The wreckage of the O Street Market will soon be just a memory on the 7th Street corridor with the groundbreaking for CityMarket at O now set for September 1.

Watha T Daniel Library will have a ribbon cutting on Monday.

The books are already on the shelves. (At the center, there's a book on Norman Rockwell who's marvelous exhibit — taken from the Grorge Lucas and Steven Spielberg collections — is coincidently currently on display at the Portrait Gallery down Seventh Street in GalleryPlace/Chinatown).

Grand Opening of the Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Library
10:45 am, Monday, Aug. 2

Join friends and neighbors for the ribbon cutting and the grand opening of the new Watha T. Daniel/Shaw library located at 1630 7th Street NW, across from the Shaw Metro station.

The new three-story library is approximately 22,000 square feet and will feature separate reading areas for adults, teens and children; a children’s program room; space for 80,000 books, DVDs, CDs and other library materials; 32 public access computers with free Wi-Fi Internet access; comfortable seating for 200 customers; large program room for up to 100 people; two 12-person conference rooms; and a vending area.

First cranes in the ground in central Shaw behind Gibson Plaza at 1301 Seventh Street NW.

Gibson residents will be happy to get rid of the temporary window a/c units once the next phases of the complete renovation of the building get started.

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, Mayor Adrian Fenty, US HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Eleanor Holmes Norton were on hand for the grand celebration which included a great performance by the First Rising Mount Zion Church choir.

Ms. Adrianne Todman, Interim Executive Director, District of Columbia Housing Authority, and CM Evans gave remarks. CM Marion Barry (center) thought the event worthy of leaving Ward 8 for a few minutes to be a part of the momentous occasion under the big tent.

2:30pm update:
And this just in from DPR on upgrades for the NJ Avenue & O Street Park (THAT STILL NEEDS A PROPER NAME...):

The new light fixtures are scheduled to be shipped by mid-August, and the contractor anticipates completing all lighting work by the end of August.
 
On a related matter, DPR is pursuing installing center armrests on all of the newly refinished benches, to limit folks napping on them.  Lead time on materials is 4 weeks, and we hope to have that work done by the end of August, as well.

Take the Shaw listserv's poll on this years top Mayoral and DC Council Chair candidates.

If you were voting for Mayor and D.C. Council Chair today, who would you vote for? (Poll closes July 31)

Thursday, July 29, 2010
8am breakfast | 8:30-10:30am Mayoral candidates debate
Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church
900 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Invited candidates: Adrian M Fenty, Vincent C Gray, Leo Alexander.
This debate is sponsored by the DC Senior Advisory Coalition and AARP DC.

See our agenda for details on our July 27 meeting which will include updates on CityMarket at O, Toque Cafe, Beau Thai Restaurant, Bread for the City's expansion and Gibson Plaza's renovation/groundbreaking.

6-8pm, Thursday, July 22
Bread for the City
1525 Seventh Street NW

The folks at Bread for the City will be lightin' up the grill in the parking lot of our Northwest Center, serving up some delicious food, spending time with the BFC community, and hearing of all the new and exciting changes in store for 2011. The developers and architects of our 11,000 square-foot expansion will be in attendance and will be giving an update on the project. (You can read more about our expansion in our recent Beyond Bread post here.)

RSVP now here

Mayoral Candidates Forum and Straw Poll

Wednesday, July 21 (tonight)
Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW
Registration begins at 7pm, presentations begin at 7:30pm, voting will close by 9:15pm

The Ward 2 Democrats and the Logan Circle Community Association (LCCA) are hosting a mayoral straw poll tonight. All of the candidates who filed to run have been invited, including current Mayor Adrian Fenty and current Council Chair Vincent Gray.

Everyone is invited to attend, but only registered Democrats will be able to participate in the straw poll. All guests will have the opportunity to talk to any candidates who are present.

Each candidate will be asked to speak on several topics. Following the presentation, registered Democrats will have the opportunity to vote. For more information, please contact Ward 2 Democrats President Pat Allen at 202-296-0720 or LCCA President Bob Maffin at 202-301-2125.

Roundtable with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Commissioner Padro

6:30pm, Thursday July 22 (tomorrow)
Chatman’s D’Vine Bakery & Cafe
1239 9th Street NW

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton & Ward 2 ANC01 Commissioner Alexander Padro join together to host a roundtable discussion in Shaw. Come learn about the next steps in securing DC Voting Rights and discuss federal issues you are facing here in the District

For more information, please contact Delegate Norton's District office at (202) 783-5065 or Alexander M. Padro, Commissioner, ANC 2C01 (202) 518-3794, Padroanc2c@aol.com

Thursday, July 15 Press Conference
Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th Street NW

As reported by WTOP NEWS the other day, MPD and DEA agents made several arrests in Shaw, and elsewhere in the District, related to drugs and guns linked to repeat violent offenders as part of a summer crime initiative.

Chief Cathy Lanier, Mayor Adrian M Fenty and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans were on hand for a presser at the Kennedy Recreation Center after arrests were made for more than nine people at Seventh & O Streets NW. The local DEA Director was also on hand to give remarks on the successful city wide operation.

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans discusses violence and police enforcement in the Shaw community.

Mayor Adrian Fenty discovers MPD success rate reducing violent crime and closing violent crime cases.

MPD Chief Cathy Lanier describes "Operation Sixth Sense" which focuses on arresting violent and repeat offenders this summer.

Ava Cooper-Davis, DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division.

"We worked very closely with the USAO on these cases so we look forward to stiff penalties."
— Commander Jacob Kishter
Third District Metropolitan Police Department

If a picture is worth a thousand words, here are 2000 words to describe the constant nuisance caused by the vacant lot at Bundy park on the 400 block of P Street NW. Flooding, erosion, damage to existing structures. During a light rain, the sidewalk is nearly impossible to tread upon. This is a terrible blight on the local community along the heavily trafficked P Street with the popular G2 (Georgetown/Howard Metro bus line) and right across the street from the former Scott Montgoemery ES/now KIPP charter schools. Councilmember Jack Evans lives on P Street on the other end of town in Georgetown. It's hard to imagine that the city would tolerate the problem on that end of Ward 2 for very long.

11:30am, Wednesday, July 14
John A Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
(Enter on D Street NW lobby)

Councilmembers David Catania, Michael Brown and Harry Thomas will be hosing a mental health information forum in the atrium of the Wilson Building. For more information, contact:

Linda Wharton-Boyd, Ph.D
Chief of Staff/Chief Communications Officer
DC Councilmember At-Large Michael A. Brown
(202) 724.8105 | lwhartonboyd@dccouncil.us