In this issue: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton To Address CCCA, A Plan to Reduce Racism in Chevy Chase DC, Be Positive and Calm During the Pandemic, Main Street Chevy Chase Plan Delayed, Five New ANC 3/4G Commissioners, Join a Free Virtual Neighborhood Tour, Chevy Chase Library Reopens With Limited Services, Friends of Lafayette Park Works to Improve the Area, Time to Order a Historic House Plaque, Northwest Neighbors Village Events Open to Public, ‘Slow Streets’ Plan For Tennyson Dropped For Now, Lafayette and Murch School News, Bus Depot Reconstruction Due Soon, Friends of Chevy Chase Circle Update

November 2020

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton To Address CCCA

CCCA will sponsor a virtual roundtable discussion with our D.C. Delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, from 7 to 8 pm Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Congresswoman will speak about D.C. Statehood prospects in the next Congress, the 2020 election and other topics that the public wishes to ask. The discussion will be moderated by Ted Gest, longtime Washington journalist and CCCA newsletter editor. Questions may be submitted through the Zoom chat function. To join the meeting, please click this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84524421976 or dial-in 301 715 8592. Webinar ID: 845 2442 1976

A Plan to Reduce Racism in Chevy Chase DC

The Chevy Chase ANC 3/4G Task Force on Racism has recommended “actionable items with the intent to close the racial divide … between our community and others across the city” in statements accessible at https://anc3g.org/task_forces/task-force-on-racism/.  Three Task Force working groups composed of nearly two dozen volunteers addressed community, education/health, and housing issues during sixteen meetings held since July..

The community working group determined “to raise awareness about the ongoing effects of historical and systemic racism in our community and promote change in pursuit of racial justice, diversity, and equity” via a permanent task force of Chevy Chase residents.  It would establish an Incident Response Team as well as space in the Community Center for related workshops and events, website and cooperation with interested city entities, addressing institutional naming issues, and development of community surveys.

Education/health proposals emphasized equalizing governmental school financing along with parent-teacher organizational contributions to classroom resources, deepening anti-racism curriculum in D.C. public schools, advocacy of city-wide community engagement, closing students’ digital technology and connectivity gap, and fostering social emotional learning (SEL) as practiced at Lafayette Elementary School.

CCCA will hold its annual membership drive soon. Members should watch their email or snail mail boxes in the next few weeks for a request to renew your membership for 2020-21. We would appreciate your support as we continue our activities during the pandemic.

The housing report identifies seven recommendations in various categories: work force-affordable housing atop a new community center/library complex and along our Connecticut Avenue gateway into the District; promotion of affordability in existing multi-family rental units, improvements in D.C. rent control legislation, and support of housing voucher services; and permission for increases in “gentle density” of housing to foster neighborhood economic and social diversity.

ANC 3/4G will hold a virtual town hall meeting at 7 PM next Monday, November 16, to hear community comments on reports and recommendations. The session will be accessible at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84188065276 or via dial-in at (301) 715-8592 ID:84188065276.

President’s Column
Be Positive and Calm During the Pandemic

Connecticut Avenue was alive last Saturday with horns honking, people applauding and waving, pots banging, and dancing in the streets. I was gardening when I heard the commotion from the corner of Military Road and Connecticut Avenue. I could not resist taking a stroll from my home up the Avenue to experience the joy and excitement that people were feeling. Many neighbors came out to see and delight in the celebration. 

Regardless of your party affiliation, if you are like me, you are relieved that the 2020 election has concluded, a president and other political officers have been selected, and our sacred democratic process still holds. According to many friends, the combined stressors of the national election, Covid-19, race relations, the economy, jobs, and school has caused a roller coaster of emotions. For those of you who have lost loved ones, our heart goes out to you. To those of you who are recovering from illness, we send our best wishes. 

We all look forward to spending more time with our family, friends, and colleagues. Our kids miss school, their teachers, and friends. Zoom calls may have been convenient (and safe) but they cannot replace face-to-face engagement. Even the notion of “face-to-face” has become more foreign as we carefully don our masks and observe social distancing. But coping is not the same as thriving. Humans after all are social beings. 

Under normal circumstances, my family would be preparing to go to Los Angeles to spend Thanksgiving with our kids and grandkids. I may still be responsible for smoking a turkey, but the feast will not be anything near the same. Many of you have had to change your holiday plans, too. The pandemic is affecting every aspect of our lives. 

