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The Hillcrest Heartbeat – January 2023
In this issue, we’ll discuss the upcoming HCCA board elections (Jan. 7), Skyland’s final phase, protecting yourself from COVID, and more.<!–
January 2023
A Message from the HCCA Leadership
Happy New Year 2023: We’ve Made it. Let’s Continue Building Our Community
By Villareal “VJ” Johnson
In 1942, Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the saying, “out with the old, in with the new.” This popular adage is used around times of change. This was his response to Henry Ford’s assembly line. Schumpeter is also the theorist who coined “creative destruction” or simply put, to intentionally create conditions to revolutionize the way things have been done to develop new ways to achieve improved results.
Over the years, the various leaders of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association (HCCA) all wanted the same thing, “a high quality of life and prosperous community.” This sentiment can be found in our mission statement, and we work towards this in our own unique ways. Read More >>>
Join/Renew Your HCCA Membership!
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General Membership Meetings
All Hillcrest residents are invited to join the association to promote the welfare of our neighborhood. Our January 7 meeting will be held virtually on Zoom.
Meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Register in advance for this meeting.
Register for the January HCCA Meeting (Zoom)
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(click on the links below)
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HCCA Board Elections to Occur in January
The HCCA board election that was planned for December 2022 could not be held as there was not a quorum. The election for the next board will be held during the monthly meeting on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 11:00 am, virtually (see Zoom info below). The HCCA will return to 100% virtual beginning with the January 2023 meeting.
Qualifications for board members:
Must live within the boundaries of the HCCA as defined in the HCCA by-laws. An exception may be made by the Board if the candidate is deemed to have a significant interest in the HCCA (e.g., currently own property in Hillcrest or resided in Hillcrest no more than five years before seeking election to the Board).
Pay annual membership dues for the current year.
Be eighteen (18) years or older.
All candidates for the office of President shall have served on the Board either in the capacity of an elected officer or as the chair of an HCCA committee for a minimum of one year.
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Ward 7 City Councilmember Vince Gray Reassigned as Chairman of Health Committee
Ward 7 Councilmember to lose the chairmanship of the Health Committee, according to multiple newspaper reports. He is opposing the move as the focus on Ward 7’s healthcare outcomes will be placed on the back burner. Read the Washington Post article, Vincent C. Gray protests proposed D.C. Council committee assignment.
In response, a few Hillcrest neighbors created a change.org petition and would love it if community members signed on. Please note, this is not the HCCA’s official position, however, some residents are concerned about the changes that prevent the Councilmember from his work in improving healthcare outcomes in Ward 7. Learn More & Sign the Petition >>>
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New Details Revealed for Last Piece of Skyland Town Center
Below is a summary of a story written by Jacob Wallace from Bisnow, a business-to-business platform serving the commercial real estate industry.
Nearly seven years after Walmart abandoned plans to open a location in the Skyland Town Center development in Ward 7, the project’s developers recently released new details about the final piece of the site — which the retail behemoth left behind. Project partners WC Smith and Rappaport plan to round out the 18-acre project with 126 for-sale townhomes and a 75-unit senior housing building at Skyland Town Center, WC Smith Chairman and CEO Chris Smith recently announced.
“When Walmart left, they occupied the square that you see now,” Smith said onstage at THEARC Theater where the event was held. “You can only imagine in the ensuing six, seven years, we have envisioned a lot of different buildings on this site. At the end of the day, we heard from the community that they would also like to see homeownership.” Read More >>>
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Join the HCCA Meetings Virtually in 2023
The HCCA meetings are held the first Saturday of the month from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Since 2020, due to the pandemic, the organization has been meeting virtually via Zoom and hybrid throughout most of 2022. We intend to return to the virtual meetings in 2023. We are working diligently on making last year’s meetings available on YouTube. Stay tuned. Should you have any questions, please reach out to comms@hillcrestdc.com.
Pre-register for the Zoom meeting now!
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Get Boosted…Save a Life
Coronavirus booster shots reduced, by at least 50 percent, the likelihood of ending up in an emergency room or being hospitalized, according to the CDC.
According to The Washington Post, despite these promising numbers, vaccine uptake has been slim. Only 14 percent of eligible Americans ages 5 and older have received the omicron-specific booster. Omicron is the dominant coronavirus variant, and public health officials worry the low vaccination numbers will contribute to a covid-19 surge during the holidays. Covid-19 cases are averaging above 66,000 per day for the first time since mid-September, and deaths are averaging about 400 per day for seven straight days in mid-December, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 40,000 patients are hospitalized with Covid-19, with more than 9,000 patients admitted with Covid each day, according to federal health data. Follow Covid-19 cases by state here.
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Free COVID Tests Offered by the Federal Government
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free at-home Covid-19 tests from USPS.com. Place your order for free here. More information can be found at https://coronavirus.dc.gov.
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Free Bus Service Coming to DC This Summer
The District of Columbia has become the largest U.S. city to announce plans for permanent free bus service along all routes, citing a desire to increase ridership.
The $2 bus fare will be waived starting July 1, 2023, after the D.C. Council’s unanimous vote was finalized at the end of 2022. The announcement comes after Kansas City, MO, launched its permanent ZeroFare program in March 2020 and Albuquerque, NM, began a yearlong pilot in January 2022, which has been extended through summer 2023.
In DC, there were about 180,000 bus rides a month this year through October, according to data from the transit authority. Pre-pandemic, the number was about 410,000 a month.
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Leaf Collection Dates Available
For residents who receive trash and recycling services from the city, leaf collection in our area is finally underway and is scheduled to continue through January 28, 2023. Check DC DPW for information on when Hillcrest will be serviced: https://dpw.dc.gov/service/leaf-collection.
You can also visit this site for real-time tracking information.
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ANC 7B Monthly Meetings
Join the ANC 7B Advisory Neighborhood Commission on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm for their monthly public meeting. Learn More >>
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MPD Sixth District Virtual Meetings
On the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00-7:30 pm, join the Metropolitan Police Department 6th District for their Monthly Sector 3 Community Meeting for PSAs 605, 606 & 607 to discuss crime stats and community issues with the 6th District PSA Officials.
Join the Meeting >>
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COVID-19 Updates
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Copyright © 2022 Hillcrest Community Civic Association, All rights reserved.
http://www.hillcrestdc.com | comms@hillcrestdc.com
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