The monthly 5D CAC meeting will be held Thursday, February 23rd at 7 PM :
Location MPD 5D Headquarters, 1805 Bladensburg Road, NE., DC 20002
Agenda will include:
Chairman Frances Penn presiding
Membership Dues……….Interim Treasurer Martha Ward
Special Election…. Fred Allen, Chair, Nominating Committee
MPD officer representation from all 5D PSAs 501-507
Constituent Service Issues with follow up at the monthly March 22nd meeting
Respectfully submitted,
Carol Fleming, Recording Secretary, 5D CAC
Join Mayor Vincent C. Gray,
DPR,
5C ANC,
The Bates Area Civic Association and residents
Saturday, February 25th at 10am
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Florida Avenue Park (Florida and First St. NW)
Join our Community in a celebration and efforts to make the Florida Avenue Park a Community Park.
See the new play grounds, renovations and learn about the Bates Area Civic Association and Friends of The Park’s plans to bring
more activities to this beautiful park.
Join Us Make This a Community and Family Affair.
Enjoy snacks from local businesses:
Uncle Chips Cookies and Coffee
Big Bear Café
This is information is for those of you like me who make many trips by car, bike, or foot through Logan Circle along P Street NW.
Temporary Power Shut-down Planned for the Traffic Control Signals at Logan Circle
My name is Bradley A. Thomas. I am the Vice Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C and I chair the ANC5C Economic Development Committee.
Let me first commend you, Chairman Brown and the Council’s Committee of the Whole for organizing this event. As a record number of our fellow Ward 5 citizens vie for the honor of filling the void left by the resignation of our former City Council representative, it is critical that we not forget the engine which drives or conversely retards the prosperity of our ward, that being, our Economic Development policies.
There is a well known adage that goes “if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” To me, that statement cuts to the heart of so many of our socio-economic issues. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time over the past two or three weeks dealing with the controversy surrounding the introduction of Medical Marijuana dispensaries and cultivation centers. As we all know, Ward 5 is ground zero in that debate because of the fact that a majority of the centers are slated to be located right here. My sense is that the majority of Washingtonians, and that includes Ward 5 residents, support, at least in principle, the notion that the use of medicinal marijuana ought to be an option for those among us who are suffering from terminal and life threatening conditions. But why are so many facilities to be located in Ward 5? Well, if you ask any of the applicants, they will tell you. It’s because of the city’s zoning regulations. And zoning, my friends, has everything to do with planning.
In my neighborhood, the Bates and Hanover communities have been a dumping ground for social services programs, some of them experimental in nature. We don’t begrudge anyone who seeks to meet the needs of the less fortunate among us, but 13 such programs operating in one neighborhood within a half mile radius of each other? The result is that while some communities have seen great strides in economic development over the last decade, our’s has been stagnant, with depressed private property values and persistently high crime statistics. I’m sure we in Bates/Hanover are not alone. Other neighborhoods in Ward 5 have been left out of the early 21st century economic boom. The answer is for neighborhoods like mine to be given what they have been denied for so long, a small area plan that lays the foundation for economic development at the grass roots level. I have asked the Mayor to include money for that purpose in his 2013 fiscal year budget. He, and you, Mr. Chairman, have both indicated support for this request and for that, I am grateful. I urge the City Council to be proactive in its approach to zoning and small area planning, keeping in mind, once again, that with respect to all of Ward 5, if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail.
Thank you for your time and for allowing me to testify here today.
Bradley A. Thomas, Commissioner ANC5C01 & Vice Chair ANC5C
This is the first in what I hope can be a semi-regular series of profiles of local business owners in the neighborhood. If you’re a local entrepreneur and have a story to tell, let me know!
Cris Dinwiddie, Jamal Chappelle, Melvin Hines, and cooks Josh Scales and Iyshon Thompson (from left) at Revive.
“Food brought us together, and we just want to extend that, to see food bring this community together,” Jamal Chappelle explains. Jamal’s part of a team of long-time friends who’ve united to create Revive, one of the newest additions to the culinary scene here in Truxton Circle, located in what used to be The Hot Trout Grill at 8 Florida Ave. NW.
Jamal, Melvin Hines and Charese John, the co-owners, are all locals, but first became friends at Morehouse College in 1989. They’ve stayed close throughout the years, and when they found the opportunity to work together, using the business experience of Jamal and Melvin, and the event-planning and culinary expertise of Charese and her husband Kingsley (Revive’s head chef), they couldn’t resist.
Josh cooks up an order for a customer.
