Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street, NE
When: Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, from 6:30-8:00pm (with light refreshments)
Architectural historians from the firm EHT Traceries will be presenting the results of the H Street Historic Building Survey to the community. The presentation will be held in the "Great Hall" of the Atlas, one of H Street's signature buildings. This is your opportunity to learn about H Street architecture from the pros.
11.05.2009
11.04.2009
Update on the Rosedale Community Center
Below is an email for Charles Allen, Councilmember Wells' Chief of Staff.
***********
RCA would like to thank Charles for providing up-to-date and thorough information on this critical and important Rosedale community project. The Rosedale neighborhood is very concerned about any delays in constructing the new community and library complex, so open communications between the community and our representatives is invaluable - thank you!
***********
Dear Neighbors,
As a follow-up to Friday’s hearing, I wanted to ensure you had the latest information.
Council Action
• Tomorrow will be the second part of the DPR contracts hearing chaired by Councilmembers Thomas, K. Brown, Barry and Cheh. The hearing begins at 10 am and should be televised on Channel 13 if you want to watch.
• At yesterday’s legislative meeting, the Council approved an emergency measure (only valid for 90 days) from Councilmember Thomas that prevents the CFO from transferring any additional funds to the DC Housing Authority for parks and recreation projects. This does not impact the dollars already transferred. The Mayor’s office and CFO had already committed to this, but the legislation is aimed at ensuring oversight for the public funds. Mr. Thomas initially included language that would have prevented DCHA from entering into any contracts or MOUs to provide services with the funding it already has, but Councilmember Wells and Catania fought to remove that so that existing work does not slow down.
Budget & Spending
• At the hearing on Friday, Councilmember Thomas stated that according to documents he had, $3.9 million had already been spent on the Rosedale Community Center. Like you, we were very surprised to hear this. After a conversation with the Deputy Mayor’s office, I have a lot more clarity on this.
• First and foremost, the full $16 million remains committed and available for the Rosedale Community Center.
• The $3.9 million represents the FY2009 appropriation that was transferred from the Dept. of Parks and Recreation to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (this is only part of the total $16 million funding because the total amount is spread over the fiscal years in which the reconstruction will take place).
• Please note, while the document Mr. Thomas reviewed shows that $3.9 million was “spent”, that only means that the dollars have been obligated from DPR. In other words, no one is claiming that $3.9 million worth of work has been performed. In fact, the Deputy Mayor’s office informed me that only $400,000 has been spent thus far from the initial $3.9 million in funds. That $400,000 includes the planning and design work (which included the planning process you were a part of earlier), as well as the initial demolition and security costs.
Work On-Site
• After the hearing on Friday night, I contacted DPR staff regarding three of the concerns raised – insufficient security and fencing on the site, concerns about managing the field lighting with controls being located in the demolished building, and the request for more access to space at Gibbs for the Rosedale programming. DPR officials stated to me that they would investigate and work on each of these issues.
Please let me know if you have any questions and we’ll work to keep you updated. Of course, feel free to drop me an email or call any time you have questions.
Best,
Charles Allen
Chief of Staff
Councilmember Tommy Wells - Ward 6
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Ste. 408
Washington, DC 20004
202-724-8072 - phone
202-724-8054 - fax
callen@dccouncil.us - email
www.TommyWells.org - website
***********
RCA would like to thank Charles for providing up-to-date and thorough information on this critical and important Rosedale community project. The Rosedale neighborhood is very concerned about any delays in constructing the new community and library complex, so open communications between the community and our representatives is invaluable - thank you!
***********
Dear Neighbors,
As a follow-up to Friday’s hearing, I wanted to ensure you had the latest information.
Council Action
• Tomorrow will be the second part of the DPR contracts hearing chaired by Councilmembers Thomas, K. Brown, Barry and Cheh. The hearing begins at 10 am and should be televised on Channel 13 if you want to watch.
