Events/Meetings in Ward 8 this Week (10.31.11)

ART of WAR Concept: Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.
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ANC 8A Meeting
Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Time: 7pm
Where: Anacostia UPO Center - 1649 Good Hope Rd., SE

United Medical Center Community Board Meeting
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2011
Time: 6pm
Where: THEARC - 1901 Mississippi Avenue, S.E.

Ward 8 Health Council Meeting
Topic: Medicare
Date: Friday, November 4, 2011
Time:10:30 am
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.3rd Floor Conference Room

MLK Parade Planning Meeting
Date: Saturday November 5, 2011
Time: 2pm
Where: Anacostia Library

Elvans Road Keep the Peace Day
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 1pm
Where: 2441 Elvans Road, S.E.

Ward 8 Contractors Business Council
Special Guest:  Councilmember Vincent Orange
Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Time: 6pm
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.

Great Article -- Past and Future of the District

ART of WAR Concept: The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
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Just in case you missed it, check out today's article in the Washington Post that gives you some insight on the past and provides opinions on the future of the District. It makes me wonder about whats in store for the neighborhoods East of the River -- the last frontier. Click here to continue reading...

This is one of my favorite quotes: “We can live for a while on the laurels of the past,” Golden said, “but the District, in the future, is not going to be able to run on autopilot. Right now, we’re getting to be embarrassing again.”

Economic Revival in Anacostia Begins With...

ART OF WAR Concept:  Preserving the state capital is best, destroying their state capital is second-best. He must fight under Heaven with the paramount aim of preservation.
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One of my favorite blast from the past....

Long-term, sustainable economic development in downtown Anacostia begins with the appreciation of …HISTORIC PRESERVATION. Typically, when you hear people talk about what it will take to see economic prosperity in Anacostia they mention new stores, offi ce space, new homes, new residents and jobs for longtime residents. Yes, these are all things that will be the result of economic development in Anacostia, but in order to take dramatic steps forward, we must fi rst start with the appreciation of what we already have in the form historic preservation. CLICK HERE to continue reading...

Public Hearing for the St. Elizabeths East Master Plan

This is the final reminder for the upcoming public hearing for the DC Office of Planning to present and seek public input on the revised alternatives for the St. Elizabeths East Campus Master Plan.

Public Hearing for the St. Elizabeths East Master Plan Alternatives
Thursday, October 27, 2011
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Malcolm X Elementary School
1351 Alabama Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20032

PARTICIPATE!      LEARN!      SHARE!

How the hearing will work…

This public hearing is structured differently than the earlier workshops.
 • The project team will present an overview of the alternatives and how the alternatives reflect public feedback.
 • The next portion of the meeting will focus on more detailed presentations of the alternatives to smaller groups, and will provide an opportunity for meeting participants to indicate their preferences for the alternatives.
 • The meeting will conclude with an opportunity for meeting participants who choose to make a brief statement about the alternatives into the formal record. These statements will be recorded and later transcribed.

A final hearing on the Transportation Environmental Assessment will take place later this fall.

Get on the record…

***IMPORTANT ***

If you want to make a formal statement you must provide notice that you intend to do so by signing up prior to the hearing. No later than 5:00 p.m. on October 26, 2011 - THAT IS TODAY!, please contact Evelyn Kasongo by email or phone to add your name to the list. Make sure to provide your first and last names and street address. Comments are limited to 3 minutes.

Can’t make the meeting or have more to say…The hearing is not, however, the only opportunity you have to provide feedback on the alternatives. Following the meeting, there will be a written comment period from October 28 through November 28, 2011. Attached to this email is list of “Where to Go” after the hearing to review the alternatives and complete a comment form. You may also visit the project website to review the alternatives and submit any comments.

If you want to know more, visit the project website:  http://www.stelizabethseast.com/ or contact:

Evelyn D. Kasongo
Ward 8 Neighborhood Planning Coordinator
1100 4th Street  SW, Suite E650
Washington, DC 20024
(202) 442-7613
Evelyn.Kasongo@dc.gov

r.e.e.l. Annual Meeting Coming Soon!

Join us in Anacostia on November 10, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Auditorium for the members-only Annual Membership Meeting. We will highlight our progress, share our experiences, and engage each other on pressing issues. Not yet a member? You Can Join Here...

