newsletter of the foxhall community citizens association...

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FOXHALL NewsNewsletter of the Foxhall Community Citizens Association September 2018

FCCA CalendarNext Meeting: New Day!!Mon, Sept 24 @ 7PMTopic: Call Boxes & Update on Hardy Rec CenterLocation: 4500 Q Street NW in the Hardy Rec Center

Need a ride? Contact FCCA Pres-ident Bob Avery

foxhall.org

September Membership MeetingOur next membership meeting, 7 PM Monday, September 24th (new day), at the Hardy Rec Cen-ter, will focus on Foxhall call boxes and the Hardy Park renovations. Detailed articles on these items are presented in the next column and on page 6 of this Newslet-ter. This is our opportunity as a community to weigh in on these exciting neighborhood develop-ments. Please come and share your views. All are welcome.

Lower Q Street Circle

Wednesday, October 31st

Schedule of Events

5.:00pm - Crafts & Games

6.00pm - Kids Costume Parade

6.30pm - Palisades Band

Foxhall Community Citizens Association Presents

Police and Fire Call Boxes: How You can Help Restore ThemSara Paulson

At the September 24th FCCA meeting a committee working on the restoration of the six police and fire call boxes in the FCCA will discuss our work thus far. The objective is to repurpose the call boxes into repositories of neighborhood history through text and art. We will also outline our fundraising goals and strategies with the aim of completing restoration of all six boxes by mid to late 2019.

Call Boxes continued on page 7...

Help WantedOur long-time administrator, Brit-tany Aguilar, is moving to Califor-nia and we need to replace her. Duties include formatting and managing the Newsletter, main-taining the membership list, and taking minutes at our meetings.

This can be a paid or volunteer position but we would prefer a neighborhood resident in either case. Please contact Bob Avery ([email protected]) if you are interested!

MPD to begin strict enforcement of the leash law at HardyFrank Staroba

On August 15th, Captain Kevin Cusick of the MPD Second District stated in an email to me, “We will give Hardy Park special attention and officers will enforce the Dis-trict of Columbia leash law accordingly.” Cusick’s announcement was prompted by my news that a dog off leash in Hardy had knocked down a senior who suf-

Leash Law continued on page 3...

FCCA Foxhall News

Who Do You Call? City-Wide Call Center To request free bulk trash pickups, report dumping in alleys, rat problems, and a host of other issues, call 311.

DC Animal Shelter 576-6664

Police and Fire Departments Call 911 for both emergency and non-emergency Police matters, including noise after 10 PM.

PEPCO Power Outages 877-737-2662 Street Lights Out 269-0855 Washington Gas 624-6049

Ward 3 City Council Member Mary Cheh, [email protected]

Ward 3 Liaison, Jessica Wertheim, [email protected]

Our ANC Commissioners, Stephen K. Gardner (ANC 3D06) [email protected], Conrad J. DeWitte, Jr. (ANC 3D09) [email protected]. For more in-formation, check out anc3d.org.

Illegally Parked Cars Report cars obstructing sidewalks or dis-playing suspicious guest parking permits by calling 311.

Questionable Construction Projects To report construction proceeding with-out required permits or that appears to violate code, call DCRA at 202-442-4400 and they will send an inspector very quickly. For work that appears to be contrary to the guidelines in the Historic District, call Gabriela Gutowski, 202-442-8839 or [email protected]

Problem Party Noise after 10 PM Please call the Police at 911. There are significant fines and the possibility of a criminal record for violators.

Georgetown 24/7 Community Hotline Report student activities that negatively impact our community at GU’s 24/7 Ho-tline, 687-8413

Going out of town? Email Officer Mcelwee to check on your home periodically, [email protected]

Join the FCCA Listserv!!Keep up-to-date with all happenings in your community by joining the FCCA List-serv. Register today at foxhall.org!