Charese is a second-generation event planner. Kingsley has cooked in kitchens around the world, from his native St. Lucia to France to Chicago and New York. And now they’re both plying their skills just a few blocks away. Charese actually lives on North Capitol Street herself, and her kids are some of Revive’s most frequent visitors.
In five years time, the group hopes to find space for a sit-down restaurant and expand their brand, but in the interim they’re focused on improving their current space, perfecting their menu and serving the community, for example by offering internships to young people who want to learn about the business.
Revive features both takeout dining and catering services, all grounded in a blend of traditional soul food and island-inspired innovation. On the takeout side, you can chow down on fish and chips ($9.00), blackened tilapia ($9.00), fish sandwiches ($5.00) and more, and I can say from personal experience that under no circumstances should you leave without trying the Revive Ice Tea ($2.00) and truffle fries ($3.75). The team particularly recommends their Chicken & Red Velvet Waffle combo ($10.00, including a Revive Ice Tea).
Tilapia on the grill.
When it comes to catering, Revive can help with events 24/7, including last-minute requests, creating custom menus for clients. They’ve serviced law firms, corporate events and house parties. So if you think your next holiday soiree could use an omelet station or some sweet tea or, should you be so adventurous, a Red Velvet waffle station, give Revive a call.
This Friday (Feb. 24th), Revive is launching a new initiative with recently hired chef Cris Dinwiddie, CatFish Fridays, a weekly event inspired by Cris’ former popular spot of the same name at 4th and Rhode Island NE. They’ll be open until 10pm and $10 can get you three pieces of whiting or trout, 2 pieces of croaker, 4 BBQ ribs or – of course – some of Cris’ legendary catfish.
Melvin and Josh are excited to see you at Revive.
When I first moved in, I remember the blank stares I would get describing where I lived until I mentioned “The Hot Trout,” one of those signs that seemed to work its way into everyone’s consciousness in the DMV. Here’s hoping that Revive can generate the same kind of recognition, but with the food coming first, as it so clearly does for Jamal, Melvin, Charese and the rest of the Revive team.
Revive is open for takeout from 11am to 6pm Monday-Thursday, from 12pm to 7pm on Saturday, and, starting this week, from 12pm to 10pm on Friday. Catering is available anytime, day or night. For more information, call 202.667.1212 or 202.667.1213.
If you stop in, let us know what you think! (And seriously, get the tea and truffle fries.)
Serve DC the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism is proud to launch our new online resource database, Serve DC Connects Your Source For Addressing Community Needs: www.servedcconnects.org with our new instructional video for first time users.
Serve DC Connects is an online resource that links District of Columbia residents to organizations, services and programs that provide assistance to veterans, military servicemen and women, and their families; children with disabilities; and individuals with HIV/AIDS.
Serve DC Connects also connects local community-based organizations and service providers with their counterparts across the District to facilitate efficient and appropriate client referrals and information.
Serve DC Connects covers a wide range of needs, including: advocacy, education, employment, food and nutrition resources, health and social services, housing assistance, and legal services. Serve DC Connects also provides an Urgent Needs section that lists service providers and organizations that can assist individuals with immediate, critical needs, including: housing assistance, legal services, and food and nutrition.
Individuals can search Serve DC Connects based on location or population category and can further limit their search by selecting subcategories, including but not limited to: employment, food and nutrition, housing, health and social services and more.
Serve DC Connects’ handy map feature lets you search for population-specific resources by address, and all listings include Metro rail and bus line information, allowing individuals to select resources in the most convenient locations possible.
Serve DC Connects currently host 101 resources and are looking to continue to add new resources to this resource database.
For more information, please contact:
Kristen Philbrook
Resource Mobilization VISTA, Serve DC
(202) 727-8006 Direct
D.C. Community and Business Stakeholders:
As Saturday, March 17, 2012 approaches, we are looking forward to another exciting city-wide event featuring D.C.’s only marathon and half marathon run entirely within the borders of the District of Columbia. This year Competitor Group Inc. partners with the Greater Washington Sports Alliance to bring their unique brand of music, cheer and organization to the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon & CareFirst Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon (formerly named the National Marathon).
The course remains very similar to years past. The race starts at 8:00 a.m. near RFK Stadium at C and 19th Streets NE and completes a tour of many of our Capital’s most majestic sights before returning to finish on East Capitol Street at Armory Mall. I have attached a course map for your information.
More information on the course, road closures, alternate access routes, and an interactive map to help you, your staff, your visitors or guests plan their race day travel can be found online at www.competitor.com/community. Click on the link for Washington, DC.