» Click Here to Register for the Annual Membership Meeting Now

Events/Meetings in Ward 8 This Week (10.24.11)

ART of WAR Concept: Advance Knowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men.
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Anacostia Coordinating Council Meeting

Date: Tuesday October 24, 2011

Time: 12pm -2pm

Where: Anacostia Community Museum

St. Elizabeth East Campus Public Meeting

Date: Thursday October 27, 2011

Time: 7-9pm

Where: Malcolm X Elementary School

Ward 8 Community Conversation on Crime & Criminal Justice

Special Guest: Judge Robert Rigsby

Date: Thursday October 27, 2011

Time: 6:30-8:30pm

Where: St. Elizabeth Hospital Auditorium – 1100 Alabama Ave., SE

ANC 8D Meeting

Date: Thursday October 27, 2011

Time: 7pm

Where: Hadley Memorial Hospital – 4601 MLK Ave., SE

Ward 8 Farmers Market

Date: Saturday October 29, 2011

Time: 9am – 2pm

Where: TheARC – 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE

Redistricting is a Contact Sport

ART OF WAR Concept: EARTH comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.
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"Redistricting is a contact sport." That’s what they said when I signed up to participate in this process and that is exactly what I got. To quickly recap, every ten years the U.S. Census conducts a count of all residents in the country. The count in DC concluded that the Districts population has grown, but that Ward 8’s population decreased in size. The City Council members bargained on how to redistrict the Wards.  Ward 8 added some parts of Ward 7 that included the area near the Anacostia Library and the Marbury Plaza.

After new Ward boundaries were established, it was time for Ward residents to get involved and redraw the Single Member District (SMD) boundaries as part of the Ward Redistricting Taskforce. This was a very important step in the process because each SMD is represented by an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) and these boundaries will stay the same for the next 10 years. In order to do well in this process, it was important that Taskforce Members knew their neighborhoods well, due in part, because certain neighborhoods have boundaries such as Bellvue, Congress Heights and Historic Anacostia. As you can imagine there were some enthusiastic and spirited conversations on keeping neighborhoods together, and of course, there was some jockeying by some residents to ensure that they could position themselves to be the leading voice for future development.

In order to establish a SMD, Redistricting Task Force Members had to get close and personal with each other and count each resident within a census track. A census track is essentially the number of people that live on a block within a neighborhood. The goal was to have each SMD have between 1900 and 2100 residents. As you can imagine this process was time consuming. Here are some photos below so you can get a sense of what you missed.



Incredibly detailed work



Sandra Seegars, Wanda Lockridge and
Pho Palmer counting away



Mary Cuthbert and Markus Batchelor





Yup, definitely a contact sport



Ward 8 Taskforce Chair Anthony Motley
 taking some heat from Mrs. Gray.
Got to have some thick skin to do
 this kind of work.

50 + 211 + 34 = whew this is a lot of work



Events This Week in Ward 8

ART OF WAR Concept: Advance Knowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men.
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NAACP Healthy Eating Workshop
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Time: 6pm
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.

ANC 8B Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Time: 7pm
Where: MPD 7th District Bldg - Alabama Ave., SE

ANC 8E Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Time: 7pm
Where: SE Tennis & Learning Center - 701 Mississippi Ave., SE


Ward 8 Contractors Business Council
Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Time: 6pm
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.

Homebuyers Assistance Programs
Date: Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time: 6pm
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.

 r.e.e.l. Cupid Shuffle - Speed Dating Event
Date: Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time: 7pm
Where: Honfleur Art Gallery -1241  Good Hope Rd., SE
Rsvp by emailing: Cupid@reeldc.org

Ward 8 Health Council
Date: Friday, October 21, 2011
Time: 10:30am
Where: 2100 MLK Jr. Avenue, S.E.

GSA Community Meeting w/ ANCs & Civic Associations
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011
Time: 10am - 12pm
Where: 2701 MLK Ave., SE
RSVP w/ Brenda Richardson at brendarichardson7@yahoo.com

Ward 8 Democrats Meeting
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011
Time: 12-2pm
Where: Old Congress Heights School

Hello Ward 8 & Beyond

Hello World,

How many times have you said you would never do something, and  later actually end up doing it? Well, you can put me in that column. I’m about to embark on something I said I would never do…become a blogger.

I always thought bloggers were lazy community activist. After all, how can you improve your community by typing blog post? Well I was wrong. There are different ways to join in on the community building process. I have learned that by reading And Now, Anacostia and Congress Heights on the Rise.   These blogs have had an impact in improving the quality of life in Ward 8. So please help me welcome – THE ART OF WARd 8. I need you to bear with me as I find my voice in this blog. THE ART OF WARd 8 is my way of applying the strategic principles in the book the Art of War to everyday life, particularly in Ward 8.