FCCA BoardBob Avery, President, Police, and GU Liaison 338-3834, [email protected] Kimball, Vice-President 321-1234, [email protected] Bray, Secretary 337-4115, [email protected] Reuter, Treasurer 847-3861., Cell [email protected]

When possible, please contact the appropriate FCCA Board Member directly to discuss issues and concerns—Focus Areas are listed after the board member’s name. General issues can go to Bob Avery

Leo Blyth, Community Events & Young Families Liaison763-6020, [email protected] J. DeWitte, Jr., At [email protected] DonVito, Historic Preservation & Listserve Liaison 625-0329, [email protected] Haas, At Large, Friends of Hardy 333-2635, [email protected] Jeff Koch, At Large, Lower Q St Liaison841-3202, [email protected] O’Connell, GU/Medstar Construction Liaison342-8165, [email protected] Paulson, Aging-in-Place & Palisades Village Liaison 333-0797, [email protected] Staroba, Friends of Hardy Liaison 342-1130, [email protected] JP Szymkowicz, At Large607-5500, [email protected] Van Allen, DC Fair Skies & Colony Hill Liaison 333-0586, [email protected]

FCCA AdministratorBrittany Aguilar, [email protected]

FCCA Newsletter Submissions Send to [email protected] by October 31 for the next newsletter. Generally submissions should be under 300 words, but longer pieces may run by advance arrangement.

September 2018

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Scheduled BZA MeetingsShare comments and concerns so they

can be aired at the Board of Zoning

meetings—public meetings that insti-

tutions are required to schedule with

local communities according to their

agreements with the BZA.

GDS 6:30 pm, Conference Room September 18December 4March 5April 30

Lower/Middle School 4530 MacAr-thur Blvd

Lab 6:00 pmSeptember 17 FoxhallDecember 11 ReservoirMarch 12 FoxhallMay 14 Reservoir

St. Patrick’s 7:30 pmOctober 16 WhitehavenJanuary 15 *MacArthur April 16 WhitehavenJuly 16 *MacArthur

*Address for new MacArthur Campus is 4590 MacArthur Blvd

FCCA Foxhall News September 2018

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fered a broken shoulder. The Captain continued, “All resi-dents should be able to enjoy the park free from the risk of being injured by unleashed dogs.”

As a member of the boards of FCCA and Friends of Hardy, I am in the curious position of informing the police as a rep-resentative of these two or-ganizations and also pushing personally for enforcement because my wife Arden is the injured senior. She is three weeks into a very painful re-covery from a broken shoul-der and seriously bruised elbow and wrist. Both our lives have been turned upside down by this event, and the walker has not come forward.

My wife is not the only one who has been harmed. John Bray, a Foxhall Village resident, informed me that his son was bitten by a dog at Hardy Park in September 2016.

Some effective action must be taken to address this danger-ous problem. At Captain Cu-sick’s direction, Officer Antho-ny McElwee is organizing an enforcement schedule to cov-er key times of dog activity. Tickets for off-leash dogs be-gin at $25 for the first offense, go up to $50 and $100 for the second and third. McElwee points out that paying such a minimal fine is admitting guilt of a crime and puts that crime on the person’s permanent record. Ticketed residents

must also appear at the Second District station and possibly in court.

According to police, part of the problem has been inconsistent signs making clear what the law is. FCCA and Friends of Hardy is working with Department of Gen-eral Services to install new signs that will make the rules clear. No dogs on the playing field or in any of the play lots or courts at any time. Dogs on leash only in the paved areas. This is the regulation according to Karla Kelly, DPR’s recreational supervisor for our area.

As part of our efforts to address the situation, we are also working with Peter Nohrden, DGS director of capital projects, to develop a renovation design for Har-dy. According to Nohrden, public meetings have shown a split between those who favor a dog park and those who don’t. DGS is currently hiring a design/engineer-ing firm to prepare two preliminary plans to be ready as soon as October for public consideration, one with and one without a dog park.

Until the chosen design is built – possibly by fall of 2019 – it is essential to pub-lic health and safety that we all cooperate to keep dogs out of Hardy except on leash in the paved areas. This will require a complete turn-around for owners and walkers to change our long-standing dog park culture. If owners and non-owners alike cooperate in communicating to enforce the law, we can make Hardy safe for everyone.

DPR points out that there are twelve dog parks in the District open to anyone. They provide enclosed space to exercise their dogs off leash. See the brochure available at the Hardy rec center or on the DPR website for details.

Dog jaw on the torso of Jacob Bray after he was bitten at Hardy Park in September 2016.