• At yesterday’s legislative meeting, the Council approved an emergency measure (only valid for 90 days) from Councilmember Thomas that prevents the CFO from transferring any additional funds to the DC Housing Authority for parks and recreation projects. This does not impact the dollars already transferred. The Mayor’s office and CFO had already committed to this, but the legislation is aimed at ensuring oversight for the public funds. Mr. Thomas initially included language that would have prevented DCHA from entering into any contracts or MOUs to provide services with the funding it already has, but Councilmember Wells and Catania fought to remove that so that existing work does not slow down.
Budget & Spending
• At the hearing on Friday, Councilmember Thomas stated that according to documents he had, $3.9 million had already been spent on the Rosedale Community Center. Like you, we were very surprised to hear this. After a conversation with the Deputy Mayor’s office, I have a lot more clarity on this.
• First and foremost, the full $16 million remains committed and available for the Rosedale Community Center.
• The $3.9 million represents the FY2009 appropriation that was transferred from the Dept. of Parks and Recreation to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (this is only part of the total $16 million funding because the total amount is spread over the fiscal years in which the reconstruction will take place).
• Please note, while the document Mr. Thomas reviewed shows that $3.9 million was “spent”, that only means that the dollars have been obligated from DPR. In other words, no one is claiming that $3.9 million worth of work has been performed. In fact, the Deputy Mayor’s office informed me that only $400,000 has been spent thus far from the initial $3.9 million in funds. That $400,000 includes the planning and design work (which included the planning process you were a part of earlier), as well as the initial demolition and security costs.
Work On-Site
• After the hearing on Friday night, I contacted DPR staff regarding three of the concerns raised – insufficient security and fencing on the site, concerns about managing the field lighting with controls being located in the demolished building, and the request for more access to space at Gibbs for the Rosedale programming. DPR officials stated to me that they would investigate and work on each of these issues.
Please let me know if you have any questions and we’ll work to keep you updated. Of course, feel free to drop me an email or call any time you have questions.
Best,
Charles Allen
Chief of Staff
Councilmember Tommy Wells - Ward 6
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Ste. 408
Washington, DC 20004
202-724-8072 - phone
202-724-8054 - fax
callen@dccouncil.us - email
www.TommyWells.org - website
11.03.2009
Final Two Public Meetings for the Metrobus X Line Study
The purpose of these two meetings is to present draft recommended service improvements to the Metrobus X Line. Participants at the meetings will be encouraged to comment on the draft recommendations, ask questions, and make additional suggestions. At the conclusion of the study, the study team will make its final recommendations to the WMATA Board, hold a public hearing, and (pending Board approval) begin implementing the first phase of service changes.
The dates and locations of the meetings are:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Sherwood Recreation Center, 640 10th Street NE
Thursday, November 12, 2009
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, 3939 Benning Road NE
The program for both meetings is the same: an open house from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm and a presentation and group exercise from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Both meetings are open to the public, and no RSVP is necessary.
The facilities are wheelchair accessible. If you have any special needs to be accommodated, please call (703) 682-5060 by November 6.
The dates and locations of the meetings are:
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Sherwood Recreation Center, 640 10th Street NE
Thursday, November 12, 2009
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, 3939 Benning Road NE
The program for both meetings is the same: an open house from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm and a presentation and group exercise from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Both meetings are open to the public, and no RSVP is necessary.
The facilities are wheelchair accessible. If you have any special needs to be accommodated, please call (703) 682-5060 by November 6.
3rd Annual Debris Clean Up Event & Anacostia River Celebration
Debris Clean Up Event Flyer
Date: Friday, November 6, 2009
Time: 9am - 1pm
Join Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region (LC-NCR),
City Kids Wilderness Project, The American Chemistry Council, corporate and federal partners at Kingman Island (near RFK) and work together to keep the Island and the Anacostia River clean! You will work alongside Washington, DC area teachers and students, federal and state officials, non-profit organizations and corporations as part of a greater restoration effort, and learn about the exciting things happening at Kingman Island in the future. Agency and corporate exhibits, along with local community and non-profit organizations will have information with hands-on activities for students. A picnic lunch will follow the clean up and awards ceremony.
