The Georgetown Metropolitan

Here’s your July Northwest Georgetown ANC update!

Summer is here! After a spring of marvelously dry air, the wallop of soupy humid air has descended on us like an unwanted down comforter. What better way to get some relief than a dip in cool waters?

We’re spoiled for swimming options in Georgetown. Of course we’ve got Volta Park and Jelleff pools right in the neighborhood. Plus we’ve got Francis pool just across Rock Creek. And a surprising number of homes in the neighborhood have their own pools. But what if you want to swim in nature?

For many years, swimming in the Potomac river was as unsafe as it was illegal. But with tireless effort, the river is getting cleaner. And at our ANC last week, DC Water discussed some improvements that will make the river even cleaner. First, the sewer separation efforts along the Georgetown waterfront are complete. What this means is that during heavy rainfalls, raw sewage is no longer being dumped directly into the river. (While there are two more overflow spots above the Key Bridge, they don’t typically overflow.)

Additionally, a long (long) planned tunnel will be dug underneath the waterfront park down past the Kennedy Center all the way to the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant. This will act like a giant underground reservoir to hold heavy rains and debris and almost entirely eliminate stormwater run-off into the Potomac. Construction is set to finally begin next year, and it will take until at least 2030 when it will become operational.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Fire damages Ristorante Piccolo.
• Executive Director of Black Georgetown Foundation thanks community for support shown after grave desecration.

As the great philosopher, Alice Cooper, once wrote: School’s out for summer, school’s out forever.

Happily that’s not quite true for the ANC. We’ve got one more meeting tonight before the summer hits. And, of course, we’ll be back in the fall (September to be exact). Although for our chair, Elizabeth Miller, she really can stay true to the song; school’s out forever for her as she steps down off the ANC as of tomorrow.

But before she and the rest of us go, there’s the matter of the meeting itself. It will be virtual again (via Zoom) starting at 6:30 pm. (I’m hoping that after the summer break we can start to make the in-person meetings more regular).

Here is the draft agenda:

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• More on the La Chaumiere purchase.
• Dr. Fauci joins GU.

Please consider taking a survey on the potential future shape and usage for Jelleff Rec. Center! Here is some information and a link to the survey from the Jelleff Community Friends:

Jelleff Community Center, which is managed by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington on behalf of the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), is located at the edge of Georgetown at the intersection of S Street and Wisconsin Avenue, NW (in Ward 2).  Jelleff was constructed in the early 1950s, is badly out of date, and urgently needs new facilities and new ways of using the site to serve more members of the community.  After a feasibility study for its renovation was completed in 2021, the DC Council approved $28 million for this important project.

DPR is deciding right now whether to renovate and expand parts of the old building or to construct a completely new building.  DPR is also considering which programs and amenities to offer after renovation or construction for both inside the Center (e.g., basketball courts and meeting rooms) and outside the Center (e.g., the pool and baseball field).

The next community meeting is scheduled for July 11th at 6:30pm at the Georgetown Public Library.  We are working on a virtual option.

We would like to survey the community so that we can present data at the community meeting about what is important to current and prospective users.

Please take 4 minutes out of your day and take this short survey.  It matters.

Best,

Jelleff Community Friends

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• New Mediterranean restaurant moving into old Paolo’s space.
• La Chaumiere has been sold, but it looks promising that the tradition will continue.

This month’s Old Georgetown Board materials hint at a new tenant for the historic Au Pied de Cochon space at Wisconsin and Dumbarton. Proposed signage for the space indicate that a Boston-based Greek fast casual restaurant is coming.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Grave of young girl desecrated with fire at Mt. Zion Cemetery.
• Preview of Capital Fringe’s offerings.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Some new renderings for the Stephan Starr forthcoming Italian concept.
• Big commercial to mixed use conversion proposed in lower Georgetown.

Elizabeth Miller, Chair of the ANC, announced last week that she is stepping down from the Commission effective this Friday. She cited the fact that a relatively sudden house sale meant she and her family had to find a place to live and the house they settled on is outside SMD 07. The city is fairly strict about residency requirements (unlike Congress), so the move necessitated the resignation from the Commission.

Elizabeth has served on the Commission since 2019, a fact I had to double-check because it is genuinely hard for me to believe that she hasn’t been on the ANC longer. I’ve had to unique pleasure to observe her work on the Commission as both an outside observer and a fellow colleague. She has been a forceful and energetic advocate for causes important for the community, none more impactful than her passionate fight for improvements at Jelleff Recreation Center. And beyond her explicit work as a Commissioner, she excels as building community through efforts like Takeout Tuesday, Christmas caroling and the Georgetown community cookbook.

Perhaps having me as a colleague is another reason she’s stepping down; a few months of me can do that sometimes. But for my part I am genuinely gutted to lose her from the ANC. It’s such a benefit to have a colleague who speaks so clearly and directly about where she stands. Having her on your side of an issue is like holding a straight flush. But disagreeing with her is a blessing itself. You’ll know straight away where the disconnect is. And either you can work towards resolving it or you can simply agree to disagree. In either event, the page is turned and the next challenge met in good faith and cheer.

Losing her from the Commission is a blow, but luckily for all of us she’s not going far and will continue to be an invaluable member of the community, in whatever capacity she undertakes.