Parking
Dear Parkers:
So what do I learn from the overwhelming response to Bob Levine's
posting on parking? It's the minor, basic issues of daily life that
really interest and engage people. So don't hesitate to write to themail
on those personal, close-to-home themes; this forum is about living in
DC, not just the Big Issues of Life in DC.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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In total secrecy, affecting a long-standing, contentious neighborhood
issue, on September 18, David Clark, the Director of the Department of
Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), agreed to issue Certificates of
Occupancy that will allow Boys Town to operate a large group facility at
the intersection of Pennsylvania and 14th Street, SE, prompting the
Southeast Citizens for Smart Development (SCSD) to call for an
investigation. This is the latest move in a battle that has been waged
through the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA), the DC Court of Appeals
and the US District Court, each time resulting in victory for the
neighborhood and defeat for Boys Town. Throughout it all, the neighbors
have been fighting to ensure that Boys Town not be permitted to bypass
DC's administrative and legal procedures, which is its modus operandi.
The neighborhoods efforts to have an open and public process which would
force Boys Town to play by the rules, resulted in Boys Towns' “SLAPP”
suit against SCSD and its leaders, longtime ANC Commissioner Will Hill
("the Mayor of Capitol Hill") and activist Ellen Opper-Weiner.
The Center for Individual Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union
represented Hill, Opper-Weiner and the SCSD, and Boys Town's law suit
was eventually dismissed.
The City's plan to issue the Certificates of Occupancy turns the
neighborhood's long-held victory into a stealth victory for Boys Town.
The DC Court of Appeals has yet to issue its decision on Boys Town's
appeal of the BZA decision. The BZA ruled unanimously in SCSD's favor
that Boys Town needed a special exception to occupy its buildings as a
Community Based Residential Facility (CBRF). Boys Town's appeal was
argued in the DC Court of Appeals on September 16, just two days before
David Clark issued his change-of-heart ruling granting Boys Town a
reasonable accommodation, which had been denied one year ago. “Why the
City chose to intervene at this time, while the DC Court of Appeals
ruling is pending, needs explaining. It was a discretionary decision
that warrants investigation. The legal process is not complete,”
stated Opper-Weiner. “I am amazed at how the City completely
disregarded and worked against citizens who want nothing more than to
know what is planned for their neighborhood,” stated Hill, Chairman of
the SCSD. “Boys Town was losing on all fronts, and the City acted
without public knowledge.”
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Nominate DC Preservation League's 2004 Most
Endangered Places
Krista Schreiner Gebbia, krista@dcpreservation.org
Every year since 1996, the DC Preservation League has announced a
list of Most Endangered Places to draw attention to Washington DC’s
historically, culturally or architecturally significant places that are
in danger of destruction, significant alteration, or demolition through
neglect or abandonment. To nominate a building or place to this year’s
Most Endangered list, please visit DCPL's web site, http://www.dcpreservation.org,
and download a form. Nominations are due December 5, 2003.
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Remind Me to Move
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom
I hope someone reminds me to move out of DC a little before I die. DC
is making it very expensive to die in the District. The Feds have
increased the exemption for escaping estate taxes (the "death
tax") to 1 megabuck this year and to 3.5 megabucks in the year
2009, and estate taxes are disappearing entirely in the year 2010. Most
states have followed the lead of the Feds in increasing the exemption
and phasing it out. Not so here in Dodge City. If you die this year in
DC with an estate that is worth 1 megabuck (that's less than the average
price of just one house in Spring Valley) you will have to fork over
about $40K to the DC spendthrifts. I hope I have the foresight to move
about a half mile from here just before I die.
###############
Audit of Student Academic Records Still Not
Released
Erich Martel, ehmartel@starpower.net
On November 16, I sent DCPS this request for a copy of the audit of
student academic records that the system contracted for a year ago: I am
formally requesting copies of the complete documents of the above
contracted audit of student academic records in all 16 high schools of
the DC Public Schools. Any “executive summary” of the auditor's
report produced by the auditors or DCPS or any employee or consultant
hired by DCPS does not replace the complete documents of the auditors'
report. This request includes, but is not limited to, the specific,
unedited and unabridged documents that established the audit and its
standards and procedures and the preliminary and final reports of the
auditors' findings. They include (details spelled out following the
summary list): the initial “Letter Contract” signed on November 7,
2002; all subsequent extensions, amendments to the contract; details of
the actual “Engagement Plan and Technical Approach”; the Preliminary
Report of the auditors; the Final Report of the auditors.