Funds raised from this event will support Living Classrooms’ programs serving
youth and young adults in the Washington, DC region.
Click on Image for Larger Version
Disclosure: Information above was extracted from Living Classroom website
11.02.2009
RCA November 2009 Meeting Agenda & Announcement
INTRODUCTIONS (7:00)
7:00 Welcome & Agenda Review (Necothia, 5 min)
MINUTES (7:15)
7:05 Approval of September meeting minutes [not completed to date] (Ken)
Reports (7:05)
• President/VP Report & Discussion (Necothia, 5 min)
• Treasurer's Report & Discussion (Pat, 5 min)
• Transportation Committee Report & Discussion (Ken, 5 min)
• Outreach Committee Report & Discussion (Brit & Necothia, 5 min)
• Garden Committee Report & Discussion (Karen, 5 min)
• PSA 103 Report & Discussion (Brenda, 5 min)
NEW BUSINESS (7:35)
• Discuss the potential delay or possible revocation of the new Rosedale Community Center and Library permit/construction due to the current City Council inquiry about DPR contracts (greater than $1 million) awarded to contractors without City Council approval. (Brit & Dana, 30 min.)
• General discussion (All, as time permits)
ADJOURN (8:30PM)
7:00 Welcome & Agenda Review (Necothia, 5 min)
MINUTES (7:15)
7:05 Approval of September meeting minutes [not completed to date] (Ken)
Reports (7:05)
• President/VP Report & Discussion (Necothia, 5 min)
• Treasurer's Report & Discussion (Pat, 5 min)
• Transportation Committee Report & Discussion (Ken, 5 min)
• Outreach Committee Report & Discussion (Brit & Necothia, 5 min)
• Garden Committee Report & Discussion (Karen, 5 min)
• PSA 103 Report & Discussion (Brenda, 5 min)
NEW BUSINESS (7:35)
• Discuss the potential delay or possible revocation of the new Rosedale Community Center and Library permit/construction due to the current City Council inquiry about DPR contracts (greater than $1 million) awarded to contractors without City Council approval. (Brit & Dana, 30 min.)
• General discussion (All, as time permits)
ADJOURN (8:30PM)
H Street, NE History Project
We are seeking input from individuals in the community to develop a time line and tapestry of influential people, places, businesses and events in and around H Street Northeast. We are also in need of volunteers- writers, researchers, interviewers, photographers, and you!
Join us on Saturday, November 7 from 11:00 AM -12:30 PM in Room A-5 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 901 G Street NW, (Gallery Place Metro) for an informational session about the project and how you can get involved.
H Street Northeast is one of the fastest developing commercial corridors in the District of Columbia. This project seeks to acknowledge the legacy and heritage of a community undergoing urban renewal and capture the stories behind the cultural and historical assets of the one-and-a-half mile commercial corridor, giving the street many of it’s unique character and traditions from the 1900’s and beyond.
For additional information about sponsorship and other details, please contact T. Isler at (202) 250-0466 or harvestpotluck@gmail.com
This project is sponsored in part by H Street Main Street, the DC Humanities Council and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
Join us on Saturday, November 7 from 11:00 AM -12:30 PM in Room A-5 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 901 G Street NW, (Gallery Place Metro) for an informational session about the project and how you can get involved.
H Street Northeast is one of the fastest developing commercial corridors in the District of Columbia. This project seeks to acknowledge the legacy and heritage of a community undergoing urban renewal and capture the stories behind the cultural and historical assets of the one-and-a-half mile commercial corridor, giving the street many of it’s unique character and traditions from the 1900’s and beyond.
For additional information about sponsorship and other details, please contact T. Isler at (202) 250-0466 or harvestpotluck@gmail.com
This project is sponsored in part by H Street Main Street, the DC Humanities Council and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
10.27.2009
Rosedale Community Center & Library Needs Your Help!
