MOUNT PLEASANT TRAFFIC: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D unanimously approved a resolution Feb. 3 calling on the D.C. Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic calming study in Mount Pleasant. Commissioners said they are concerned that DDOT officials’ plan to merge a planned traffic study for their neighborhood with a Columbia Heights traffic study will alter the study’s focus and fail to meet Mount Pleasant’s needs.

"While traffic in Columbia Heights clearly has an impact on Mount Pleasant, the fundamental issues in the two neighborhoods are different," said Commissioner Jack McKay.

REED-COOKE MEETING: The impact of re-development projects on the neighborhood’s quality of life will be on the agenda for the Reed-Cooke Neighborhood Association’s monthly meeting on Feb. 11. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at King Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1725 Kalorama Road NW.

CARLOS ROSARIO SCHOOL: Neighbors of the Carlos Rosario School project at Harvard and 11th streets NW will get an update on the renovation during a public meeting on Feb. 24. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at 2900 14th St. NW.

CITY MUSEUM NEARS OPENING: The District’s new City Museum, to be housed in the renovated former Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square, is scheduled to open May 15, according to officials at the Historical Society of the District of Columbia. Officials say they are in the process of planning a week-long celebration of events, beginning May 11, to lead up to the museum’s dedication and grand opening.

WEST END LIBRARY: Delayed delivery of new furniture and equipment has caused D.C. Public Library officials to tentatively reschedule the planned reopening of the West End Branch Library to Feb. 14. The library branch, at 1101 24th St. NW, has been closed for major renovations since last October. The renovation project is part of a long-term capital improvement plan, not subject to recent operating budget cuts, to update library facilities throughout the city to improve their accessibility and service delivery. Officials advise library patrons to call (202) 727-1186 for any updates on the West End Branch’s reopening.

WESTERN AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION: A year-long, federally funded project to reconstruct and resurface portions of Western Avenue is expected to begin this summer, D.C. Department of Transportation officials have informed ANC 3/4G commissioners. The $3.5 million project will rebuild the roadway from Broad Branch Road to Chestnut Street and resurface it from Chevy Chase Circle to Broad Branch and from Chestnut Street to Oregon Avenue. New street lights also will be installed. Two-way traffic will be maintained during the construction, which will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

TENLEY-FRIENDSHIP LIBRARY: D.C. Public Library officials plan to attend the Feb. 13 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E to discuss the planned renovation of the Tenley-Friendship Branch Library. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church at 42nd and Fessenden streets NW. A community meeting about the renovation also is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 27 in the library at Wisconsin Avenue and Albemarle Street NW. The project is expected to begin in early 2004 and take 18 to 24 months to complete.

PSA LISTSERVS: Metropolitan Police officials in the Fourth District are working to create computer listservs for each of the district’s patrol service areas "so that information can be exchanged quickly via e-mail between MPD and the community," according to a message Capt. Andy Solberg recently posted to a Ward 4 neighborhood listserv. Councilman Adrian Fenty’s office has been involved in the effort, which was discussed at a recent monthly community meeting of PSA 406. Ward 4 residents have made extensive use of several neighborhood listservs during the past year to communicate information about crime, and Fenty has used the listservs to publicly urge the police department to respond to his constituents’ concerns.

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY PLAN: The D.C. Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 20 on a new 10-year campus plan for The Catholic University of America. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Office of Zoning’s hearing room, Suite 220, at One Judiciary Square, 441 Fourth St. NW.

HALFWAY HOUSE CONCERNS: Citizens for a Safe Ward 5 will hold a town hall meeting on Feb. 11 to meet with officials of Florida-based Bannum Inc., which plans to open a halfway house for criminals in the ward. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Washington Center for the Aging, 2601 18th St. NE. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A passed a resolution last fall opposing the facility. The citizens’ group has expressed concern about allegations that Bannum paid for a trip to Florida last spring for several elected officials and is expected to address the issue to the company’s officials during the meeting.

MAIN STREET DIRECTOR: Tomika Hughey has been hired to direct the H Street Main Street commercial revitalization program. Hughey, who served as Ward 6 coordinator of Mayor Anthony A. Williams’ re-election campaign, holds a master’s degree in planning from the University of Florida and was named an "Emerging Preservation Leader" in 2002 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She also serves on the H Street Revitalization Study Steering Committee, coordinated by the D.C. Office of Planning.

"I’m pleased to have this opportunity to work with the community – merchants, residents, property owners and civic associations – to restore the H Street retail business district to its place as a lively commercial district that serves the neighborhood and the city at large," Hughey said in a written statement announcing her appointment.

The H Street NE corridor, which has struggled to recover from the 1968 riots, was one of five neighborhoods selected last year to launch the District’s Main Streets DC initiative. Under the program, the commercial corridor revitalization project will receive grants totaling $260,000 over five years along with technical assistance from the D.C. government and the National Trust’s Main Street Center.

SOUTHWEST LIBRARY: The Southwest Branch of the D.C. Public Library, closed for major renovations since last Oct. 15, was reopened earlier this month. New carpeting and lighting were installed at the branch library, located at 900 Wesley Place SW. The library was also painted and handicapped accessibility in its restrooms was improved as part of the refurbishment. The project was part of a long-term capital improvement plan, not subject to recent operating budget cuts, to update library facilities throughout the city.

TOWN MEETING: Community development will be the focus of a Ward 7 Town Hall Meeting on Feb. 20, sponsored by Councilman Kevin P. Chavous, D-Ward-7. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, 4925 East Capitol St. NE.

CAPITOL VIEW LIBRARY: The Capitol View Branch of the D.C. Public Library, closed for major renovations since last Oct. 15, was reopened earlier this month. New carpeting and lighting were installed at the branch library, located at 5001 Central Ave. SE. The library was also painted and handicapped accessibility in its restrooms was improved as part of the refurbishment.

The project was part of a long-term capital improvement plan, not subject to recent operating budget cuts, to update library facilities throughout the city. The Benning Branch Library, on Benning Road NE near Minnesota Avenue, also is among branches scheduled for renovations in the near future.

HISTORIC DISTRICT CONCERNS: Anacostia’s civic association is asking Councilwomen Sandra Allen and Sharon Ambrose for "emergency" help to ensure that several buildings in the Anacostia Historic District are preserved. The association’s request was made after Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8A deferred action on the matter to its March meeting.

Carolyn Gray, president of the Frederick Douglass Community Improvement Council, called the planned demolition of several buildings in the 1900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE "violations against the [Anacostia] historic district" in a Feb. 4 letter to ANC 8A.

Gray complained in letters to the council members that the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) has bypassed legally required notification to the community before issuing raze permits for buildings in the historic district. Allen represents Ward 8, in which Anacostia is located, and Ambrose chairs the council’s committee with oversight of DCRA.

Copyright 2003, The Common Denominator