PAGE ONE

YATF Fundraiser Features Photos Of Past & Food

  Catered refreshments, jazz music and displays of photos and stories from 1982 to the present will be featured at the Twentieth Anniversary fundraiser of the Youth Activities Task Force at Arena Stage’s Old Vat Room Sun. Apr. 21, 3pm to 6 pm.

  A brief auction, door prizes and awards to founders will be included.

  To get your name on the list at the door, send your $50 check made out to SWNA-YATF to

Youth Activities Task Force

P.O. Box 70792

Washington, D.C. 20024

Or phone Dr. Beryl Rice – 202-554-4235.

 

Mall Zoning Hearing May 2

  Development of the Waterside Mall will be before the D.C. Zoning Commission Thursday evening May 2 at 6:30 pm in a limited way that does not appear to reach the question of roadway versus pedestrian way.

  A change in the zoning rules affecting the Waterside Mall would allow opening up the center part of the Mall to become two building instead of one – whether “to create a roadway or public throughway.” The new language being considered by the Zoning Commission states, “for zoning purposes all such improvements shall be deemed to be a sing building.”

  Time for speaking at the hearing is allowed as follows:

Petitioner [developers, owners] 45 min.

Government Agencies                      15 min.

Organizations                            5 min.

Individuals                                 3 min.

  The notice of the hearing is found in the D.C. Register for Mar 22, 2002 at pages 2728 through 2730. (Available in the S.W. Branch Library).

  The need for this change is stated:

“…The District of Columbia would like a part of the existing Mall to be demolished in the area of the former 4^th Street S.W. right-of-wa in order to create a pedestrian and/or vehicular passageway through the property. The Mall was constructed on a very large, 13 acre “superblock,” which impedes convenient public access.  Once demolition occurs, what has been a sing building will become two buildings. …[C]reation of two separate buildings could result in problems of nonconformity regarding parking and loading requirements for one or the other of the two future building…”

  The notice continues: “The revitalized and partially rebuilt Waterside mall will be known as the “Waterfront” and is designed to attract new office tenants, retain existing major retail establishments, and attract new retail and service businesses.”

 

SWNA Meets Mon., Apr. 22

  Continued discussion on new construction at the Waterside Mall and S.W. Waterfront is planned at the public meeting of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc., Mon. Apr. 22 at 7:30pm at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

  Ron Collins, a representative of the Mayor, will speak on the fiscal year 2003 budget for D.C., being discussed in hearings of the D.C. Council.

Inside

S.W. Community Calendar            p. 2

Parole Office Meetings in S.W.  p. 3

U.S. Attorney in S.W.             p. 3

St. Dominic’s 150^th Anniv.            P. 4

Yard Sale Next to Amidon            p. 5

Clean Up at M.A.C.             p. 5

Health Fair May 18             p. 5

Youth Summit                           p. 6

Housing Forum                          p. 7

Club #4 Champions                    p. 7

SWNA Elections                       p. 8

Arena Stage Snaps Up Lost Treasure

  Zora Neale Hurston’s unpublished 1945 musical “Polk County”, being given its professional world premier at Arena Stage through May 12. was discovered in 1997 by Library of Congress specialists who were looking through 450,000 old typescripts in the Copyright division.

  The LOC “Gazette” reports that “As part of professional outreach [literary manuscript historian Alice] Birney contacted area theaters about the riches in the copyright drama collections, but only Arena Stage responded.

  The production at Arena is being directed by Kyle Donnelly, former artistic associate at Arena, “an adaptation she and [Cathy] Madison [former literary manager at Arena] developed over five years” according to the Gazette. “This production is essentially the Hurston play cut from four to two hours and immensely enhanced by the musicological knowledge of Stephen Wade, of the long-running show Banjo Dancing, as the musical director.”

 

(caption)

Illustration by Gary Kelley

 

SWNA Election Adds New Faces

  Nine new faces are among the sixteen members of the Board of Directors of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc., as a result of the public election held Sat. Mar. 23 at Waterside Mall.

  Three of the five officers – which comprise the executive committee – were re-elected. They are Margaret Feldman, first vice-president; Ellen Winship, treasurer; and Camille Cunningham, Secretary.  Newly elected officers are Gerard Catus, president, and Robert Mittendorff, second vice-president.