There is a battle between Mayor Fenty and several Council Members concerning DPR contracts which may affect construction of the new Rosedale Community Center/Library and a dozen other city projects. If the political and legal situation is not solved immediately, we could lose a construction season...or the budget...or EVERYTHING.
Rosedale Community Center ground breaking ceremonies were a joyous celebration. Now everything is under attack.
There will be a Council "Roundtable" on the situation:
DATE: Friday, October 30th
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: The Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue)
We can stand up and be counted. We can testify. We can make it clear to both sides that they can battle out their problems, but they cannot slow down Rosedale's new center and library. We have to show up in force...political force...neighborhood force...to make sure that the problem is solved without losing a day of our construction schedule.
There are three ways to stand up and be counted:
SIGN UP TO TESTIFY at the rountable...come with prepared testimony no longer than three minutes in length (or shorter). Bring 15 copies to be distributed to the Council. Give your testimony and answer questions. (If you want to testify in person, please call or email Brit Wyckoff with your name/address/phone number NO LATER THEN 8 p.m. tonight (October 27))
COME TO THE ROUNDTABLE but sit together and let RCA Members who testify point out the committed voters who took time off to be counted.
WRITE YOUR OPINION and get fifteen copies to Brit Wyckoff by Thursday (October 29) evening. We'll read out some or all of them at the meeting.
This intensely political problem is scary...and we have to scare the heck of the District Government this Halloween!!!
I apologize for the late notice... but it's important!
Brit Wyckoff
RCA Outreach Committee Co-chair
1701 C Street, NE
Cell: 571-215-2444
email: wyckoff@aol.com
Rosedale Community Center ground breaking ceremonies were a joyous celebration. Now everything is under attack.
There will be a Council "Roundtable" on the situation:
DATE: Friday, October 30th
TIME: 11 a.m.
LOCATION: The Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue)
We can stand up and be counted. We can testify. We can make it clear to both sides that they can battle out their problems, but they cannot slow down Rosedale's new center and library. We have to show up in force...political force...neighborhood force...to make sure that the problem is solved without losing a day of our construction schedule.
There are three ways to stand up and be counted:
SIGN UP TO TESTIFY at the rountable...come with prepared testimony no longer than three minutes in length (or shorter). Bring 15 copies to be distributed to the Council. Give your testimony and answer questions. (If you want to testify in person, please call or email Brit Wyckoff with your name/address/phone number NO LATER THEN 8 p.m. tonight (October 27))
COME TO THE ROUNDTABLE but sit together and let RCA Members who testify point out the committed voters who took time off to be counted.
WRITE YOUR OPINION and get fifteen copies to Brit Wyckoff by Thursday (October 29) evening. We'll read out some or all of them at the meeting.
This intensely political problem is scary...and we have to scare the heck of the District Government this Halloween!!!
I apologize for the late notice... but it's important!
Brit Wyckoff
RCA Outreach Committee Co-chair
1701 C Street, NE
Cell: 571-215-2444
email: wyckoff@aol.com
New Rosedale Community Center & Library Caught in Political Crossfire?
Second Washington Post article about the legality of 12 DPR awarded contracts, the largest of which is the new Rosedale Community Center and Library.
D.C. parks contracts are legal, official says
Nickles had said housing group broke law in approval process
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said Monday that any past and current contracts awarded without the approval of the D.C. Council are "legal and binding," three days after he had said the D.C. Housing Authority broke city law by awarding $82 million worth of such contracts, most of them to firms with personal and political ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).
The apparent reversal enraged council members already angered by what they see as the Fenty administration's continued disregard for the council's role in legislating and overseeing city agencies. Council members also criticized Nickles's judgment as the city's top legal official.
"That's classic Peter Nickles. This is just bad government 101," said council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), who said the council could be forced to sue the Fenty administration to block the contracts.
