Jefferson's Smoking Policy

Here's the word on smoking directly from the rental office:

"Thanks for asking this. Unfortunately, we cannot prohibit residents from smoking in their apartments or outside of the building (DC is not smoke-free in this way). We do ask that they do not smoke in our common areas, and as much as we would like them to not smoke in their apartments, we cannot control that. If smoking causes a resident to leave the apartment in any condition other than when it was moved in, we will charge them for the damages. Also, if other residents are disrupted because of the smoke, we can install a smoke sweep under the door that keeps the smoke inside the apartment. Some non-smoking residents have requested these as well."

Photo: Healthy lung and smoker's lung.
Guess which is which!!!

Moving on to greener pastures

I hope I'm not telling tales out of school, but...
Friday the 30th is Lora Benoit's last day at the Jefferson. You may want to stop by to thank her and wish her well for all her good work while at the Jefferson.

Let me reiterate...

There really needs to be something done about the visibility coming out of the garage. It is ridiculously dangerous and it will only be a matter of time before it results in a deadly accident.

When exiting the garage, visibility is nearly zero until you creep out well into the path of oncoming traffic. In addition, there are nearly always vehicles double-parked in the lane adjacent to the curbside parking. Sometimes the UPS and FedEx drivers are parked there for extended periods of time.

To compound this problem, there is a high probability that pedestrians are trying to navigate themselves and perhaps their dog across the street as well. This creates a disastrous situation where a car leaving the garage is trying to creep out past the cars parked alongside the building to see oncoming traffic while trying to speed across into their desired lane and contending with a pedestrian or two.

Perhaps management could take this up with the city and create a no parking zone where the spot closest to the garage is.

We'll contend with the inevitable parking in the illegal spot later!

Don't be alarmed.

Wow! There are a many disturbing things about this morning's "fire drill."

3:50am.

That's when the "alarm" went off. It lasted until about 6:00am on some floors and later on others. I'm not even sure that it isn't still going off as I type this! Me thinks that there will be a building full of tired people this evening. I know I will be. Because the alarms are in our bedrooms, I slept on the living room floor last night and it made for less than a restful evening.

Here are just a few troubling aspects to last nights incident. I think it brings up a number of others also which I don't think I'll even address!

The first is that it even happened at all. Can we find out what the cause was and perhaps find some way to alert tenants as to when something like this is an actual emergency.

Secondly, the duration of the malfunction. On some floors it lasted a lot longer than others. It was still going off on a number of floors as we all left for work. Perhaps a superintendent living in the building could have rectified it sooner.

Thirdly, the week signal from the alarm is very scary. This is our emergency warning system in case of a real disaster. God help you if you're a sound sleeper or your hearing is challenged in any way, because to me, that weak little static-laden drone that we all heard last night doesn't inspire much confidence in our ability to mobilize and evacuate. How about you?

I think it might be a good idea for management to distribute a comprehensive fire plan, approved by the fire department, and with a working building emergency number on it (my calls went unanswered). Who even knew what that pitiful little bit of feedback from the alarm meant? As I left my apartment to walk down to the front desk to find out, I met several neighbors who like myself, were wandering around confused as to what was going on.

I think this unintentional little fire drill might have been a good lesson as to just how unprepared we are for a real fire. This is a big building and it would not be a pleasant situation if we were all to evacuate at once. Trust me, if you've never been in one, as I have, a building fire is rarely a pleasant event!

It's also pretty disturbing that there isn't an official available during the evening hours to take a situation like last nights into hand. It sure seemed to me that in the event of an emergency, we're all on our own. The confusion that resulted after last nights bit of fun should be a teachable moment because I for one, take such things seriously.

The Broken Window Theory

Many of you might be familiar with the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Reading some of your emails and seeing some of the posts on this blog...and of course my own personal experiences in this building, reminded me of a section of the book that talked about how New York City dealt with a crippling crime situation during the 80's and 90's.

Their solution to the criminal problem in the subway was dubbed The Broken Window Theory and I believe that from this story a parable, relative to some of the activity in this building, can be made. For those of you not familiar with this theory, it goes a little like this...

During the 1980’s to early 1990’s the New York City subways were likened to Dante’s Inferno because of the theft and murders that occurred in the trains and stations. Around that time criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling developed what they called the Broken Windows theory. This theory basically proposed that crime was the natural result of a disorder. If people see broken windows, trash, and minor crimes such as vandalism and graffiti they will naturally end up assuming that they can get away with worse crimes. Kelling applied this principal to clean up the New York City subways. Rather than trying to stop the murders and thefts on the subway system Kelling attacked the problem of graffiti. Next another follower of the Broken Windows theory, William Bratton, developed a system that cracked down on farebeating. Farebeaters were arrested, chained together, and left in a line near the turnstiles until a full load had been caught. In these two simple ways Kelling and Bratton changed the atmosphere of the subway. Now it didn’t look like the subway was a place where one could get away with crime. The trains were clean, and potential criminals had to walk past a daisy chain of arrested farebeaters every time they wanted to enter the subway. Suddenly the subways were no longer seemed like a convenient place to commit a crime. I definitely agree with the Broken Windows theory because it makes sense for people to be effected by their environment. An untidy, broken environment will make people frustrated and angry. It also makes them care less for their environment so that they don’t mind ruining it even more. In this way it becomes an epidemic as one person vandalizes a train. Then other people start vandalizing trains. Eventually people start thinking that they don’t want to pay $1.25 to ride the trashed out subway trains. People start farebeating because they don’t feel that the subway is worth $1.25. Farebeating is a crime, and although it is not a particularly harmful one, it sets a pattern for illegal conduct that becomes associated with the subway, hence attracting other criminals.

