Good afternoon and hope you hadn’t put your coat away! What a ride it’s been for this year’s cherry blossoms, huh? Narrowly averted disaster with a mid-March snow, and were able to stay full and beautiful until freak cold temperatures ended the joyride. Don’t worry– double cherries and dogwoods aren’t too far behind. What else is going on?
Our photo shows that Fight Club is preparing to open in the old Hank’s space, as captured by Eastern Market Main Street. Very exciting news!
First up and most importantly, we are happy to partner up with Councilmember Charles Allen for this coming weekend’s Great Ward 6 Clean on Saturday, April 2, 9-11 a.m. or any time you wish to join it on that day. And hey, guess what? If you’re newly part of Wards 7 and 8, you can still join us! More information here. Need supplies ahead of the cleanup? Fill out this form so you can RSVP and get help gearing up on Friday, April 1. There is also additional information on scheduled cleanups at several locations around Ward 6. If your teen needs volunteer hours, make sure you look for one of Councilmember Allen’s team members at one of the locations. #GreatWard6SpringClean
The Great Ward 6 Clean-Up’s locations are as follows:
- Sherwood Recreation Center
- 1000 Block of 13th St., SE
- Garfield Park
- Anacostia River Trail Entrance
- King Greenleaf Rec. Center
Do you live in the 1300 block of North Carolina Avenue NE? Take a look here at the proposed changes to the block. ANC commissioner Amber Gove has also submitted modifications, which you can look at and comment on by contacting her at her ANC commissioner email, amberanc6a@gmail.com, so that you can be part of the SMD’s Google Group. Contact Amber through April 2; comments for the project are open through May 2.
Union Station’s repair is under way and I recently learned that restorers have to use special paint that turns to stone when it dries. Since sometimes the cleaning process can erode the stone, this type of paint that dries as stone allows for the surface to be preserved. You can see some of the restorers out there in the mornings, mixing sightly different colors of stone paint so as to copy the original texture of the façade’s stone.
Mayor Bowser held a press conference outside RFK yesterday morning, where she announced her renewed commitment to building a new jail and a new sports complex in the RFK land. (EOM)
Additionally, there will be money allocated to building and improving bike and recreation trails on the west bank of the Anacostia river.
Of course, the demolition of RFK has yet to happen, though it appears that a contract for the job may be finalized soon, according to WCP. Considering that RFK stadium has been in a sorry state of disrepair for the better part of a decade, there needs to be a sense of urgency to this operation– one that has been sorely missing. Where else has it been sorely missing? Across the river in Ward 7 at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena, where it looks like renovation plans are not going forward. WTOP
(Psst: If you love the rink and want , why not add your voice with a letter of support? Link is here and has additional information.)
Somewhat ironically, as the Fort Dupont arena is a great after-school program and option for many kids, the Mayor announced Learn24, a network of after-school and summer programs for kids, funded by OSSE through the American Rescue Plan (so, don’t get used to seeing these programs long-term, probably). You can sign up and receive email updates here.
A very young homicide victim was discovered in a home on Isherwood Street NE. Khalil Rich was only 16 years old.
Filed under “What?!”, Initiative 82, a ballot initiative that would change how tipped workers are paid in the District is still in limbo due to the amount of valid signatures the group bringing forth the initiative may, or may not, have collected in Ward 6. More details over on DCist.
Hey, remember how in the summer of 2020 Mayor Bowser painted BLACK LIVES MATTER on 16th Street NW and a task force was created to get rid of names that glorify the United States’ very, very, very racist past? Well, aside from the list becoming a baby-in-the-bathwater behemoth (because, uh, George Washington owned slaves, obviously) that was soon culled to a few score places of interest, it appears you can count on elementary schools like Tyler, Maury, Van Ness and Brent, among others, to keep their names. The Washington Post updates and reports.
Let’s end on a lovely note– with a baby! Welcome to the world, DC9 and may you soar like your namesake! (h/t to eagle-eyed reader Maddie, hehe). More details via WaPo.