Nickles's latest opinion came in a letter to the interim executive director of the D.C. Housing Authority, the agency that recently awarded a dozen contracts for the construction of parks, recreation centers and ballfields. The Fenty administration used the housing agency as a development vehicle for the projects.
City law requires that any contract in excess of $1 million be approved by the council. Officials with the housing authority, which is independent of the city government, did not think that law applied to its procurement process. The attorney general told housing authority officials Friday that the law did apply and that they should submit the contracts to the council.
But in an interview Monday, Nickles said his opinion should apply to "future contracts." He cited legal problems with nullifying past and current agreements and said the authority had a long-standing practice of awarding contracts without council approval. "They did not understand until the law was made clear to them," he said Monday.
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, dismissed Nickles's explanation.
"What he's doing is backpedaling on his opinion Friday. They're trying to protect the people who have already received the contracts," Thomas said. "I guess we're just going to have to go to court."
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who consulted the council's general counsel, said he was "perplexed" and "puzzled" by Nickles's opinion. "For the attorney general to give a carte blanche green light to these questionable contracts, even before council hearings or any legislative action, is inappropriate and not in compliance with my reading of the law. If they are required to be submitted, we make no distinction between the past and the future. We expect to receive these contracts," he said.
Nickles said his opinion Monday "clarified" his opinion Friday. "They're perfectly consistent," he said. "The mayor's not happy. The council's not happy, but I'm following the law. This is not an easy job. I call them how I see them."
Four council members, including Brown and Thomas, are holding a public meeting Friday and have requested that City Administrator Neil O. Albert, Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi and other members of the administration appear to explain how the contracts were awarded.
Banneker Ventures, owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother, was named construction manager on all 12 projects. His firm partnered with Regan Associates, a major contributor to the mayor's reelection campaign.
Nickles and officials at the Housing Authority said the contracts were competitively bid.
Privately, Fenty supporters questioned whether Nickles hastily issued his opinion Friday and erred in his statements about the contracts.
The city could have a major legal problem on its hands, said experts in procurement law. They said the contracts can be considered "void ab initio," meaning they are voided because they violated city law.
The city has faced the issue previously, said Keith D. Coleman, a former legal adviser in the city's Office of Contracting and Procurement. He said the city could void the contracts and pay vendors for services rendered. The vendors "didn't know the District government didn't follow procedure," Coleman said. "They're innocent bystanders, so to speak."
Coleman, a lawyer at Reed Smith, said he recommends ratification, a process in which the contracts get approval after they were already awarded.
Gray said he was aware of the practice, which he said quashes Nickles's opinion that the Housing Authority contracts do not have to go before the council.
The controversy over the contracts comes as Fenty has clashed with local lawmakers by reappointing acting parks director Ximena Hartsock, whom the council rejected in a 7 to 5 vote Oct. 6. Fenty signed an executive order Friday that will keep Hartsock in place for 180 days while he looks for a replacement. Nickles upheld the mayor's order, although some council members said it was illegal.
The council is asking Gandhi to withhold Hartsock's salary. Thomas said he will probably ask Gandhi to also withhold money from the Housing Authority to pay the awarded contracts.
In his first public appearance with Hartsock since he signed the executive order, Fenty took questions from reporters Monday after an announcement about a city program to open recreation centers to public school students who will be out of school Thursday and Friday.
"It's going to be tough to find someone who has her energy, her skill set and her ability to get things done," Fenty said in an interview, hours before Nickles issued his second opinion on the contracts.
The mayor declined to discuss the "ins and outs" of the contracts. When asked about the tension with his colleagues in the legislative branch, Fenty, a former Ward 4 council member said, "This is the best council we've ever had."
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website.
D.C. parks contracts are legal, official says
Nickles had said housing group broke law in approval process
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said Monday that any past and current contracts awarded without the approval of the D.C. Council are "legal and binding," three days after he had said the D.C. Housing Authority broke city law by awarding $82 million worth of such contracts, most of them to firms with personal and political ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).
