NMP and Ft. Totten Metro Clean Up Day

  Passing the word on to everyone.  If you can volunteer, it's a great chance to meet neighbors and get the neighborhood looking good for summer!

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The Fort Totten Metro Clean-up Day is this Saturday, June 22 at 10:00 am.  The North Michigan Park Civic Association is looking for our concerned residents to volunteer and meet us on the corner of Gallatin Street and Sixth Place .  Ranger Michael Zwelling of the National Park Service will work with us to clean up the trail.  He'll have forms for each volunteer to sign as well as gloves, bags, and water.  I hope to see you on Saturday.

Thank you,

Cheryl Tracy

Ft. Totten Square In The News

  The Washington Informer had a piece this week on the New Ft. Totten Square groundbreaking and some a few notes from community emebers and some of our local representatives in the City Council.  It's a quick and easy read that can be found here:
http://washingtoninformer.com/index.php/local/item/13084-groundbreaking-for-fort-totten-square

Ft. Totten Square/Walmart Construction Begins

So now that things have began progressing, we thought we'd provide a construction update on what is happening over at the Ft. Totten Square site.  The new year has come and gone, and the site of the District's newest Walmart has begun buzzing with workers and machinery.  JGB Group sent out a press release detailing the project, which can be found here.  As the initial dig kicks off, the sound of pile driving equipment can be heard throughout the surrounding neighborhood.  The low hum of excavators, bulldozers, and other heavy equipment fills the air.  Finally some real progress at the MUCH anticipated and LONG awaited Ft. Totten Square.

Looking SW From the Corner of 3rd & Chillum NE

Looking along the Chillum PL NE side of the site towards SD Ave.

View along the 3rd St NE Side of the Site,
South Towards the Riggs and SD Ave Intersection

View 1 Along Riggs Rd => North

View 2 Along Riggs Rd => North

View 3 Along Riggs Rd => North

Brookland Native's WildCraft Soda Startup!

   First it was cupcakes, then came fro-yo, sandwich places, wood oven pizza, and now beer.  As the ever expanding nationwide food and beverage trends cascade across the nation, one often wonders...what could possibly be next.  Well Brookland local Nathan Zeender (the only person in DC who can grow their own hops and raise their own bees for honey, then whip them into wonderful fermented delights all within the confines of NE DC) thinks he has the next big idea.  It's called WildCraft Soda, that's right soda.  But don't think your typical run of the mill Coca Cola, or some of the smaller brands like Dr. Browns or even Jones.  The mission statement for WildCraft says it better than we ever could:

  "Providing healthful sodas from wild crafted ingredients--aromatic and ennobling beverages derived from whole botanicals, never from extract."

  Nathan, who is well known in the DC Brew scene, is focusing his pursuit of good drink towards the creation of a one-man, small-batch, draft-only botanical soda company.  The DC Native, and head brewer at Right Proper Brewing (an artisan brewpub opening later this year in Shaw), is inspired by a culinary imagination and a dilettante nature.  He has found much enjoyment pursuing a wide array interests revolving around soda and tonic making, beekeeping, foraging and herbalism, cooking and baking, artisan beer brewing, and gardening.  WildCraft Soda will be the culmination of these pursuits.

"For WildCraft I will work with select purveyors and foragers to provide wildcrafted (ethically foraged) ingredients to brew our sodas. Whole botanicals, herbs, and spices are decocted in a kettle for a prescribed period of time to extract flavor, aroma, and nutrients. The unfiltered sodas are lightly sweetened with pure honey for balance, then are immediately chilled, kegged, and carbonated.  The sodas will be available on draft at a few select bars and restaurants around town, and I hope to have a draft stand at a few local farmers markets in the spring." -Nathan Zeender, WildCraft Soda

  In order to get this project moving forward, Nathan has started a Kickstarter Campaign (found here) to help get the ball rolling.  Hopefully a few of you will feel compelled to help him blaze new trails in the DC Food and Beverage Scene, and maybe be a part of something great!
Cheers!

JBG starts work on Walmart-anchored Fort Totten Square

  The Washington Biusiness Journal reports that permits were issued this past Wednesday for excavation, grading and sheeting, and shoring for the Fort Totten Square Walmart project located at 300 Riggs Road NE.
  The Article redas as follows:

"Here comes D.C.'s third Walmart. The JBG Cos., as Fort Totten North LLC, was issued a permit Wednesday for excavation, grading and sheeting, and shoring for Fort Totten Square, 300 Riggs Road NE.
  Fort Totten Square will feature 350 apartments and more than 110,000 square feet of retail anchored by an urban format Walmart. According to the project's website, construction was expected to begin late this year, with delivery by late 2014."

The full article can be found here.

Two Arrested After Assualt on Green Line Train, at Ft. Totten

  A teenage gang from SE DC called the 44th St Crew assaukted 2 women on a green line train headed to Ft. Totten.  The gang comprised of both male and female teenagers, cornered two women on a green line train, stole iPhones and intimidated the women on their metro ride.  Once the train arrived at the Ft Totten Station one of women fought back and metro police were dispatched.  Two were arrested as a result of the attacks.  While not directly related to the neighborhood, it is a crime that will be reported as taking place in Ft. Totten. 
DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG
 
   Perhaps one of the most disturbing facts of this event is that the teenagers posted the video on facebook as a means to gain respect and cred among their peers (although it does provide police with hard evidence of the event).  This is yet another reminder to be careful when riding the metro these days.  And while the complete apathy of the other riders on the train is a little demoralizing, remember that phones can always be replaced.  This should serve as another reminder to the community that petty theft tends to rise around the hoilday season, so you should be hyper vigilant in the coming weeks.
Stay safe, and have a safe and relaxing holiday season.

DC's First Costco Opens Today

  Today is a landmark day in the annals of DC consumer access...for Costco has officially opened their doors.  The 154,000-square-foot Costco, located the Shops at Dakota Crossing (Market Street NE at New York and South Dakota Ave) opens at 8 a.m. this morning!  The Post reports that Vice President Joe Biden was even in attendance for the opening ceremony.  The location will serve as the anchor store in the new retail center located in Ft. Lincoln, and be a major boom for the district from the jobs perspective.  The addition of Costco comes with strict contrast to the other big box retailer making waves in DC Walmart.  Consumer retail diversity is very much welcome in the District, but the purveyors often are scrutinized.  Costco, which in recent news is hailed as the "Anti-Walmart" will add several hundred permanent jobs to the Distrct with this single store.