Adams Morgan Day Festival Celebrates 30th Anniversary
by Natasha Abbas
Sept. 14 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Adams Morgan Day Festival, and as usual, the neighborhood will be celebrating with friends, food and lots of fun. But to mark the special anniversary, the week leading up to this year’s festival will also feature seminars and events commemorating the history of the neighborhood and the festival.

“We are celebrating the creativity that comes from the synergy of diverse cultures, that is what separates us from all the other festivals,” says Lisa Duperier, executive director of Adams Morgan Main Street, the nonprofit group that organizes the festival and works to promote the Adams Morgan business area.

According to Duperier, the Adams Morgan Day Festival stands out from other cultural festivals in the District because while others may celebrate uniqueness, Duperier says the Adams Morgan Day Festival “is about what happens when everyone comes together.”

Always on the second Sunday of September, the Adams Morgan Day Festival has been a well-loved neighborhood tradition since 1978.

Local historian and DC native Kelton Higgins recalls his first Adams Morgan Day at age 8, saying it was a completely unique experience for him. “Just the sheer volume of humanity was amazing. … It was an unbelievable crowd; you just couldn't believe how many people there were,” he says. “Growing up in Woodley Park, you didn't always encounter thousands of people dancing in the street or playing music in the street or cooking in the street,” says Higgins who now resides in Adams Morgan.

“I remember my first encounter with a habanero pepper burning my mouth intensely, and [I was] sobbing hysterically in the street, and a woman who was sitting on the curb cooking fried plantains on a little portable BBQ saw me sobbing,” recounts Higgins. “She took pity on me and gave me my first dish of fried plantains which I've been addicted to ever since.”

Like neighboring Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights, the Adams Morgan neighborhood has historically been a gateway for immigrant communities. Though drastic increases in housing costs have driven many of those communities to reside elsewhere in the District and the suburbs, Adams Morgan businesses still reflect the multicultural heritage of the neighborhood, and a large majority are still owned and operated by immigrant and minority communities.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary, the week of Sept. 7-14 will feature forums and events that will center around the festival’s theme “A Global Community of Diverse Cultures” and will focus on the history and contributions of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Panels will examine the many different facets of Adams Morgan such as “A Springboard for Arts and Culture,” “Catalyst for Nationally Recognized Non-Profits” and “Incubator of Small Business.” As Duperier points out, a number of nationally recognized nonprofits, like Mary’s Center and Whitman Walker Clinic, had their start in Adams Morgan, as did businesses like Toys “R” Us, which used to be located where Madam’s Organ now is.

Panels will take place at venues throughout Adams Morgan, ranging from local nonprofits like the Sitar Center to businesses like Perry’s, and speakers will include Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham and At-Large Councilmember Kwame Brown among other community leaders.

Visit the festival’s website for a full list of panel discussions taking place during the week preceding the festival, www.adamsmorgandayfestival.com.

For more information on the agenda and events of the Adams Morgan Day Festival itself, see also Adams Morgan Main Street Director Lisa Duperier’s article in this issue.

ANC Eyes Comprehensive Traffic Study of Ward 5 Development
by Jenny Johnson
Advisory neighborhood commissioners from Ward 5 are considering funding an independent traffic survey to examine the impact of several major development projects within a small area, because they say the city's surveys have not adequately accounted for the entire range of proposed development.

ANC 5C Commissioner John Salatti said commissioners from 5C and 5A are considering whether jointly hiring a consultant to look at the cumulative traffic impacts of the proposed development would be a good use of public money. “The sense is that the agencies are overstretched, and it would take too long to get the city to do it, whereas these folks are moving,” pointing to the developers who are poised to start groundbreaking on the projects as soon as they get imminent approval, Salatti told DC North.

Salatti said the commissioners were prompted to consider a cumulative traffic impact study after a group of Brookland residents held a July teach-in to demonstrate the need for a comprehensive look at the several development projects planned in a small part of the city. Ward 5 hosts several major traffic corridors, which already struggle with failing intersections.

The main projects planned include the McMillan sand filtration site, where EYA is looking to develop 25 acres of mixed-use residential and retail at the corner of Michigan Avenue and North Capitol Street. A separate plan is moving forward blocks away for a hotel and convention center close to Washington Hospital Center at Michigan Avenue. Up the street at Irving and North Capitol, the Armed Forces Retirement Home is close to finalizing first-phase plans to develop 77 acres and to break ground in 2009. The North Capital Planning Commission recently approved the soldier's home development plans despite traffic studies that showed several intersections would fail do to increased traffic from the development.

