Staying Put

Dear Stayers:

In this issue, Ed Barron blasts the DC Taxicab Commission for not
getting a majority vote in favor of any of the three major options for a
cab fare system: maintaining the current zone fare, requiring cabs to
install fare meters, or going to a newer option of global positioning
system monitors to verify fares based on zones. I’m not so sure that I’d
blame the Commission members for their split on the issue. For the past
several years, large taxicab companies have lobbied city administrations
to require meters as a way of driving independent cab operators out of
business or forcing them to work as employees of the large fleets that
would then dominate the cab industry. Marc Fisher briefly outlined some
of this story in his blog, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/09/taxi_wars_zones_and_metersthe.html.
Successive administrations have tried to appoint people to the Taxicab
Commission who would vote to require metered cabs, but to date they have
not been successful in completely stacking the board. I don’t blame
the Commission members, but instead the political pressures on them, for
their split.

Just as the long-running taxicab dispute is more about control and
profits for powerful interests than it is about fair and accurate fares,
the rush to declare publicly owned properties surplus and dispose of
them is more about doing favors for wealthy friends of the
administration, giving them prime land at bargain rates, than it is
about community development to benefit the long-standing residents of
our communities. Chris Otten and Robin Diener write about one of the
most recent examples of that, the West End deal, below. Many documents
related to that deal are now online at http://www.dcwatch.com/issues/westend.htm.

For the past twenty-five or so years, Dorothy and I have dealt with
all successive city administrations in the same way, held them to the
same standards, and asked them the same sorts of questions. We’ve
angered a series of mayors and councilmembers, but they’ve all
responded without any personal animus, until now. (Mayor Williams told
the Washington Post that he often wanted to jump over the podium
at press conferences and strangle Dorothy, but he never actually did
it.) But early in the Fenty administration, the mayor’s general
counsel and special advisor, Peter Nickles, sent Dorothy a threatening
letter warning her to stay in line (see http://www.dcwatch.com/dorothy/dot070110.htm,
and Dorothy’s reply to Nickles at http://www.dcwatch.com/dorothy/dot070115.htm).
Three months ago, Dorothy was arrested in the Wilson Building on bogus
charges, charges that were immediately dismissed by the US Attorney’s
office, for doing the same kind of questioning that she has done for
years ( http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2007/07-06-13.htm#brizill).
Within a week of that, we received a letter from the tax department
billing us for unpaid income taxes, penalties, and interest. That was
easily resolved, though it seemed like an odd mistake to make. The tax
office was reading the amount of taxes due from the wrong line on the
tax form, and after I pointed out the right line a few times the bill
was dismissed. Then, a week or so after that, an inspector from DCRA,
acting on what he said was a complaint, initiated condemnation
procedures on our house.

I’ve written before that our house is shabby. When Dorothy and I
got involved in local public and government affairs, we made a decision
after the first few years that we would both work on city issues full
time and that we would remain independent. We decided to live modestly
on a limited income, to devote a good part of that income to funding
DCWatch, and not to seek contributions for DCWatch. We’re not
complaining. That’s our choice, and we’re happy with it. In fact, we
live very well, as long as we don’t buy anything, but we have had to
defer and neglect expensive house repairs. There are grounds to complain
that the condition of our house doesn’t meet other peoples’
standards, much less our own, so we wrote off as paranoid our suspicion
that the complaint was part of a vendetta by the Fenty administration.
It turns out that even paranoids have real enemies. Yesterday, Mike
DeBonis, the new Loose Lips columnist for the Washington City Paper, called
Dorothy about the condemnation complaint. DeBonis confirmed that the
complaint had been politically motivated, made by a “political
source” to try to get our house condemned, and said that he had been
tipped off to the proceedings by a person “at the Wilson Building”
who wanted him to publicize them to try to embarrass us, hoping that it
will discredit Dorothy and damage her reputation and credibility.
DeBonis was willing to cooperate in that effort, and will publish an
item in his column tomorrow. So if the threatening lawyer’s letter
failed, if the phony arrest failed, if the phony income tax bill failed,
maybe the necessary house repairs would be too expensive for us and we
would just be put out of our home. Unfortunately for the administration,
the problems with our house are not that bad, DCRA has been professional
and helpful throughout the process, and our house is not going to be
condemned.

