3/15/01:  

Starbucks is in negotiations with Barcelo to lease the
former Backstage space at 21st and P. The SoHo Tea +
Coffee owner has pitched her own proposal for an
independent use for that spot but has been rebuffed;
she is circulating a petition, if interested. 
(Beginning April 1st SoHo will be displaying art from
the owner of San Francisco's former "Hello, Gorgeous!"
Barbra Streisand museum.)

The old shoe repair shop at 2157 P St has been bought.
Rumored buyers are former owners of the Vesuvius
hangout, whose heat lamps once graced the corner of
Conn Ave and Q (now WrapWorks). They plan on building
a Greek Deli there.

ANC 2B hopes to see P St beautification program, to
include brick sidewalks.

On the other end of P St:  P.N. Hoffman, which paid
$6.2 million for the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind
headquarters across from Fresh Fields, will begin 
demolition within two months, leading to construction 
of 46-unit condominium complex on Church St and 100 
apartments on P St. See 
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/05/newscolumn6.html

Hamburger Mary's opens this Friday, Mar 16 (14th St).
 
Caribou Coffee is confirmed to have new shop replacing
7-11 at 14th & RI Ave. 7-11 will relocate to dry 
cleaner's spot, which will also move a few doors down.

Logan Circle Community Association has a spiffy new
design for their Web site: http://www.logancircle.org

WP profiled apartments at SE corner of 15th & RI Ave.
See "Miramar Holds Its Own Among Upscale Neighbors,"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47078-2001Mar9.html

HRC will build new HQ at RI Ave and Bataan St. See
"Human Rights Campaign to build HQ at Scott Circle,"
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/newscolumn7.html
 
DCJCC is hoping to introduce outdoor films as part of
their Screening Room series, to be held in the parking
lot on Q St.  Debut might be some Saturday night this
July. See http://www.dcjcc.org/screeningroom.htm
 
Peppers is looking to expand to another floor.

Jurys Hotel was cited for installing its stadium lamps
without a permit and has (temporarily) removed the
lights aimed at the circle. Hotel's aim was never to
enhance the beauty of the park, but rather to make its
guests feel safer crossing the circle to get to CVS.
 
NPS will begin Dupont park renovations March 19.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening in the old Circle
space on April 2. Fundraiser parties will be held 
prior weekend, one of which will take off on theme
of Junkanoo bar which once stood there.  See below.

Second story will be home to Chi Cha's new lounge. 
Next Chipotle at 19th & M will open early May.  

The Golden Triangle BID plans to place 200 bollards
for cyclists to lock their bikes to.

Dupont may finally get bike lanes this year. In
response to a query from the newsletter for the 
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Bill Rice said 
they plan on painting lanes on R and Q Sts between
Rock Creek and North Cap. This is a great way to make
the Rock Creek trail accessible to the rest of the 
city. Q and R both are 32-feet wide, with one lane 
of traffic and two for parking. By providing 8½' for
each parking lane and 11' for traffic, we can have
4' for ensuring cyclists can safely share the road. 
We still need to convince DPW of the importance of 
converting the 4th traffic lane on too-crowded 15th St
to a bike lane, and stripe a lane on 17th to provide a
south-bound companion (17th St is wide enough to keep 
its two traffic lanes and two parking lanes). See 
WABA's proposal for Greater Dupont at 
http://www.waba.org/wabadocs/dupont.htm.  

City also confirms plans to build crucial section of
Metropolitan Branch Trail in the District, starting
around Union Station: 1st St NE (between G + K), and 
2nd St NE (between F + L).

The District's bicycle coordinator, Jim Sebastian, has
accepted the position and will begin work on April 9.

Shuttle service between Georgetown and the Rosslyn,
Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle Metro stations will
start this summer, running every 10 minutes, with a
fare between 50¢ and $1. See bottom of
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/newscolumn1.html

City is preparing to crack the whip on dilly-dallying
winner of Columbia Heights parcel (incl. Tivoli). See
"D.C. to Grid, Horning: Get moving,"
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/story4.html

The old Killemanjaro space at 1724 California St has
finally been sold. See note from Jim Graham below.

Cities is building condos above the 18th St
restaurant. Across the street, construction continues
for P.N. Hoffman's Lofts. See
http://www.pnhoffman.com/adams_morgan.htm

Proposed Adams Morgan halfway house at 2019 19th St
has been denied permission to operate near Adams
Elementary School. See "Neighborhood Residents Oppose
Half-Way House,"
http://www.intowner.com/fr/issue/stories/story2.htm 
See also http://www.adamsmorgan.net/halfwayhouse/

New "USA Clay" exhibit at the Renwick features pieces
made by Jill Hinckley, who runs the Adams Morgan
pottery studio at 17th & Kalorama (I've been studying
there since the past summer). See "Fired Up at the 
Renwick,"
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35063-2001Mar7.html

Frank Graves wrote a counterpoint to WP, advocating
spelling Adams-Morgan with a hyphen. See
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49997-2001Mar10.html
(The ambiguity is nerve-wracking!)  See too
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AdamsMorgan/message/876

WP reports on garden at National Cathedral. See "A
Path Runs Through It,"
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35062-2001Mar7.html
See design at
http://www.andropogon.com/newsite/active/wash.html

The Newark St Giant expects to start renovation next
November, and finalize the contentious design this
summer. They are trying to avoid a blank wall along
Wisc Ave; an outdoor cafe is one option. See Web site
of group which fought against original (and popular)
proposal, http://www.giantgiant.org/

Big Ken is getting it on both ends. WP reports KenCen
chair wants to improve eastern entrance by building
over Whitehurst Freeway, with two new buildings 
flanking a grand courtyard. One building might host 
performing arts museum. Meanwhile, the Department of 
Transportation completed a study which supports old 
idea to build a river gateway on Ken's west. See 
"Report Recommends Kennedy Center Plaza,"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38363-2001Mar7.html
and "Kennedy Center Chief Spells Out His Dreams,"
below.

