The East Hall’s Grand Opening
The collective community pulse quickened with word that Turner Construction, which has been preparing the Hine school grounds for the temporary structure known as the East Hall, had begun pouring concrete. With the erection of the East Hall structure scheduled for July 24, a re-opening of business to all of the inside merchants of the burned out Eastern Market building cannot be far behind.

There are two dates set for the East Hall’s grand opening. A targeted soft opening is scheduled for August 18 once the $750,000 in equipment purchased by the District government, has been installed. This soft opening will allow each merchant to work out the inevitable snafus and kinks that are to be expected. A second ribbon cutting event or “hard” opening will be in mid to late September, its date still uncertain, with elected officials and an invested community in attendance, chests proudly swollen and justifiably so. With the delivery of the temporary structure, the District government will have kept its promise to the community and, remarkably, on time.

The period from the April 30 fire to the anticipated soft opening has been a struggle for the merchants, outdoor farmers line and arts and craft vendors as they have sought to regain their financial footing. The perception was widespread that the Market had burned down and was permanently closed. The weeks since an advertising campaign launched by Edge Advertising and paid for with dollars raised by the Capitol Hill Community Foundation have produced some pay-off as business at the Market has slowly rebounded.

Business Improves For Most
According to Mike Berman, a weekend arts and crafts vendor, business is much better than it has been. “Yesterday (Saturday) was like the old days” he said in mid-July even as he added that Sunday “was dead.” Canales Meat reported they are “surviving.” Angie, of Blue Iris Flowers, is already pushing to get all the merchants back into the restored building in as short a time as possible: “Why does it take two years to re-open?” she wonders. “There’s a roof, walls, a floor, the electrical and the basement. I don’t understand. Let’s get it open and get things back to normal.”

Even wizened mainstay and veteran of the Farmer’s Line, Dan Donohue, of Agora Farms, while rarely missing an opportunity to comment on what he calls “the non existent management” concedes that business is now just 50% off compared to early June when it was 70% off.

Sondra Allen, a gold and silver smith, who has been at the Market for sixteen years said that she has been relatively unaffected by the lack of traffic. Her work, according to Allen, is “high end” and has its own special following. She is concerned for the future and worries that with all the money that the District is committing to the Market’s restoration that there will be regrettable changes that take away from its diversity and character.

On the downside, most of the Seventh St Market Row merchants at a meeting called in mid-July report that a business slump continues. Many feel the weekend closing of Seventh St. contributes to declining business.

CHCF Brings on the Music
The Capitol Hill Community Foundation ( www.capitolhillcommunityfoundation.org) which has emerged as a driving force in keeping the Eastern Market viable and on pace for a sustained recovery, has raised more than $385,000 for those vendors and businesses displaced by the fire and in need of assistance. In addition it has provided funds for advertising, signage, refrigerated trucks and now has added a musical flourish to breathe even more life into the Market.

CHCF has put together an Eastern Market Music series which began on July 22 and will continue until September 30. Each Sunday there will be outdoor concerts ranging in style from blues, jazz, contemporary to bluegrass at the corner of Seventh St and North Carolina Ave in front of Port City Java. A schedule of these musical interludes and the musicians is available on CHCF’s web site.

Gary Peterson, head of the CHCF Committee Eastern market – Keep It Going, reports that money has continued to come in but has slowed to the pace of earlier summer contributions of about $3000 per week. There are plans afoot for a late summer gala fund raising event at the East Hall. Peterson’s tireless voluntary work ethic may well have earned him the title of ‘civic hero’ even among those engaged community activists who have worked long hours to keep the Eastern Market alive.

The Eastern Market Building & Roof
The pace of activity on the Market itself has accelerated. Guy Tull of Minkoff Construction, a fire restoration company hired by the District,  reports that the burned roof is completely off with Minkoff now working to remove the cast iron trusses for testing to see which are eligible for use in the future roof restoration.

The plan for the roof is to cover the building with a temporary flat membrane for protection from weather. A pitched roof with wooden beams was considered but the cost and the time constraints involved eliminated this as a viable choice. Some of the original cast iron trusses will be used in the restored roof. However, under current DC code the iron trusses for a new roof must be upgraded. Tull cites among other factors the upgraded snow load bearing requirements. The original trusses will be kept and placed alternatively in the roof, preserving the historical nature of the original building.

