Chinatown/Penn Quarter announce new parking meter rates
Beginning Tuesday, January 22nd, the District Department of Transportation began implementation of a new parking meter rate schedule in the Chinatown and Penn Quarter neighborhoods. This is the seventh parking meter rate adjustment as part of a project to improve parking ability through demand-based pricing. These changes will occur between H Street NW, 3rd St NW, E St NW, and 11th St. NW. Parking meter rates on individual block faces in this area will range from $1 to $6.50 per hour, varying by time period: weekday morning, weekday midday, weekday evening, and Saturday. Travelers can see pricing and real-time parking availability information using the parkDC or Voicepark mobile applications.
3-1-1 now to be used for non-emergency police notifications
Residents and visitors of the District can now call 3-1-1 to report all police non-emergencies. The OUC defines a non-emergency call as any call related to an incident that does not pose an immediate threat to the safety of individuals and/or incidents that occurred at least one hour before the initial request for police assistance is made. Last year, the agency received approximately 1.5 million 9-1-1 calls for service, and approximately of 20 percent of those calls were for non-emergency incidents. To improve call taking efficiency, the agency has developed a pathway for non-emergency calls using the current 3-1-1 call tree, previously utilized exclusively for city services and information. Now after dialing 3-1-1, callers should press Option # 1 to report police non-emergencies like noise complaints, fender benders, vandalism, destruction of property, and for any crimes that have happened in the past with no reported injuries, and when the suspect is no longer on the scene. Once the call is processed with the operator, based on the findings, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will be dispatched to provide a response. The 311-phone system will now serve as the initial step in the police non-emergency process, preserving the 9-1-1 line for more critical incidents.
DC Water warns customers about scams
DC Water recently issued a new reminder for all customers to be aware of and alert to possible scams involving callers or visitors who claim to be from the water authority. This new warning came after a water customer was convince to share her credit card information with someone pretending to be from the authority. In the past, scams involving utility customers have involved visits or in some cases trying to sell water filters or solicit social security numbers.
DC to offer loans to help furloughed workers pay mortgages
Mayor Bowser announced this week that the District will offer zero-interest loans of up to $5,000 to people who might not be able to pay their mortgage this month because of the partial federal government shutdown. This $9 million D.C. Mortgage Assistance Program will be managed by the city’s housing and finance agency. To be eligible, you must be a full time furloughed federal worker with your primary residence in the District, in addition to other caveats required to qualify for the loans, which must be paid back within 60 days of the federal government reopening, or when back pay is made available, whichever comes first. Homeowners can call 833-429-0537 to start the application process.
