Wednesday, November 6, 2013 Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama & Logan Circle Vol. XII, No. 23 THE DUPONT CURRENT ALL HOWL’S EVE Council compromises on ID cards By ELIZABETH WIENER approach caps an emotional debate “mark” licenses will “create a dis- Current Staff Writer over whether the usually liberal Dis- criminatory policy that targets trict government undocumented immigrants. The The D.C. Council voted 8-3 would “stigma- ■ CAMPAIGN D.C. Council has chosen to betray Tuesday to allow undocumented tize” the undoc- FINANCE BILL: [Washington’s] history as a progres- immigrants to obtain a District driv- umented by Reforms win sive city that welcomes immigrants,” er’s license, but only if the license issuing them initial approval. member Marybeth Onyeukwa said includes language that distinguishes licenses — Page 5. in a statement after the vote. it from those issued to citizens and largely as a safe- But the president of the D.C. other legal residents — as required ty measure — that point out their Latino Caucus noted that many other by the controversial and still-unen- illegal status. states already issue “marked” licens- forced 2005 federal “REAL ID” law. The D.C. Coalition for Immi- es, giving the undocumented driving That step forward, step back grant Rights said the decision to See Licenses/Page 7 Survey calls for age-friendly amenities By KAT LUCERO Current Staff Writer How can Dupont Circle businesses best serve a grow- ing population of older residents? Perhaps decrease the noise at restaurants, do away with dim lighting and offer products and coupons target- ing adults 50 or older. Those were some of the prelimi- nary findings from a survey conducted in September by the Dupont Circle Village, an organization that helps residents “age in place.” “Savvy merchants understand the value of adopting practices that will attract this growing consumer base,” Iris Molotsky, president of the Dupont Circle Village, Bill Petros/The Current said in a prepared statement. “Empty nesters and retirees Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets held a Halloween costume are returning to the city in large numbers. Dupont Circle, contest Thursday at the S Street dog park. Prizes honored best with its restaurants, shopping corridors and local busi- Bill Petros/Current file photo costume, fashion pioneer and pet-owner look-alike. nesses, is serving as an attractive magnet.” Most respondents to the Dupont Circle Village’s Thanks to a $3,500 grant through the Historic Dupont survey said they consider it important to live near a See Aging/Page 37 supermarket and drugstore. Board rejects plans for A half-century later, Camelot Chinatown high-rise still key to Georgetown image By ELIZABETH WIENER cated just down the block to 3017 N Current Staff Writer ■ Kennedy legacy: Family’s St., intending to make it their perma- nent home. The family lasted there D.C.’s Chinatown has been slipping away for decades, homes dot neighborhood for less than a year, facing constant first a victim of the 1968 riots and suburban flight, then By KATIE PEARCE harassment from the press and tour- of upscale new development — like the Verizon Center Current Staff Writer ists, before fleeing to Manhattan in and Gallery Place — that has driven up prices and 1964. brought in new tenants, altering the ambiance around the After the assassination, Jackie “It was not a happy time for her,” 600 block of H Street. returned to Georgetown, seeking ref- said Yolande Betzbeze Fox, who Now Monument Realty has proposed a big, new Rendering courtesy of Monument Realty uge in a friend’s house at 3038 N St. lived in Georgetown at the time and midblock development: a glassy 10-story office building Monument Realty says it may appeal the decision. This was the neighborhood she moved into 3017 N herself a few lodged behind the facades of some of the remaining knew best — where she’d met John, years later. “The tourists drove her Chinese restaurants, and a “hutong,” or narrow neigh- others fear it will be the final nail in the coffin. started her family and backed her crazy. They were in front of the borhood shopping street once common in Beijing, wind- “A lot of people say Chinatown is almost gone — it’s husband during his rise to the White house, trying to peep in the windows ing through an alley that cuts between H and I streets. just H Street,” longtime resident Alfred Liu told the His- House. and all that business. She used to Some residents of Chinatown see the project as eco- toric Preservation Review Board at a hearing last week. A few months later, the young escape through the back.” nomic salvation for their declining neighborhood, while See Chinatown/Page 15 widow and her two children relo- See Kennedy/Page 18 NEWS EVENTS BUSINESS INDEX