Neighbors,
I hope you are staying well and healthy.
2020 Voting Information
Earlier this week was National Voter Registration Day, and if you haven’t confirmed your registration, you can check your voter registration online or call the D.C. Board of Elections at (202) 727-2525. Expect to receive your ballot in the mail in the beginning of October. You can mail it back, or bring it to a ballot drop-off box. The closest drop-off location for most of us will be at Stead Recreation Center. In-person voting begins October 27 at these locations for those who do not return their mail-in ballot. (The DC Line posted links to all of the candidate websites, except for ANC races.)
Census
If you haven’t completed the census yet, do it this weekend before the deadline. Here’s a recent story on WAMU, highlighting ANC Commissioner Olivia Henderson in ANC 8D: Advocates Make Final Push To Involve Hard-To-Count D.C. Areas In The Census.
15th Street and Corcoran Street
A new mailbox! The previous mailbox at 15th and Corcoran was damaged and went missing at the beginning of June. Through the persistence and organizing of neighbors, namely Susan Volman on the west side of 15th and Evelyn Boyd Simmons with Logan Circle neighbors, it is now replaced. Efforts included USPS staff in D.C. and even some help from the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
1700 Block of S St NW – Kappa Alpha Psi Way
Last weekend, the 1700 Block of S St NW (between 17th and New Hampshire, along the S Street Dog Park) was formally dedicated to Kappa Alpha Psi. I was proud to join my colleagues on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission to formally support this honorary renaming, and Mayor Bowser joined in the ceremony last weekend.
ANC Candidate Forum
The Dupont Circle Citizens Association is hosting an online forum featuring Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates in Dupont Circle on September 30 at 7:30 p.m. If you want to hear from all of the candidates, this is likely the only time to hear from them in the same forum. Free registration is required.
1726 20th St NW
Dupont Circle’s Emissary opened their newest location has opened in the former Filter Coffee location. This is a license the ANC supported in December 2019, and it’s great to see openings during a pandemic.
Temporary Pandemic Infrastructure
At least month’s ANC meeting, we formally supported temporary outdoor pandemic infrastructure for restaurants and local businesses “until 100% indoor occupancy is allowed by District guidelines.” This includes slow streets, sidewalk extensions, and “streateries.” We also requested waiving fees for tents and heaters, which as of this week is confirmed by the mayor’s office. The reimagining of street space during the pandemic has been critical to many of our restaurants and small businesses.
Stead Park Recreation Center
In part of the modernization of the Stead Park Recreation Center, a portion of it is being reviewed by the Historic Preservation Review Board. Thus, the ANC 2B also reviewed the Stead Park Recreation Center plans through the specific lens of historic preservation, and strongly supported the proposed design. The plans as they relate to historic preservation are available here, and the fuller body of presentations about the future of Stead Park can be viewed here.
1500-1600 Blocks of H St NW
There is proposed council legislation to symbolically designate a portion of H Street as “John Lewis Way.” It is anticipated to be on the ANC 2B’s agenda for October.
1221 Connecticut Ave NW
Dupont Circle’s Lucky Bar was profiled this week by the Washington Post, where soccer fans are raising money for the tavern.
Support Local Businesses!
This is a hard year in different ways for all of us. If you are able to, I strongly encourage you to support local businesses where you can. This week I ordered take out from Dupont Italian Kitchen, got delivery from Pizzeria Paradiso on P Street, picked up a tool from True Value On 17th, and had a coffee meeting a Mikko. I got my face masks from Shop Made in DC. Our local retailers depend on neighbors like you!
Have any questions about anything in the neighborhood? Keep in touch!
Aaron Landry 