DeBonis had some strong suggestions for Dorothy, suggestions that
obviously came straight from his source in the Wilson Building. “Your
house is very large and very grand,” he said. “You can’t afford
your house,” he told Dorothy, “you can’t afford your repairs.”
Then, three or four times, he urged her to sell to developers, “who I
know are knocking on your door,” and move to a house and neighborhood
other than Columbia Heights, more suitable for us.

No. The answer, DeBonis, is no. And no particularly to the Fenty
administration, no. You’re not going to get rid of the independent
taxi drivers easily. You’re not going to reshape communities and rob
DC citizens of our public land and buildings without a real fight from
long-standing residents who have a stake in preserving our neighborhoods
and our city’s inheritance. And you’re certainly not getting rid of
us, not going to drive us out, that easily. We’re staying put.

Gary Imhoff

[email protected]

###############

Too Bad Adrian Fenty Doesn’t Have Time for
the Metro Board

Larry Seftor, Ward 3, larry underscore seftor .them757 at
zoemail.net

From a private sector perspective, the situation faced by Metro
managers is a dream. The system has an enormous, per-paid, capital
investment (the tunnels and stations) that are the ultimate barrier to
competition. The system has a very large capital investment (the trains
and supporting infrastructure) that has very predictable maintenance
costs, life expectancy, and replacement costs. The system has a steadily
increasing ridership (to record levels, in fact) with a relatively
inelastic cost basis. By that I mean that a train with six hundred
passengers costs Metro essentially the same to run as a train with
twenty passengers. And finally, there is no lack of information for how
to run an underground railroad. For example, the London Underground (for
a hundred forty years) and the Paris Metro System (for a hundred years)
provide a wealth of information and history about what does and does not
work. Despite this favorable situation, Metro wants to cut back service
hours (the weekend night-owl service), somehow forgetting that it is a
public utility whose mission is public service. Late Metro hours
contribute to the vibrancy (and tax revenue) of the city and keep people
with alcohol in their systems off the streets. Additionally, Metro
management is now requesting increased fares.

Metro finances are complex enough that simple analyses will not
separate truth from fiction. (Although I have heard stories about
unwarranted largesse, such as Metro managers who can leave Metro with
lifetime health insurance coverage after a fairly brief tenure.) I
believe that the Metro board should hire an outside, independent
consulting firm to examine the details of Metro’s budget, financial
planning, and cost projections for the future. This study should
consider the financial models used by other transit systems around the
world as part of the analysis. Considering the inbred nature of life in
Washington, the board should find a consultant far, far from the
beltway, its pervasive networking, and people with mixed agendas; Omaha,
for example. Metro certainly has rising costs, but anyone riding crowded
Metro trains must have a hard time believing that the massive influx of
new revenue from all those passengers is not enough to outweigh rising
costs.

###############

Oh for Two, Trees and Cabs

Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom

We’re batting zero on my block with the two new trees planted by DC
Public Works. The city has embarked on a Herculean mission to plant
thousands of new trees around the city in places where the older trees
will die in a few years. It is a wonderful mission that unfortunately
relies on homeowners abutting the land where these trees are planted to
water the trees. It is especially important for home owners to water
this year because we are so far behind in normal rainfall. Of the two
trees planted on my block both have died for lack of water. One of the
houses where a tree was planted is occupied by a large number of AU
students who worry only about where they will park their nine or ten
cars. The other house is occupied by a reputable, hard working, family
just too busy to take care of any additional landscaping. It’s very
sad to see such lack of care in this well-to-do neighborhood. I wonder
how many of the trees that have been planted across the city will
survive.

After how many years of discussion about how to calculate and charge
fares to taxi passengers has this not been resolved? It’s clear that
the current gang in the Taxi Commission can’t find their butts with
both hands. They’ve had years to conduct pilot programs with meters,
perform cost/benefit analyses, and now they can’t make any
recommendation and leave the whole mess for Mayor Fenty to resolve. Who
needs this bunch of cowards?

###############

Rescission Possible in West End Emergency
Resolution

Robin Diener, [email protected]

Robert Miller, Legislative Counsel in Chairman Vincent Gray’s
office, left open the possibility Tuesday of rescinding the West End
Emergency Resolution in the new Council legislative session that begins
on Tuesday September 18. In an hour-long meeting with community
advocates from Empower DC, the Foggy Bottom Association, and the DC
Library Renaissance Project, Miller said that rescission could be
introduced if the emergency resolution had not yet been
“implemented.” Miller also cautioned that the council was bound not
to take action that could be harmful to the city’s contractual
obligations. Miller was also informed that last week the tenants of the
Tiverton Apartments, located adjacent to West End Library, ended
negotiations with Eastbanc, the developer named in the emergency
resolution. While the Tiverton situation was not included in the
resolution, it was leveraged by the council to create the appearance of
an emergency.