  Volunteers from the Southwest chapter of the D.C. League of Women Voters conducted the election. They reported that 367 Southwest residents cast ballots – the highest number of voters in years.  Ninety percent of the voters marked their choices in the close elections for first and second vice presidents, while only 70 percent marked their ballots for the other at-large offices, which were uncontested.

  (For vote totals in the 5 races for officers and the 11 races for district representatives, see page 8).

 

(captions)

Thelma Jones, former president of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, pictured as she swore in the newly elected SWNA Board members at the annual meeting at Arena’s Kreeger Theatre.

 

Gerard Catus, newly elected president of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, played the role of the Rev. Anthony Bowen, abolitionist leader in the 19^th Century in Southwest. The audience at Kreeger Theatre had just watched a movie on the Underground Railroad.

 

Volunteers on 7^th St. S.W. offer water to runners in the D.C. marathon

 

Runners in the D.C. Marathon pass Jefferson Jr. High as they head for Maine Ave. S.W.

PAGE 2

Southwest Community Calendar

May, 2002 (and a few for April)

MONTHLY MEETINGS

Sun. Apr 21 SWNA’s Youth Activities Task Force fundraiser at Arena Stage’s Old Vat Room. 3pm – 6 pm

Mon. Apr. 22 SWNA monthly public meeting – St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church 222 M St. S.W. – 7:30 pm

Thurs. Apr. 25 NARFE S.W. Branch Library -lunch at 12:30, meeting at 1 pm 

Thurs. May 2 Zoning Commission Hearing on Waterside Mall – 441 4^th St. N.W. – 6:30 pm

Fri. May 3 Police Awards dinner – Holiday Inn on the Hill, 415 New Jersey Ave. N.W. 6:30 pm reception, 7:30 pm dinner.

Sat. May 4 Yard Sale on 4^th St. between I (Eye) and G – 8 am to 3 pm

Tues. May 7 Police Citizens Advisory Committee – 415 4^th St. S.W. – 7 pm

Thurs. May 9 Offender supervision agency (CSOSA) meets the public – 415 4^th St. S.W. 7 pm

Mon. May 13 Advisory Neighborhood Comm. 6D meeting – Westminster Church, 400 I (Eye) St. S.W.- 7 pm

Wed. May 15 AARP meeting – St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 222 M St. S.W. 12 noon

Sat. May 18, Health Fair at Waterside Mall, 401 M St. SW – 11 am to 3 pm

Mon. May 20 SWNA monthly public meeting – St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church – 222 M St. S.W. 7 pm

 

WEEKLY & BIWEEKLY MEETINGS

Komen Toastmasters, First & Third Saturdays – SW Branch Library, 900 Wesley Pl S.W. 10 am

Fil-Am Toastmaster Second and Fourth Wed. – SW Branch Library, 6:45 pm

School Street Toastmasters, every Tuesday, 400 Virginia Ave. S.W., Room 88 – noon

S.W. Kiwanis, Every Monday – SE University, 6^th & I St. S.W. – 6:30 pm to 7:30pm

 

Please submit calendar items for the next issue by Wed. May 1 to C.W. Hargrave, 554-8284.

 

PAGE 3

 

Parole Office To Meet Public Monthly in S.W.

  Federal employees who supervise offenders released to the community will hold monthly meetings to talk with the public at police headquarters at 415 4^th St. S.W. The first meeting will be Thursday, May 9 at 7 pm.

  Since 1997 D. C. residents who are on probation or parole are being supervised by a new agency called Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency. (COSA).

  Privacy laws prevent identifying specific ex-offenders, but the feds hope to hear about local safety issues and whether there are community assets which can assist ex-offenders.

  Local police help COSA enforce conditions of release for ex-offenders. A simple example is when police observe a parolee who violates a court’s “stay-away” order.

U. S. Attorney Howard Asks For Community Help

  Addressing the March meeting of the local Police Citizen’s Advisory Committee, President Bush’s appointee as federal and local prosecutor for D.C. asked for citizen help in controlling crime.

  Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last September as the head of the legal staff that prosecutes crimes committed in D.C. under both D.C. laws and federal laws. Some of his staff members are assigned to D.C. police headquarters, including First Dist. at 415 4^th St. S.W., and are available to meet with members of the public.

 

 

(caption)

U. S. Attorney for the District of Columbia The Honorable Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., spoke in Southwest.

 

First District Police Commander Alan Dreher gave recognition to Capitol Hill Police who interrupted a crime in progress and arrested the offenders.