And yet we carry on. If we can, we work from home. Others of us go to work but remain vigilant. Kids study from home. We frequently get carry-out dinner from our favorite restaurants. We have our “pods” of friends whom we trust and who trust us to come over, have a drink and a meal. Many of us have been binging on TV series. For me, it has been Mrs. Maisel and Outlander. With luck, and common sense, we know that we will get through this strange time. We will have an effective vaccine. Treatments for the virus have been improving. Pandemics end. Perhaps certain things will change, but we will adjust. We need to remain positive and calm.

Be kind, be positive, and take care of yourselves and others.

• Robert Gordon

Main Street Chevy Chase Plan Delayed

Due to a budget shortfall, the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development has rescinded the recently awarded Chevy Chase Main Street grant to the District Bridges firm. Supporters are attempting to have the funds restored. District Bridges executive director Brianne Dornbush says the organization still intends to launch a program supporting the Chevy Chase commercial corridor. District Bridges “will be sharing more information concerning this effort soon and look forward to enlisting the support of our community,” Dornbush says.

Five New ANC 3/4G Commissioners

Five new commissioners will join the seven-member Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G, which represents the Chevy Chase area on D.C. government issues, in January. They are Lisa Gore in Single Member District One, replacing Abe Clayman; John Higgins in District Two, replacing Chanda Tuck-Garfield; Michael Zeldin in District Four, replacing Rebecca Maydak; Connie Chang in District Five, replacing Jerry Malitz, and Peter Gosselin in District Six, replacing Dan Bradfield. (Gosselin’s election as a write-in candidate must be confirmed.)

Join a Free Virtual Neighborhood Tour

Historic Chevy Chase DC will hold a free virtual tour of our neighborhood (in lieu of our covid-cancelled walking tour) from 7:30-8:30 pm Tuesday, Nov. 17 on Zoom. The link will be available on www.historicchevychasedc.org. The tour will mirror and go beyond our traditional walking tour. It has four rubrics—history, streetscapes and architecture, our neighbors, and outlook. It will be narrated by eight of our HCCDC’s ten board members with lots of visual imagery and information. The event will be recorded.

Chevy Chase Library Reopens With Limited Services

This week, the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library reopened on weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm and 3 to 7 pm. Customers are allowed to pick up books they have placed on hold, apply for a library card, use computers (arranged for six feet of social distancing and limited to 45-minute sessions.) Photocopying and scanning are not available, but customers may send documents electronically for free printing.

Curated book titles and bundles of books are available for checkout near the circulation desk. Customers may ask staff members to retrieve specific items. Restrooms are available.

To ensure health and safety, there will be controlled entry to limit the number of people in the library at one time. Customers are required to wear face masks and practice six-feet social distancing. Rooms are not available for meetings or study. The library will be closed for cleaning from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday hours are expected to be added in late November. For more information, visit https://www.dclibrary.org/node/67487

Friends of Lafayette Park Works to Improve the Area

new Japanese maple

photo courtesy of Frank von Riper

In these times of pandemic and tension, parks like Lafayette are needed more than ever.  Across all ages and activity levels, many rely on the park for a place of mental and physical release.  Friends of Lafayette Park (FOLP) has been busy behind the scenes to maintain this resource for all to enjoy.  

FOLP met with the D.C. Department of General Services (DGS) to address sinkholes, poor drainage on the baseball field, and deteriorating track; damaged pads under the swings on the playground, which were leaking non-biodegradable Styrofoam; a broken slide on the playground; fallen lights on the upper field, and a concrete curb damaged by a tree contractor.

The sinkholes, pads under the swings, and fallen lights have been repaired. DGS is working on the root causes of the track/field issues.  The necessary part of the slide has been ordered and should be here in mid-November. DGS is securing the slide so that children do not access it until it is repaired.  DGS is having the contractor replace the broken curb.

FOLP has met with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to get replacement plantings alongside tennis courts that were removed to install a drainage system for the planned bioretention garden. The group is reviewing the lighting plan for the new Rec Center and helped DPR to find lighting appropriate for a natural area in a residential neighborhood. It is asking D.C. agencies to have the watering system repaired, and is weeding, pruning, and mulching perimeter gardens. 

