news April 2008 Our 89th Year Issue 4

PHIL MENDELSON IS KCA’S awash in color again. Last fall, two of our most active and experienced gardeners left the neighborhood, so we are in GUEST SPEAKER APRIL 17 great need of help to maintain the plots. If you, or someone you know, is an experienced gardener and would The KCA welcomes City Councilmember Phil like to adopt a plot, contact me directly at 202 265-7594 or th Mendelson as its guest speaker Thursday, April 17 . He at: [email protected] It’s a great way to meet your was first elected to the Council in November 1998. Now in neighbors and be outdoors. Once we have enough rd his 3 term, he is Chairman of the Committee on Public experienced gardeners, we can train other neighbors who Safety & the Judiciary. A member of four other Council would like to volunteer but are new to gardening. committees: Health; Housing & Urban Affairs; Human Last year we added many new plants, including a red Services; and Libraries, Parks, & Recreation, he represents camellia and a blushing pink, knock-out of a rose bush the Council at the Metropolitan Council of Governments. donated by a neighbor, which will bloom from May Phil has been active in DC politics since 1975 when he through November. The DC Department of Parks and fought to save McLean Gardens from destruction through Recreation now takes care of mowing the grass borders, re-development. He then ran for an ANC seat in 1979 and which is a great help to us. served as a commissioner until elected as an At-Large As always, we are so grateful to those who have member of the DC City Council. supported the garden financially in the past. This year we Also, Mary Belcher will update us on activities around need funds to purchase new perennials and annuals, mulch, the Pierce Park Archeology Project, and we’ll have a compost, fertilizer, and garden tools. Your contributions presentation by developer Brain Friedman on a Planned help offset expenses that the gardeners incur. Please use Unit Development (PUD) involving a possible hotel at the the coupon on the back page of this newsletter to send Church of Christ Scientist site at 1770 Euclid Street and donations to: KCA, P.O. Box 21311, Washington, DC adjoining properties on Champlain Street. And, represent- 20009. Designate payments to the Biltmore Triangle atives from the Oyster-Adams program will talk about the Garden. All contributions are tax-deductible. program as its first year in Adams school draws to a close. - Marianne Josem, Garden Coordinator - Denis James ABC BOARD GRANTS COMMUNITY LICENSE MORATORIUM REQUEST FOR

On Wednesday, April 9, ABC Board Chair Peter Feather paused during a busy series of hearings to announce that the Board had granted, “in its entirety” the combined petition of ANC 1C, the KCA, and the Reed- Cooke Neighborhood Association (RCNA). The main change in the new version just approved is that no new restaurant licenses shall be issued for a period of 5 years. The petitioners believe that enforcement of food requirements in the law will result in more beneficial food- BILTMORE TRIANGLE GARDEN IN service activity in already-existing, restaurant-licensed NEED OF EXPERIENCED GARDENERS establishments. It was only on Wednesday, April 2, that the Board Spring is here and the Biltmore Triangle Garden at the heard community testimony, mainly favorable, on the intersection of 20th and Biltmore Streets will soon be petition to limit licenses. ANC 1C Chair Bryan Weaver led off with a strong descriptive statement of the conditions in the neighborhood, including re-counting much of the information that led the Board to approve a cap on the number of taverns allowable in Adams Morgan in October, 2006. Since then, Chairman Weaver indicated, conditions have continued to deteriorate. Vice-Chair Mindy Moretti then detailed some of the serious incidents, including four deaths and one assault that left the victim paralyzed, all associated with operations of ABC establishments. PSA 303 Lt. John Kutniewski briefed the Board on how MPD views and handles the situation on the street and delivered crime statistics. KCA and RCNA representatives added testimony that helped prove the case’s legal requirements. Numerous residents took time out of their days to attend and testify at the 3:00 pm hearing, which finally concluded at 6:30 pm. Five persons spoke in opposition to the petition, two of whom were ABC licensees, one who was a prospective licensee. Representative of two ABC establishments, Asylum and Perrys, testified in favor of the moratorium request. A number of other restaurants wrote letters of support for the