Officer Quarters At Ft. McNair

  An EA and FONSI for renovation of the General Flag Officer Quarters at Ft. McNair are available to the public at the S.W. Branch Library at 3^rd & I St. S.W. (entrance on Wesley Place).

 

 

PAGE 4

 

Apple Pre-School Registering For Summer/Fall ‘02

  The Apple Early Literacy Pre-School, located at 680 I (Eye) St. S.W. (within Riverside Baptist Church), is now enrolling children ages 3, 4 and 5 for summer and fall 2002 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs.

  The school “emphasizes language, vocabulary development and pre-reading skills…[so that] all students …will be able to read and ready to learn when they enter first grade.”

  Scholarships and subsidies are available. Call the school at 488-3990 or 646-0500.

St. Dominic’s 150^th Anniversary Sat., May 4

  A mass at 5:15 pm at the church will be followed by a reception and dinner-dance at Loews L’Enfant Plaza Hotel as St. Dominic’s Catholic Church celebrates its 150^th anniversary on May 4.

  Dominicans from Kentucky started the parish in 1852 and a plain brick structure was dedicated in 1854 on land purchased from Georgetown University.

  The Gothic Church as it stands today at 630 E St. S.W. was built in 1875 and rebuilt twice since after fires.

  In the 1950s, during Urban Renewal, which tore down most of the buildings in Southwest, the St. Dominic’s parochial school, priory and 22-room convent were demolished to make way for the Southwest Freeway.

  The cornerstone of the churched, dated 1806, was from the St. Mary’s Chapel, built by James Barry near Buzzard’s Point. A stained glass window was donated by Mrs. Sherman after the civil war. Inside the church is a plaque by the pew that Lyndon B. Johnson used to occupy.

 

PAGE 5

 

Yard Sale Near Amidon School Sat., May 4

  The annual yard sale on the sidewalk on 4^th St. S.W. between G and I St. will be held Sat. May 4 from 8 am to 3 pm.

  Table space at $25 each can be reserved by calling Ms. Ashell Alston, 202-484-9553.

  Sponsors, residents of Town Square homes, have started a non-profit organization, SWEET (for Southwest Education Excellence Team). Proceeds will benefit students in Southwest. Individuals or groups wishing to donate cash or sponsor tables can call Ms. Alston at 484-9553 or send a check to her at 606 4^th Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024..

 

(caption)

S.W.E.E.T committee member, Monica Evans, engages children with craft activities while parents shop for bargains at last year’s yard sale next to the fence along 4^th St. S. W. at Amidon School.

Health Fair At Waterside Mall Sat. May 18, 11-3

  Blood pressure screening, cooking demonstrations, insurance enrollment, cholesterol measurement, speech and hearing services, glucose and dental checks are among the services that will be available at a four hour health fair at Waterside Mall on Sat., May 18 from 11 am to 3 pm.

  Sponsored by The Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the fair will include services of Howard U. Hospital, Whitman-Walker Clinic, DC Healthcare Alliance, the National Cancer Institute and others.

Volunteers To Clean Up MAC Sat. May 18

            By Carole Early

  Over 100 volunteers from “DC Cares” will come to Southwest for the sixth time to do scrubbing and painting at Millennium Art Center, 65 I (Eye) St. S.W. on Saturday, May 18.

  I remember about 2 or 3 years ago helping to clean out a large former classroom of Randall Jr. High after D.C. stopped using it for office space and turned it over to the non-profit MAC art center. It was a mess. Now that space is a wonderful area devoted to glassblowing where art students learn this craft.

  MAC needs more help in cleaning up these spaces and converting them into studios, galleries and classrooms. If you can help, call Bill Wooby, MAC’s director, at 479-2572.

 

PAGE 6

Goodman, Not Pei, Designed River Park

  The Southwester (March, 2002, p. 8) made an error when it used a METRO map as the base map for illustrating the new history trails planned for S.W. It shows I. M. Pei as architect for the “cheerfully vaulted homes” of River Park. along 4^th St. S.W.

  Although I.M. Pei is responsible for S.W.’s Town Center Plaza and Marina Towers apartments and the EPA towers, Charles Goodman designed River Park. Goodman also is known for designing Hollin Hills housing complex in Alexandria and the new town in Reston.

Youth Summit At KGL Rec Center

  A large crowd of girls and boys enjoyed a Saturday of food, dramatic sketches, videos and prizes at King-Greenleaf Recreation Center in March.