...Leash Law continued from page 1

The Way We Were NowFCCA June Meeting Report John A. Bray

Historic preservation in the Fox-hall Village area and pressure from new development domi-nated the discussion at the FC-CA’s June 20 General Member-ship meeting.

Paul DonVito, a key actor in es-tablishing Foxhall Village as a His-toric District nearly 11 years ago, presented a slide show of Village houses, showing details of how people have accommodated standards for historic preserva-tion in their choices in windows, walkways and basement apart-ment access features.

Also appearing were Gabriela Gutowski of the D.C. Office of Planning’s Historic Preservation Office, and Nancy MacWood, a longtime Cleveland Park ANC Commissioner and veteran of debates about rules for develop-ment.

DonVito said that discussing design plans before they are implemented is important and that conflicts can typically be re-solved. ANC Commissioner Con-rad Dewitte, a Village resident, seconded the value of getting prior review for designs, noting one resident who had to tear out and redo front yard terrac-ing because it was objectionable and hadn’t been approved.

Gutowski, who came to her D.C. job in 2016 from a similar post in New York City, said permits for renovations go through the city Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs but are reviewed by her office. What’s visible from the street is partic-

ularly significant because it rep-resents the “viewshed” of the historic district. She said that many photos are on file that in-ventory the appearance of the Village, developed from around 1911 to 1933. “We know what it looked like before,” she said. “We don’t want to freeze your house in time. We just want to have what’s appropriate. It’s case by case.”

There are limits to the reach of the guidelines, with paint color not being regulated, she said. She added that under the city’s “public space” rules, which gov-ern deeper into home sites than property owners might expect, a certain amount of the space in the front yard must be kept as green space.

MacWood took up questions about changes in the works for the city’s regulatory and planning frame. She said that the D.C. Zoning Commission, a five-member board with three mayoral appointees, along with designees of the Architect of the Capitol and the National Park Service, write all the zoning laws and exceptions, in the light of the city Comprehensive Plan, which is developed by the D.C. Council.

She said reconsideration of the guidance has proven controver-sial and technical. She said that language changes proposed by the Office of Planning, such as shifting from specific char-acterizations of certain types of communities to using terms like “describe generally but not exclusively”, would loosen the parameters for how those ar-eas can be developed and give


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the Zoning Commission more leeway to approve projects. In the wake of the uproar about the proposed changes, action by City Council was delayed.

Public Pot Stirring, Truck Spot-ting

Concerns about public con-sumption of marijuana and a report of a stolen vehicle were part of the police report at the meeting.

Metropolitan Police Officer Tony McElwee said smoking marijua-na in public is illegal and that residents can call police to re-spond.

McElwee said a vehicle was reported stolen overnight be-tween June 18-19 in the 4400 block of Volta Place. The keys had been left in the vehicle, as had a wallet, which apparently was recovered because it was dropped during the theft. McEl-wee cautioned people not to leave keys in the car and that sometimes thieves of high-end cars use valet keys that are left in the glove box.

McElwee said a special 5-mem-ber team had been formed to enforce traffic laws at Ward Cir-cle, and that action earlier in the day had resulted in two arrests on charges of driving without a license. He also is spot-check-ing construction truck traffic on MacArthur Boulevard, for ex-ample, making sure tires are in proper condition.

Foundry Branch Trestle information, provided by DC Historic Preservation Office


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WMATA Hires Law Firm To Make Trestle Raze CaseJohn A. Bray

WMATA, the agency that owns the Foundry Branch Tres-tle over Glover Archbold National Park, hired a law firm to make its case for razing the abandoned span that once carried trolley traffic between the District of Columbia and Glen Echo Park.

A public hearing on the agency’s request for a permit to demolish the trestle was set for this morning, but was post-poned.

In a letter dated August 2, the law firm, Beveridge & Di-amond, requested 90 days to “allow us adequate time to prepare a case on behalf” of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The law firm says its “more than 110 lawyers in 8 U.S. of-fices help clients around the world resolve critical envi-ronmental, natural resource, project development, and sustainability issues relating to their facilities, products, and operations” and the team includes “former in-house lawyers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, and other federal and state re-

source and environmental agencies.”

WMATA says “failure to approve the raze permit will re-sult in an unreasonable economic hardship,” while the city department of transportation and preservationists have viewed the trestle as a potential bike and pedestrian con-nection linking Georgetown with points west, according to the city’s State Historic Preservation office.

