Please join your neighbors and Councilmember Tommy Wells for the kick-off of a series of Potluck Dinners and Discussions focused on neighborhood youth.

All neighbors are invited take part in this important community conversation.

For the next five Friday evenings, May 30th - June 27th, the events will take place from 6:30 - 8:00 pm, with a potluck dinner and a group conversation and discussion about critical issues facing the neighborhood. Friday, May 30th, will be hosted by Potomac Gardens residents and held in the courtyard at Potomac Gardens.

Councilmember Wells office will provide some food and beverage, but we encourage everyone to bring a dish to share for the potluck discussion.

For further information, call Naomi Mitchell or Daniel Conner in Tommy's office, (202) 724-8072.

A reminder about this week's rescheduled H Street NE Community Office Hours (which had been rescheduled from last Thursday. May 22,  2008).

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 29, 2008, from 8:00-9:30 am, at the H Street Community Development Corporation, located at 501 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.
 
Traditionally on the fourth Thursday of every month, Councilmember Wells and members of his staff will arrive at the at location on H street, NE at 8:00 am to make the Council office more accessible to residents living in the H Street NE community and surrounding neighborhoods. Representatives from his constituent services staff will also be on hand to help handle requests from residents. Councilmember Wells uses these events to spend time one-on-one with constituents to hear their concerns, issues and ideas and assign staff for follow-up to resolve problems.

Mr. Wells hosts similar Community Office Hours in the Southwest community at the Channel Inn 650 Water St. SW.  If you have any questions about the Community Office Hours please contact our office at 202-724-8072.

The latest update from the Department of Parks and Recreation: 

Major Improvements at Rumsey Aquatic Center to be Completed this Week

Media Contact Only: MosesAlexander Greene, (202) 673-7684

(Washington, D.C.) -- The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will complete major improvements this week at the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center located at 635 North Carolina Avenue, SE.  DPR has been performing significant work throughout April and May to the systems that serve both of the pools within the Rumsey Aquatic Center which will improve the overall swimming experience.

With completion of work this week and to accommodate final installation and testing of the new systems for both pools, the temporary closure of Rumsey Aquatic Center has been extended and the facility will re-open on Thursday, May 29, 2008.

DPR will continue to offer expanded hours at the Turkey Thicket Aquatic Facility, 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE, (202) 576-9236.  Expanded hours are Monday – Friday, 6:30 am to 9 pm. 

During the months of April and May, significant work has been performed to improve the systems that service both the large swimming pool and the smaller baby pool. This work includes:

- Installation of new pool pumps for both pools
- Installation of new pool filters for both pools
- Installation of new pool heaters for both pools
- Installation of new automatic chemical treatment systems for both pools
- Installation of new backwash piping for both pools
- Installation of new pool and pump piping for both pools
- Installation of new sump pump
- Installation of new pool ultraviolet (UV) sanitation system which will assist in the destruction of microorganisms and reduces the impact of chlorine smell and eye irritation
- Diagnostic tests on the HVAC and boiler systems

For More Information: DPR Aquatics, (202) 673-7647.

 

The Washington Post has been running a compelling series on obesity, in particular with youth in the city. You can click here to view their series, see stats, and hear audio clips with children telling their stories.

In today’s article, there is a ward-by-ward breakdown of obese youth. Sadly, Ward 6 tops the list. That’s right, we have a higher percentage of overweight children than any other ward in the city. According to a 2003 survey of children’s health, 57 percent of Ward 6 children ages 6-17, are obese. Ward 8 comes in at 52 percent, Ward 7 at 48 percent, Ward 5 at 46 percent, and Ward 3 leads the city with just 18 percent.

The article and the researchers point to a combination of factors highlighting the challenges our youth face. First among them is the lack of healthy food and eating -- that comes from bad choices made by kids and their parents, as well as the lack of fresh, healthy food in the neighborhoods. Take a stroll through most corner stores and you’ll be hard pressed to find healthy snacks and food. We talked about this on the blog a few months ago and have been working with local organizations to create a stronger corner store initiative to target this problem, but it is persistent and will not change easily.

Other factors include the lack of physical education in the schools and opportunities for recreation. Tommy is also co-chairing the “Safe Routes to School” program in the District, focused on creating safe, reliable passages between home and school so children and their parents can walk or ride their bike. But there's a clear need for more physical activity for our youth, whether in school, at home, or in the neighborhood.

So what are your thoughts? Have you been reading the series in the Post? Why does Ward 6 have such a high rate? Do you think we lack healthy food options? Is it a lack of education on how to eat healthy? Do we lack enough recreation and parks for youth to exercise and play? Use the comments section below and put in your two cents.