For the resolution to take effect, Mayor Fenty must submit a Land
Disposition Agreement (LDA) to the Council within ninety days, which he
has not yet done. The council has forty-five days to “disapprove” an
LDA — a requirement that Kwame Brown’s office has cited as adequate
public protection — but the LDA passes automatically if not acted upon
by council. Opponents are not willing to wait for an LDA to come to
council for “possible disapproval.” We want the deal rescinded
first. Our mantra, “Fix the Broken Process,” was echoed by Phil
Mendelson, the lone dissenting vote against the emergency, who said at
the time, "This might be a great deal, but I don’t like the
process."

Advocates also let Miller know that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans,
cosponsor of the emergency resolution with Brown, had acknowledged a
mistake in not getting community approval. At a July 18 meeting of Foggy
Bottom ANC2A, attended by more than one hundred citizens, Evans promised
to abide by the community’s wishes. (See video of the meeting at http://beltwayimc.org/en/node/196).

Since then, calls for rescinding the West End emergency resolution
have come from numerous civic groups including the Federation of
Citizens’ Associations, the Foggy Bottom Association, the Dupont
Circle Citizens Association, the Kalorama Citizens Association, ANC2B,
ANC1C, and TENAC. Read all the documents in the case at the Library
Dynamo Project web site: http://www.librarydynamo.org/read.php/dynamos/westend/timeline,
and sign the public petition to rescind the West End emergency
resolution: http://www.librarydynamo.org/read.php/dynamos/westend/petition.

###############

Dude, Where’s My City?

Chris Otten, [email protected]

On July 11, I woke up kind of hazy after a night of reading a wild
essay by George Orwell to find out a public library was missing. It was
the day after the DC city council heard an unprecedented forty-four
pieces of “emergency resolutions” — resolutions that go into
effect immediately with only a single reading. One of the more insidious
resolutions happened to cede land in the West End neighborhood of Ward 2
to a private developer named Eastbanc. On this land sits the West End
Library, MPD Special Operations Division, and the neighborhood fire
station, all of which are currently operating.

While the library is not currently missing, the point is that it
seems the DC city council, both old and new councilmembers, along with a
complicit mayor, are continuing to sell public property for the benefit
of private profit and doing so with very little concern for public input
on these serious matters. One can trace this everything-must-go attitude
back to the Williams’ administration, when our only public hospital
was essentially closed and all of our public hospital equipment were
sold to private companies throughout the country at pennies on the
dollar. The fire sale continues today as public schools are under threat
of consolidation, and afterwards our public school buildings are merely
handed over to private charter-school administrators or sold to
developers to build more condos. Look at the homeless shelters, Randall
School, and others downtown, just blatantly closed for lack of
maintenance and then given to the Corcoran or sat upon until a developer
is willing to offer a price.

But most appalling in recent times is the negligence of the city and
Library Board of Trustees to just sit on their hands while four
neighborhood libraries sat closed since 2004 and offered no interim
services to these people — especially our friends across the river
where two libraries were shuttered, Benning Road Library and Anacostia
Library. The Board of Trustees just got finished patting itself on the
back for finally opening interim services in these neighborhoods, only
to sit idle and watch the West End library property be sold to Anthony
Lanier and Eastbanc without even a peep. The only thing standing in
between the complete sale of the city to the mayor’s and council’s
wealthy friends are our Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, as there
are legal statues in our Home Rule Charter to support this. The only
catch is that city has to actually follow its own rules, which for the
most part is not happening. Contact your ANC Commissioner today — find
out if they’ve been notified of potential public property land
giveaways to private developers — empower them to take a stand against
such egregious action by so-called city leaders — otherwise, we may
all wake up one day and ask Dude, Where’s Our City? For more
information about the West End library, visit http://www.savewestendlibrary.org.

###############

Giant Bonusbucks Registration

Steve Leraris, [email protected]

I came across this today [http://www.giantfood.com/aplus/] and thought I’d pass it along. So far there are not many DC Schools
registered for this year.