WP checks status of City Museum planned for Mt. Vernon
Sq. See "A Museum the District Can Call Its Own," 
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11689-2001Mar1.html

MCI Center will improve street-level retail presence.
See "MCI Center Tries Again To Draw at All Hours,"
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A485-2001Mar13.html

City is taking bids on selling the Mather Building
(across from MLK Library) for residential use.

WP reports on NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command)
moving from Crystal City to the Navy Yard. See
"Arrival of Sea Systems Command Gives Aging Navy Yard
a New Burst of Life," 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35936-2001Mar7.html
See also
http://www.navsea.navy.mil/wire/wire0105.html#MAR02-01

Home Depot is joining K-Mart and Giant at future
Brentwood shopping complex (off NY Ave, where D.C.
impound lot now sits); construction starting this 
spring and completion in 8-11 months. HD is looking 
for a NW site as well, with the old Hechinger building
still under consideration. See "Home Depot Plans Its
D.C. Debut In Northeast," 
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11781-2001Mar1.html

WBJ, bless its heart, wrote about obscure but
fascinating strengthening of warehouse district along
V St NE, west of S. Dakota Ave. See "Businesses
trucking back to District warehouse area,"
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/focus5.html

Capital Children's Museum is looking for new home in
NW. See "Toying with a move,"
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/story1.html

WBJ covers Rosslyn's efforts to create a BID, and
mentions that Dupont Circle may get one (the Golden 
Triangle's northern tip ends south of the Circle). 
See "Rosslyn property owners push for BID," 
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/05/story2.html

White Flint to get new major development, similar to
Reston Town Center, above the Metro entrance. See 
"LCOR, Metro sign deal for White Flint," 
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/02/26/daily12.html

God bless the Casey Foundation for donating
$50,000,000 for tree planting and maintenance in DC. 
See "Towering Gift Has Tree Lovers Ecstatic in D.C.,"
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A71-2001Feb27.html

NB money is to be managed by the Garden Club of
America, not the city. See http://www.gcamerica.org/

In addition, DCCA will be planting 41 trees in Dupont.

I'm not too thrilled about the mayoral mansion
proposal. I don't think public servants should be
lavished like kings - it's bad enough that Barry had 
the police force act as his entourage.  

New Colonist, an online magazine about sustainability,
has a series of articles about DC. See
http://www.newcolonist.com/

Excess city properties dwindling. See "Unsolicted
bids becoming rarity as supply dwindles,"
http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/03/12/newscolumn4.html

DC schools slated for major physical restructuring. 
See "School Facilities Board Backs $2 Billion Plan To
Rebuild All D.C. Schools," 
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39233-2001Mar8.html

Thoughtful essay on walking in Fairfax County:  see
"Pedestrians Get Their Walking Papers,"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17199-2001Mar3.html

Metro's aesthetic falls one more notch with the
installation of ugly white speaker boxes on the pylons
in Metro Center.

Mayor gave State of the District speech 3/1/01. See
"Williams Declares D.C. 'Strongest It's Been in
Decades'," 
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10835-2001Mar1.html
See speech text below.

Spring is perched on the horizon. Peak cherry blossom
time expected between March 31 and April 5; The Cherry
Blossom Festival will be March 25 - April 8. See
http://www.nps.gov/nacc/cherry/  And the circuit world
arrives in DC for Cherry 6 on April 20. See 
http://www.cherryfund.com/ 

Other ways to enjoy great outdoors without leaving DC:
find events at Rock Creek Park
(http://www.nps.gov/rocr/schedule/) and
National Arboretum 
(http://www.ars-grin.gov/na/events.html)

See note from Garden Resources of Washington below.

Home-grown Gingko Gardens at 11th & I SE is offering
15% off everything during month of March.

Environmental Film Festival runs March 15 - 25. See
http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org  

Thursday, March 15: 3rd 3rsday open house art
galleries along 7th St, 6-8pm.

Saturday March 17 and Sunday March 18: Cherry Red is
holding auditions for Seven Deadly Dwarves.  See 
http://www.cherryredproductions.com/auditions.htm

Tuesday, March 20:  "Block by Block: Reclaiming
Neighborhoods by Design" at AIA (1735 NY Ave NW),
6:45pm - Free. (Environmental Film Fest)

Friday, March 23: Reel Affirmations monthly screening
of men's shorts compilation "Boys Life 3," at 7 and 
9pm at DCJCC.

Sunday, March 25: Visions is throwing an Oscar Costume
Ball ($15). See below.

Best regards
Michael

------------------------------------------------------
[Chipolte Fundraisers:]
[from Katherine Newell Smith ]
 
Saturday, March 31  5pm - 9pm
Come to a Junkanoo Party fundraiser
This site hasn't been as hot since Wilber Mills and 
Fanne Foxe, the Argentine Firecracker, celebrated at 
the old Junkanoo tiki bar in 1974 prior to her famous 
dip in the Tidal basin.   costume optional.
$10 per person
funds will be used to purchase plantings for The 
National Park Service's renovation of Dupont Circle
 
Sunday, April 1, 2001 5 pm - 9 pm
Ross Elementary School 
$5 children $10 adults
funds will be used for classroom computers and library books
(blues band or mariachi band)
 
------------------------------------------------------
****** VISIONS OSCAR PARTY ******* 

Come as you are, camp it up, dress in drag or spoof it
up! Complete with contests and giveaways, Visions
Cinema Bistro Lounge presents its first Annual Oscar 
Costume Ball, Sunday, March 25, 2001 from 5 pm to 
Midnight. 

