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Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Current
District Digest New member tapped for D.C. zoning board
The D.C. Council yesterday confirmed a Capitol Hill construction management consultant as one of the city’s three appointees to the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Rashida MacMurray will replace attorney Meridith Moldenhauer, a downtown resident who is currently serving as the board’s chair. According to her rÊsumÊ, MacMurray consults on capital projects for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services and also provides training on managing construction programs. She is a lawyer and litigator — experience that could prove helpful to the board, which must interpret
the city’s arcane zoning code when deciding appeals of permitting decisions and granting exceptions and variances from the code. The board will elect a new chair when Moldenhauer steps down. — Elizabeth Wiener
Council fetes music store on anniversary
D.C. Council members yesterday honored Middle C Music on its 10th anniversary, noting that several members’ children have honed their instrumental skills at the Tenleytown store, the only full-service music store in the city. Chairman Kwame Brown said his daughter took both violin and guitar lessons at Middle C and
“loves the store.� Jack Evans of Ward 2 said his daughter also learned to play guitar there. “It’s not just a music store, but a community anchor,� said Mary Cheh of Ward 3, noting that many of her constituents also go to the store to buy sheet music and to hear recitals and solo concerts. “I got fitted for a guitar there,� said Tommy Wells of Ward 6. “Being on the council, it’s nice to have another diversion that calms the soul.� “I hear they told you to keep your day job,� Evans joked. Middle C’s founder and owner, Myrna Sislen, said she will host a birthday celebration at the store March 22. — Elizabeth Wiener
Agency lays out plan for Woodson Home
The National Park Service is accepting public comments through Tuesday on plans for the historic Carter G. Woodson Home in Shaw. Carter G. Woodson, the second African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, became a prominent educator, historian, publisher and advocate in D.C. during the middle of the 20th centu-
ry. Known as the “father of black history,� he founded the organization that is known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson’s former home, at 1538 9th St. NW, is designated as a national historic site. The Park Service owns that property along with two adjacent row houses at 1540 and 1542 9th St., and the agency plans to acquire a private building to the north at 1544 9th St, according to the Park Service. The agency is recommending full restoration of Woodson’s home, allowing for site tours. The neighboring properties would host exhibits, videos and educational programs, while the Association for the Study of African American Life and History would occupy at least 500 square feet of administrative space. Along with that proposal, the Park Service has detailed a required “no-action� alternative. More information and documents related to the plans for the Woodson Home can be found at parkplanning.nps.gov/cawo. The Park Service recommends that readers submit comments through an electronic form at the same website, which also provides addresses for mailing or hand-delivering comments. The public can also view a hard copy of the plan at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site at 1318 Vermont Ave. NW. — Katie Pearce
Former Post publisher addresses Rotarians
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Former Washington Post publisher Donald Graham told D.C. Rotarians last week that education is the only way the city can reduce its high poverty rate. Outstanding charter schools such
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as KIPP, DC Prep and E.L. Haynes have shown that poor children can succeed, Graham said at a Feb. 29 meeting of the Rotary Club of Washington, DC. “The best charter schools are amazing,� he said. “The kids outperform the kids in Georgetown and Cleveland Park. Before I saw these schools, I would have thought it impossible.� Such schools “have built into the children a universal expectation of success,� Graham said. “These kids are up against problems we couldn’t dream of. Look at the results.� With the public school system undergoing steady improvements over the past five years, Graham expressed confidence in Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “She seems to me to have a chance to be the right person,� he said.
Pepco electric rates to drop 5.8 percent
Most D.C. Pepco customers will see lower electric rates starting June 1, as the utility has secured a cheaper contract for its power, the company announced Friday. Pepco projected that the average residential bill will drop from $90 to $84.74. The utility is still seeking permission from the D.C. Public Service Commission to increase the amount it charges to deliver the electricity to homes, which it says is necessary to cover infrastructure improvements. Pepco is responsible for the District’s power lines, but the company does not generate its own electricity. Residents who buy their power from a company other than Pepco will be unaffected by this latest rate decrease.
Wilson, Deal buses now leaving earlier
Following requests from school officials, five Metrobus routes serving Deal Middle School and Wilson High School have begun service 10 minutes earlier each morning, according to a news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The change affects routes D31, D32, D33, D34 and W45, the release states.
Corrections
In the Feb. 29 issue, an article on Second Wind Training misstated the year Steve Dolge was laid off from a job with WTOP. It was 1999. In the same issue, an article on a makeover day for military wives misspelled the name of Flaminia Garioni of Fyubi Makeup. Also, due to a production error, the name of the event’s host, Bang Salon, was omitted from the body of the article. The Current regrets the errors. As a matter of policy, The Current corrects all errors of substance. To report an error, please call the managing editor at 202244-7223.