The apparent reversal enraged council members already angered by what they see as the Fenty administration's continued disregard for the council's role in legislating and overseeing city agencies. Council members also criticized Nickles's judgment as the city's top legal official.
"That's classic Peter Nickles. This is just bad government 101," said council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large), who said the council could be forced to sue the Fenty administration to block the contracts.
Nickles's latest opinion came in a letter to the interim executive director of the D.C. Housing Authority, the agency that recently awarded a dozen contracts for the construction of parks, recreation centers and ballfields. The Fenty administration used the housing agency as a development vehicle for the projects.
City law requires that any contract in excess of $1 million be approved by the council. Officials with the housing authority, which is independent of the city government, did not think that law applied to its procurement process. The attorney general told housing authority officials Friday that the law did apply and that they should submit the contracts to the council.
But in an interview Monday, Nickles said his opinion should apply to "future contracts." He cited legal problems with nullifying past and current agreements and said the authority had a long-standing practice of awarding contracts without council approval. "They did not understand until the law was made clear to them," he said Monday.
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, dismissed Nickles's explanation.
"What he's doing is backpedaling on his opinion Friday. They're trying to protect the people who have already received the contracts," Thomas said. "I guess we're just going to have to go to court."
Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), who consulted the council's general counsel, said he was "perplexed" and "puzzled" by Nickles's opinion. "For the attorney general to give a carte blanche green light to these questionable contracts, even before council hearings or any legislative action, is inappropriate and not in compliance with my reading of the law. If they are required to be submitted, we make no distinction between the past and the future. We expect to receive these contracts," he said.
Nickles said his opinion Monday "clarified" his opinion Friday. "They're perfectly consistent," he said. "The mayor's not happy. The council's not happy, but I'm following the law. This is not an easy job. I call them how I see them."
Four council members, including Brown and Thomas, are holding a public meeting Friday and have requested that City Administrator Neil O. Albert, Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi and other members of the administration appear to explain how the contracts were awarded.
Banneker Ventures, owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother, was named construction manager on all 12 projects. His firm partnered with Regan Associates, a major contributor to the mayor's reelection campaign.
Nickles and officials at the Housing Authority said the contracts were competitively bid.
Privately, Fenty supporters questioned whether Nickles hastily issued his opinion Friday and erred in his statements about the contracts.
The city could have a major legal problem on its hands, said experts in procurement law. They said the contracts can be considered "void ab initio," meaning they are voided because they violated city law.
The city has faced the issue previously, said Keith D. Coleman, a former legal adviser in the city's Office of Contracting and Procurement. He said the city could void the contracts and pay vendors for services rendered. The vendors "didn't know the District government didn't follow procedure," Coleman said. "They're innocent bystanders, so to speak."
Coleman, a lawyer at Reed Smith, said he recommends ratification, a process in which the contracts get approval after they were already awarded.
Gray said he was aware of the practice, which he said quashes Nickles's opinion that the Housing Authority contracts do not have to go before the council.
The controversy over the contracts comes as Fenty has clashed with local lawmakers by reappointing acting parks director Ximena Hartsock, whom the council rejected in a 7 to 5 vote Oct. 6. Fenty signed an executive order Friday that will keep Hartsock in place for 180 days while he looks for a replacement. Nickles upheld the mayor's order, although some council members said it was illegal.
The council is asking Gandhi to withhold Hartsock's salary. Thomas said he will probably ask Gandhi to also withhold money from the Housing Authority to pay the awarded contracts.
In his first public appearance with Hartsock since he signed the executive order, Fenty took questions from reporters Monday after an announcement about a city program to open recreation centers to public school students who will be out of school Thursday and Friday.
"It's going to be tough to find someone who has her energy, her skill set and her ability to get things done," Fenty said in an interview, hours before Nickles issued his second opinion on the contracts.