proposal, along with many neighborhood residents. This wide-spread support around a unified proposal was key to DPW removes trash gathered from Pierce Park hillsides. the success of the effort. Congratulations, and thanks to all - Photo by Mary Belcher who helped along the way. And a special thank you to the MINUTES OF THE MARCH 20, 2008 ABC Board for granting this much-needed relief to KCA MEMBERSHIP MEETING residents. Please see the resolution in the Moratorium section of President Denis James called the meeting to order at the Minutes of this edition of the newsletter for the 7:20 pm. The February 21st meeting minutes were conditions that the Board approved. In the coming days, approved. we will post the Temporary and Proposed Rulemaking Community Announcements from the Board on the “News” page of the KCA web-site. Executive Vice-President Matt Forman said that the - Denis James Fund For Kalorama Park will hold its 6th annual

fundraising brunch event at Perrys, April 12. HILLSIDES AT He said that further re-seeding and fertilization in the PIERCE PARK COME CLEAN fenced-off areas of the park will be done in the next couple of weeks. Also briefly discussed was whether the use of On Saturday, April 5th, between 9:00 am and 12:00 the park by dog owners was creating a new bald area noon, the steep hillsides of Walter Pierce Park got a trash- between the field house and the basketball courts, and removing makeover, thanks to 70 volunteers organized in whether keeping the currently fenced-off areas unavailable the Potomac Watershed Clean Up by the Alice Ferguson would exacerbate that problem. Matt said that the Fund foundation, Friends of the Rock Creek Environment, and Board was still trying to come up with solutions. He the KCA. Volunteers gathered up trash, bottles and litter indicated that the fences would be moved after the seeding and filled 90 large plastic bags. Also dragged off the is completed. See: http://www.kaloramapark.org hillsides were items such as lumber, fence-posts and a Lisa Duperier, President of Adams Morgan Main garden-chemical spray machine. At check-in, KCA liaison Street, announced a wine tasting on April 12 at the Black th to the Walter Pierce Park Archeology Project, Mary Squirrel, 2427 18 Street, and distributed the Main Street Belcher instructed volunteers on how to avoid disturbing newsletter. Also, there will be a Bow Wow Pow Wow at the markers the archeologists have placed. The threatened Marie Reed on Sunday April 27 from 11-5, co-sponsored rain never materialized, the sun shone and the hillsides by the Washington Humane Society. looked great by about noon. Shortly thereafter, two Mary Belcher, KCA liaison to the Walter Pierce friendly DPW employees showed up with a compactor Park Archeology Project, announced a Potomac truck and hauled the debris away. Watershed Cleanup at the Park on April 5, 9 am – noon. In - Denis James addition to KCA, it will be sponsored by Friends of the

Rock Creek Environment and the Alice Ferguson answer questions and concerns of neighbors about historic Foundation. Last year 60 volunteers participated. This district designation. Over 50 persons attended the meeting. year volunteers will be cleaning the steep hillsides on the ABC License Moratorium north and west sides of the park. Denis James explained the history of ABC license On April 26, Mary will lead a walking tour of Adams moratoria in Adams Morgan dating back to 2000, when a Morgan, a part of “WalkingTown Weekend,” a city-wide complete ban on most new licenses was approved by the event sponsored by Cultural Tourism DC. The emphasis DC ABC Board. That was achieved because of on this tour will be slavery in Adams Morgan just before neighborhood conditions and the fact that ANC 1C, KCA the Civil War. In the afternoon, there will be a & the Reed-Cooke Neighborhood Association (RCNA) “remembering event,” honoring the 160th anniversary of came up with a unified position. In 2004, when the first the Pearl escape attempt. The event will feature moratorium was set to expire, a common position could presentations by author Mary Kay Ricks and Howard not be found among the ANC, KCA & RCNA, thus a University Professor Mark Mack, the director of the weaker moratorium was approved by the Board, including Walter Pierce Park Archeology Project. only tavern and night club licenses. Since 2004, the Mary, Professor Mack, and two Howard students neighborhood has seen a growth in the number of taverns testified before the DC Council Committee on Libraries, (through license class change of existing restaurants) and Parks & Recreation, (Harry