Photo by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr

Come for drinks, free appetizers, and chat with your neighbors Monday, March 19 from 5:30 to 7 at Nellie’s (9th & U Streets NW).  The LeDroit Park Civic Association organizes occasional happy hours at Nellie’s, whose owner is a LeDroit Park resident.

Your favorite neighborhood blogger will be there, too!

The blog has been quiet for the past few months and that will change. Since September, your author took up a four-month research fellowship in transportation technology and started a masters program in real estate development. In addition, the blog work on Greater Greater Washington kept your author busy, too, until he had to give it up to focus on school and work.

Now things are freeing up a little bit. During a stroll through the neighborhood this weekend, we saw the features that make LeDroit Park such a wonderful place to live: the friendly neighbors, beautiful historic architecture, and new businesses opening nearby. What great topics to write about!

Expect some more posts in the coming days and hopefully we can keep this going regularly.

Mark your calendars. The LeDroit Park Civic Association’s final meeting before the summer recess is Tuesday at 7pm at the Florida Avenue Baptist Church (enter at the rear on U St).

This month’s agenda:

• Ward 1 School Board member Patrick Mara
• Representatives from Metro. Police and Fire to discuss safety/crime
• A discussion on the Howard University project, and how it will benefit our neighborhood
• A discussion about the living conditions at Kelly Miller and our call for action to DCHA
• An update on the new Park

Officer Candidates

President: Marc Morgan and Richard Myers
Vice President: Maria Fyodorova
Secretary: Eric Fidler (that’s me)
Treasurer: Donna Morris

The Association will accept nominations from the floor.

The five candidates above have submitted short biographies about themselves.

For President

Marc Morgan

Marc Morgan has been a proud member of the LeDroit Park community for the last three years and has called Washington, D.C. home for the last 10. Marc volunteers his time for many community-based organizations and is an active member of his 17 year-old son D.J.’s school PTA at Cardozo High School. In LeDroit Park, he has been actively participating in the LeDroit Park Civic Association by attending its monthly meetings and participating in various community activities. He also sits on several committees that affect LeDroit Park including the ANC 1B Grants Committee and the ANC 1B ABC Committee.

Professionally, Marc is a fundraiser and strategist for the American Council on Renewable Energy, a non-profit, membership based organization that focuses on trade, finance and policy, and promoting all renewable energy options to increase the U.S.’s energy security.

In conjunction with Green DMV, and other community based organizations, Marc works closely with local churches on their sustainability and energy efficiency platform; including the Florida Ave. Baptist Church located in LeDroit Park, the first African-American church in the District of Columbia to get all its power from solar energy.

Marc is also working closely with Uniting our Youth, helping them identify foundation and other external funding to help support their vital work for LeDroit Park youth.

Marc is running for the office of President of the LeDroit Park Civic Association because he believes in the Gandhi maxim that “We must become the change we want to see.” He is excited to continue the great work of the Civic Association and engage more actively with the LeDroit Park community, bringing young and old, new and long-time neighbors and everyone else together to build a community that we all can benefit from.

If elected as President of the LeDroit Park Civic Association, Marc will focus on two main issues to continue the progress of our neighborhood:

· Community Engagement – Creating community activities/initiatives that will bring new voices to neighborhood discussions; reinstating the “Block Captain” program to connect our community and promote public safety; engaging with more seniors, youths and Howard University students to help them maximize what our fine community has to offer.

· Public Safety – Continuing the great work that has been done thus far by engaging with D.C. public safety officials in a consistent manner (not just when things go wrong); making community members aware of their role in public safety; and, identifying more creative solutions to existing challenges.

* * *

Richard Myers

Hello. I’m Richard Myers, President, LeDroit Park Civic Association. You know me for actually participating in many of the functions and activities the Association has undertaken over the years. You also know me as someone more interested in working for the greater good of LeDroit Park than myself.

I am asking for your support to Re-elect me as your President of the LeDroit Park Civic Association. If re-elected President I will continue to give my full attention and commitment to LeDroit Park issues. I’m not interested in a political spring board, I’m focused right here in LeDroit Park.

Some elections are more important than others and this is that election. This would be a good time to come out and express your appreciation for the leadership and continuity LeDroit Park has experienced over the past ten – twelve years. Your vote is important.

I have lived in LeDroit Park for twelve (12) years and have participated in the Association for eleven of those years.

“Not being good at “Glowing Generalities” I can say with specifics the activities I have been intricately involved with while serving the LeDroit Park Civic Association and Community:

· Helped the community with the Streetscape design and implementation that we are still enjoying today.

· The Anna Cooper Circle was also part of the Streetscape design.

· Served as Parliamentarian for several of our past presidents, Alice Aughtry, Myla Moss, Robert Sullivan and Jeff Herron.

· Committee assignments: served on many Nomination Committees, two Neighborhood Clean Up activities in conjunction with Howard University and Verizon, attended Howard University’s Master Plan meeting on behalf of LeDroit Park and the HU Health Science Initiative at the Blackburn Center.

· Attended many planning meetings and Civic Association meetings helping to get the Common Good City Farm here in LeDroit Park. And yes, that was Prince Charles of England visiting our farm on May 3rd.

· I was also involved in the many planning meetings and Civic Association meetings to get our new park that will open soon–May hopefully.

