Jazzy Wright's June 2013 Bloomingdale Bites column

Have you perhaps picked up the June 2013 issue of MidCityDC?  If so, have you read Jazzy Wright's Bloomingdale Bites column?

She has kindly supplied her June 2013 Bloomingdale Bites column below.

You can also see the formatted version of her column at the Capital Community News website.

                 

June 2013 - Bloomingdale Bites – MidCity DC

by Jazzy Wright

Area Gains New Meat Shop

A new sausage shop and deli is set to come to Bloomingdale in the near future. The owners of transient pop-up food store 13th Street Meats will bring their homemade sausages to the neighborhood when they open Meat & Foods, a retail store and diner-style counter that will serve half-smokes, chilli, sausage sandwiches, beer and coffee.

The store will operate out of the long-vacated retail space at 247 Florida Ave NW. According to a permit for the store, Meat & Foods will be a relatively small shop--it will include  seating capacity for 12 patrons indoors and a small four-seat sidewalk café. The store is still in the development stages and will not open for some time to come, though foodies can taste the sausage links at Toki Underground, Breadsoda and DC Brau Brewing.

Neighborhood Prepares for Summer Storms

To prevent the flooding disasters that damaged the homes of Bloomingdale residents last summer, neighbors are readying themselves for a similar surge of rain storms expected to come in the next few months.

The D.C. Department of Transportation and DC Water has already began work on building a temporary five-foot-wide storm sewer line to remove stormwater from the roadway before slowly releasing the water into the sewer system. The temporary project, which will last three years, is located on the 100 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. The temporary solution has already created problems for residents who live near the construction area--the city has had to shut down the Flagler and Adams Streets for parking. Residents are also dealing with the noise of the construction work.

“Last summer we had more intense rainstorms with flooding than in the previous 10 years combined,” said DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins in a release. “We began investigating right away and joined the city task force to investigate creative solutions. This year we want to be sure everyone is aware of both what we are doing and what property owners can do to minimize flooding during heavy rains.

In addition to the implementing the sewer line, the city is also taking several steps to the reduce the stormwater impact based off recommendations from the Mayor`s Task Force on the Prevention of Flooding in Bloomingdale. The city has installed catch basins on the 500 to 600 blocks of Florida Avenue NW and the unit block of T Street NW to divert water from area roadways. In the future, the city will install new sewer lines, double catch basins, permeable pavement and a rain garden in the neighborhood.

Before the new Clean Rivers Project water storage tunnels debut in 2022--the completion date has been accelerated by three years--the city has announced plans to transform two sand-filtration cells at the  McMillan Reservoir to capture 6 million gallons of stormwater. According to a city release, sand is being removed now and the cells will be converted to storage tanks to hold the stormwater during intense rains.

Until the stormwater solutions take effect, residents are encouraged to install backwater valves int heir homes contact their home insurance companies to inquiry about sewer back-up riders that cover damage caused by sewage backing up pipes into homes. Additionally, residents have the option to request rain barrels from the D.C. Department of the Environment.

Residents Come Out for Yard Sale

Despite the rain downpour, Bloomingdale residents came out for the 10th Annual Crispus Attucks Park Community Day and Yard Sale on Saturday, May 18, 2013. The event, which is hosted every year by the Crispus Attucks Development Corporation, is the largest fundraiser for Crispus Attucks Park. The park group uses raised proceeds from the event to pay for the park's yearly $10,000 maintenance costs.

The alley park event included the "Taste of Bloomingdale," which gave attendees the opportunity to sample dishes from newly opened restaurant The Red Hen. Attendees got an early opportunity to test food offerings from Costa Brava, the still-under-construction Balkan-style tapas restaurant.

                                   

In addition to the food tasting, the community day include dozens of vendors, musical performances, and play activities for children. In the future, the park nonprofit plans to host other events throughout the year, including a possible outdoor movie night, as well as a holiday tree lighting event in the winter.