The auditors' field (on site) work was completed by April. Although
the final reports were sent to Superintendent Vance in May or June 2003,
they have not yet been released. Since there is no reason for these
reports and documents to be edited or in any way altered, they need to
be immediately released.
As the leadership of DCPS changes and as school governance is being
debated, it is important that the full documentation of the findings of
this audit be released, so that the public and responsible officials,
from Board of Education to Council to Mayor know what the auditors found
and what corrective steps, if any, need to be taken. Thank you for
giving this your immediate attention; I look forward to your reply.
[Full request and explanation at http://www.dcpswatch.com/martel/031116.htm.]
###############
I was just wondering if there were any way of cutting down gang
activity (in Adams Morgan and the schools), by the proper authorities
determining whether or not the parents of known gang members, are US
citizens or illegals. The same determination should be researched in
connection with proven gang members themselves, and those members who
are indicted for murder. Is anyone checking with immigration? Or is
that, too, a futile suggestion?
###############
As tragic as murders are, it is a fact that 70-85 percent of murders
occur between people who are acquainted. Most people are not impacted by
murders in DC, even though murders get the most coverage and press
attention — they are scary. Murder rates track with drug activity,
gang activity, and poverty. Despite this, it is possible to positively
impact murder rates by executing more effective policing strategies such
as those implemented by William Bratton in NYC, using problem-oriented
policing strategies outlined by Kelling and Wilson (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/crime/windows.htm,
published in 1982!; http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/crime/safehood.htm).
One of the big policy changes that Bratton pushed was that
perpetrators of significant crimes (assault, robbery, murder) also
committed less significant crimes (turnstile jumping, petty theft, etc.)
and that if there was zero tolerance for less significant crimes it
would result in reducing overall crime. One of the most significant
examples of this was a person arrested for turnstile jumping (and
therefore was fingerprinted) was connected later to a murder of a dry
cleaning store clerk because of a fingerprint left at the scene. Much of
the frustration exhibited by many has to do with what appears to be a
serious disconnect over best practices in other jurisdictions and how
policing strategies are effected in Washington, DC. “Defining deviance
down” and not penalizing petty crimes likely encourages both continued
and increased criminal activity.
The July 19th beating in Columbia Heights, where a lookout in a
beating incident was captured only to be released immediately (he went
on to intimidate witnesses) is only one example. No one believes that
letting the perpetrators go enhances public safety. No one believes that
letting the perpetrators go discourages them from committing other
crimes. No one believes that letting the perpetrators go encourages
other citizens to get involved, since they are subject to intimidation
afterwards. Etc. Don't get me wrong. I have a great deal of respect for
the job and the police officers that do it. Few of us are willing to put
our lives on the line in the jobs that we do. Police officers do so. I
believe that Chief Ramsey is committed to improving the MPD. However,
the great number of “unhelpful” officers in the department makes it
difficult to change the department and its culture. In the meantime,
citizens suffer.
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Not All Tax-Exempt Land Is the Same
Ian Fisk, itf@aol.com
Regarding Mr. Forman's claim that “the percentage of federal land
in the District puts us at average among states, despite the constant
complaints that all the federal tax-exempt property in DC is causing all
of our woes.” I am assuming that this includes the vast tracts of
federal land out west that are either National Parks or undeveloped
rural areas. The comparison should be to federal land that could
otherwise be highly taxed. Most of Nevada is federal, but if it went
private, there wouldn't be a lot of taxation coming out of it. A more
equivalent method would be to take the centers of Boston, Baltimore, or
Cleveland and make them tax exempt and then look at the result.
Keeping with the theme of not comparing us to rural states, I would
like to see a workers per capita comparison with cities of similar size.
Is that information available? Otherwise, Mr. Forman's post was quite
informative. Thank you for doing the research.
###############
Re Matt Forman's posting: the number of employees from the BEA is
from their annual Regional Economic Information System. It is difficult
to find on the web, but can be found under Local Area Annual Estimates.