The mayor declined to discuss the "ins and outs" of the contracts. When asked about the tension with his colleagues in the legislative branch, Fenty, a former Ward 4 council member said, "This is the best council we've ever had."
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website.
Rosedale Community Center & Library Project in Jeopardy?
Below is a Washington Post article about possible illegally awarded DPR contracts which include the Rosedale Community Center & Library. Note, to the best of RCA's knowledge, the center and library project budget is $15 million ($12 million for the center and $3 million of the library building shell) not $16 million as stated in the article.
Housing Authority contracts 'illegal'
PROJECTS MUST BE RESUBMITTED 'This was not something that agencies can just do'
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The D.C. Housing Authority broke the law when it failed to seek the approval of the D.C. Council before awarding $82 million in contracts for parks and recreation projects, Attorney General Peter Nickles said Friday. The housing agency must submit the contracts to the council, amid complaints that most of the work went to firms with ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.
By law, contracts exceeding $1 million must be approved by the council. But Fenty (D) and his aides skipped that procedure when they used the Housing Authority as a development vehicle to renovate or build a dozen parks, recreation centers and ball fields. Several of the contracts, which were awarded in September, were well into eight figures, the highest at $16 million for the renovation of Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast.
"I have made my position clear," Nickles said in an interview Friday. "The mayor agrees with me."
Nickles's opinion came late Friday in a letter to the interim executive director and the general counsel of the Housing Authority, after hours of political fallout for Fenty. Facing reelection next year, the mayor has been frequently criticized for doling out jobs and contracts to friends, fraternity brothers and other associates.
Several projects are underway, and one -- the $1.3 million Emery Ball Field in Northwest -- has been completed. Submitting the contracts to the council could prove problematic if the council rejects them.
"This was illegal. . . . This was not something that agencies can just do," said council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation.
Thomas said questions remain about possible favoritism and how and why the administration funneled millions of dollars through the Housing Authority.
Thomas and three other council members are holding a public roundtable on the matter Oct. 30. They have requested that members of the Fenty administration and Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi appear.
According to a list compiled by the council, Banneker Ventures, a firm owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother and a campaign contributor, was named project manager on all 12 projects. Banneker is partnered with Herndon-based Regan Associates, which has campaigned heavily for the mayor's reelection bid. Two of the projects name the general contractor as RBK Landscaping and Construction, run by longtime friend Keith Lomax, who drew attention earlier this year by driving the mayor's city-issued SUV, in violation of city code.
Nickles dismissed some council members' concerns that the contracts went to Fenty's friends. "I have no reason to believe there was a problem with them. They were all competitively bid," he said. "The fact that the mayor has friends, has fraternity brothers and goes to a ball game [with them], that doesn't exclude someone from competing for a contract."
But Nickles's opinion on the legality of the process differed greatly from that of Fenty in an interview earlier Friday.
Fenty, a triathlete who has made improving parks and recreation a priority, shrugged off criticism, saying he was not involved in the selection of the contractors and that the contract process of going through the Housing Authority was not new. "The practice predates my administration," he said.
Fenty and Adrianne Todman, interim executive director of the Housing Authority, both appeared Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the renovated Fairlawn Marshall apartments in Southeast. They took questions from the media after the event.
Todman said the Housing Authority is governed by separate procurement rules.
Nickles said that is not the case. He pointed to a 1996 opinion on a similar issue that concluded that even a quasi-government agency, such as the Housing Authority, must get council approval for contracts above $1 million.
Todman said the authority's Board of Commissioners approves contracts exceeding $250,000. She said she thought Banneker Ventures was selected through a competitively bid "singular contract" to become the construction manager on all of the projects.
Dena Michaelson, the authority's spokeswoman, later said that Banneker competed against 12 companies in March. Several other firms, including RBK, were selected as general contractors and to do other jobs in the 12 projects. Michaelson said she did not know whether the commissioners voted or whether there was an internal selection for the smaller jobs.