Thomas, Jr. Chair) on an alarming trend towards more violence on 18th Street. March 7. They told the committee that city help would be Denis presented the following resolution to the needed to protect and commemorate the historic membership for discussion: cemeteries at Walter Pierce. During the hearing, Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham said he would direct Resolution That KCA Petition the ABC Board For A money from his Committee On Public Works & the Continued ABC License Moratorium, With Certain Environment to the Committee on Libraries, Parks & Conditions Recreation for this purpose. Whereas, the current ABC license moratorium in Lisa Duperier reported that DDOT will begin major Adams Morgan is set to expire on April 14, 2008, and changes soon to the Lanier/Calvert/Adams Mill Whereas, disturbance of the peace, order and quiet, intersection. Barry Weise, ANC 1C-01 commissioner, and including noise and litter provisions set forth in Title 25, also a member of Councilmember Graham’s staff, including crime, quality of life crimes and assaults leading suggested that if KCA has a position on this they should to several deaths, and the substantial negative impact on inform DDOT. residential parking needs and vehicular and pedestrian Report on Historic District safety continue to be major problems throughout Adams Nancy Huvendick, volunteer coordinator for the Morgan and in particular in the Adams Morgan Lanier Heights historic resources survey gave a Moratorium Zone (AMMZ), and PowerPoint presentation showing examples of the varied Whereas, there exists in the AMMZ far more than the architecture and building types in that neighborhood. minimum number of licenses of the same class to qualify Nancy’s presentation showed that Lanier Heights contains for a moratorium request, and the Ontario, one of the oldest cooperative apartment Whereas, under the current version of the Adams buildings in the city, Harvard Village, a garden complex, Morgan Moratorium four people have been murdered and and other lovely apartment buildings, including the several critically hurt stemming from incidents that Chalfont. There are 200 row-houses in the Lanier Heights occurred in the 2300 block and 2400 block of 18th Street, section, medium and small apartment buildings from NW, and different eras, only 7 free-standing houses, 1 firehouse, Whereas, it is necessary to place a limit on the and 1 church. The timetable for work on the historic number of CR, DR, CT, DT , CN and DN licenses to limit resources survey requires finishing the photography before crime associated with ABC licensed establishments, and in the trees obscure the buildings. The photography, particular violent crime which will likely continue surveying, and other types of research should be unabated, and without limits on the number of licenses, the completed by the end of May. parking situation will only worsen, and There will be an instructional meeting for volunteers Whereas, the great concentration of licenses in the with professional architectural historians from EHT AMMZ made doing business difficult for many well- Traceries, Inc., on Tuesday, March 25th, 6:30 p.m. at 1698 established CR establishments as the lack of control on Lanier Place, NW. 18th Street and to a somewhat lesser extent on Columbia Nancy also reported on a community meeting held Road, has negatively impacted the dining trade, and March 13 at the Ontario, with a panel of David Maloney Whereas, the great concentration of licenses in the and Anne Brockett of the DC Historic Preservation AMMZ has made it extremely difficult to entice new, non- Office, and Laura Trieschman of EHT Traceries, Inc., to ABC businesses to the neighborhood to provide much needed business diversity for the residents, and of food requirements per seat in ABC restaurants, and how Whereas, several CR and CT owners as well as non- even these minimal requirements are not met. ABC businesses support a liquor license moratorium. Barry Weiss brought up the idea of a zoning overlay to Now, Therefore Be it Resolved, that the Kalorama control, or prohibit certain uses for the commercial areas Citizens Association (KCA) petition the DC ABC Board to of Adams Morgan. Denis noted that this has been institute a 5 year moratorium against the issuance of any discussed, but not moved forward by previous ANCs. new CR, DR, CT, DT, CN or DN licenses within the Barry said that an overlay could be very specific, for existing boundaries of the Adams Morgan Moratorium instance, require no pizza. Denis noted that Reed-Cooke Zone, and has an overlay which stops at the alley