“This year’s program will run from October 5, 2007, and continue
through April 3, 2008. Each time a supporter shops using their Giant
Bonus Card, your school will earn A+ Bonusbucks, which converts into
cash each month. Last year our top school earned over $12,000, and many
schools earned $1,000 or more. With a little effort on your school’s
part, great award opportunities are easy!

“Giant Bonus Card holders may support your local school(s) (up to
three) to benefit from the A+ Bonusbucks Program by choosing the ‘Designate
Schools’ link from the menu on this page or by completing a
Designation Card at your participating Giant Customer Service Desk. Then
every time you shop with your card between October 5, 2007, and April 3,
2008, your designated school(s) will earn A+ Bonusbucks, which are
converted to cash and credited to your school’s account. To ensure
that your school earns proper A+ Bonusbucks credit, schools must (re)register
and supporters must (re)designate. Remember, even if you designated a
school last year, you must redesignate this year. This simple effort is
the only step necessary for your school to begin earning your points!”

###############

Changing the Way Business Is Done Around
Community Development

Villareal Johnson, ANC 7A, [email protected]

As a young, progressive, and extremely involved member of the Ward 7
community, I tend to observe and listen. What I see is that we have four
city council members living east of the Anacostia River. What I hear is
that this is political history in the making. But let’s shed the
euphoria for a moment and ask the million dollar question. What does
this really mean for east Washington? For years, east Washington has
been underrepresented and underdeveloped. Now, with a quarter of the
city council living east of the Anacostia River, it’s time to leverage
that influence for community benefit. The 140,000 people living east of
the Anacostia River, making up a quarter of the city’s population,
should expect a change in the way business is done surrounding community
development.

Community development, in most cases, refers to the creation of
suitable and stable neighborhoods through the promotion and execution of
integrated approaches that provide decent housing for all, safe and
clean living environments and expanded economic opportunities for low
and moderate income people. However, many could argue that the stated
definition of community development, in practice, has not really
materialized itself east of the Anacostia. One could successfully argue
that what we have come to accept as community development is really not
that at all. Would it be naive to say that what we assumed was community
development was nothing more than a creative and seductive way for
profiteers to obtain our valuable community assets while leaving us with
nothing more than shabby development projects, shattered dreams and
broken promises? Personally, being a man of people, I would argue that
now is a great time to pursue and obtain the things we need and desire.
It’s time to use our political leverage to exercise community
development and really make history.

The four council members representing residents east of the Anacostia
River, should standardize a process legislatively that will state to
developers that if they want to do business east of the Anacostia River,
there are parameters. Our representatives need to: publicly support and
lend their political influence to the ward-wide community benefits
package discussion being lead by various ANCs, civic groups, community
based organizations, and residents; begin a ward-wide priority exercise
to assess and define community needs; introduce specific legislation
that will tax developers for increasing density; create a task force to
determine the value of community assets lost to private development so
that money can be reinvested back into our communities; and find
resources to educate residents on community benefits and train residents
on the art of negotiating for those benefits. If they really wanted to
make history, they could pass legislation that establishes a standard
payment on the part of developers for the increased square footage
(Floor Area Ratio) through a public process of up-zoning (Planned Unit
Development).

This high level of action and leverage of political clout would be
most inspiring and monumental. However, without the forceful push from
our communities, it probably won’t happen. With an election coming in
fifteen months, we can mandate this kind of action through public
discourse. The councilmembers represent our interest and we have the
power to make them act. Contrary to popular belief, we carry more weight
than the financiers of their campaigns. As voters, taxpayers, and
residents, we have the power to leverage our council representatives to
develop our community as we see fit.

###############

Unequal Hiring Practices

Peter Turner, [email protected]

I would like to mirror Samuel Jordan’s comments [themail, September
9] about apparent unequal opportunity hiring practices in some
businesses and restaurants in the District. Aside from the restaurant
Mr. Jordan mentions, there are numerous other examples where an apparent
ethnic group is hired to the apparent exclusion of any other groups. I’m
not sure what the investigative process for such situations is, but it
would be good to know.

###############

CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

DC Public Library Events, September 13-15

Randi Blank, [email protected]

Thursday, September 13, 11:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 215. Talking Book Club. Members of the
DC Regional Library adult book club will discuss a talking book. For
more information, call Adaptive Services at 727-2142.