Cost: $15.00 (includes light appetizers) and Cash bar

Watch our website for more information and complete
list of sponsors.
------------------------------------------------------
--- GrahamWOne@aol.com wrote:

Dear Friends: For some years now, the old Kilimanjaro
nightclub has been a vacant eyesore mired in tax
problems. Depending on whether you include interest
and penalties, the amount owing is somewhere between
$800,000 and $2.3 million. It is a choice piece of
property on California Street just east of 18th. I
have made various inquiries, and at one point last
year we did think the property would go to tax sale. 
But at the last minute, the owners once again filed
bankruptcy and thus delayed the sale.

At long last, there is some good news. I am informed
by the office of the Chief Financial Officer, that on
February 15, 2001, it was purchased at a foreclosure
sale by the mortgage holder (Alturas LLC). I am
advised that the outstanding tax issues "should be
resolved by mid-July."

Well, there is at least some movement. All along I
have advised those with a financial interest in this
property that the community must be engaged in the
type of development that occurs on this site.

I will keep you informed, and please stay in touch. 
Bests Jim Graham, 
Ward 
One Councilmember

------------------------------------------------------
[ABRIDGED]
From: Grow19@aol.com
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001 19:57 
Subject: News for Community & School Gardeners 

GARDEN RESOURCES OF WASHINGTON -- SPRING 2001 NEWS
1419 V Street NW, Washington DC 20009-5806, 
GROW19@aol.com, 202-234-0591/phone
... helping city residents build community and educate
youth through community and school gardens...

NEED FUNDING?
* Deadline April 6, 2001 -- The Urban Forest Council 
has funds for neighborhood greening projects. For 
more information and to obtain an application, contact
UFC at 202-216-0900, download it from 
http://www.ufcdc.org, or attend the UFC meeting 
Saturday, March 24th from 10:00am-1:00pm at Watha T. 
Daniels Public Library at 1701 8th St (at R St) at the
Howard University green line Metro station. 
 
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS
* Now through mid-June -- Seeking knowledgeable, 
flexible, creative organic gardeners and artists who 
enjoy gardening and creating with young children
-- 
Tuesday, Thursday, or Fridays, 1:30-4:00 pm -- to help
teacher and her class of 4-7 year olds create a garden
in Cardozo/Shaw neighborhood two blocks from the U 
Street Cardozo metro. Contact GROW19@aol.com or at 
202-234-0591 for more information.

NEED SEEDS?
* Spring crop seeds for community and school gardens 
available by appointment, including -- turnip, kale, 
spinach, collards, mustard, beets, cabbage, basil, 
radish, swiss chard, coriander, string beans, peas. 
Email GROW19@aol.com or call 202-234-0591 for an 
appointment. Located at 14th & V near the U 
St/Cardozo metro stop.

EXHIBITS, EVENTS
* Monday, March 12 -- 3 pm celebration and 6:30 pm 
lectures -- celebration of the restoration of Pilgrim 
Way, one section of the grounds of the Washington
National Cathedral, Massachusetts & Wisconsin Avenues.

* April 7 and 8 -- Easter Lily Sale at The Franciscan
Monastery Garden, at 1400 Quincy St NE. Saturday 
9-6:30, Sunday 8-4. Lilies are $8.50 on site or $7.50
by pre-orders in by 3/29. For more information, call 
202-554-0781.

* April 28-29 -- Plant & Herb Sale -- Franciscan 
Monastery, 1400 Quincy St NE, Saturday 9-6, Sunday 
8-4. For more information, call 202-554-0781.
  
GARDENS TO VISIT
(with your camera and a notebook; visit often, all 
year round!  these gardens offer a great learning 
opportunity if you visit them every month or so,
especially during the winter, to see what plants you 
like, learn when they bloom, see how they look in the 
Fall and Winter!)

* U.S. National Arboretum, 24th & R Streets NE, off 
Bladensburg Avenue. Call 202-245-4523 for hours and 
directions. Get on their mailing list to learn about
workshops and special events.

* Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd, 
Alexandria. Call 703-941-7987 for hours, directions,
etc. NOTE: Get on their mailing list. They have a
great series of workshops throughout the year.
 
* Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallen Avenue, Wheaton, 
MD 20902. See www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/brookside for 
more information, hours, directions, etc. (or consult
maryland directory for phone number)

* Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy Street NE, in 
Brookland, daily 9-5. Call 202-554-0781 for more 
information or to volunteer.

* The Old Stone House, 3051 M Street NW, in 
Georgetown. Call 426-6851 for hours, cost, 
reservations for groups, etc.

* Tudor Place, 1644 31st St NW, in Georgetown. Call
20-2965-0400 for information on hours, cost, 
reservations for groups, etc.
 
* Dumbarton Oaks, 1703 32nd St (at R St), in 
Georgetown. The Garden is open 2-5 pm daily. Call 
202-339-6400 for information on cost.

* Hillwood, 4155 Linnean Ave NW, in Chevy Chase DC. 
Open by appointment only. Call 202-686-8500 for 
information; 686-5807 for reservations.
 