between 18th Street Be It Further Resolved, that the KCA also petition and Champlain Street. Matt Forman said that overlays are the ABC Board to prevent the conversion of any existing done all over DC—we should have one. Denis suggested CR or DR license to a CT, DT, CN or DN license, or any that the ANC, RCNA and KCA could work together on existing CT or DT license to convert to CN or DN and this. Be It Further Resolved, that the KCA petition the In response to a comment that the previous ABC Board to maintain the current cap on tavern licenses, moratorium did not seem to work, Matt noted that the CT and DT, remain at 10, and moratorium was only on taverns and night clubs and there Be It Finally Resolved, that the KCA petition the is actually no distinction between taverns and restaurants ABC Board to extend the provisions of the existing because of lack of enforcement of the restaurant food moratorium until it rules on this petition and that no new requirements. applications be accepted while this petition is pending. Lisa Duperier spoke against the moratorium. She claimed that during the previous moratorium, there were Mary Belcher asked about the various acronyms used storefront vacancies, and undesirable massage parlors and to describe types of ABC licenses, which Denis explained. pizza places came in. The AMPBID taxed itself at one of He gave a status report on the number of licenses of the highest rates in the country to clean it up. She believes various classes in the neighborhood and circulated a seats the noise level is not that much of a factor in alcohol vs. chart that shows over 6,900 seats of ABC occupancy non-alcohol businesses. She claimed there are more ABRA inside the existing moratorium zone. undercover investigators in Adams Morgan than anywhere Matt Forman noted that Adams Morgan has more else, checking on under-age drinkers. Businesses, not taverns than any other neighborhood, and he blamed the residents, she claimed, have the most complaints about the Mayor, the ABC Board, and the previous ANC. Denis excessive drinking because it discourages patronage of noted that Georgetown has fewer tavern licenses than their establishments. She believes that people come here Adams Morgan, but more licenses overall. In the expiring already drunk and don’t go into the local taverns. The moratorium, there is a cap on the number of taverns set at business owners would prefer to have those visiting drunks 10. As the number of applications exceeded 10 prior to the written up. Lisa said she thought a moratorium would setting of the cap, we will wind up with somewhere prevent the upgrading of the Ontario Theater with a high between 10 and 16 taverns by the time all the cases are end restaurant. resolved. Many residents reviewed the noise and quality of Other issues that were brought up in the discussion of life issues that they live with. the moratorium resolution: Matt asked what Councilmember Graham intended to -Police staffing and deployment is inadequate for this area. do about this issue. Barry Weiss said that he would have -The ANC supports a new moratorium. information on that at the next meeting. - Residents should contact Councilmember Graham and Wes Combs suggested that the police should enforce Mayor Fenty about the late night drinking situation in noise ordinances. Instituting a moratorium would stop Adams Morgan. things in their place, preventing things from getting worse. -Drunk driving is against the law. It was theorized that the last moratorium allowed a factor -Local businesses should serve the neighborhood, not contributing to the present noise and dis-order situation: drunks from other municipalities. the late night pizza places. Wes suggested rolling back the There will be a hearing on the moratorium petition time that those businesses can be open. Since there are no before the DC ABC Board at 3:00 pm on April 2nd at 941 controls on these pizza places, which do not sell liquor, North Capitol Street. Denis asked for witnesses to appear they can be open 24 hours a day. and for members and neighbors to show support by writing Denis said he thought there would be lawsuits against letters. the city if the Board approved conditions that restricted The resolution above passed by a vote of 21-1, with hours of existing businesses through an ABC moratorium. one abstaining. He did not think the Council would pass special business The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm. hours for one neighborhood. There was further discussion - Linda Ingram, Secretary