These annual estimates measure all economic sectors, including
government employment.
As Matt points out, the Census Bureau's 2002 Census of Governments
gives a different number, and places DC third among states. BEA and
Census use different measurement concepts, and it's always risky to try
to interpret numbers without delving deeper. For example, the Census of
Governments includes “special districts.” DC's number includes about
9000 Metro employees, because it is a “special district” government
headquartered in DC. This might explain why the Census of Governments
number is so much higher than BEA's or the District's own estimates.
Including Metro not only makes DC's number look higher; it also makes
Maryland and Virginia's numbers look lower. (By the way, to get this
level of detail you have to look at the “Individual Units” data —
it's not in the tables on the web, but you can download it if you know
how to process it.)
###############
At the risk of possibly beating a dead horse, Katherine Howard's
mention of Verizon's Call Intercept service “that blocks all calls
that do not show a place of origin” does compel me to throw out a
caveat: While the service is, in fact, effective, it does have the
unintended consequence of blocking calls coming from overseas for the
reason that those do not register emanating telephone numbers — not
because callers have blocked their numbers from being revealed but
because the technology simply doesn't allow for that info to cross the
Oceans Blue. Bummer!
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How to Make the Primary Election Count
Paul Dionne, news at pauldionne dot com
Both Kathy Patterson and Jack Evans argued that there was no need to
kick back our city's Term Limits legislation (originally passed at the
ballot box) to the voters in a “costly special election.” Now they
insist on holding this non-binding special election to the tune of
$350,000. Why not put term limits back on the ballot for this January
and make the effort count for something? This election will be the third
election since they overturned the voters' will that is also before the
original term limits legislation would have become official.
I should also point out that Evans didn't have to ram the repeal of
term limits though the council. He could have sued (which many of us
pointed out), just as he is now advocating for the city's Democratic
Party and its candidates who wish to not be placed on the ballot.
###############
In response to Mr. Suderow's commentary that most people outside of
the District would deny us voting rights because we voted for Mayor
Barry, I am struck by a couple of thoughts. If they do not care about
our lacking deserved voting rights, why would they take any further
interest in our mayors, ethically challenged or otherwise? Most any
resident of most any city will likely have his or her own local issues
(“all politics is local politics”) to obsess over.
Second, I took a road trip from here to California a couple of years
ago, and had a marvelous time watching people's reactions after they
asked me about “Taxation Without Representation” on my license plate
and I explained to them what it was what. They were horrified,
sympathetic, with more than a few offering to write their own
congressmen. Not one person said: “well, what do you expect from a
bunch of Barry voters?” Not one.
###############
The DC Primary, Terry McAuliffe, and The
New Republic
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso-at-capaccess-dot-org
What a bizarre coincidence! Just opening: the film “Shattered
Glass,” about reporter Stephen Glass, who made up stories for leading
opinion journal The New Republic and finally got caught. Just on
the newsstands: this week's issue of The New Republic. “Debate
Over,” shouts the lead item in TNR's Notebook section, a part of the
magazine devoted to short, sharp, unsigned attacks, often on other media
outlets. “Debate Over” reports on DC's recent Kennedys-King dinner,
at which DC Democrats (apparently) booed Terry McAuliffe, chair of the
Democratic National Committee. I'm reading along, and I figure this
article will argue McAuliffe is right to torpedo our primary, that we
should give up, that the “debate” over our having a prominent,
legitimate first-in-the-nation primary is “over” — basically what
Gary Imhoff has been arguing. But no. The item doesn't mention the
primary battle at all. Instead, it goes on to speculate that, “Perhaps
the audience was thinking ahead” to the next presidential debate, and
attacks McAuliffe for keeping the candidate debates open to Al Sharpton,
Dennis Kucinich, and Carol Moseley Braun — coincidentally three of the
four Democratic candidates (Howard Dean is the other) still willing to
run in our primary. The item doesn't even mention the real reason
McAuliffe got booed. I suggest anyone who booed McAuliffe set the record
straight by E-mail to letters@tnr.com.
Were you booing him because he's let Sharpton, Kucinich, and Moseley
Braun participate in the debates? I didn't think so.