  Iota Phi Theta and Sigma Gamma Rho provided volunteer adults. The D.C. Housing Authority and National Organization of Concerned Black men were co-sponsors.

 

(captions)

Members of Iota phi Theta Fraternity at the Youth Summit in S.W.

 

Volunteers from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority provided assistance.

 

Young people at the Youth Summit

 

 

PAGE 7

Six Teams In Playoffs; Only 1 Champion

            By Alvin Hudgens

  With all six Club #4 basketball teams in the citywide playoffs, the club was hoping for a clean sweep.

  But only the 12 and under boys team made it all the way. Led by Calvin Mainor’s 19 points and 10 assists, this team showed flashes of last year’s championship season. Last year’s MVP “Big Poppa” Rico Hines finished the game with 21 points and 20 rebounds and commanded the respect of many junior high school coaches in attendance.

  In six seasons at clubhouse #4 Coach Ronald Hines has won two consecutive junior midget football championships (105 lb.) and two consecutive 12 and under basketball championships.  What a job. What a job.

  Basketball results for other Club #4 teams:

Super Peewee – 7-4, placed 2^nd in the tournament

10 and under- 12-2 with both losses coming from club #11 (Anacostia) Defeated in the championship game, but a great effort all season.

The other three teams were each defeated in the first round of the playoff. 14 & under (7-5); 14 & under girls (6-6); 16 and under (6-6).

 

 

 

Housing Forum By Collaborative

  Problems and procedures for maintenance requests from tenants of public housing were discussed at a Housing Forum sponsored by the South Washington Collaborative in March.

  Regional administrators and Michael Kelly, Director of the D.C. Housing Authority spoke.

 

Rev. George Holmes On Interfaith Council

  Mayor Anthony Williams has appointed Southwester Rev. George E. Holmes to represent the Second New St. Paul Baptist Church of Northeast Washington on a 70 member Interfaith Council.

  At the organizational meeting of the council, as requested by the Office of Religious Affairs, one person was supposed to pray over each appointee. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, keynote speaker, was the designated person to pray over Rev. Holmes.

 

(caption)

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson places his hand on Rev. George E. Holmes.

 

 

PAGE 8

VOA Noontime Concerts

  The Voice of America has free noontime concerts open to the public twice a month on Wednesdays. Entrance is on C St. S.W. near 4^th.in the Wilbur J. Cohen Bldg.

  Upcoming concerts include:
Wed. May 8 – Pianist Stephen Drury.

Wed. May 22 – The American Boychoir

Wed. June 12 – Jacques Thibaud String Trio

Wed. June 26 – Potomac String Quartet

  For info and reservations, call 619-2538.

 

 

SWNA Election

FINAL TALLY (incumbents with a *)

President – Gerard Catus 259

(Incumbent President Rev. George Holmes* was also nominated by the nominating committee, but withdrew after the ballots were printed).

1^st V.P. – Margaret Feldman* won with 186 votes over Gene Solon whohad 162

2^nd V.P. – Robert Mittendorfff won with 168 votes, defeating Mark Farrell*, who had 159.

Secretary – Camille Cunningham* 269

Treasurer – Ellen Winship* 265

FIRST DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

Paul Kimbrough (46 votes) and Gloria Dillon (37 votes) won over Perry Klein* who had 36 votes.

SECOND DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

Gottlieb Simon* (40 votes), Tracey Hooks (28 votes) and Yvonne Price (27 votes) won over Jacquelyn Matthews* who had 26 votes.

THIRD DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

Mark Joyce (116 votes), Meg Brinckman (83 votes) and Mindy Farrell* (83 votes) won over Ben Curran who had 70 votes.

FOURTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES

Patricia Pressley* (15 votes), Betty Clark (10 votes) and Gloria Hamilton* (9 votes) were elected without opposition.

  Names of any write-ins are not listed. No write-ins had enough votes to challenge any candidates on the printed ballot.

 

(captions)

President George Catus

1^st V.P. Margaret Feldman

2^nd V.P. Bob Mittendorff

Sec. Camille Cunningham

Treas. Ellen Winship

Dist. 2 Rep. Tracey Hooks

Dist. 3 Rep. Mindy Farrell

Dist. 3 Rep Meg Brinkman

Dist. 4 Reps. (L to R) Betty Clark, Gloria Hamilton, Patricia Pressley

(Five others were sworn in later)