COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Mayor Gray Breaks Ground on The Nannie Helen at 4800

Last week, Mayor Gray, government officials and representatives of the housing development team celebrated the groundbreaking of The Nannie Helen at 4800 – a mixed-use development that provides affordable housing, retail space and other needed amenities in Ward 7’s historic Deanwood community.

When completed, the facility will include 1,790 square feet of retail space; 1,900 square feet for an adult education and fitness center; 3,438 square feet of office space; and 70 affordable housing units, including one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments within a five-level, elevator-serviced building.  The project will also include 41 residential parking spaces and replacement units for residents of the Lincoln Heights housing development. Read more.

Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright Adds Second Opportunity for Input on Public Education Budget

Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright is convening a second hearing that will give members of the public an additional opportunity to provide their input on shaping the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) budget for Fiscal Year 2013. The hearing will be held on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, 1201 17th Street NW, and will complement the previous budget hearing which was held on February 22nd.  Read more.

D.C. Leading in Solar Density

Thanks to energy credits and many other solar programs from the District Department of the Environment, Washington D.C. is now leading the nation with the largest solar capacity amount in “kilowatts per square mile.”  Read more.

Anacostia Library in Southeast Honored as One City Location of the Month

The D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to honor the Anacostia Library in Southeast as the March 2012 One City Location of the Month. The Anacostia Library, which opened in April 2010, is an inviting two-story library that features 22,000 square feet of large open space that creates an ideal learning environment for the community. Expansive glass walls, skylight wedges that allow abundant natural light and metal panel pavilions are just a few features that make this unique library an ideal location for filming. Read more.

Countdown Underway To March 1 Start Of 2012 Residential Street Sweeping Season; Enforcement Begins Mon., March 12.

Motorists are urged to note the days and times on the signs because some signs were changed since last year. For more information about street sweeping, go to http://1.usa.gov/DPWstreetalley.

Mayor Gray at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Kickoff Press Conference on March 1. The National Park Service predicts that the cherry blossoms will peak on March 24.

AAPI Youth Town Hall with Mayor Gray 

The DC Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs invites all youth in the District of Columbia to engage with Mayor Vincent C. Gray in the first AAPI Youth Town Hall.

The Youth Town Hall will provide AAPI youth an opportunity meet Mayor Gray and discuss the issues and concerns they face. 

The event will be held on March 17, 2012 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, 616 H Street, NW, Suite 201, Washington, D.C.

To RSVP, please click here.  

Please email or call OAPIA at (202) 727-3120 with additional questions or concerns.

Mayor On The Move

Bloomberg Businessweek Highlights D.C.'s Efforts to Address Long-Term Unemployment

A recent Bloomberg Businessweek story highlighted the problem of long-term unemployment and how Mayor Gray’s One City ● One Hire program is addressing it through the D.C. Department of Employment Services. Read more.

Mayor Gray’s WaPo Op-Ed Sets the Record Straight on Lottery Contract

In response to Colbert King’s Feb. 18 Op-Ed column’s “attempt to” explain the D.C. Lottery saga, Mayor Gray sent a letter to the Washington Post editor to set the record straight. Even Washington Post reporters, Mike DeBonis and Tim Craig found little evidence in the OIG report to “support the notion that D.C. Council members improperly sought to steer the contract for their own benefit or the benefit of their favored parties.” Read more.

Chief Lanier Clarifies D.C.’s Homicide Closure Rate

Last week’s Washington Post article, “The trick to D.C.’s homicide closure rate,” suggested that the District Police Department “was somehow tricking the public by announcing that it had a 94 percent homicide closure rate.”  Chief Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department clarified the way homicide closures are reported in her Op-Ed. Read more.

Mayor Gray Announces Settlement in Longstanding Dixon Lawsuit

On Thurs., Feb. 16, Mayor Gray announced a settlement in the 37-year-old-Dixon class-action lawsuit and the end of court oversight of the District’s public mental health system. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas F. Hogan approved the settlement between the District and Dixon plaintiffs’ counsel in a hearing last week and dismissed the lawsuit.

Under the terms of the settlement, the District commits to adding 300 affordable housing units, expanding job-readiness services for adults with mental illness to help them get and keep a job, and increasing treatment services with proven records of good outcomes at home and in the community instead of out-of-home placements for children. Read more.

Momentum toward DC Budget Autonomy Builds as VA Governor McDonnell Voices Support

In response to Governor Bob McDonnell’s letter to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa where McDonnell goes on record in support of DC budget autonomy, Mayor Gray thanked the Governor for his support in the following statement – read Mayor Gray’s statement.

Gray Administration Focusing Resources on Affordable Housing

During last week's bi-weekly press conference, Mayor Gray announced the re-formation and leadership of a task force that will help him shape a comprehensive housing strategy for the District of Columbia. The Task Force will soon hold its inaugural meeting and then will convene working-group meetings over the course of the next few months. The panel will hold public engagement meetings to solicit feedback from residents and stakeholders on creating a District-wide housing strategy. Building on the feedback they receive, the panel will issue a draft report this summer and a final report in the fall.  Read more.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray, DSLBD and Federal Partners Launch HUBDC 

On Fri., Feb. 17, Mayor Gray held a joint press conference with several Federal agencies and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce to launch HUBDC, a New Economy strategy previously outlined in his State of the District Address. HUBDC is a local-federal partnership that supports diversified and resilient businesses envisioned by the Mayor. Through this national pilot, the District will partner with the federal government to maximize small business participation in SBA’s Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program. Read more.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray and EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin Announce Acquisition of Multiple Alternative Fuel Vehicles

On Tues., Feb. 28, Mayor Gray and EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin announced that the District has acquired 10 alternative fuel vehicles to be used for trash collection, street sweeping, snow removal and other services provided by the District. The vehicles were purchased using federal stimulus funds provided by EPA through the District Department of the Environment (DDOE). Read more.

University Presidents Sign Pledge Embracing Mayor Gray’s Vision of a Greener, Healthier, More Sustainable City

On Wed., Feb. 29, Mayor Gray ,Georgetown University President John DeGioia, American University President Neil Kerwin, Catholic University of America President John Garvey, George Washington University President Steven Knapp, Gallaudet University President Alan Hurwitz, Howard University President Sidney Ribeau and University of the District of Columbia President Allen Sessoms signed the Mayor’s College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP), committing the schools to pursuing sustainability as engaged participants in the Mayor’s ambitious goal of making the District of Columbia the most sustainable city in America. The CUSP recognizes the critical leadership role of the District’s colleges and universities in advancing sustainability on campus and in the community. Read more.