The trestle, located just north of Canal Road, has been out of commission and deteriorating since the early 1960s. The park trail that runs under the trestle has been closed since August 2016 and a plan to install a covered walkway that would guard people against falling debris has not materi-alized.

A 2014 evaluation of the trestle by Structura, a Rockville, Maryland, firm, determined that the “structure is in poor condition” and recommended that a “restoration program be implemented within the next three years to address noted structural concerns and to maintain the stability of the framing system.” The firm estimated “full restoration” of the trestle at $2,040,000, but cautioned that the firm was not a “professional cost estimator” and that repairs would depend on the span’s intended use.

Hardy Renovations Update, as of September ‘18Frank Staroba & Leo Blyth for Friends of Hardy and FCCA

See below for an updated version of the community update from the FCCA newsletter in June this year. The FCCA and FOH have been told by the DPR lead that contracting of a Park designer is still underway and is hoped to be complet-ed by early October at the very latest. The first community meeting following on from May will hopefully follow shortly in October or early November. As such the plans from May

Survey results support preliminary improvements pro-posed by FOH

The open meeting on the renovation of Hardy Rec Center, held by Parks and Recreation on May 8th at the Palisades Library, attracted a modest but energized crowd. Peter Nohrden, capital projects coordinator for DPR, conducted the meeting which featured a slide presentation analyz-ing the results of the DPR survey, filled out by 188 people. Results showed wide support for the preliminary improve-ments generated by Friends of Hardy and FCCA.

For results of the survey as presented in DPR slide show see dgs.dc.gov/node/1127737. For recommended features, see list below.

Animated discussion of a dog park

After the presentation, Nohrden led a discussion that quickly centered on whether or not to include a dog park. There were animated opinions for and against the idea to the ex-tent that it left little time for other important elements. Ac-cording to Nohrden, this is a common occurrence in commu-nities considering a dog park.

Two preliminary plans as next step in fall, question if con-struction will start spring or summer ‘19

Two versions of a preliminary plan, one with and one with-out a dog park, are anticipated within the first few months of the designer coming on board. They will be discussed at sep-arate public meetings, where community will recommend their choice. That will be the basis for a scope of work that DPR will use to solicit proposals from interested architects. Once DPR has chosen an architect, he or she will develop a detailed design based on more specific discussions with the community in the fall. Results of this will be the basis for a bid to secure a contractor.

Recommended features

Here is a rundown of the recommended features. Keep in mind that funds for FY19 may not support all of them, de-pending on what challenges the land at Hardy may reveal.

a. Protect the green, open space of the field and im-prove the tree canopy.b. Adopt a natural theme for all new installationsc. Build a perimeter path for walking and running, with benches, shade, and possibly simple exercise equipment.d. Include a natural meadow area with native plants to attract birds.e. Refurbish both kids’ lots with equipment and fea-tures that stimulate creative play. Maintain a sand box, contained to prevent the current beach-like expansion. Protect the shade trees. f. Build a water feature that appeals to both kids and adults.g. Expand the current rec center building with one or two additional rooms to accommodate more than one activity at a time. Address the bad acoustics of the main room. h. Design features appealing to teen agers and seniors, two user groups currently ignored. Consider lounges, game room, pickleball court.i. Retrieve the land currently occupied by the bamboo grove. Regrade to provide another recreational space at a slightly lower elevation.j. Respect the rights of residents who live next to the field or within earshot if a dog park is included. In the latter case, one location acceptable to them is beside the bamboo grove, if it cannot be removed, or in the cleared and regraded space. Both locations offer sufficient space for dogs and the best perimeter buffer for residents.k. Protect park land along the Q Street alley, now used as parking for construction vehicles and tennis players. Soon residents of the nine new condos on the corner of MacArthur and Q will bring more cars to the alley. Install posts at proper intervals to prevent parking.l. Address landscaping challenges: ADA compliant en-trances, terracing of the hillside along Q Street, a more attractive entrance, relocation of the trash area.m. For all designs, keep in mind creative appeal, promo-tion of socializing, and safety for all users.

