There are so many ways residents in the combined Shepherd Park-Colonial Village-North Portal Estates area can be involved in the community. The area listserve is filled with information, announcements of upcoming events and requests. Although some try, no one can attend every meeting or event, respond to each request or take action on multiple issues.
The association’s community meeting was held on March 13 in the Shepherd Elementary School auditorium. Yvette Pearson, membership chair, invited the 80 residents present to visit the new website and give feedback on the content, suggest additions and corrections, and use the online registration and payment options.
A member of the school’s PTA board extended an invitation to the PTA spring gala at Bobby Van’s, 1201 NY Ave. NW, on April 21 with tickets now available in the school office. Cynthia Prather announced the Georgia Avenue Spring Planting on May 12. Participants will gather in front of Ledo’s Pizza, ready with trowels and gloves, for an hour’s work replacing spring blossoms with summer blooming plants. Alex Kincannon asked for homeowners to participate in the garden tour, scheduled for May 20.
Representatives of the Hines-Urban Atlantic developers reported on the activity at the former Walter Reed site, assuring the community that the preparation work for the mechanized demolition of the old hospital building is on schedule. The demolition will be completed this spring. A map with areas to be repurposed and sites to support new construction were shown on projected maps with proposed timelines. The town center retail plans will be announced as soon as possible. Community members were invited to a spring celebration and Easter egg roll planned for 9 to 11 a.m. March 31. Participants should enter via the Butternut Gate.
Mark Pattison and Naima Jefferson for the association and David Whitehead from Greater Greater Washington presented information on the D.C. Comprehensive Plan with citizen concerns to be raised at the D.C. Council Hearing on March 20 at the Wilson Building. Whitehead gave a perspective on the planning office’s actions and agreed with neighbors’ position that the office had a weak response to questions on the failure to follow its own published process and the seeming fuzziness of zoning terminology and organizational accountability. Those present were urged to present testimony, or attend the hearing or send written testimony by April 3 to [email protected].
— June Confer