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website. Bold text was added to identify the Rosedale Community Center & Library within the article.
Housing Authority contracts 'illegal'
PROJECTS MUST BE RESUBMITTED 'This was not something that agencies can just do'
By Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The D.C. Housing Authority broke the law when it failed to seek the approval of the D.C. Council before awarding $82 million in contracts for parks and recreation projects, Attorney General Peter Nickles said Friday. The housing agency must submit the contracts to the council, amid complaints that most of the work went to firms with ties to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.
By law, contracts exceeding $1 million must be approved by the council. But Fenty (D) and his aides skipped that procedure when they used the Housing Authority as a development vehicle to renovate or build a dozen parks, recreation centers and ball fields. Several of the contracts, which were awarded in September, were well into eight figures, the highest at $16 million for the renovation of Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast.
"I have made my position clear," Nickles said in an interview Friday. "The mayor agrees with me."
Nickles's opinion came late Friday in a letter to the interim executive director and the general counsel of the Housing Authority, after hours of political fallout for Fenty. Facing reelection next year, the mayor has been frequently criticized for doling out jobs and contracts to friends, fraternity brothers and other associates.
Several projects are underway, and one -- the $1.3 million Emery Ball Field in Northwest -- has been completed. Submitting the contracts to the council could prove problematic if the council rejects them.
"This was illegal. . . . This was not something that agencies can just do," said council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), chairman of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation.
Thomas said questions remain about possible favoritism and how and why the administration funneled millions of dollars through the Housing Authority.
Thomas and three other council members are holding a public roundtable on the matter Oct. 30. They have requested that members of the Fenty administration and Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi appear.
According to a list compiled by the council, Banneker Ventures, a firm owned by Omar Karim, Fenty's fraternity brother and a campaign contributor, was named project manager on all 12 projects. Banneker is partnered with Herndon-based Regan Associates, which has campaigned heavily for the mayor's reelection bid. Two of the projects name the general contractor as RBK Landscaping and Construction, run by longtime friend Keith Lomax, who drew attention earlier this year by driving the mayor's city-issued SUV, in violation of city code.
Nickles dismissed some council members' concerns that the contracts went to Fenty's friends. "I have no reason to believe there was a problem with them. They were all competitively bid," he said. "The fact that the mayor has friends, has fraternity brothers and goes to a ball game [with them], that doesn't exclude someone from competing for a contract."
But Nickles's opinion on the legality of the process differed greatly from that of Fenty in an interview earlier Friday.
Fenty, a triathlete who has made improving parks and recreation a priority, shrugged off criticism, saying he was not involved in the selection of the contractors and that the contract process of going through the Housing Authority was not new. "The practice predates my administration," he said.
Fenty and Adrianne Todman, interim executive director of the Housing Authority, both appeared Friday at a ribbon-cutting for the renovated Fairlawn Marshall apartments in Southeast. They took questions from the media after the event.
Todman said the Housing Authority is governed by separate procurement rules.
Nickles said that is not the case. He pointed to a 1996 opinion on a similar issue that concluded that even a quasi-government agency, such as the Housing Authority, must get council approval for contracts above $1 million.
Todman said the authority's Board of Commissioners approves contracts exceeding $250,000. She said she thought Banneker Ventures was selected through a competitively bid "singular contract" to become the construction manager on all of the projects.
Dena Michaelson, the authority's spokeswoman, later said that Banneker competed against 12 companies in March. Several other firms, including RBK, were selected as general contractors and to do other jobs in the 12 projects. Michaelson said she did not know whether the commissioners voted or whether there was an internal selection for the smaller jobs.
Disclosure: the above article was extracted in its entirety fro the Washington Post website. Bold text was added to identify the Rosedale Community Center & Library within the article.
10.22.2009
Langston has a New Logo
Langston Bar & Grille has a new logo.
And, don't forget to check out the recently reconstructed 2nd floor lounge area and the new outdoor deck!
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