Meanwhile, plans around the Brookland Metro station include Catholic University's plan to develop their land on the north side of the tracks on a 9-acre parcel of land. The south side of the tracks will bring similar mixed-use development on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s land. Also in Brookland, St. Paul's College is seeking approval for 237 new townhouses to be built off Fourth Street NE between Michigan Avenue and Franklin Street. Just outside the Ward 5 boundary, Howard University's planned Town Center for new residences and a grocery store along Georgia Avenue should also be included in a relevant traffic impact study, Salatti said.

The development projects will be seeking the approval of the ANC commissioners, whose votes up or down on a project hold sway before the Zoning Commission. Many of the projects are seeking zoning changes that will allow construction of bigger, taller buildings than allowed under the current zoning for each site.

“It's not a question of, do we like development, don't we like development. We don't feel like we have enough information,” Salatti said. “I could not, in good conscience, vote for McMillan” given the current amount of information on traffic impacts the District Department of Transportation has provided, because DDOT “doesn't look at the full development picture,” Salatti said.

At press time, ANC 5C and 5A members were set to discuss the possibility of funding an independent, comprehensive traffic study at a Sept. 4 meeting.

Shaw Library Design to Include Glass Exterior Again
by Natasha Abbas
It’s been an uphill battle from the very start, but it looks like Shaw will get the library it hoped for after all.

DC Public Libraries (DCPL) Public Information Officer George Williams has confirmed that the design plans for the new Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library slated to open at Eighth Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW will once again include glass.

Closed in December 2004, the new Shaw Neighborhood Library was originally planned to reopen in 2006. Following a series of community meetings about the library, design plans were presented in January of this year. The original design, which consisted of an exterior composed of channel glass, was met with favorable response from the community, but to the dismay of many, DCPL presented revised plans this summer, which replaced much of the glass with metal panels that many said too closely resembled the old Watha T. Daniel library.

In response to an e-mail from Shaw Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Alex Padro inquiring about the reason for the design revisions, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper was empathetic to community members’ objection to the replacement of the proposed translucent glass exterior with metal panels and cited cost concerns as the primary reason for the design alteration, due in part to the discovery of a Metro tunnel underneath the site of the future library – raising the cost of construction – as well as the cost of channel glass, which library officials estimated at $1.5 million.

“Channel glass is difficult to fabricate and install well – each curved piece is joined with insulation blown into the channel. Because of this difficulty, this cost will likely increase. There are reasons other than cost to use some other material. Though the glass is tempered, a rock will chip it. Repair is difficult and requires special skills,” explained Cooper.

Public Information Officer George Williams told DC North that the solution has been to use a frosted glass, a similar – and less costly – alternative to channel glass that will likely achieve the same effect.

“The library has always wanted to maintain the translucent appeal of the Watha T. Daniel Library. The question was about finding a material that would give the same effect of the channel glass while remaining in the budget,” said Williams.

This latest revision comes as welcome news for many community members.

“Cooper is to be thanked for listening to the community's concerns and working with the architects to ensure the transparency that was so lauded when the initial design was presented in January was restored,” said Commissioner Alex Padro in an e-mail to the community.

But some library advocates believe there is still room for improvement in the design. Robin Diener, director of the DC Library Renaissance Project, which organized an Aug. 16 “read in” in front of the O Street Giant about the Shaw library design, told DC North, “We are glad to see the glass returned to the design. … The public requires not just an updated exterior but a set of truly 21st-century library features services and programs to meet the needs of District residents.”

Other improvements that the DC Library Renaissance Project are calling for in the library design include a more distinctive entrance, prominent security, a café, green elements, a dedicated computer training lab, and space for adult literacy programming and senior activities. Diener said the DC Library Renaissance Project is hoping there will be an opportunity for another community meeting in addition to the Sept. 4 meeting to garner community input on the latest design.

According to Williams, the next step will be to get community input at the Sept. 4 community meeting. (This meeting took place after this issue went to press.)

“The way our process works is designs are not finalized until they are presented to the community,” said Williams. “We know we are looking at frosted glass, but the community needs to weigh in.”

Currently, the groundbreaking for the new library is slated to take place this fall, and the building is scheduled to be completed in December 2009, with the library set to open in March 2010.

For more information about the latest Shaw Neighborhood Library design, visit www.dclibrary.org. For more information about the DC Library Renaissance Project call 202-387-8030.  

Brookland Organizes To Underground 12th Street Power Lines
by Jenny Johnson
The city might have expected last month’s launch of a long-awaited $10.5 million streetscape project on the Brookland Main Street of 12th Street NE to bring praise from the community. But instead it was met with a storm of criticism and well-organized opposition because residents said the city plan to improve the commercial street did not include their major demand: putting the overhead power lines underground.

“The street will not be dug up again in our lifetimes once the work is done,” said Jeff Wilson of the need for residents to act fast to get action on the power lines issue. The streetscape plan included planting trees, redoing tree boxes and installing new sidewalks, but many residents said much of this work would be undone by Pepco cutting trees so they don’t interfere with power lines.