Thursday, September 13, 6:30 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall. Help adults get their GED or
learn to read! The Adult Literacy Resource Center of the DC Public
Library presents a volunteer fair to learn about tutoring and teaching
opportunities with adult literacy providers. This event is cosponsored
by DC Learns. Be sure to register by September 10. To register, call the
Adult Literacy Resource Center at (202) 727-2431 or the Read Out Loud
Hotline at 1-866-READ-OUT.

Friday and Saturday, September 14. 15, 10:00 a.m., Martin Luther
King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, G Street Overhang, rain
or shine. Books Plus, The Library Store, holds its fifth annual fall
book sale. Thousands of books will be on sale at $4.00 or less. Proceeds
will be used for the purchase of new books and audiovisual materials for
the DC Public Library.

Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Saturday, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Sunday, Palisades Neighborhood Library, 4901 V
Street, NW. Friends of the Palisades Library used book sale. Come search
for bargains at the annual used book sale. 282-3139.

Saturday, September 15, 11:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall. Picturing Words: The Power of
Book Illustration. For centuries, the use of illustrations in our
culture has conditioned the human eye to learning through visual media.
Pictures add beauty, color and life to the printed page and appeal to
readers and nonreaders alike. This exhibit is cosponsored with the
Smithsonian Institution Libraries. For more information, call 727-1183.

Saturday, September 15, 11:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Gallery A-2. Through the Lens: Jeremy
Goldberg’s Washington. This exhibit traces Washington’s Jewish
community from a tight cluster of late 19th century synagogues downtown
to new neighborhoods uptown and into the suburbs through photographs of
original and current sites of synagogues, other Jewish buildings, and
cemeteries. This exhibit is cosponsored with the Jewish Historical
Society of Greater Washington. For more information, call 727-1183.

Saturday, September 15, 1:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall and 2nd Floor East and West
Lobbies. The Art of the Quilt. This all-day quilting demonstration is
provided by the Daughters of Dorcas and Sons. For more information, call
727-1291.

Saturday, September 15, 1:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 215. Technology Training Session.
Demonstrations of new assistive technologies and group training for
people of all ages who use assistive technology for the blind and
visually impaired. For more information, call 727-2142.

Saturday, September 15, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, G Street Windows. Join artist
Gerardo Brown as he unveils “Mandalas,” a series of oil paintings
created as a metaphor of traditional Buddhist mandalas, geometrical
representations used to meditate. For more information, call 727-1183.

###############

Shaw Monthly Cleanup, September 15

Jason Beard, [email protected]

Please join us for the Shaw Monthly Clean Up this Saturday to clean
up the community, meet people, and do good. The August turn-out was
great, with around fifteen people, and we hope to have even more this
time around. We will be focusing on the upper 9th Street corridor.
Activities will include working with Shaw Main Streets to plant flowers
into newly installed tree boxes, picking up litter, and general street
clean ups.

The specifics of the event: 9 a.m., Saturday, September 15. Meet at
9th and Q Streets NW (Park Area). Bring gloves and water. What will be
provided: clean up tongs, trash bags, volunteer vests; a few extra
gloves will be on hand. Current weather forecast: Partly cloudy, high of
76 degrees. This event is sponsored by treeboxodka.com in partnership
with anc2c0c.com.

###############

The Tangible Benefits of Blogging, September
15

Barbara Conn, [email protected]

Nancy McCord, business owner and expert on the use of blogs for
developing web traffic and improving visibility of web sites, will give
attendees the information and confidence they need to use blogging to
build their businesses. By the time she finishes her talk, attendees
will be ready to create a useful blog. Topics to be covered include 1) a
blog’s impact on web site traffic and “stickiness,” 2) the impact
of blog setup method on search engines such as Google, 3) setting up a
blog (including a demo using Blogger’s free online tools), 4) XML
feeds — what they are and how to use them, 5) feed syndication tools,
and 6) ghost blogging.

Be sure to bring your questions. Nancy’s answers will help you take
advantage of this exciting technology to interact with customers and
build your web site’s presence. With her fresh, candid approach, Nancy
McCord will give you the real scoop on blogging and on why you should be
using a blog with your Web site.

