Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Vol. XLVI, No. 24
The Northwest Current
Palisades wary of Safeway project
f ossil f u n
■ Development: Grocery
seeks mixed-use building By DEIRDRE BANNON Current Staff Writer
The mixed-use redevelopment of the Palisades Safeway site continues to draw questions and concerns from residents, but so far the supermarket chain has provided few answers. Safeway’s development team
attended last Wednesday’s Palisades advisory neighborhood commission meeting to discuss the project, which would place housing atop a rebuilt grocery store. But the team spent more time on an overview of MacArthur Boulevard and a review of Palisades history — including repeated references to the Fourth of July parade — than it did talking about actual site plans for the store at 4865 MacArthur. “The presentation was very short
on details,” said commissioner Tom Smith after the Safeway team had concluded. “I’m more interested in things like height, how much larger the store is going to be, the impact on [residences at] the rear of building, and the green space that now you’re talking about getting rid of.” The MacArthur Boulevard Safeway was built in 1942, and the interior has seen only minor modifications since, with one Safeway repreSee Safeway/Page 7
Planning to kick off for library update By KATIE PEARCE Current Staff Writer
Brian Kapur/The Current
The Chevy Chase Library’s Summer Reading Kickoff on Saturday morning featured a hands-on look at fossils with Smithsonian Institution scientist John Pojeta. Kids had a chance to make their own fossils as part of the event.
Plans for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library downtown should be taking firmer shape soon, with $100 million available for a future renovation and a directive in place to start the process now. Next year’s city budget allocates $3.8 million toward the planning process for the modernist building at 901 G St. NW, which opened as the city’s central library in 1972. Then down the line, there’s $50 million in place for both 2017 and 2018 for a large-scale renovation. More details on that project should be developing soon, as the D.C. Council Committee on Education — which oversees libraries — has requested designs, financing, construction timetables and a community engagement process by Oct. 1. The committee gave those directives last month to the D.C. Public Library agency as part of the fiscal year 2014 budget. See Library/Page 10
Bill Petros/Current file photo
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library has landmark protections but has been criticized for inefficient use of space. Most new plans would add two stories for private, revenue-generating use.
Carrying a tune, from Tenleytown to Paraguay
Planned bicycle lane proves divisive on New Mexico Ave.
By DEIRDRE BANNON
■ Transportation: City seeks for a bicycle lane, proponents argue.
These merits make it a natural fit
Current Staff Writer
In a slum built atop refuse in the village of Cateura, Paraguay, cellos are made out of discarded oil drums and wooden kitchen tools once used to tenderize beef and make gnocchi. Flutes are crafted from narrow pipes and buttons. Drums are constructed from basins with X-ray film duct-taped over the top. But to hear the kids there perform, you’d never know they were playing with trash. With the help of their conductor, Fabio Chavez, a group of children known the world over as the “recycled orchestra” is touring the world performing classical music on homemade instruments. CBS’s “60 Minutes” is producing a piece on the orchestra. A production company called Landfill Har-
NEWS
to install lane by November
By BRADY HOLT Photo courtesy of Myrna Sislen
Middle C Music owner Myrna Sislen, center, donated instruments to a children’s orchestra in Paraguay that is famous for performing with recycled trash. monic is making a documentary about the kids. And their YouTube teaser, found at tinyurl.com/recycled-orchestra, has more than 1 million hits. When Middle C Music owner Myrna Sislen saw that video, she was inspired to help. See Music/Page 10
SPOR TS
HVAC noise at issue for Chevy Chase Pavilion neighbors — Page 3
Maret rallies past Wilson to repeat as city champions — Page 11
Current Staff Writer
For some bicyclists, New Mexico Avenue is a handy connection between the outer reaches of Ward 3 and the center of the city. The route allows southbound riders to travel through Glover Park and Georgetown along streets less congested than Wisconsin Avenue, and gives northbound riders access to the Tenleytown Metro station.
The D.C. Department of Transportation has been proposing just that for several years, with the continuous support of the Glover Park advisory neighborhood commission. But last month’s Spring Valley/ Wesley Heights neighborhood commission meeting and a site visit last Tuesday served as a reminder of why New Mexico still lacks bike lanes: objections from residents living directly along the 0.75-mile stretch, who argue that the avenue is See Lane/Page 13
INDEX
NEWS
Ward 2’s Jack Evans formally launches mayoral campaign — Page 5
Calendar/20 Classifieds/29 District Digest/4 Exhibits/23 In Your Neighborhood/18 Opinion/8
Police Report/6 Real Estate/15 School Dispatches/12 Service Directory/26 Sports/11 Theater/23
Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com