/ North
Lincoln Park’s
Neighborhood Newsletter

August 2005 Volume 16

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Number 7

August NLPNA Meeting
The first Tuesday in August (2nd) is National Neighborhood Night Out. Families and community groups across the country are encouraged to plan outdoor activities. NLPNA will again mark the occasion with a potluck supper in Lincoln Park. This is an opportunity to socialize with neighbors you don’t often see and to meet new neighbors.

The festivities will begin at 7 p.m., a half hour earlier than our usual meeting time, in the hopes that more families with young children will be able to attend. Bring a dish to share, and serving utensils. Paper products and “silverware” will be provided.

The Finance Committee Chair, Gloria Junge, will present a proposed budget for discussion and approval, and elections of NLPNA officers will be held.

If you’d like to help with planning or setup, call Elizabeth at 543-3512. Children’s games (soap bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc.) would be a big hit.

Neighborhood Directory
To be included in the NLPNA neighborhood directory, provide your name, address, and phone number (and e-mail address, if you wish) in writing to Elizabeth at 1330 North Carolina Avenue (print as plainly as possible) or e-mail it to , with ‘neighborhood directory’ in the subject line.
Copies of the directory are free and are available only to those listed in the directory. For more information, call 543-3512. / Kingsman Taskforce Update
by Mary Beatty ANC 6A05
The Kingsman Task Force, com-posed of two representatives of dog owners and two representatives of nearby neighbors, met twice during the month of June. Representatives of sports organizations joined the first meeting.
At the initial meeting, the dog owner representatives, sports groups, and Options School agreed on numerous ways that they can help care for the park (1300 block of D St.), including seeding the field, mowing, and cleaning the area. The dog owners stated that they would encourage all dog owners to limit use of the field to 1 1/2 hour in the morning before children begin arriving at the school and 1 1/2 hour in the evening after students have left the area. They requested that the neighbors not call the police during those hours if they observed dogs playing off leash under the control of their owner. The goal of the compromise is to encourage DPR to enforce leash laws at Kingsman in a “business as usual” enforcement schedule rather and than as a trouble spot.
At the second meeting, the representatives of the complainants indicated that they had spoken to several neighbors about the proposal, and that they did not get total agreement on the compromise. While the Task Force did not reach compromise, several of those who have gotten involved will continue to work toward a solution. Check back with The Buzz for updates. / COMMUNITY CALENDAR
  • NLPNA Neighborhood Night Out Pot Luck, first Tues. (Aug. 2), 7p.m., Lincoln Park. All are welcome. (See article.)
  • PSA 103 meeting, second Wed. (Aug. 10), 7 p.m., Miner E.S., 601 15th St. NE.
  • ANC 6A will not meet in August. For more information, visit
  • NLPNA meeting, first Tues. (Sept. 6), 7:30 p.m., Lane Memorial CME Church, corner of 14th and C St. NE.
  • The Buzz is available at www. anc6a.org/publications.html.
  • The Buzz editorial staff can be reached at 543-3512 or . Articles on topics of interest in the NLP area are very welcome.
Soccer on the Hill
The fall soccer season will run from mid-September to mid-November. Age divisions (U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U19) are based on the player’s age on July 31, 2005. For more information and signup forms, call 544-5385 or visit
Buzz Distribution
Distributors are needed for the 500 block of 13th St and the 200 block of 14th Pl. This is a great opportunity for students needing volunteer hours. Call Elizabeth, 543-3512, or send e-mail to with “Buzz distribution” as the subject.
Please Water Trees
Again this past fall and spring, the city planted many new street trees in our neighborhood. These trees will help us by improving air quality and lowering air temper-atures in summer. But we have to help them, too, by providing water. Older, established trees can make do with rainfall alone, if there isn’t a drought. But younger trees need supplemental water even if it has rained. It’s best to give them five to ten gallons per week. This can be done by running a hose slowly for a long time or by filling a tree gator or other watering device that allows water to leak out slowly. A limited number of such watering aids are available. Call 543-3512.
The city is doing a better job of street-tree replacement/removal but they need citizens to report problem locations. If you know of a dead tree that needs to be cut down, a stump that should be ground out, or an empty tree-box ready to fill, call 727-1000 to report it. You will be asked to provide a street address. If there isn’t one (for example, the tree is adjacent to a park), report it as “opposite” an address on the other side of the street.
Youth Mentors Needed
The Center for Child Protection and Family Support, a non-profit social services agency serving the DC community, is conducting a school-based mentoring/tutoring program, entitled MASEY (Mentoring and Supporting Each Youth). With your help, their intent is to (1) match youth with a caring adult to build esteem, and (2) demonstrate that youth who participate will show improved academic performance in core academic subjects.
If you would like to volunteer for this program, please contact Erik Wesley, 544-6192 x12. For more information, visit their website, / Talk About Trees
by Heather Schoell
Let’s talk about trees for the 15th St./Constitution Ave./North Carolina Ave. triangle at the August NLPNA pot luck!
Thanks to a few generous donations, we have raised $405! Enough for one tree came from a local real estate agent, the other from new parents in honor of their baby. What would you like to see planted? Red Bud, Dogwood, Sweet Gum, Chestnut, Crepe Myrtle (Natchez), Stewartia? Vote for your favorites at the picnic! Want to get in on some therapeutic hard labor in the Fall? Let us know you want to help dig the holes to plant the trees! (And of course, we’re always willing to accept your donations at the picnic.) See you there!
If you would like to contribute to this effort, but can’t make it to the pot luck supper, please contact Laelia Gilborn at laelia_gilborn@ hotmail.com (544-0424) or Heather Schoell at (547-1819). Thank you.
ANC 6A Needs Sign Language Interpreters
by Elizabeth Nelson, Chair, Community Outreach Committee, ANC 6A
As reported in last month’s issue of The Buzz, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A is seeking volunteer sign language interpreters to facilitate communication with the Deaf community. So far, no one has been identified who could perform this service, but we greatly appreciate all the “tips” we’ve received. If you have additional ideas, please, please send them to with “interpreter” as the subject.
For more information about ANC 6A, visit our website at org. Also, volunteers are needed to distribute flyers containing basic information. Send an e-mail or call 543-3512 if you can help. / Police Non-Emergency
by Heather Schoell
It’s 11:45 p.m., and there are wasted teenagers outside who are loud, throwing firecrackers, embracing on your car. They won’t tone it down or move along – believe me, I’ve asked them politely and repeatedly.
What can you do? Call 311, the police non-emergency number, to request a patrol! While there are no lives at stake, the peace and quiet, the quality of life is important and lessened by such nuisances. Quality of life is a very real part of policing, so there is no need to feel embarrassed by the lack of gravity of your complaint.
By making a 311 call, even anonymously, it leaves a record of a problem on your street. Police patrols are based on these calls for service. The 200 block of 14th Place, NE is barely patrolled now, likely due to a decline in calls for service since some of the more active callers have moved. The absence of calls sends a message to the police that everything is peaceful. If this is not the case, please let them know.
Rash of Burglaries
As previously reported in The Buzz, there is a continuing problem with thieves snatching items from homes where doors have been left unlocked while residents are at home or nearby. In one recent case, the thief reached between the bars of a security gate to take a bag hanging nearby. The timing of some of the burglaries leads one to believe that the culprit is nearby, watching for an opportunity.
Please remember to lock your doors, even if you are in the home or plan to be away for only a few minutes.
THE BUZZ EDITORIAL TEAM
Elizabeth Nelson
Suzanne Wells
Jennie Allen