If anyone wants a copy of my TNR letter, E-mail me and I'll send it
to you. You can read the Notebook item on http://www.tnr.com
(click on “This Week in Print,” then on “Notebook”).
###############
Critics of Jack Evans fail to recall the intended purpose for moving
the District's presidential primary to first-in-the-nation: garner
national media attention and get the candidates on-the-record with
respect to ending disenfranchisement suffered by District residents.
That goal has long been accomplished. In addition, the recent maneuvers
resulting from and reacting to the departure of five Democrats from the
DC ballot have further raised the profile our plight. The battle for
civil rights is not a pretty one, nor should it be. This is about
rattling the cage of established politicians and their practices. If it
wasn't getting messy, it wouldn't be working.
At present, all signs indicate that DC's first-in-the-nation primary
is impacting at the highest levels of Democratic Party politics. There
most certainly will be bumps as we proceed along the way — ample fuel
for the critics — but down the road, when triumphs are measured
against controversies, the pros will far outweigh any cons. The voices
of DC have been heard, continue to have a growing influence, and are not
going away.
###############
Parking
John Whiteside, loganjohn at mac dot com
I'm confused by Bruce Levine's complaint about a car parked for five
days in front of his house. If the car is registered and has an RPP
sticker, what's the problem? It sounds like someone found a space and
hasn't moved their car for a few days. Some people don't need to drive
every day (lucky them!). If it showed some signs of being abandoned,
that's one thing, but five days? That could just be someone on vacation.
###############
There is a good reason the 72-hour rule has been repealed. It was
being used primarily as a battering ram by neighbors who were pissed at
other neighbors. The rule was seldom enforced when vehicles were
licensed and had a valid inspection sticker and RPP permit because
citizens were understandably indignant when they finally found a parking
space (especially in places such as Georgetown or Adams Morgan) and then
found themselves ticketed for no other reason than the 72-hour rule.
One thing I note in Mr. Levine's E-mail is his wording “people can
park in front of your house for as long as they want ” The sense I get
is that he feels that the parking space in front of his house is for
him. It is not. Public streets are for everyone (especially if they have
a valid RPP sticker). The 72-hour rule was never intended to ensure
parking in front of your house.
By the way. Ms. Hoteling did indicate that DPW would check on the
car. Was that Mr. Levine's first E-mail or complaint about the car? If
so, I'd say that getting a response directly from an agency head
promising to check into his complaint is reasonably responsive
government.
###############
In your recent edition, a writer complained about the long-ago repeal
of the 72-hour parking rule, and complained “that people can park in
front of your house for as long as they want.” All I can say to this
is: get over it. I live in an apartment building in Foggy Bottom and
have no choice but to park off-street. Sometimes I don't move my car for
a week. If I had to move my car around the neighborhood every 72 hours
for townhouse owners who think their property rights extend past the
curb, I would be very steamed. The elimination of the 72-hour rule is a
great improvement in city services and helps make this city livable for
apartment dwellers.
###############
In the last issue Mr. Levine wrote a note about a car being parked in
Georgetown and not liking the response he received from DPW. Well, for
many years DC citizens complained that they were required to move their
car every three days even if they hadn't used it to get around the rule;
a nuisance for individuals who do not regularly drive their cars or are
traveling. Of course those folks who live in street cleaning areas have
to move their car at least once a week during the enforcement periods.
Mr. Levine failed to note whether this car met the requirements of the
law; he seem to imply that his neighbors should not be parking in front
of his house without his permission.
It strikes me that this is a situation where the city is damned
either way; they are criticized for enforcing a law inconvenient for
some, the law gets changed, and then they are criticized for enforcing a
new law that is inconvenient for others. Give Ms. Hotaling a break; she
is only passing on the law.
###############
Parking
John Vaught LaBeaume, Dupont Circle, jvlab@yahoo.com
Regarding Bob Levine's message concerning the abolishment of the
72-hour rule for cars that are otherwise in agreement with Residential
Parking Permit regulations: for those of us not blessed with expensive
off-street parking, the abolition of this rule is welcome. With that
rule on the books, we couldn't leave town for more than 72 hours without
incurring the exorbitant parking fees at airports or Union Station,
sometimes doubling the cost of the trip.
