July 4th:  A Recap

Team Muriel celebrated the 4th of July holiday by participating in two neighborhood parades and four Block Parties, as part of F.R.E.S.H Summer - our citywide initiative to ensure that every DC resident has a safe, productive and rewarding summer.

I loved seeing families, friends and neighbors from all wards coming together to celebrate the founding of our nation. For pictures of the events, you can check out our Facebook albums here or Flickr album here to see if you can find yourself in any of the photos.

July 8, 2015 | Volume 1, Issue 23

Dear Washingtonians,

Today, I am launching the first-ever AlleyPalooza to improve 64 alleys across the city in just two months.

Alleys represent a vital, but often unseen, part of our city’s infrastructure. The District has more than 350 miles of alleys. These backyard lanes are important for transit, parking and services like trash pickup - and increasingly, they also serve as places for families to hang out, neighbors to catch up with neighbors, and kids to ride their bikes. 

We’ve heard from the community that we can do a better job of updating our alleys.  With input from residents through 311, my team has identified 64 alleys - eight alleys in all eight wards - that will be repaired or renovated by mid-September. You can stay up to speed on our progress by checking out the following map. Bear with us during the construction process - we promise the end result will be worth it.

AlleyPalooza comes on the heels of our successful PotholePalooza - the District’s annual effort to fill in those pesky potholes that plague our streets every spring. This year, the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) used new technologies and strategies to effectively identify and repair potholes across all eight wards.  I’m pleased to report that DDOT has already filled nearly 32,000 potholes across the District, and they’ve hired more crews to get the job done. 

We want our streets and alleys to reflect the quality and strength of our neighborhoods. With AlleyPalooza and PotholePalooza, we are two steps closer to making that a reality.

Sincerely,

Mayor Bowser

All Eight Wards Nationals Night

On Sunday, I invited participants from this year’s Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program and District residents from all eight wards to attend the Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants game. Thank you to the Nationals for hosting and for giving the District an opportunity to highlight the hard work of our young people. And I'm happy to see Woodrow Wilson alum Emmanuel "Manny" Burris is now sporting a Nationals jersey.

Ben’s Chili Bowl Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting

Today, I attended the grand opening of Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant on H Street, NE.  This restaurant’s history is intertwined with the District’s history.  The first Ben’s Chili Bowl opened for business in 1958, weathering good times and not-so-good times - continuing to serve our community throughout nearly seven decades. The owners of Ben’s, the Ali Family, are living proof that small businesses are the backbone of our city. In fact, they have already hired 50 people from the community for their H Street location. My Administration is committed to helping small businesses succeed and grow, which in turn helps put residents on pathways to the middle class. Ben’s is a recipient of a Great Streets grant, which contributed to the build-out of their H Street restaurant. Great Streets is turning emerging corridors into thriving neighborhood centers.

Come Join Us for Beat the Streets

Tonight, I’ll attend MPD’s ‘Beat the Streets’ event in Ward 4. This is one of six traveling community festivals hosted by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) with District agencies and community vendors. The goal is simple: to have fun and forge stronger ties between our community and our law enforcement. So please come on out to Riggs Road Playground at 5701 6th Street, NE today from 2:00 pm to 7:30 pm for music, food and fun.

 Here are the remaining Beat the Streets events. Join us at the one near you!

• 7/15:    7D - Seventh District at 1200 Valley Avenue, SE from 3:00 pm - 7:30 pm
• 7/22:    5D - Fifth District at 700 24th Street, NE from 3:00 pm - 7:30 pm
• 7/29:    6D - Sixth District at 3700 Hayes Street, NE from 3:00 pm - 7:30 pm
• 8/20:    School Supplies Giveaway at 1230 Sumner Road, SE from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm 

Ward 5 FitDC Walk

On Saturday, July 11th, I will join Ward 5 FitDC Coach Elena Littles and residents in a Ward Walk around Brookland. FitDC is part of my Administration’s effort to promote active and healthy lifestyles. This also counts as more steps toward our FitDC Billion Steps Challenge, in which residents across the city work together within their communities to help the District reach one billion steps. Join us in this walk on Saturday, RSVP here. If you can’t join us on Saturday, be sure to RSVP for the Ward 2 Walk happening on July 25th at 9:00 am at the Jelleff Recreation Center here.

Free Job Skills Classes for Residents

The District of Columbia Department of Human Resources (DCHR) and Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) are teaming up to offer free job skills classes for DC Residents. DCHR will host free Resume Writing and Interview Skills at the Columbia Heights Recreation Center on July 11th and 25th, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Participants will learn valuable interview tips, and will discover how to create an eye-catching resume. Sometimes the most important part of the job search process is getting noticed by employers, and this workshop will help you do just that. For more information about this event or other career resources and programs, visit DCHR’s website here. 

Calling All Job Seekers!

 Walmart will hire approximately 300 associates to work at their new Fort Totten store, located at Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue, NE. The store is scheduled to open this fall. On Monday, July 6th, Walmart opened a hiring center at 7818 Eastern Avenue, NW, to recruit and hire new associates. If you're interested, you can apply online here. If you need to access a computer for the online application, you can visit the hiring center during the following hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, or Saturdays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

The range of jobs include professional services, sales floor associates and supervisors, front-end cashiers, customer service, cart pushers, greeters, stockers and others. I am also pleased that Walmart will offer a job to any eligible US veteran honorably discharged from active duty. Interested veterans can find out more here.

 Stay in contact with me and my Administration online. Like us on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter @MayorBowser to follow our progress. Follow my team, @TeamMuriel, for the latest news and information from the John A. Wilson Building and District government agencies. Follow me on Instagram @Mayor_Bowser for even more updates on what's happening around town.  Lastly, find our online picture albums on Flickr.