------------------------------------------------------
Mayor Anthony A. Williams

State of the District Address at the Lincoln Theater
Building a City that Works for Everyone: Neighborhood
by Neighborhood

I’m honored to join all of you tonight at the Lincoln
Theater -- surrounded by the echoes of Duke Ellington
and Ella Fitzgerald and the young artists we just
heard who are following in their footsteps. Let’s give
them all another round of applause. 

I told my mother that, once I got up here, I might be
tempted to sing myself. She reminded me that I'd soon
be counting on many of you to pass my budget. Suffice
it to say, I won't be singing. 

But I do want to talk about voices - namely the voices
of residents who are rebuilding our city, neighborhood
by neighborhood. We hear the voices of our seniors who
are here. We hear the voices of our young people,
represented so well by the Youth Mayor, Crystal
Williams. 

We hear the voices of our community leaders -- and our
Neighborhood Service Coordinators and Planners who are
helping to solve the unique problems of every
neighborhood. I especially want to thank the folks who
are on stage with me tonight. It is their commitment,
and yours, which has made the state of the District
all it is today.

And we also hear the voices of our civic leaders --
including the person who is our collective voice in
Congress. No one fights harder than Eleanor Holmes
Norton for this city. It’s time to give her a vote. I
also want to thank Congresswoman Morella, who is a
great friend and neighbor to the District. Her
colleague, Congressman Joe Knollenberg, and his wife,
Sandie, are here -- and I want to thank the
Congressman for working to end the days of playing
politics with our budget. 

We are all indebted to Chairman Rivlin and the entire
Control Board. The only thing better than having them
here tonight is knowing they won’t have to be here for
the next State of the District. 

And to Chairman Cropp and all of the Council: Sure, we
may not always see eye-to-eye, but, time and again, I
have seen your leadership and extraordinary service to
your constituents and our city. And all of us thank
you. 

I’ve brought along with me tonight the best Cabinet a
Mayor could ask for: Can you folks stand? And, of
course, I am blessed every day by the best wife,
mother, and daughter a man could ask for: Diane,
Virginia and Asantewa. Thank you for loving me. Thank
you for supporting me. And yes, thank you, at times,
for tolerating me. 

Now, I can’t start this speech -- without thanking the
Ali family for feeding us for 40 years at Ben’s Chili
Bowl. You’ve seen it all -- the good times and the
tough times. And now, you are rebuilding Shaw -- just
as we’re doing with this historic theater, and our
entire city. 

Since I was a little boy, I've been fascinated by the
process of building. Even now, I like to stop at
construction sites to watch the transformation of a
simple blueprint into something beautiful that will
outlast us all. And, it always starts with the same
thing: people who look at what’s in front of them -
and imagine what could be. 

Remember how hard it was to imagine what could be when
the ‘pundit industry’ was calling us the murder
capital of the world, and our most effective snowplow
was the sun? But, even during those dark days, we
believed we could turn our nation's capital into our
nation's greatest city. A city where government works
for us all. Where every neighborhood is a place people
want to live. Where all children can go as far as
their dreams will take them. 

That is the city we saw in our mind's eye -- and we
developed a unique blueprint to build it. I say unique
because it wasn't drafted alone by some bow-tie
wearing, policy wonk. It was created by people of
every color and faith, men and women, children and
seniors, gay and straight, the fortunate and the
forgotten -- all of whom call Northeast and Southeast,
Northwest and Southwest by the same name: home.

One by one, you invited me into your homes and places
of worship. You spoke out at my citizen summit and
town hall meetings. You talked about crime and
education, potholes and phone manners. And your hopes
became our building plan -- the basis for our budget
and our goals. 

Now, there were people - even some on my staff - who
thought that I was crazy when I started talking about
publishing goals. "Everyone will know if we fail,"
they said. That's the point. People should know when
we fail. They should know when we succeed. And they
should be proud of all the progress we’ve made. 

When I became the CFO in 1995, I found a $484 million
deficit and years of people’s tax checks lying in
buckets on the floor. Now, we live in a city with a
$464 million surplus, more than $3 billion in private
investments, and 2,238 new private sector jobs. We
went from a city with a junk bond rating to a city
that is now making the grade on Wall Street. And, yes,
when we balanced the budget for the fourth consecutive
year, we earned our autonomy back two years ahead of
schedule. 

Remember when our School Board couldn't agree on who
its President was, let alone how to help our schools?
Well, we fought to have the power to elect and appoint
a great school board - and we got it. I'd like to ask
our new School Board, our President Peggy Cooper
Cafritz, our new Superintendent Paul Vance, and
Josephine Baker who is here on behalf of our charter
schools, all to stand. These are the people we are
counting on to make our schools work for all children.

Remember what it was like at the DMV, when we almost
needed a new hotel for all the people who were
spending days in line just to have their cars
inspected or registered? Now, you can get it done in a
half hour. And a lot of it, you can even do over the
Internet. 

Remember when you had to call all over the city to
find the right number -- and, if were lucky, you’d
even reach a human being. Now, you can call one number
-- 727-1000 -- to get the help you need.

And remember what it was like when our police
department couldn't even afford gas for its patrol
cars? Now we have a new fleet of police vehicles, and
more than 200 additional community police officers who
are getting to know residents and helping them solve
their problems.

We've met almost 70 percent of our Scorecard goals.
And how does it show? There are some 700 more blocks
of city streets repaved; 700 more young people with
year-round jobs and training; 1,200 more people who
can get drug treatment; 1,700 more high school seniors
who can now afford a college education anywhere in the
country because they’re paying in-state tuition; 2,400
homes that have been built or restored - more than
half of them East of the River; 3,500 more children
who have access to quality child care; 6,000 new
trees; 8,000 seniors who received a million meals; and
17,000 more adults and children with health insurance.