Seventy-two hours was unreasonable, especially in a city full of
government officials, academics, and policy wonks hectoring us to get
our cars off the streets. I ride my bicycle to work in Rosslyn, now,
relieving traffic on Mr. Levine's Georgetown residential streets.
###############
I'll agree that parking in the city is difficult, but Bob Levine is
dead wrong to criticize Leslie Hoteling about the new legislation
eliminating the 72 hour time limit. For one, Ms. Hoteling doesn't have
the power to make or change legislation; that's what the Council does.
Two, the 72 hour time limit was difficult for many people. For example,
those who take transit or bike to work, and only use their cars on the
weekend. Or people who pay their taxes, keep their cars registered,
insured, maintained, and want to leave them behind while they take a
one-week, or, god forbid, a two-week vacation. I don't use my car that
often (one of the great things about living in a city is being able to
walk or to Metro to so many places) yet I have occasionally moved it for
no other reason that to avoid it being in one place more than 72 hours.
From an environmental perspective, that's a really stupid reason to turn
on the ignition. If the car has been abandoned, then the city should
remove it. I hope that the new legislation streamlines that process; in
the past, it took far to long to get cars with no wheels, no doors, and
no engines off the street.
About the car being in front of the house for five days: that's
public space. You don't own it. Other DC taxpayers have just as much
right to use it as you do, no matter how territorial you may feel about
the area.
###############
I do get a kick out of some of the whining that this forum
facilitates. A recent example is Bob Levine's complaint about someone
parking in the same spot for five days — a period of time longer than
he determined appropriate. I am truly baffled. Why shouldn't someone be
able to park on the street, including in front of Mr. Levine's house,
for as long as he/she wishes, assuming that, as Leslie Hotaling notes,
the car is properly registered? It is a public street, and the car's
owner may well be on a lovely three-week holiday, or taking advantage of
city living by walking and using public transportation. Perhaps Mr.
Levine would be happier in a setting where he had his own driveway,
controlling who can park in it and for how long.
###############
Bob Levine complains about Leslie Hotaling, but it was the DC Council
that changed the 72-hour rule, and Hotaling can't enforce a law that has
been repealed. But let me give the other side of the issue an airing: I
have a new model car in good condition, but use it mostly on weekends,
because I use mass transit or walk most of the time. Last week I had to
be out of town for eight days. Under these circumstances, the Council
believed that it is inappropriate for the city to ticket and/or tow
automobiles merely because they have been parked in the same place for
more than 72 hours. And they were right.
One of the reasons the law was changed was to both accommodate and
encourage people (even those who have no off-street parking available to
them) to use mass transit, as well as to give a break to people who
travel for a period longer than three days. But if the vehicle is
clearly abandoned or is a hazard or a clear nuisance, they can still do
something about it. Anyway, don't blame Hotaling; talk to your
Councilman.
###############
Mr. Levine writes in the November 16 issue of themail about his
frustration over a car parked in the same spot for five days in
Georgetown. In my community of Glover Park, DPW has been fantastic in
responding to requests for enforcement — both for overtime parkers as
well as vehicles that have dead tags and inspection stickers, yet the
demand for on street parking still outweighs the supply. Assuming that
everything is properly registered, and the vehicle is parked in a RPP
zone with a RPP sticker, the car is allowed to park. It seems that the
real issue is that the number of vehicles looking for a place to park
exceed the number of available on street parking spaces in high density
areas - Georgetown, Adams Morgan, DuPont Circle — the list goes on and
on.
Councilmember Schwartz has held several hearings on parking. Mayor
Williams has formed a Parking Task Force, of which I am a member, and
DDOT, DPW and DMV have been active participants in studying the current
parking regulations as well as the management of curbside space. The
Parking Task Force is set to release a study by the end of December and
Councilmember Schwartz has promised to hold additional hearings for
public comment.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Barbara Arnwine on Brown v. Board of
Education, December 2
Joe Libertelli, jlibertelli@udc.edu
Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director, of the Lawyers' Committee for
Civil Rights Under Law, will speak on implementing Brown v. Board of
Education in the 21st century on Tuesday, December 2, at 12 noon, at the
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law,
4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Building 38, 2nd Floor. RSVP to Delores
Jackson, 274-7349, djackson@udc.edu.