This is a very ambitious plan and the timeline as of Sep-tember seems already a few months that proposed back in May. It requires cooperation between the community and the DPR/DGS design team to be sure the design meets our requirements. Fall ’18 will be the time for us to make this happen. We are impressed with DPR’s extensive experience renovating fields in D.C, and we trust them to come through on their pledge to consult with the community and be trans-parent in all their actions.


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7Photo by Sara Paulson

Some of the history themes we hope to address in a series of engraved metal plates placed on the call boxes are:• The story of Henry Foxall who built a cannon foundry

in Glover-Archbold Park and a home in the middle of what is now Foxhall Village

• The development of Foxhall Village in the 1920’s and 1930’s, inspired by English village architecture

• Historical landmarks in our area such as the Wet-zell-Archbold Farmstead

• The development along Foxhall Road including the Hardy School and the Centennial Trees

• The history of MacArthur Boulevard including the streetcar and the aqueduct

• The reason why police and fire call boxes were built and how they were used. We will supplement the text with photos and art work, hopefully using the talents of local artists.

We encourage all to stroll around the neighborhood and look at our call boxes and also at how other neighborhoods such as Georgetown and Burleith have restored their call boxes.Foxhall Water Pipe Blows

John A. Bray

GEYSER: A water pipe at Foxhall Road and Q Street shoots up a 40-foot high water spout on Saturday, June 30, 2018, shortly after 8 p.m. D.C. water officials said a crew came and stopped the leak.

Photo by John A. Bray

GU Medical/Surgical Pavilion Work On ScheduleMichael O’Connell & Hulit Taylor

Construction of the Medical/Surgical Pavilion at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital is well underway and the four-year project is on schedule. As you may be aware, during this time, routes for vehicles and pedestrians enter-ing the campus from Reservoir Road are being modified. If you would like to receive construction updates and notifi-cations directly, you can sign up for them at http://www.buildingmedicalexcellence.com/sign_up.

The FCCA plans to have representatives from the Hospital at the November meeting for an annual update and prog-ress report. At that time, they will review plans for a new East-West Road running from Reservoir to the Leavy Cen-ter.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the con-struction or would like to report a problem, contact Matt Maio, Construction Executive for Trammel Crow Company, at [email protected].

...Call Boxes continued from page 1


Pay by check or go to www.foxhall.org and join or renew using PayPal!

Thank you for your support!If you would like to talk about how your inter-ests might mesh with the FCCA’s current needs for volunteers - including newsletter delivery and attending ANC meetings - let us know!

Sure, call me!

Membership Form for the Calendar YearMembers must reside within FCCA area, be present, and be over 18 years of age to vote at meetings. Memberships are for the calendar year. Please make checks our to the Foxhall Community Citizens Association. Send to FCCA c/o Andrew Reuter, Trea-surer, 4400 Volta Place, NW, Washington, DC 20007 or bring to a meeting!

Standard Memberships $25 Household $15 Senior Household $25 Non-Resident

Booster Memberships $250 Patron $100 Advocate $50 Sponsor Donation $_______

Names (LAST, First, as you wish listing to appear, Ex: DOW, Jane & John Smith)

Complete Mailing Address

Home Phone

Email Address for FCCA Updates Date 8

PatronDeWitte, ConradLab School of Washington DCMcCoy, EllenPastor, MargaretRoss, Marsha & Pete

AdvocateAnderson, Scott & Lida FittsAvery, Robert & Katherine SamolykBond, Garland (“Boo”) & JodiBunting, Bruce & Jessie BrinkleyChristie, Jeff & PaulaCrino, Michael & ColleenDaly, Rob & KarlaDonahue, Aimee & EddieDreyer, DavidFertikh, Djamil & ElizabehFishkin, Nate & JaneGale, TerumiKern, Melissa & Bill DeeganKilby, Gene & Christine SaundersonLawson, MalloryLightfoot, David & Betty TullerMay, SusanMilam, Sally & JimMonsanto, Lisa Marie & AudreyPaulson, Sara & ArnePolk, Scott & KarenReuter, AndrewRippeteau, Darrel & JudithSchubert, Jane & Robert Woolfolk