Calendar/24 Opinion/8 Ninth rector takes Arena Stage set to Custom-made men’s Classifieds/36 Police Report/6 District Digest/4 Real Estate/17 helm at 140-year-old host Maurice Hines’ clothing shop opens Dupont Circle Citizen/11 School Dispatches/20 Exhibits/27 Service Directory/33 St. Luke’s Episcopal tap-dancing revue Logan showroom In Your Neighborhood/32 Theater/29 — Page 2 — Page 29 — Page 5 Tips? Contact us at [email protected] 2 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013 D F THE CURRENT D.C. officials ‘Reverend Ray’ takes helm at local church By KAT LUCERO needed a leader who would carry St. Luke’s ninth rector after an Current Staff Writer the congregation into a new chap- 18-month trial period. The early- pledge fixes ter, embracing changes in the sur- evening service was presided over After the rector of the historic St. rounding Logan and Dupont circle by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of Luke’s Episcopal Church left neighborhoods and beyond. the Diocese of Washington. for area pools abruptly a few years ago, the con- Last Sunday, a priest from Chi- “New day, new beginnings” was By ELIZABETH WIENER gregation went through a period of cago stepped up to lead that charge the mantra repeated by guest homi- Current Staff Writer uncertainty. An interim priest kept just in time for the 140th anniver- ly speaker Dianne Boardley Suber, Bill Petros/Current file photo things afloat, but the first indepen- sary of St. Luke’s. The Rev. Ray- president of St. Augustine’s Univer- The city is now working to Complaints about operations at dent African-American Episcopal mond Massenburg — known as sity in Raleigh, N.C. She focused resolve problems with maintenance Wilson’s pool led to the hearing. church in D.C., founded in 1873, “Reverend Ray” — was installed as See St. Luke’s/Page 15 and other issues that have plagued the recently built Wilson Aquatic cials said they would work harder to Center and other indoor pools. stagger the closures, notify swim- Last week, D.C. Department of mers and let them know which other Gray, Cheh join Key playground celebration General Services director Brian pools remain open. Hanlon told Ward 3 D.C. Council “High-performance buildings By GRAHAM VYSE member Mary Cheh that fixes are need more effective routine mainte- Current Staff Writer under way to address problems with nance,” Hanlon said. “DGS protocol the cooling system and water pres- for aquatic centers presupposes we Under the late-afternoon sun of a spectacular autumn sure — as well as locker room thefts may need to close two, three times day, District officials joined parents, students and educa- — at the Wilson pool. per year, for routine maintenance tors Sunday at Key Elementary School in the Palisades But, Hanlon said at an oversight and deep cleaning. We’ve realized to reopen a refurbished playground and celebrate new hearing last Wednesday, true reli- the best thing we can do is schedule outdoor facilities. ability at the state-of-the art pools the closures, one for one week, one “We should be really proud of what’s been done will require more regular closures probably two weeks at larger facili- here,” said D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, moments before for preventative maintenance — as ties. We’ll do it with advance notice, cutting the ribbon with principal David Landeryou. often as three times a year. Although in a logical, predictable way.” Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh was also on that will inconvenience patrons, offi- See Pools/Page 16 hand to celebrate the rebuilt facility, which now includes a stone-dust walking track, play equipment for children ages 2 through 5, a play area for children ages 5 through 12, and a new artificial-turf field. “Having spent a lot of my career working in the field of disability, I’m also proud that we have an Americans with Disabilities Act-certified accessible site with hand- Bill Petros/The Current rails and other features for those children and adults who Mayor Vincent Gray visited Key Elementary Sunday may use this site who have a disability,” Gray said. afternoon to celebrate the new playground. The mayor also noted that the Key School play- ground upgrade was one of 40 such projects carried out enrollment. across the city as part of an initiative that aims to All of the event speakers mentioned the unusually strengthen D.C.’s parks and recreational resources. pleasant weather for Key School’s outdoor Harvest Fes- “This one, however, is very, very special,” he said, tival, which took place before and after the ceremony. praising the school community for raising $250,000 Cheh even joked that she and her D.C. Council col- toward the project, which also received $1.3 million in leagues could claim credit for it.