Our city is working better, lives are changing, and -
for the first time in a generation - people are moving
back into the District of Columbia. Ladies and
Gentlemen: the state of the District is the strongest
it's been in decades.

But, this is a foundation to build on -- not rest on.
I don’t intend to rest for the next two years -- and I
know you don’t either. Because we cannot rest when too
many residents have not yet felt the benefits of our
economic progress -- and too many neighborhoods have
not seen government work well enough for them. And we
cannot rest when so many children must still battle
the twin evils of poverty and racism, watching doors
shut that should be open to all. 

We must listen to the young people who spoke out at my
Youth Summit. What did they say? "Make the police part
of the community, not the enemy," one student told me.
"Reward and recognize good teachers," another said. We
must listen to Joseph Garnett, a 10 year-old boy who
wrote to me, and is up here with me tonight. He wrote:
"When I walk out the door I see people using drugs. I
am sick of young people getting hurt. I am sick of
everybody throwing their trash on my porch. Mr.
Williams, can you please clean up our neighborhood?"

I say we must listen to you, Joseph, because the city
we build today - is the city you will inherit
tomorrow. There isn't time for excuses. There isn't
time for those who would rather play politics than
solve problems. There isn't time for anything but
rolling up our sleeves, and getting the job done.

So, tonight, I want to focus on three critical ways we
must rebuild our city -- improving education for all
children, improving the well-being of our most
vulnerable residents, and improving the quality of
life in every neighborhood. 

Let's start with schools. I’ll never forget meeting
Duane Ross, the wonderful young principal at Hendley
Elementary School, who is on stage with me tonight. He
told me how he and some teachers and parents had come
in over the summer to scrub the film off the windows
and repaint the walls this bright yellow and green --
because they knew their kids would learn better in
cheerful, sunlit classrooms. 

Imagine if our principals, teachers and parents could
use all of that energy educating their kids - instead
of making up for the failings of our school system.
It's time for us to stop dreaming - and start working
to repair and rebuild our crumbling schools. 

Yesterday, I toured Kelly Miller Junior High in Ward
7. I saw broken windows and sunken floors in the
classrooms where children ought to be learning
algebra. I saw debris and pigeon waste in the gym
where children ought to be playing ball. When Kelly
Miller closed down in 1996, the young people of
Lincoln Heights were promised a brand new,
state-of-the art school in a few years. Some five
years have passed. Millions of dollars have gone
unspent. And that abandoned building is still wasting
away - like the promise made to those children. 

Kelly Miller was a mathematician - but what's
happening to his school - and too many like it --
doesn't add up. And here’s the amazing thing. It’s no
longer a question of resources. Between the Counsel
and my Administration, we’ve dedicated $777 million
for school renovation and modernization -- $169
million in this year alone. It's no longer a question
of accountability -- we have new committed leadership.

It is now a question of will. And so tonight, I
challenge the School Board and Superintendent, I
challenge the Council and I challenge myself, to make
sure that this time we keep our promise to the
children of Kelly Miller. Just as we must keep our
promise to the young people who should attend McKinley
Technology High School in 2003. And just as we must
keep our promise to the children of the 80 schools we
said we'd fix in the next 9 years -- even if that
means changing our approach to managing school
construction. Tonight, let’s keep our promises to all
the children of the District.

If we are going to keep our promises, we must continue
to support UDC. I want to thank Dr. Julius Nimmons,
who is here tonight, for all he did to increase
enrollment and lead us through some rough times. And I
know the new board of directors will ensure that UDC’s
best years are still to come.

But, if are going to keep our promises, we must also
fix what goes on inside the classroom for every child,
every year -- starting this year with our
lowest-performing schools. I want to be clear: This is
not about doing less for our best schools. It's about
doing more for the children whose skills aren't being
developed, and whose dreams are being deferred. 

We are so grateful to our teachers of the year - Dr.
Elizabeth Primas and Mary Penn-Beveney, and our
Principals of the year - Dr. Gwendolyn Bryant, Maria
Tukeva, Dr. Veda Usilton, and Yvonne Morse. They are
all here tonight. And they know better than anyone why
it’s so important to put more good teachers in our
classrooms, where they can lift up our schools and our
children’s lives. 

Last week, First Lady Laura Bush joined me to announce
that we are recruiting our first 100 Teaching Fellows,
professionals from other fields who will begin their
new careers in our classrooms this summer. And my
budget will include $1.2 million to prepare them to be
outstanding educators. 

But, frankly, if we want to see real change, we simply
must change the way some schools are run. And there is
a right way and a wrong way to do that. The right way
is refusing to let any school fail a child. The right
way is giving parents more choices among public
schools, including charter schools. 

And I believe the right way includes teaming up with
proven educational entrepreneurs to reform our most
troubled public schools. They've improved reading
scores at some of our public charter schools. And they
can do the same with other schools -- working within
the existing school system. Now, some may disagree
with this approach. But, I would rather be criticized
for trying and failing - than for failing to try to
improve the way we teach our neediest children.

Because, whether we succeed as a city, and even as
human beings, will be determined not by how we care
for those with the most, but by how we care for those
with the least. And that leads us to the second way we
must rebuild our city -- by improving the well-being
of every resident.

I feel this so very strongly. As a foster child, a
parent, a mayor: Nothing matters more to me than
providing fundamental human services. When we got
here, our safety net had huge holes in it. So we
started knitting it back together stitch by stitch. We
are now transforming those agencies that care for
abused and neglected children, and people with mental
illnesses. But we have only just begun. 