The group of residents quickly got Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas on board to back the use of the streetscape funds to underground the wires. “We want to make sure the wishes of this community are honored,” Thomas said at an Aug. 22 rally held after resident marched on 12th Street from Rhode Island Avenue to Monroe Street. Participants held signs saying, “leave the trees,” and “let a tree grow in Brookland.”

Pepco responded with an announcement that they will do a feasibility study and come back to the community with the findings in three weeks. “We are willing to underground power lines when it has been determined that such placement is technically feasible and the benefactors have obtained all funding resources that would be required,” Pepco said in a statement.

Questions remain as to whether the streetscape funds can be used for undergrounding the lines. Smith says a letter is coming from the Federal Highway Administration stating that money can be used. But the District Department of Transportation says the public money cannot be used to fund a private entity putting wires onto public land.           

Why Did the Pedestrian Cross The Road?
by Tanya Snyder
Answer: Because she could get to the other side without being flattened by oncoming traffic.

Traffic congestion doesn’t end at the beltway. It chokes our neighborhoods and threatens the safety of pedestrians. Last year saw a 13-year high of pedestrian fatalities in Washington, with 25 people killed. As DC’s Pedestrian Program Coordinator George Branyan said, “We have more people walking as the price of gas goes up and as the city increases its residential population.”

The DC Department of Transportation recently sent teams out to trouble spots in the city’s main avenues and interviewed over 600 people about their concerns with pedestrian safety. In response to the answers they received, they’ve put together a Pedestrian Master Plan to improve safety – to help you cross the street, if you will.

The authors of the plan chose one corridor in each ward of the city for improvement and created a series of recommendations. Ward 4 residents have been more attentive to the Ward 1 recommendation than their own. The Ward 1 proposals focus on 16th Street NW, which carries Ward 4 residents to and from work on a daily basis.

Most of the comments from Ward 4 residents came in response to a recommendation for pedestrian refuge islands, which are medians in the middle of a multilane roadway. People have been killed trying to cross wide streets like Georgia Avenue, and planners say that these islands provide a safe place for them to stand if they manage to cross half the street but need to wait out traffic on the other half before crossing.

No one in Ward 1 had much to say about the pedestrian refuge islands, but Ward 4 residents raised an uproar. In order to make room in the roadway for the islands, the reversible rush hour lane would be taken away. There would be no greater capacity for vehicular traffic during peak rush hour than on weekends.

“I can say without hesitation we’re not moving forward on this anytime soon,” said George Branyan in response to fears that DDOT was barreling ahead with plans without incorporating public input. He said that the next step is to review the potential impacts of the recommendations and initiate a whole new set of public meetings.

The recommendations for Ward 4 concern New Hampshire Avenue, which is slated to receive a raised median where there’s currently only a painted median. Branyan said, “Having a raised continuous median can improve pedestrian safety up to 90 percent.” He noted that it can be especially helpful for jaywalkers.

DDOT is also proposing to add brick-textured paving as a traffic calming device around half of Grant Circle. Having a different texture would visually narrow the wide roadway around that circle without actually narrowing it.

The planners are also rolling out a couple new kinds of traffic lights that tune drivers in to pedestrian behavior. The first is called a crosswalk beacon, and they’re testing one now on Brentwood Road, where it’s proving to be very successful. The rapid flash beacon has two pedestrian-actuated high-intensity LED lights that flash at drivers when there’s someone in crosswalk or about to enter it. The lights are solar powered, which makes them less expensive than anything that has to be wired into the grid. A recent 100 day evaluation of the beacon at Brentwood Road, which carries upwards of 30,000 cars a day, has shown that 78 percent of drivers are stopping for pedestrians.

On busier arterial roads like Georgia Avenue, which is receiving improvements through the Great Streets program, one technique proposed in the Pedestrian Master Plan is a pedestrian hybrid signal, which Branyan admitted is much more expensive. It’s a special traffic light with two red lights on a horizontal line, with a yellow light centered beneath it. When not in use, it would be dark. But when a pedestrian walks up and pushes a button, after a short delay it shows two seconds of flashing yellow, followed by a couple seconds of solid yellow, then two reds which will illuminate together, indicating that cars must stop. The “walk” signal comes on and pedestrians cross. When the “walk” signal starts flashing “don’t walk”, the double red lights on the hybrid signal will flash on and off together, telling cars to stop but proceed if pedestrians have cleared their half of the roadway, and it’s safe to go.

Planners are looking to try this signal at the corner of Hemlock Street and Georgia Avenue. It is an intermediate measure for intersections like that one that don’t meet the federal standard for warranting a regular traffic light – the standard is 190 pedestrians in a peak hour. “Before, there were signs and crosswalk markings and then a signal and nothing in between,” said George Branyan. “Finally there are some tools out there.”