All design plans, which now include skylights, for both the inside and the outside are awaiting decisions from the Fine Arts Commission and the Historic Preservation Review Board . Once those decisions are made the next step, is to contract for the Eastern Market’s restoration and the subsequent application for building permits. This work is expected to go forward at the first of the year.

EMCAC Attacks A Litany of Problems
As the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) worked its way through the public agenda at a June 25th meeting, it was clear from the questions asked and the issues raised that a leadership void exists insofar as the immediate future of the East Hall’s opening and its management in the days beyond. Looming in this next exciting period is a genuine crisis if a solution is not found as to who can be turned to for answers to a multitude of questions.

The simplest of questions: what is the address of the East Hall -- had no answer. (It is 306 Seventh St. SE).

Among persistent problems, one that surprisingly remains unsolved, is that customers have had no access to public facilities and are burdening the Seventh St. merchants whose doors are opening not for business, but for people needing to use rest rooms. Portable toilets have been placed behind the security fences erected to protect the EM building and have remained inaccessible to the general public with private security guards preventing their use.

According to Linda O’Brien of Councilmember Wells’ office, the garbage and the rodent abatement problems are being tackled and have dramatically improved.

Another unresolved problem is the status of the Eastern Market Pottery which was put out of the Market by the fire. There exists no satisfactory location for potters in the East Hall. Owner Chuck Brome (202-544-6669) is seeking a temporary studio that is proximate to the Eastern Market until they too can return to the restored building.

There is no plan for the securing of the nearly one million dollars in refrigerated and other equipment purchased by the District once it arrives at the East Hall site according to one EMCAC member.

None of these issues and a myriad of others have the sole attention of one person. Many are being tackled, but are scattered among the hard working and committed private and public people and entities, all of whom have their own focus and distractions.

Where Does the Buck Stop?
The Office of Property Management (OPM) and the Eastern Market’s landlord recently announced an RFP process that will fold all market management under one management umbrella, a “unified management RFP.” Proposals will soon be solicited for a new Market Management team to be selected to run the Market in 2008.  

Bill Rice, spokesperson for OPM, initially stated that the Department of Transportation is building the East Hall and has full responsibility for its opening and its management.

Currently Eastern Market Ventures (EMV) manages the South Hall, i.e.,  the building now under restoration, the farmers and the arts and craft vendors, under an existing contract which expires in December 2007.

Brian Cook, Market Manager for EMV, says EMV is “very interested in managing the East Hall as well as continuing their duties on the farmer’s line and with the arts and crafts vendors.” According to Cook, EMV has not heard back from OPM.

Cook later amplified EMV’s position on its management and current contract, adding that “EMV is out of money “ because EMV has been unable to collect rents that have been reduced or forgiven in this transitional period. He warned that “ trash, cleaning, security and management services will be cut off for lack of funding, including the payment of EMV’s management fee.”

Cook added in regard to the silence from OPM on the matter of the renewal of its contract in December 2007, “EMV had hired outside legal counsel to enforce its other legal options.” Cook insists that EMV had signaled appropriately in April that it wanted to exercise the five year option on their management contract and that “OPM has chosen not to respond.”

Adding to the continued management confusion, John Harrod of Market Five Gallery and the expired lease holder of the North Hall, has insisted repeatedly that he has contacted EMV on renewing his lease which expired in December 2006, a claim similar to the one EMV is making about its muted relationship with OPM.

Harrod, in addition to an expired lease and (by his own admission) being behind on his rent, does not possess a current certificate of occupancy which is required for any business or entity engaged in doing business in the District. Harrod continues to collect rent from the arts and craft vendors each week.

When asked about the Harrod situation, Bill Rice of OPM,  responded : “He ( Harrod) is as welcome as is anybody including EMV to participate in the new RFP solicitation.” OPM seems to be moving cautiously in dealing with Harrod due to his history of successful litigation against the District government .

Rice expanded his remarks with this statement: “We are in discussions with EMV for the management of the temporary structure for the interim period. The solicitation includes the temporary structure and the period will be until a final management structure is identified.”