Valenzuela, Arturo & Katy Mudge

SponsorAnonymousBicknell, Noel & Caitlin MacKenzieBilik, Al & Mary JaneBlyth, Leo & LucieBowers, Joel & SueChester, Alec & KimCogar, JoanneConn, JackieDeGraff, Jill DeMuth, Tom & Janet MannDonahue, John & BethDonVito, Paul & CharlotteDuffles, Marcio & Tracey WeislerFulco, CarolynKannapell, Carter & SmytheKentz, Andrew & EllenKimball, Peter & LeslieMcEnery, Rosemary & KevinSchwartz, Jean Pierre & HelgaSilard, Kelly & DebbieTaylor, Paul & HulitVan Allen, Barbara & PeterVicini, Stefano & Mariarita Wolfe, J. ThomasZucchi, Dario & Gio

HouseholdAdkins, Lise & Tom MurphyAljubeir, Nawal AAmatangelo, Rebecca & Robert HornAndonyadis, AvyerisAsbill, Bill & SharonAssuras, Thalia & Mike JohnsonBailey, Michael & MariBaird, Mark & Mercedes

Bateson, William & MarthaBelford, MichaellaBlakely, JudithBray, John & LeslieBuck, MollyCannon, Holly & John GuttmannCaride, Julieta & Jose MerinoCasstevens, KayCleary, Colin & SusanConroy, Amy & EmmetD’Amelj, Cristian & Francesca DaverioDornsife, Cinnamon & Chip BarberElting, Jeffrey & MaureenFarrell, Janet & Joe DrachFitzgibbons, Peter & ShimaeFuller, Laure & StephenGabor, Robert & Aye Aye MawGaughan, MaryGentile, NancyellenGinsburg Esq., Justin M.Gospodinova, TanyaGreer, Doug & AnnetteGuttmann, RonHaas, AnnHarburger, PattiHolman, Robert P., Dennis Bradley, & Robert RokusekIves, Donna & Gerry Iwanicki, Mike & GermanaJablon, Cara & RobertJewett Jr., RichardJuarrero, AliciaKasper, Alan & SusanKlusman, Susan & LarryLane, Jan & DannyLanman, Charlie & MaryLion, Andra & Steven Barnard

Maco, Lisa & PaulMalkani, Ravina & NareshMalkani, Divya & Vardahn ChaudhryMendelsohn, Jack & MichaelaMete , Mihriye & CemMorgan, JenniferMyers, Steven & MargaretNicholson, John & MarnieO’Hara, Katie & JimOblaender, Carsten & BrittaOrlove, Deborah & BrettPeasley, CarolPhillips, Laura & Jared CornfeldPopkin, Richard & KarolRatigan, Elizabeth Reid, Nina & ChipRosenberg, Kevin & MeghanRoss, Malcolm & Daphne R.Rovani, PierreScheinman, AmyShouhayib, Akram & LailaSiciliano, RobertSmart, Janice Snider, StevenSnyder, ShaunStaroba, Arden & FrankStraub, Terrence & Elizabeth ShepardSwift, Byron & Valeria MerinoSzymkowicz, John & CarolTamborini, SusanTersoff, Janet & William PooleThomas, David & Marjana MartinicTobey, Steve & Julie HaidemenosVolker, KarenWellstein, Anton & Anna Tate RiegelWood, LisaZodeh, Oli & Shazi

SeniorAtwater, Sally

FCCA Membership as of September 1, 2018

Barton, Terry & JayBeg, JoanBemis, Gerald Bray, HowardBrodanaro, Robert & BarbaraBrown, Bill & PatBrown, Chris & Mary RollefsonConner, Chris & DavidDrake, Colette & AveryGreenwood, Bill & MarshaGriffin, MaryAnnGroat, Donna & GaryGuthridge, Daniel W.Harou, Patrice & BerengereHarris, Randolf & CoryHirshon Family, Hurt, AdrienneHuve, Gerard & Sang-aeKlein, SolangeKubinski, Carryn & Gerhard LaueReese, Anne H.Rivarola, MarcelaSayles, EricSeltzer, George & DianneSherman, Claire R. & Stanley M.Smith, JoannaTschudy, Mary & TedVelsey, Victoria & DonWherry, David & CenyWoolley, Penelope

Non-ResidentRubino, Lenore

DonationChester, Alec & KimFitzgibbons, Peter & ShimaePastor, MargaretSchellinger, Dieter & Jessie Kane

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