Girls Rock! DC: All girl rock camp makes a roaring debut in the District
by Selina Musuta
Playing your first show in a venue like the 9:30 Club, one of DC’s most celebrated music venues at Ninth and V streets NW known for hosting mega acts like the Police and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, could stun any novice musician. But the 43 girls ranging from ages 8 to 18, who graced 9:30’s stage and packed the venue on Aug. 16, created a Saturday morning full of energy and inspiring lyrics. The late morning showcase was the culmination of the groundbreaking new all-girl weeklong rock camp called Girls Rock! DC, the first of its kind in the District.

In five days, these girls learned how to play an instrument and then split up into eight bands that were charged with writing a song that included original lyrics and instrumentation. The camp, organized and led by women, taught girls how to rock out in a society where men dominate most music industries and instituted activities that would build community among the girls and develop self confidence. The initial vision behind the camp centered on teaching girls how to perform original music in a band structure, but after researching other Girls Rock! camps across the country, the organizers wanted the girls to come out with an understanding of the legacy of women in the world of music. Ebony Dumas, a promoter and DJ who is also known as DJ Natty Boom, has been a core organizer with Girls Rock! DC from almost the beginning of its inception 11 months ago. “We definitely wanted to talk to the girls about all of these rad women that were shaking things up and creating wonderful pieces of work,” said Dumas. “We wanted them to know that they are part of a larger community that includes a beautiful lineage of women that have come behind us and are still here.”

That’s why the organizers transformed the Kingsbury Center, the host site for the camp located at 5000 14th St. NW, into a temple of sorts dedicated to women. Rooms were named after famous women musicians including a Yoko Ono Room, a Queen Latifah Room of Self-Reflection, and the Ann and Nancy Wilson Hall of Sisterhood.

The 60-plus volunteers at the site made sure that six core values embodied the curriculum of the camp: inclusion, acceptance, trusting yourself, commitment, safe space and lead by example. Those core values were noticeable at the girls debut event at the 9:30 Club.

Dennis Felton whipped out his video camera and cheered with hundreds of families, friends, and supporters as his daughter, Karis, walked on to the 9:30 Club stage with her band mates. Her band, The Six Electric Hearts, was the first band to play on stage. Felton’s video camera looked like it weighed more than 8-year-old Karis, who with nervous excitement took her place in front of the lead vocalist mike. But the stage presence of Karis and the rest of the musicians from The Six Electric Hearts (Anna Cork, Sorcha Harrison-Ramirez, Choe Lewis, Talyor McTaw and Annabel Walker) made up for their size. Karis belted out to Walker on the drums, “Drummer drop that beat,” and took the audience on a sonic psychedelic lyrical tour featuring scary goblins and tea parties with fairies.

The confidence that exuded from Karis was what her father hoped for when he and his wife applied for Karis to be part of the camp. “She sees that women can do anything that they want. That there are no restrictions placed on you for any reason, definitely not because of your sex,” said Felton. “And that she can work well with others. And that a group of girls and women can get together and do things on their own and get great things accomplished.”

And writing an eight-verse song in a couple of days is definitely an accomplishment. For girls who think the act of creating music and playing in front of an audience is too much of a challenge, Karis encourages them to not give up on the idea. “I think you should give it a try because I sang maybe once or twice in front of a crowd but never that big. So before you say, ‘Oh I can’t do this, this is impossible,’ you need to give it a try and then decide in your mind, I want to keep on doing this for the rest of my life, or maybe this just isn’t the thing for me.”

Girls Rock! DC organizers are looking forward to 2009 with hopes of accommodating more girls and holding multiple camp sessions. For more information on Girls Rock! DC, visit www.girlsrockdc.org.

Clean and Safe Streets
by Tanya Snyder
A new “clean team” started serving Kennedy Street on Aug. 11. The Kennedy Street Clean and Safe Team will remove litter and graffiti, maintain tree boxes, transfer debris and provide other public space maintenance services every day of the week on the Kennedy Street corridor from Georgia Avenue to North Capitol Street. The project is funded by the DC Department of Public Works and managed by the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative, through a grant from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development.

Similar services are to be launched in other parts of the city in the coming months. “We are very excited to begin implementing clean team services in targeted neighborhoods in the District and look forward to advancing the commercial revitalization and further development of our neighborhood commercial districts,” said Nicole Becton, interim director of DSLBD.

The Metropolitan Police Department hosted National Night Out activities around the city Aug. 5, including one on the field at Paul Public Charter School. National Night Out is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from 9,500 communities from all 50 states, US territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. It is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood spirit and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.