You don’t have to look any further than our parks and
street corners to see the homeless men, women and
children -- who all of us have a moral imperative to
help. And you don’t have to look any further than the
grim statistics, to know there is a health care crisis
in this city. And we know the status quo is not
working.

When the life expectancy of our African-American men
is 10 years less than the rest of America. And when
this country’s highest rates of infant mortality,
diabetes, and HIV infection are in our own backyard,
it is time to fix health care in Washington, D.C.

Since the day I took office, I've worked to do that --
and it’s often been a lonely crusade. Two years ago, I
went to the Council with a plan to expand health
insurance. And it was shot down. "Not enough
information," I was told. Then I put together a
commission of everybody -- physicians, nurses,
academics, civic leaders and citizens. And based on
their findings, I presented a more detailed plan. It
was shot down, as well. "Too ambitious." So, the
Council, the Control Board and I agreed to let our
city's private providers offer us a solution. And
that's where we stand today. 

Two plans and two years of trying. And all that’s
changed is that our health care crisis has gotten
worse. Part of the problem is the number of uninsured,
which is still a shocking 65,000 people. Many of them
have told me how they work two or three jobs, and
still live one illness away from bankruptcy. That is
wrong. So, tonight, I'm pleased to announce that as
part of the health care network we’re creating, we
will immediately provide HMO-style coverage to all of
our city’s uninsured. And in my budget, I'm making a
$1 million guarantee to residents without insurance --
you will get the prescription drugs you need. 

But this crisis goes beyond insurance. As the Health
Commission made clear, we must create a health care
system rooted in primary and preventive care, so that
people have a family doctor who treats them with
dignity, and helps them solve health care problems
before they require emergency care. At my town hall
meeting last night at Union Temple, there was a doctor
who asked: "Are we teaching our children that the best
they can expect is a trauma center when they are
shot?"

Now, I know that some still have great concerns about
what we've proposed -- and I heard from many people
last night who have a lot of fear -- and, quite
frankly, even some anger. They know the current system
is broken, but they fear the unknown even more. And I
understand that. I respect that. I know how hard
uncertainty is -- especially when it comes to our
families’ health. But I wouldn’t be standing up here
supporting this plan unless I truly believed it was
the best way to improve health care for our residents.

Ladies and gentlemen: We are not closing a hospital.
We are opening the doors of care to the people who
need it most. We’re keeping our current clinics and
adding 100 health care centers to the network. We’re
providing access to 1,000 more doctors and nurses.
We’re providing 24 hour trauma 1 care at Greater
Southeast. And we're working with local health care
providers, people who know the District, know its
residents, know what it means to meet our needs East
of the River. 

I know there is disagreement on this issue - and there
should be in a democracy. But you didn't elect me just
for my dazzling personality. No, you elected me
because you knew I'd confront our most challenging
problems head on, make the tough choices, and do the
right thing. That’s what I’ve always done for this
city. And that's what I intend to do here. We've had
two years to debate this. And every day we argue, is
another day that poor residents and people of color
suffer and die at the hands of the status quo. They
deserve more. It's time to stop debating. It’s time to
get it done.

And that’s the approach we must take when we improve
the quality of life in every neighborhood -- which is
the third, and final way, we are rebuilding our city.
And here we don’t need fancy new programs or lots of
new spending. We need to get back to the basics. We
all know what a good neighborhood looks like: There
are more trees, not trash, lining the streets. Houses
and parks that are well kept. People who don't have to
leave the community to buy groceries, get a job, or
start a business. 

All over the city, there are grand opening signs where
there used to be abandoned lots. Just take Ward 5.
Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that the District’s
first Home Depot is coming to the Brentwood
neighborhood, bringing nearly 200 new jobs, and
ensuring that our dollars are spent in our
communities. And this is on top of the K-Mart and the
Giant that are already coming to that neighborhood.

But how are we are going to ensure that this economic
prosperity reaches every neighborhood and resident?
First, we must support our local, small and
disadvantaged businesses. And that’s what we have done
these past two years by increasing our contract awards
almost 500 percent -- from $68 million to $311
million. 

And second, we must do more than talk the talk of
welfare reform. I remember the pride in Anita
Tolliver’s face when I handed her the certificate for
the CVS pharmacy apprenticeship program. Anita used to
be on welfare. Now, she's supporting her children --
and working to fulfill her dream of becoming a
pharmacist. 

This is a real life story of one of the 445 people who
have now exchanged welfare checks for paychecks in our
city. But, we must make every welfare story a success
story. Because in a year, 2,700 families will lose
their federal benefits. We can’t control that. But we
can and must ensure that the end of welfare leads to a
better life, not a worse one. We can provide the job
training, child care, and other tools people need to
move from welfare to work. 

And we can do something else: We can make a commitment
to improve adult literacy. Imagine. Right now, nearly
40 percent of adults in the District can’t read or
write well enough to get a good job. They should never
be embarrassed. We should be embarrassed that we
aren’t helping them learn. 

Let’s also get back to the basics with better housing.
We all know how much it means to a family to raise a
child in one’s own home, to have dinner in one’s own
home -- to be part of a larger community. Next week,
I’ll introduce comprehensive legislation to help make
this city first in the nation in new homeownership.
That means protecting affordable housing and creating
new housing for all people, regardless of income. It
means stabilizing our neighborhoods, so that the
residents who made them great aren’t pushed out, as
home values rise. And it means converting thousands of
empty and run down buildings into new homes for our
people. My initiative will include real resources. And
I look forward to working with Councilmember Ambrose
and Councilmember Brazil to make this happen.