Thanks to Kelly Hoyle for contributing a Japanese Maple to the Garden, and to Carol Leonnig and John Reeder for hauling the tree (and other plant material) from Kelly’s newly redesigned garden and planting it on the Broad Branch Road side of the park.

While COVID-19 and the construction of the Rec Center have disrupted semi-annual cleanups, FOLP welcomes garden volunteers and donations.  Eagle Scouts and students who need service hours are also welcome with adult supervision. You can contact the group at thefolp.org to learn more about ways to get involved and contribute. FOLP looks forward to working with  newly elected ANC Commissioner Michael Zeldin and Ward 4 Council Member Janeese Lewis George and all our neighbors to coordinate and reinforce efforts on behalf of this special green space.

Time to Order a Historic House Plaque

Please consider purchasing a plaque for your house or as a gift for someone else. No specific age of a house or particular background is required. While they follow a similar design, there is some flexibility in what you wish to recognize about your home.  You can see some examples of the 246 existing plaques at www.historicchevychasedc.org. 

Each plaque includes "Chevy Chase DC, Est. 1907" along the bottom.  Other information is tailored to an individual home, with the year built in the center. It might include the name of the builder or the architect, identification as a catalog house or having had a significant addition constructed. 

Plaques are 8"x12" ovals in bronze with black finish and beveled edges in bronze and are ordered from Erie Landmark Co.  Basic cost is $302.00 but a historic group discount of 15% brings the cost to $256.70.  Shipping ranges from approximately $8 to $23, depending on the number of plaques shipped together from the foundry. 

 If you would like to be included in the next order or to find out more about the plaques or about information on your house, contact Evelyn Wrin at 244-5744 or evbobwrin@verizon.net or Jordan Benderly at 905-4920 or jordan.benderly@lnf.com.  Evelyn and Jordan coordinate this activity for Historic Chevy Chase DC and CCCA.

Northwest Neighbors Village Events Open to Public

The Northwest Neighbors Village is making several of its Zoom events available to the public. Additional programs are listed on www.nnvdc.org. Check there for information about access.

At 6 pm every Thursday, NNV offers jazz with Carey Smith. Other scheduled programs include these:

--4 pm Wed., Nov 18. “Building Resilience in the Wake of the Pandemic.” Sibley Memorial Hospital along with NNV, Palisades Village, and Cleveland and Woodley Park Village are presenting a COVID-19 related session focused on issues of concern for older adults. 

--11 am Thurs., Nov. 19. Dr. D. James Baker, former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will recap the 2020 hurricane season and use examples of notable past hurricanes to explain what we know and don’t know now about predicting their path and strength. He will discuss what we can expect in the future as climate change provides a more energetic context for these disastrous events.

--10 am Wed., Nov. 25. Faster-paced neighborhood walk. Meet at Albermarle and Connecticut for a walk around neighborhood.  RSVP here.

--2 pm Tues. Dec. 1.  “How to Age Successfully with Vitality, Dignity, and Humor.” Chris Palmer will give an entertaining presentation on how to obtain the most out of life and live with more joy, success, and fulfillment. He will discuss what’s important, how to find purpose and meaning, and how to live fully as we grow older. The workshop is about actively designing our lives rather than drifting forward, reacting to what happens to us, and how to behave in ways that are true to our most honorable, generous, and best selves.

‘Slow Streets’ Plan For Tennyson Dropped For Now

A D.C. government proposal to convert Tennyson St., N.W., from Western Ave. to Oregon Ave. as a “slow street” with a maximum speed limit of 15 miles per hour is off the table for now after objections from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G. Commission members said the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) had not provided data to support why Tennyson should be included in the District-wide Slow Streets program..

Commissioner Chanda Tuck-Garfield said at a commission meeting on Nov. 9 that the panel “needs a carefully thought-out process” to designate a “slow street,” which was not done in the case of Tennyson. Commissioner Chris Fromboluti said he was puzzled by the idea of making streets many drivers “use to go places” as streets with a 15-mph limit. ANC chairman Randy Speck said the commission supports the concept of slow streets, but not as it was proposed for Tennyson. More than 120 local residents signed a petition seeking more information about the selection process.