th APRIL 26 A BUSY DAY FOR PIERCE Edmonson was the mother of six children who tried to PARK ACTIVITIES escape slavery on the Pearl. In 1874, she was laid to rest in the Colored Union Benevolent Association Cemetery at On Saturday, April 26, the Kalorama Citizens the age of 92. Association is sponsoring two free, public events I hope -Paul Johnson, a direct descendant of Amelia and Paul you can attend: A morning walking tour titled "Who Was Edmonson, who will speak about his family; Hortense Prout? From Slavery to Freedom in Adams -and Mark Mack, director of the Walter Pierce Park Morgan;" and an early afternoon gathering, "Remembering Archeology Project, who will describe the the African American and Quaker Cemeteries in Walter efforts the Howard University team is taking to help Pierce Park and the 160th Anniversary of the Pearl." protect the graves in Walter Pierce Park. The "Who Was Hortense Prout?" walking tour is a part We hope to wrap up our "Remembering" event by 2 of Cultural Tourism DC's citywide WalkingTown p.m., so that people feel free to talk afterward! I'm Weekend. We'll meet at 11 a.m. at 18th Street and especially interested in signing up people who might like Columbia Road NW, at the Sun Trust Bank Plaza next to to become part of an "advisory council," as the Walter the Saturday Farmers Market. Walkers will then go a Pierce Project looks toward a new phase: Commemorating short distance to Kalorama Park, where cattle farmer John the cemeteries. Little had a large country estate, and where he enslaved Please dress casually and be forewarned that there are three generations of the African American Prout family. no restroom facilities at Walter Pierce Park, although there We'll explore young Hortense Prout's daring bid for are several friendly restaurants nearby. The Kalorama freedom in 1861, and we'll trace the tracks of her family Citizens Association is pleased to welcome everyone to after all enslaved people in the District were declared free these events. the following year. Walkers will then hike a few blocks to -Mary Belcher, 202-462-9069 Walter Pierce Park, the site of Cliffburne Hospital [email protected] Barracks during the Civil War, and the post-war location KCA Community Liaison to the Walter Pierce Park of the Colored Union Benevolent Association Cemetery. Archeology Project Since the fall of 2006, Howard University Professor Mark Mack and a team of students have been surveying the site to identify where graves still exist, and how they can be protected. The "Slavery to Freedom" walk will wrap up around MARIA SHELTON noon. 1800 block of Kalorama Road neighbor and KCA member Maria Shelton, 52, passed away Monday, April 7th at the Community Hospice of Washington after a long illness. Active in real estate sales, Maria spent some of her early years here in the neighborhood before moving to Baltimore. Several years ago, she returned to Adams Morgan and became active in community affairs, such as supporting improvements in Kalorama Park and working with the Adams Morgan MainStreet Group. Maria leaves behind five adult children. A memorial service was held April 10th at Pope’s Funeral Home, 2617 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. .

The "Remembering" event will start at 12:45 p.m. with light refreshments at the Adams Mill Road entrance The KCA newsletter is published in print and to Walter Pierce Park. Our "official" program will start at electronically 10 times a year. 1 p.m. with a drill by the Marie Reed (Elementary School) Civil War Cadets, in honor of the more than 7,000 © 2008 Kalorama Citizens Association people buried at Walter Pierce. Our presenters will be: All Rights Reserved -Mary Kay Ricks, author of "Escape on the Pearl," who www.KaloramaCitizens.org will read a letter dictated by Amelia Edmonson. Mrs.

------Contributions and Dues Payments Annual dues are now due. Contributions can be made by credit card or PayPal at: http://www.kaloramacitizens.org/join Or use this convenient form and send your check to KCA, PO Box 21311, Washington DC 20009. KCA is a 501(c)(3) organization. All dues and contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent provided by law. † Here’s my $______contribution for plants and supplies for the Biltmore Triangle Garden. † I support the Walter Pierce Park Archeology Project. Enclosed is my $______contribution to help pay project costs. † For a minimum $25.00 contribution to the Walter Piece Park Archeology Project, get a KCA Adams Morgan T-shirt. † Here’s my $25.00 dues for 2008. † I’ve corrected the mailing label below. Here’s my e-mail address for news updates:______------

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