Let's get back to basics with safe streets as well.
Last year alone, homicides dropped to their lowest
level in 14 years. Theft dropped by 4.4 percent. Auto
thefts by 5.9 percent. And burglaries by 7.6 percent.
The statistics are saying it. Our residents are
feeling it. We are a safer city. 

But, everyday, we are reminded of how much more needs
to be done. Despite our progress reducing youth
violence, there are too many young people dying on our
streets -- too many children dodging bullets to get to
school. Every statistic is the story of a young person
who will never put on a cap and gown, or a parent who
will never walk a child down the aisle. We owe it to
them - and to every District resident -- to close
every homicide case and bring every perpetrator to
justice. And I want to thank Councilmember Patterson
for her leadership. 

It's time to get back to the basics in every
neighborhood. When I met last year with some of our
snow removal folks, one plow driver told me how
grateful he was to finally have the right equipment.
Well, he got the chance to use it when it snowed last
week. And, this time, our workers stayed on the job
for some 48 hours, and used 125 trucks to plow and
salt most of our streets. 

Now, clearing the snow shouldn’t be news. It shouldn't
be news when we repair potholes on time, or sweep the
streets regularly, or continue to make progress in the
way people are treated when they call their city
government. That should just be the way things are in
the District. So, let’s make good government services
just the way things are. Let’s make keeping the grass
cut and the pools open just the way things are this
summer. Let’s make quick responses to 911 calls just
the way things are. 

And let’s make clean air and clean water just the way
things are in every one of our communities. Just look
at the Anacostia River. We can clean it up -- and rid
the area of poverty and violence. We can make the
river that once divided us a symbol of our unity and
the engine of a thriving waterfront. If San Antonio
did it. If Baltimore did it. If Cleveland did it. We
can do it. 

Think about the new Adopt-a-Block program, where the
Fannie Mae Foundation and UDC are helping to clean up
our communities, and turn litter into landscaping.
Think about the 39 neighborhoods which are coming
together to create new blueprints for their
communities. We can build a city that works for
everyone - neighborhood by neighborhood. But let's be
clear: we cannot do any of this unless we keep
rebuilding trust in our government. 

The fact is, while the rest of America's cities are
treated like adults, our Nation's Capital still has
parents: over-protective parents. Meddlesome parents.
There was a time, quite frankly, when we acted a bit
like children. But we're all grown up now. We have
good credit. We have money in the bank. We’re solving
our own problems. And we need Congress to be our
partners -- not our parents. 

When I met with President Bush, I was encouraged by
his concern for our city. He genuinely cares about
education. He understands how we feel about re-opening
Pennsylvania Avenue. As his speech on Tuesday night
showed, there's a lot of common ground upon which we
can move forward, working together. But, when the
issue is our democratic rights, there can be no
compromise. 

You know, it was a great day when we put on our new
license plates a few months ago. But it’ll be an even
greater day when we can take those license plates off.
From Africa to the former Soviet Union, we’ve worked
to bring democracy to the rest of the world. I say
it's time to bring it home. It’s time for our votes to
count in Congress. And it’s time for our budget to be
debated in Council -- not on Capitol Hill. 

Of course, there are some who worry that if we are
running the show, we'll return to the days of our
reckless youth. But, we will prove them wrong. We will
prove that we can continue making tough decisions -
even unpopular decisions - when they are the right
decisions. We will show we can maintain the fiscal
discipline that brought us to this day. And we will
show everyone from Wall Street to Main Street -- that
we can work together as a city by offering the only
proof that matters: results. Real results.

It’s an interesting time to be talking about sacrifice
and change -- given that Lent began yesterday for some
of us. I’ve been asked a couple of times what I’m
giving up this season. The Council crossed my mind.
The press crossed my mind too -- depending upon what
they say tomorrow. Lately, a few people have hinted
that I should give up my two-bedroom condo. 

Now some, of course, will say that I should give up
mistakes. But, I can’t. None of us can do that.
Looking back, there were certainly some things I wish
I’d done differently -- or said differently. But, it’s
easy not to fall, when you don’t reach. We’ve all done
a lot of reaching these past two years. I intend to
keep on reaching -- keep on building -- and yes, to
fall a few times along the way. So no, I can’t promise
I’ll give up mistakes. But I can promise you this. I
can promise you I won’t ever give up trying to make
this city work better for every single person who
lives here. 

You know, as I think about how far we’ve come, and how
far we have to go, I'm often reminded of the Biblical
story of Nehemiah. If you recall, Nehemiah was
heartbroken to hear that his beloved city of Jerusalem
had been destroyed. So, he went to the people and
leadership of the city and asked for their help
rebuilding it. There were skeptics then, as there
always are, who ridiculed his plan, saying it was too
much work, that it couldn’t get done. But the people
who knew better, came together and cried out to
Nehemiah: "Let us rise up and build." Let us rise up
and build. 

And so too must we. We will surely face more
obstacles. We will face people who would rather point
their fingers than roll up their sleeves and get to
work. And there will no doubt be times when we are
scared, when we are tired or tempted to turn away. But
we did not come this far to stop now.

One by one, the Bible lists those who helped rebuild
their city: The high priest, the men of Jericho,
fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, all working
side by side. It is now the same with us: We are
neighborhood activists and teachers, city workers and
city leaders, doctors and nurses, men, women and
children, from every neighborhood, every race, every
religion, every age. We have a vision for this great
city that we call home. We have a foundation built
from the sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams of all
our residents. 