Ms. Arnwine is a graduate of Duke University School of Law and is
renowned for her work on passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of
1991. As one of the prominent leaders in the civil rights community, she
fights to preserve affirmative action and diversity programs such as
those that were under attack in the University of Michigan cases. In
addition Ms. Arnwine is a recipient of the National Bar Association's
Equal Justice Award. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization formed in 1963 at the request
of President Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal
services to redress racial discrimination. Its principal mission is to
secure equal justice through the rule of law. The Lawyers' Committee
implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono
resources of the bar for litigation, public policy advocacy, and other
forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights. The Committee
uses the skills and resources of the bar to obtain equal opportunity for
minorities by addressing factors that contribute to racial justice and
economic opportunity.
###############
Peter Eisenman and William Massie at National
Building Museum, December 2 and 16
Briana Hensold, bhensold@nbm.org
Peter Eisenman, Tuesday, December 2, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. An influential
theoretician and educator, Peter Eisenman is also a practicing architect
whose buildings are marked by unexpected forms and complex compositions.
Principal of the New York-based firm Eisenman Architects, he will
discuss his range of work, including the Wexner Center for the Arts in
Columbus, Ohio, a stadium for the Arizona Cardinals of the National
Football League, and the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe in
Berlin. Following his lecture, Eisenman will sign copies of his books.
$12 members; $17 nonmembers; $10 students. Prepaid registration
required.
William E. Massie, Tuesday, December 16, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Architect
William E. Massie utilizes computer applications and digital information
to redefine formal architectural constructs. Principal of New York-based
massiearchitecture.com, Massie will discuss his design process and
projects, which include Playa Urbana/Urban Beach, the winning entry for
the Museum of Modern Art's Young Architects Program displayed in the
courtyard of the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center; the Big Belt House; and
other projects. $12 members; $17 nonmembers; $10 students. Prepaid
registration required. Both lectures at the National Building Museum,
401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line).
###############
Trading Spaces — New Uses for Existing
Buildings, December 4
Krista Schreiner Gebbia, krista@dcpreservation.org
How do we take a building that has been known for one use and
reinvent it while preserving its historic integrity? Don't miss this
exciting breakfast program on Thursday, December 4th, 8:00 a.m.-10:00
a.m., at the University Club, where we will be addressing that topic and
many others encountered when considering adaptive reuse projects. If you
have questions regarding the program or to obtain a registration form,
contact Patricia Redding at 703-263-1900 or predding@whga.com.
Please complete the registration form and fax it to Yanti Pepper at the
Chapter Office 703-742-6140; or to Patricia Redding at William H. Gordon
Associates, 703-263-0766.
###############
“Why thank you Joey. . . . No, I don’t have one of . . . these. I
know just what I can do with it.” “What am I going to get for Uncle
Bob? I don’t know what he likes . . . or even what he does!” Either
of those sound familiar? Have you got a story about the worst holiday
gift you ever got? How about the time you spent all day at Tysons Corner
and still couldn’t find the right anniversary gift for your spouse?
Well, now's the time to let us feel your pain! Join us this month when
the Washington Storytellers Theater Speak Easy Season 03/04 presents All
Wrapped Up: Stories About the Giving and Receiving of Gifts, at The
Speak Easy, Tuesday, December 9, 8 p.m. at HR-57, 1610 14th Street, NW
(between Corcoran and Q Streets). $5 admission. Featuring Linda Fang,
Sherry Snider, and Laura Boldrick.
Bring a can of food to the next Speak Easy! For every item of
nonperishable food you bring, we'll give you a raffle ticket entering
you in the drawing to receive a Season Pass to the Speak Easy. All food
collected will be donated to Food and Friends, an organization providing
meals for patients with AIDS/HIV and other debilitating illnesses for
over fourteen years. Doors open at 7:30. Show up early to get your name
on the open mic list. Listen to some of the area's best storytellers and
then get up on stage to tell us your story. Because no one else is going
to.