Gather your colleagues, relatives, friends, and neighbors, and bring
them to this Saturday, September 15, 1:00 p.m., gathering of the Capital
PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special Interest
Group (E&C SIG). These monthly events are free and open to all. This
month’s event is at the Cleveland Park Branch Library (first floor
large meeting room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW (between Macomb and
Newark Streets), just over a block south of the Cleveland Park Metrorail
Station on the Red Line. For more information about the presentation,
the speaker, and CPCUG (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization),
visit http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org/907meet.html.
To register, send E-mail to [email protected].

###############

West End Rally and Oversight Hearing,
September 18, 24

Robin Diener, [email protected]

Rally Tuesday, September 18, at 9 a.m., at the Wilson Building (13th
Street and Pennsylvania Avenue) to call for the council to 1) rescind
the West End Emergency Resolution — send it back to square one and
follow normal legislative processes including public hearings, etc. It’s
not about the specifics of the deal, which should be up to the
community. It’s about the process. This unfortunate resolution should
not be allowed to stand. It sets a precedent that will only result in
more political discord and upheaval. And that’s no way to rebuild a
library system. Jack Evans has said he will abide by the community’s
request. 2) Follow the law by completing a Public Property Inventory
(and putting it online), completing the Master Facilities Plan for all
of DC, not just the schools, and implementing ways for the mayor to
consider “continuous community input.” All the above are required
under current law. 3) Fix the law to prohibit the disposal of public
property through emergency legislation, and amend the Library LEAD Act
to mandate public input into the development of any public/private
partnership (ppp) as the first step. Chairman Gray, Carol Schwartz, and
Harry Thomas have expressed interest in these reforms. The rally will
last less than an hour, and it’s Car-Free Day in DC, so you can use
the crowded Metro as an excuse for being a little late to work.

On Monday September 24, at 10 a.m., in room 500 of the Wilson
Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, there will be an oversight
hearing by Kwame Brown concerning projects managed by the Office of the
Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Many are expected to
testify about the West End Emergency and the lack of public inclusion in
plans for other libraries including the Tenley and Benning branches
which are under pressure for sale and development. Any project under the
management by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic
Development may be the subject of testimony by citizens. Those who wish
to testify should contact John Adams at the Committee on Economic
Development by E-mail at [email protected]
or by telephone, 727-6683. E-mail contacts should include the full name,
title, and affiliation, if applicable, of the person(s) wishing to
testify. Witnesses should bring ten copies of their written testimony to
the roundtable. Representatives of organizations will be allowed a
maximum of five minutes for oral presentation, and individuals will be
allowed a maximum of three minutes for oral presentation. If you are
unable to attend the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will
be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements
should be submitted to the Secretary to the Council, 1350 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Suite 5, Washington, DC 20004 no later than 5:00 p.m.,
Friday, September 28.

###############

DC’s Architectural Environment, September 24

Sara Kabakoff, [email protected]

Join Todd DeGarmo as he discusses STUDIOS architecture’s
perspective on Washington, DC’s, unique architectural environment.
Under DeGarmo’s leadership, STUDIOS has become a respected industry
leader designing programmatically complex buildings and interiors that
inspire innovation. STUDIOS architecture’s DC practice has influenced
many of its national and international projects, including the recently
completed IAC/InterActiveCorp and Bloomberg LP locations globally. At
the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro,
Red Line), Monday, September 24, 7:00-8:30 p.m. $12, Museum members and
students; $20, nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in
registration based on availability. To register, visit http://www.nbm.org
or call 272-2448. For more information, contact Sara Kabakoff, [email protected],
272-2448, ext. 3201.

###############

Tour of Solar Homes and Buildings, October 6-7

Steven Seelig, [email protected]

Please attend the seventeenth annual metropolitan Washington, DC,
tour of solar homes and buildings. This is part of the American Solar
Energy Society (http://www.ases.org/tour/) national tour of solar homes.
We are sure you will enjoy learning more about sustainable solar homes,
buildings, and energy efficient technologies that are available today.
Over forty homes will be on the tour this year from October 6 to 7,
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Solar energy systems and sustainable green design are now becoming
mainstream. In fact, studies by the US Green Building Council indicate
that sustainable design, including solar energy technology, is the
fastest growing segment of the building industry today. For more
information please view this link: http://www.solartour.org/index.htm.
Thanks for joining us! Tickets for the tour will be available September
14 at area locations for a small cost and downloadable for free from our
web. See the tickets page (http://www.solartour.org/tickets.htm)
for details.

###############

themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to [email protected]
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.