· Continued our close working relationship with MPD, ABRA on our public safety issues.

· Testified before ABRA with other community representatives to promote the Community’s interest.

· Participated in many of our neighborhood Safety Walks when first started to present.

· During my presidency, I continued the tradition of our Association of working for the greater good of our community, with the guidance and consultation of our Executive Committee and former officers.

· Consulted with our ANC Representative Myla Moss on issues related to zoning changes and new construction in our community.

There you have it. It may not be “Glowing and Sexy” but it is what we (your officers) have done over the years and it is sincere. Come out on May 24th, and vote for me, I will continue to represent LeDroit Park with honor and pride. (Other former LeDroit Park Civic Association Presidents: Anita Rice; David Corry; Lawrence Guyot; Windy Carson-Smith)

For Vice President

Maria Fyodorova

Maria Fyodorova has been a D.C. resident for over 20 years and a LeDroit Park resident since 2005. She has been involved in the LeDroit Park Civic Association (LDPCA) for the past three years, becoming involved initially through the community survey process related to the proposed closing of the Gage Eckington Elementary School. Over the past year, she has served as the Vice President of the LDPCA. She is also the President of the Bloomingdale LeDroit Dog Park Association (BLDPA), a non-profit community organization made up of volunteers from the LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale and Eckington communities. The BLDPA is tasked with managing and maintaining the community’s new dog park, in cooperation with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Maria sees many opportunities for the LDPCA to help make LeDroit Park a more cohesive and collaborative community, where neighbors know one another and are willing to contribute to making the neighborhood a great place for everyone.

She encourages all LeDroit Park residents to come out to the elections on Tuesday, May 24th to get to know the elected individuals who are representing the interests of the LeDroit Park community to D.C. government agencies, the D.C. police department, Howard University and other organizations and agencies that impact the neighborhood.

For Secretary

Eric Fidler

Eric Fidler has lived in LeDroit Park for two years and is the author of the neighborhood blog Left for LeDroit. He is happy to run again for a second term as secretary of the civic association.

For Treasurer

Donna Morris

My name is Donna Morris and I have been the LPCA Treasurer since 2003 and a resident of LeDroit Park since 1997. I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA and have been in Washington, DC since 1984. I am a mother of 2, grandmother of 3 and owner of an event planning and staffing service. Growing up in Pittsburgh we were raised to always give back to the people and community who have given to you. Those roots help guide me to volunteer and serve LeDroit Park with pride and community spirit. If I am elected again I will continue to give of my time and my spirit to make this community a place that we all can be proud of and other communities look to as a model.

Cities have toyed with the idea of installing free wireless internet access as a way to bridge the digital divide. During the dot-com era, techno-evangelists fretted that the lack of internet access would further marginalize the poor in an increasingly digital world.  Inexpensive wifi promises to close the gap by broadcasting free internet access at short ranges.

Over in Bloomingdale a plan has been brewing for several years to install a series of wifi antennae to broadcast internet to residents for free. Interestingly, the District’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) recently revealed that the city has indeed already installed wifi hotspots on the Mall. OCTO is partnering with Bloomingdale to bring the Bridge, as the program is called, to fruition.

The aptly named Bridge is expected to seep into parts of LeDroit Park and Eckington, too.  Have a look at the proposed coverage map.

View The Bridge – Bloomingdale’s Free Wifi in a larger map

The renovation of the Howard Theatre is set to start this month and from our recent conversation with Howard Theatre Restoration president Chip Ellis, everything is set to go.  One final element to be decided is the statue that will adorn the top of the new theater.  When the theater opened 100 years ago this month, a statue of Apollo playing the lyre stood at the apex of the Beaux-Arts Italian Renaissance façade, accompanying the other classical references in the building.

The theater renovation will restore the original look of the façade, but the statue of Apollo, now long gone, will be replaced with a statue, The Jazz Man, pictured above.

The statue will be constructed of metal and lit internally with LEDs. The Apollo statue referred to an ancient era and the new statue will refer to the Jazz Age. We can’t move forward without looking back.

What do you think of the statue design?

All four candidates for the Ward One council seat will speak on Tuesday night at the Ward One Candidates Forum in LeDroit Park.  Candidates will speak to and take questions from the public.  Everyone is encouraged to attend.

The candidates for office are Jim Graham (D), Marc Morgan (R), Jeff Smith (D), and Brian Weaver (D).  Messrs Graham, Smith, and Weaver will compete for the Democratic nomination in September.  Mr. Morgan is running unopposed for the Republican nomination so he will face the Democratic nominee in November.

Ward One Candidates Forum
Presented by the LeDroit Park Civic Association
Tuesday, June 22 at 7pm
Basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church
623 Florida Ave NW – enter at the back on U Street

The LeDroit Park Civic Association meets tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25 at 7pm in the basement of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church.

• LeDroit Park-Bloomingdale Heritage Trail update.
• Columbia Elks Lodge #85, 1844 3rd Street NW—Application for renewal of Retail Class CX club license
• Gage Eckington Park update.

We hope to see you there.

Howard University Hospital is hosting a farmers market twice a week on the plaza at their Georgia Avenue entrance. The market will run Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We’re excited to have fresh produce for sale so close to home and we hope the prices compare (or beat) Safeway and Giant.