D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, chairperson of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment will hold a public roundtable on “slow streets” starting at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16. The program will be broadcast on DC Council Channel 13 and streamed live at www.dccouncil.us and entertainment.dc.gov. Cheh said, “Residents have raised numerous concerns with the effectiveness of the initiative due to confusing signage, poor communication, and perplexing street choices to serve as slow streets. Due to these issues, few residents appear to take advantage of the initiative.” ANC 3/4G plans to offer testimony at the roundtable about its concerns.

Lafayette and Murch School News

Lafayette Backs ‘Vulnerable’ School Areas in D.C.

This year, the Lafayette community created an Equity Pledge that donates 10% of funds raised during Lafayette’s annual fundraising campaign to help vulnerable school communities throughout D.C. The Lafayette community is the first, and currently only, Home and School Asssociation to undertake an initiative such as this in the D.C. public schools.

Working with the DC Education Fund, the HSA will identify where funds are best directed to help students with things like hygiene or school supplies. As one parent shared, “The Bear Fund is the ultimate manifestation of our communal effort at Lafayette. We also have the great fortune of not having to worry whether our kids are going to eat or whether they have clean clothes or the things they need.” Find out more at lafayettehsa.org

Murch Night at Silver Restaurant

Ready for a break from cooking after Thanksgiving? Join Murch at  Silver New American Brasserie in Cathedral Commons from 5 to 8 pm on Tues., Dec. 1. Twenty percent of the incremental sales of the night go to Murch. Silver has outdoor, heated seating available!  If you can’t join us for dinner, please place a to-go order order by calling the restaurant or through the website www.eatatsilver.com; let them know you are dining for Murch.

Reserve your table by calling Silver at 851-3199. Silver is located at 3404 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Learn more about Silver’s safety precautions.

Murch Virtual Open House Dates

Prospective parents are invited to Zoom open houses to learn about Murch Elementary School and its active parent community. Sessions will start at 7 pm Wed., Jan 6, and 9:30 am Wed., Feb 10, March 10, April 7 and May 12. For more information, go to this site.

Bus Depot Reconstruction Due Soon

The long-planned rehabilitation of the old bus terminal south of Chevy Chase Circle will start by the end of 2020 and end in mid-2021, says the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).  The L2 bus stop will be relocated to Connecticut Ave. and Northampton St., N.W. during construction.

WMATA says the structure will comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act and that the project will provide wider bus stops, “improved canopies for the public” and restrooms for drivers. Historic terminals on Colorado Ave. and Calvert St. will be repaired after the Chevy Chase work is finished. More information is available at this site.

Friends of Chevy Chase Circle Update

As mentioned in our last newsletter, Friends of Chevy Chase Circle is looking to replace one board member plus its treasurer. The coming year, the group plans to be involved in plans to rehabilitate the fountain and re-landscaping the circle. If you are interested in the group’s mission to “renew, beautify, maintain and protect” our community’s landmark, visit the website for contact information and more information: FriendsofChevyChaseCircle.org.

The Avalon Theatre Needs Your Help

The historic, nonprofit Avalon Theatre is launching its annual fundraising campaign, The Campaign to Sustain the Avalon. The theater needs to raise $250,000 by December 31. Funds will help ensure that the Avalon can can continue to pay its employees and the high costs of reopening and staying open while providing a safe environment for patrons and staff. The community's steadfast support is why the Avalon is nearing twenty years of existence. You an make an online donation by visiting https://www.theavalon.org/support/annual-fund/.  You can also download a donation form to mail with your payment if you prefer. 

Ch/Art Pop Up Art Show Nov. 29 

Ch/Art will host a pop up outdoor art show with 15 local artists using a variety of media such as painting/ sculpture/ jewelry/ collage/ mask/ beeswax wraps/photography/ pewter utensils.

It will be wonderful chance to support local artists and sort out your holiday shopping in one safe place over the Thanksgiving weekend.

It is a family-friendly event with a circular one way route and spaced out stalls for safe shopping. Covid protocols will be in place, including required mask and six-foot spacing. Hand sanitizer will be available.

The show will be held from 11 am to 4 pm Sun., Nov. 29 in the PNC Bank parking lot on Morrison St., N.W., west of Connecticut Ave.

For more information, message Kirsty Little at Kirstylittle9@gmail.com .

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