Now, let us repair the broken schools and broken
lives, the broken neighborhoods and broken promises.
Let our Capital be a symbol of what is possible when
people imagine what can be. My friends, let us follow
in the footsteps of Nehemiah and his people: "Let us
rise up and build." 

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the District
of Columbia. 

------------------------------------------------------
From 2/26/01 Washington Post:
Kennedy Center Chief Spells Out His Dreams  
 
By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 27, 2001; Page A01 

The new president of the Kennedy Center said yesterday
that he favors building a plaza over the freeway east
of the complex and framing it with two new buildings,
one of them a Cooperstown-like hall of fame for the
performing arts.

Michael Kaiser, who took over at the center earlier
this year, said at a luncheon meeting of Washington
Post editors and reporters that he intends to be more
involved in the creation of art, as opposed to using
the building as a "road house" for traveling
productions. 

He said he hopes to improve dance and theater
offerings and experiment with art forms that cross
boundaries. For example, Kaiser said, a festival could
be built around the works of composer Igor Stravinsky
that would involve dance troupes, the National
Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Opera. He also
said the Kennedy Center would produce one of the plays
in its 2001-02 season, and that it would be less
involved in presenting strictly commercial theater
productions and will lean more toward new works and
revivals or reinterpretations of classics.

Kaiser also said he wants to broaden its audience by
improving the quality of the free Millennium Stage
performances that the center offers daily and by
increasing its jazz education programs.

Though the building plans are still very much in the
formative stages, the expansion is under serious
discussion, Kaiser said. In addition to the performing
arts museum, Kaiser said he would like to add a
building to provide offices and rehearsal space for
the Washington Opera. 

The additional buildings would solve both space and
image problems, as well as provide a new stop on the
city's burgeoning museum trail. Over its 30 years many
visitors have viewed the center as a cultural island,
blocked off from the rest of the city by freeways and
the Potomac.

Putting a plaza over the Whitehurst Freeway, east of
the Kennedy Center, has been under discussion for
several years, but the idea of adding two buildings is
new.

Kaiser said the idea is "to build out the front of the
Kennedy Center into a mall-like area that would
essentially link the Kennedy Center, make it much more
accessible, and have people walk from the Lincoln
Memorial to the Kennedy Center without dodging cars on
the freeway. This is a grand plan and one that I truly
support."

"I would love the Kennedy Center to be more physically
accessible. I think we almost self-select an audience
that has to drive there," said Kaiser.

The Department of Transportation has $10 million in
its 2001 budget for an environmental impact study of
the plaza. The covering would extend from the front of
the center on lower New Hampshire Avenue NW across the
Whitehurst Freeway to E Street and the Columbia Plaza
complex.

But Kaiser said he favors adding two buildings to form
a three-sided complex, with the existing Kennedy
Center building at the bottom of a "U." 

Space is a critical problem for the Washington Opera.
Company officials have moved their administrative
offices to the nearby Watergate complex and will move
rehearsals to Takoma Park next summer. They have hoped
a way could be found to give them more space at the
Kennedy Center. The other proposed building would be
dedicated to the artifacts of theater, dance, jazz,
opera and symphonic music.

"We have no national museum for the performing arts in
this city or country. We have wonderful collections at
the Smithsonian, wonderful collections at the Library
of Congress and collections throughout the nation.
There is not one place to see it," said Kaiser. The
new entity would also serve the 5 million tourists and
ticket buyers who come to the center.

A centerpiece of the museum would be tributes to the
121 artists who have been been presented medals at the
annual Kennedy Center Honors. The center presents
medals each December, usually to five living artists
in recognition of their contributions to the nation's
performing arts. Entertainers from Marian Anderson to
Fred Astaire to Paul Newman to Bob Dylan have been
celebrated at the ceremonies, but there is no
permanent exhibition to honor these legends. "These
are people who have a huge role in our lives and in
our country's history," Kaiser said.

Construction is a long way off. The center's board
would have to approve it and then federal and city
officials would have to give the okay.

All the money for the two buildings would have to be
raised privately, Kaiser said. That task would be
formidable, but Kaiser has had considerable success
raising money. On the job officially since Feb. 1, he
has already landed one $50 million donation, the
largest in the Kennedy Center's history.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is
designated the official memorial to President Kennedy
and is the official national performing arts center.
More than 3,000 performances a year take place at the
venue, which is home to the National Symphony and the
Washington Opera. It received $34 million in fiscal
2001 from the federal government for the upkeep of the
building and security.

Officials at the center raised $37 million in private
funds last year. In addition, they launched an
endowment campaign and are $76 million toward their
$100 million goal.

Kaiser's proposals are in line with cultural building
projects in other major cities that have made museums
tourist destinations and the focus of neighborhood
renewal. "It would be an important physical
manifestation of the importance of performing arts in
the city and this nation," he said, "and be a daytime
destination."

The expansion would also solve a cosmetic problem of
the Kennedy Center building: All the sets are loaded
into the theaters from the front of the building, at
street level. "This drives me nuts," said Kaiser. The
plaza project could be designed to move that function
underground, he said.

Earlier yesterday, Kaiser held a get-acquainted
session with arts managers, arts officials and museum
personnel from the Washington area. 

He told the group that he wanted to initiate a
dialogue about raising the collective profile of
Washington arts institutions. 

"We have spent a great deal of time and money selling
what we do, but we have not invested in selling what
we are," he said. Collaboration would pay off for both
the large and small institutions: "If we only fight
each other for audiences and donors, then we are
doomed to remain regional in focus. This means that
the largest organizations have to appreciate the value
and contributions of the smallest. One never knows
where the next great idea will come from."
© 2001 The Washington Post Company