is also continuing concern about local University expansion outside the campus boundary-not included in the plan. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but it does include many of issues likely to be important in mediation.

In evaluating the plan, it's important to consider not just the potential problems from what the plan does, but also the problems that are left unsolved by what the plan leaves out. Following are a few more details about some community concerns.

Most importantly for Burleith, the proposed plan doesn't make any effort to reduce student impact (including noise, trash, behavior problems, and overcrowding). In fact, the plan will make the problems even worse by increasing the number of both undergraduate and graduate students living off campus. Significant student disruptions remain despite strenuous efforts by the University over the past decade, including hiring new people, instituting a hotline, requiring community orientation, and periodically collecting bulk trash. Some ideas for further progress that are not in the plan: increasing on-campus community resources, tightening noise and conduct regulations, recognizing the disruptive role of alcohol and enacting a vigorous University anti-drinking program-or reducing enrollment to manageable levels. In addition, the large market created by the University for off-campus group houses (undergrad, graduate, part-time, etc) has put pressure on nearby neighborhoods like Burleith. In 1990, approval of the current campus plan was "linked to the University's housing program," which included a "long-term" commitment to housing 100% of undergraduates on campus. This commitment must be retained in the new campus plan, with the goal that no undergraduate should be forced to live off campus.

Traffic is another important concern, especially with the acquisition of the Medical Center by MedStar Health and the expected increase in activity there. (MedStar's intentions are still not well understood, but they clearly need to increase business). Short-term "in and out" type businesses like doctors' offices bring in parkers not well controlled by our two-hour residential parking zones, and also generate lots of traffic. None of this is considered in the plan. A well-planned modification of the on-campus circulation pattern might serve Medical Center customers better and also remove cars from heavily-trafficked Reservoir Rd.

The traffic study submitted in support of the campus plan has been roundly criticized for both its conclusions and data. It predicts no significantly increased travel delay (except on 37th St and 38th St at Reservoir Rd) despite 1800 additional students (mostly grad students), 250 additional faculty/staff, 1000 additional visitors, and 1.26 million sq. ft. of development. It gives no consideration to possible cut-throughs on 38th St, simply assuming they won't happen. Much of the data is based on a single day's observations, which could have randomly fluctuated an unknown amount. With these problems, it may take some time to arrive at a generally accepted traffic analysis.

The high density development planned on the north campus will change the character of the area and increase noise and activity level there. Parking lot A will be replaced by three structures: two 97-foot tall buildings and a 68-foot tall garage. The St. Mary's parking lot will be replaced by a "bunker" grade-level garage like that to the west. These changes will eliminate the open vista onto campus from Reservoir Rd.

Recreational space will be taken by the construction of the science building and business school on the baseball diamond, although some effort is made to compensate by constructing a softball diamond on the southwest campus and carving tiny recreational "vest pocket parks" out of existing green space. It seems likely that the continued erosion of on-campus recreational space will increase student demands on community facilities.

The change in operation of the Medical Center under MedStar is itself some cause for concern. How will the new facility be regulated and how will its activities differ from a University medical center? Some answers might emerge from the medical approval process (see right).

The plan does have some good aspects, like a good design philosophy (human-scale architecture, promotion of interaction and richer on-campus life, encouraging pedestrian access and integrating academic, residential and recreational space) and a solid transportation plan. The established network of GUTS buses-free for full-time students, faculty and staff-carried nearly 850,000 passengers last year. GUTS, employee rideshare plans, and promotion of public transit have all demonstrably worked to limit or even reduce automobile traffic to the University in the past decade. This success is sorely needed if the traffic impact of future development is to be credibly managed.

There will be several year-end events at Ellington this month. The Visual Arts Department will hold two exhibits: the annual student exhibit on May 12, from 4-6 p.m. and the Graduation 2000 exhibition on June 2 from 4:30-6 p.m. In addition, the Spring Dance Concert will be held on May 25 (7:30 p.m.), May 26 (10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.) and May 26 (2:30 and 7:30 p.m.). It's amazing what these kids can do. For more information call 337-4825.

Recently, Georgetown University announced that it had signed an agreement with MedStar Health, a private nonprofit corporation, that MedStar would purchase the assets of the Georgetown Medical Center and assume operation of the facility. The University would continue to own the property, which MedStar would lease, and a close relationship will continue with the Georgetown Medical School. There are several restrictions on operation (for example, guaranteeing that operations would continue "in the Catholic tradition"), but after the agreement takes effect, MedStar will be in charge.

MedStar is a well-regarded company with annual revenues of $1.85 billion that runs several hospitals, including those at the Washington Hospital Center. They hope to use their expertise to rescue the Georgetown Medical Center from the large deficits it has suffered in recent years.

A great deal of information on the transaction can be found in the Certificate of Need that was filed with the D.C. government to justify the new operation. (The BCA has copies). A hearing will be held to consider the deal by the DC Health Planning and Development Agency on May 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G St, NW, Room A-5. For more information or to sign up to testify, call 442-5875.

Information from Lt. Patrick Burke

In D.C. the legal drinking age is 21, and if stopped while driving, anyone underage who tests positive for any blood alcohol is considered legally drunk. The penalty for drinking and driving is a fine of up to $300; six-month revocation of driver's license; and jail for up to 90 days.

An underage person who possesses, consumes, transports or purchases alcohol can be fined up to $300, have driver's license suspended, and jailed for up to 90 days. Use of a fake ID to purchase alcohol can result in the same penalties. In addition, the law was just changed to apply the same penalties for use of a fake ID to gain admission to a bar.

Alcohol-related incidents are the leading cause of death and injury among young people in America.

More undergraduates will eventually die alcohol-related deaths than will go on to receive masters and doctoral degrees.

People who begin drinking before age 15 are four times as likely to become alcoholics as those who begin drinking at age 21.

A direct line to the Squad car operating Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights 10 p.m.-4 a.m.

Murrell's Electronics, for many years a good neighborhood business and faithful Newsletter advertiser, has been purchased by Keno Electronics, a Langley Park, MD store (on University Blvd) specializing in equipment suitable for international use. (Murrell's also had a considerable business in international electronics). The Murrell's store on Wisconsin Avenue has been closed, and calling the old sales number (338-7730) will connect you to Keno. Murrell's had high quality equipment at very competitive prices, but competition in electronics is fierce. We hope that, despite the distance, Keno will be able to satisfy many of Murrell's old customers.

Two old-timers will be retiring from the Georgetown Safeway this summer, and their departures could make a big difference in our lives. Mr. Charles Cushman has been the only manager of the store since it open in its current location. After serving 42 years with Safeway, he will be retiring at the end of the month.

Mr. Stuart Lee, who has spent 41 years with Safeway, was known by Mr. Cushman and hired by him to be his assistant manager 32 years ago. The rest is history-about a generation's worth. He, too, will retire at month's end.

Both Mr. Cushman and Mr. Lee should be familiar figures to everyone (especially Mr. Lee), because they are almost always in the front of the store, making sure everything is in order and that customers are properly served. This is not the typical chain grocery where the manager hides in a closed booth. Nor are they loath to pitch in and give personal service, making friends in the public and setting an example for all. The difference is immediately visible. Our "social Safeway" is well known as one of the top Safeway stores in the nation.

Mr. Lee is a native Georgetowner, having been born in a Georgetown home. He was presented with a special certificate of appreciation by ANC 2E at its May 4 meeting.