We write letters: DDOT is set to make a decision soon about the fate of the Connecticut Avenue reversible lanes. Mark Moran, who writes about education for Forest Hills Connection, recently wrote a Washington Post op-ed arguing that the reversible lane needs to go.
Whatever DDOT decides, safety improvements are not guaranteed. ANC 3F chair David Cristeal signed on to a Post letter to the editor stating that DC has a history of not following through on its transportation safety commitments. One example: Mayor Bowser’s budget included no funding for even preliminary design work for the Connecticut Avenue safety project. (The DC Council may yet come up with the money. The Committee on Transportation and the Environment, chaired by Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh, provides $2.2 million to support the full design costs of the study recommendations. You’ll find more information about the transportation budget in Cheh’s July 7th constituent newsletter.)
Running to prove “We made it through Covid”: One day in May, Therrell Smith, the founder of the first Black ballet school in the District and 103-year-old resident of Forest Hills of DC, handed off a baton to the first runner and kicked off the first annual Longevity Fun Run relay race. And, the BBC was there.
Forest Hills of DC #assistedliving & #skillednursing were super grateful to celebrate #olderamericansmonth in a 40+ mile relay run! @runnersworld @linkedsenior @nnvillage @AARP @ahcancal @LeadingAge @Aging20 @washingtonpost https://t.co/JhJn7wbtr8
— Tina Sandri (@TinaSandri) June 5, 2021
Forest Hills of DC organized the race to celebrate “the fact that we’ve made it this far through Covid,” said CEO Tina Sandri, and to celebrate the home’s reopening to visitors. The relay included 12 DC nursing homes, and the runners included Kabba Sesay, the Forest Hills of DC’s director of maintenance and environmental services. Sesay is also an active Army Reservist. He deployed a few days later for 14 months of active duty.
Runner Kabba Sesay receives the baton from Therrell Smith. (photo courtesy of Forest Hills of DC)
Homes like Forest Hills of DC are also struggling to hire: They have the openings, but not the applicants. Axios reports the Forest Hills home is offering hiring bonuses and perks for attendance streaks and picking up extra shifts.
Slowly chipping away at segregation: Forest Hills gets a brief mention in this Greater Greater Washington article as one of the places in the District that ended the last decade with a larger (but not large) percentage of Black residents.
Developing a palate for online wine: Michael Sands, the owner of Calvert-Woodley, tells The Washington Post that online ordering, paired with curbside pickup, helped his store stay in business. And customers like the convenience.