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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers Needed for Christmas Tree Sales
Phil Carney, philandscoop@yahoo.com
Our annual Christmas Tree Sale to benefit Ross Elementary School will
be held at the corner of 17th and R Streets, NW, on Saturdays and
Sundays — December 6, 7 and 13, 14, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. All the
profits go to help Ross Elementary where we've used the profits to
renovate the library, cafeteria, front door and entry, and bought a flag
and flag pole (Only in the Nation's Capital would a public school not
have a flag and flag pole.). Everyone who helps is a volunteer and we
need your help. If you have a few hours to help out with the tree sale,
or if you have a large vehicle and could help deliver trees, or if you
have a few hours on the afternoon of December 5 to help unload the
trees, please contact me at the listed E-mail address. And if you're
buying a tree, come see us on the dates listed above.
###############
Volunteer Tax Preparers Needed
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
Be a free tax prep star! Volunteer January-April 15, 2004. Volunteers
are needed to prepare tax returns for low-income workers. Your help
means that these workers can avoid pricey commercial tax preparation.
Volunteers are needed to provide administrative and operational support
at the free tax preparation sites and provide translation assistance.
The sites provide help to low-income workers in the Washington, DC,
area. Star qualities: no experience necessary, training is provided. A
customer-friendly disposition is necessary. An interest in helping
low-wage workers claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and other benefits
that can increase workers’ incomes by as much as 50 percent. An
affinity for numbers, calculators and computers (for those tax preparing
volunteers). Learn about how you can make a difference during tax season
— go to http://www.dcfpi.org!
The tax preparation clinics that need assistance are: 1) Community
Tax Aid, Inc.: CTA has free tax assistance locations in the District,
Maryland, and Virginia. CTA needs volunteer tax return preparers,
translators, and greeters. Especially needed are individuals who are
bilingual (English-Spanish or English-Chinese). For more information,
E-mail ctavol@aol.com, call
347-4811, or go to http://www.gwscpa.org/cta/index.htm.
2) DC CASH Coalition, Creating Assets, Savings & Hope for DC
Families. The DC CASH Coalition provides free tax assistance in
neighborhoods with a high concentration (35-40 percent) of low-income
families. The Coalition will operate six tax assistance centers in Wards
5, 7 and 8 in 2004. In addition to offering free electronic tax
preparation and filing services, all of our tax centers will connect
families with programs and services that can improve their financial
well being. Tax centers are open on week nights and Saturdays from late
January through April 15, and volunteers are asked to work a few hours
each week throughout the tax season. Submit a volunteer application
online at http://www.dccash.org. For
more information, contact Colleen Dailey, DC CASH Coalition Coordinator,
at 249-1525 or info@dccash.org. 3)
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Memorial Library: this site will be open from mid-January until April 15
on weeknights and weekend days. It is located in the heart of downtown
Washington at 9th and G Streets, NW. More information is available from
Paul Heimer, ball-heim@comcast.net
or 703-836-3407. 4) AARP Tax-Aide: AARP Tax-Aide needs volunteers to
help prepare tax returns for middle- and low-income taxpayers, with
special attention given to those sixty and older. Volunteers will
receive free tax training by certified tax-aide instructors in January
2004 and will be asked to provide a minimum commitment of four hours per
week between February 1 through April 15, 2004. Individuals of all ages,
backgrounds, and skill levels are encouraged to apply. AARP membership
is not required to be an AARP Tax-Aide volunteer. For more information,
call the toll-free number, 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visit http://www.aarp.org/taxaide.
5) Homeless Income Tax Service: volunteers are needed to help people
living in area homeless shelters and transitional housing programs file
their income tax returns in 2004. Yes, homeless people do work! In fact,
according to the latest survey from the Counsel of Governments, about 40
percent of homeless adults are currently employed. Most of these
individuals will get refunds, and some refunds will exceed $4,000.
Imagine how good you will feel handing a homeless person a piece of
paper that says they will be getting $4,000. Eight hours of training is
required, and volunteers generally contribute between 25-30 hours during
the tax season (evenings or weekends). For more information or to
volunteer please contact Paul Heimer at 703-836-3407 or ball-heim@comcast.net.
6) Manna Community Development Corporation: Manna CDC provides free
electronic tax preparation and filing assistance in various locations
the Shaw neighborhood. The sites will run on selected weeknights and
Saturdays from late January through early March. Volunteer training will
be provided in January. For more information, contact Deidre R. Lee at
232-2915 or dlee@mannadc.org.
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