Fire in the hole!

Looks like the bushes in front of the Jefferson were, um, torched?

Nice!

24-hour party people: Part Deux

Building management has asked me to encourage residents who are disturbed by loud parties (or other disturbances) to email the office at jcy@greystar.com, or to stop by the office during business hours to let them know the specifics of the disturbance. The sooner you do so after the offense, the better they will be able to do something about it. They will send out a written notice to the offender(s) and they assure me this has helped in the past. Of course, there is no better time to do it than during the party.

There is also a Courtesy Officer in the building, who will "be more than happy to break up any party, tell people to leave the hallways, keep down their volume, and ask unwanted guests to leave, or if for some reason, people are getting too rowdy or violent on the roof." to dispatch them. Management HIGHLY encourages residents to call the concierge and have them send the officer up.

It's time that the respectful residents of this building push back against a few clueless, selfish individuals and do something about the oftentimes rowdy atmosphere in the building. It doesn't belong here, Period!

Please feel free to use this blog to report specific events and I will make sure that they are addressed by management. Of course, as always, your anonymity is respected if you should desire it.

It's up to everyone to do their part to make this building into an enjoyable place to live. You pay too much in rent to make living here anything less than pleasurable.

Ten things you can do to be a good neighbor

Be considerate of others. You live in a large building. There are other tenants with a variety of lifestyles. Please be considerate of that fact. Chances are there is happy medium between your desires and your neighbors. Here are ten things that you can do to help.

1. During late night and early hours please be aware of the "noise" you might be making. It may be a loud TV or stereo, an above average loud speaking voice, your anxious pet, or other activity that may be heard through these pathetic excuses for walls.
2. Talk at a quiet level when walking through the halls in the morning or nighttime. The walls here are pretty thin and the hallway resonates. Your voice is easily heard in apartments from the hallway.
3. Please don't let your door slam shut. The doors here are heavy and they make quite a loud noise when they slam shut. It's a simple matter to close your door quietly by holding the door until it's nearly shut and then gently pulling it closed. It also shows that your parents brought you up right.
4. Curb your dog inside and outside of the building. If there is an accident inside, don't expect someone else to clean it up, go back to your crib and get a paper towel or two...and if your dog's a barker it's your responsibility to deal with it, not your neighbors.
5. If you keep unusual hours please be aware that your schedule is in conflict with most others, not vice-versa. Keep your TV low, same with your music, and if you happen to think that 4 AM is a great time to vacuum your carpet, know that you will probably be alone in this belief.
6. Communal space is for all of the tenants, not just for you and your friends. Treat it responsibly and not like your parents rec room. This includes cleaning up after yourselves and taking your anti-social behavior elsewhere--and no, getting drunk with your buddies on the roof doesn't qualify as being social. Most other tenants will only consider you to be a clueless jerk.
7. Gym etiquette. Get some! Wipe that Gym equipment down after you use it. I do NOT want your sweat on me no matter how wonderful you might think you are. Use the wipes provided or bring a CLEAN towel with you to the gym to wipe the machines down EVERY time you use one. And BTW, some of you need a shower badly. Don't bring your malodorous self into the gym thinking you'll take a shower when you get done. Others may not want to partake of your self-loathing hygienic nightmare. Also, you don't live at home anymore. Please put away your gym "toys" after use (mats, exercise ball, etc.).
8. Enter and leave the garage at a reasonable (ie. SLOW) rate. Uh, this is self evident.
9. Dispose of your garbage properly. If you don't know the building policy, take a short walk to the rental office and I'm sure they will be happy to apprise you. Don't leave your unwanted garbage that you don't know what else to do with in the trash room. Take your recycling down to the loading dock until management has come to their senses and provides pickup on each floor. If you cant hit the gigantic hole for the trash, step a little closer. Your canned chili from last night looks and smells horrendous on the wall near the chute.
10. If you're going to have a party, talk it over with your neighbor, or at least give them heads up. Chances are you're really not all that bright and your buddies probably aren't either. When you all start bouncing off my walls or spill into the hallway, listening to your drunken shouts can be a real exercise in self restraint.

BONUS: Respect the rules of the building. They were put in place for a reason.

And for good measure...don't run a brothel out of your apartment, don't sell drugs in the building, don't run a bed and breakfast out of your apartment (no really!), don't leave a trail of shame down the hallway, because, "Dude, I was so drunk. 12 shots of Jäger and a dozen beers. You shoulda been there. It was so awesome," don't give the concierge a hard time because they're doing their job by not letting your twenty friends in with you, and please don't stand in the hallway with your four friends making plans for the evening, talking on your cellphone, or talking to your precious dog Skippy. Take it inside your apartment.

I will post 10 things that management can do at later date!

Is There Something Strange Happening on the 12th Floor?

I've heard a strange rumor about a new tenant on floor 12, but I certainly don't want to jump the gun. Has anyone noticed some "unusual" goings on up there? Maybe a lot of people coming and going from one apartment? I understand there are WIGS involved. Drop me a line and let me know what you've seen.

BTW, I could really use the help of other tenants to help keep the strangeness in this building to a minimum. It would be really helpful if one or more tenants on each floor would write me with concerns from their floor whenever it happens. It would also be helpful to send jpegs illustrating the point when possible. A phone camera is fine.

It doesn't have to be a formal thing either, and of course you can remain anonymous, but it would be a tremendous help to me, as I can't be everywhere or know everything. We can't have too many people on any given floor either, so don't opt out because you think someone else might do it. Help keep our environment pleasant. This includes the building, the neighborhood, and the people.

Oh, and please use good sense. I'm not looking for personal gossip, I'm talking about information that would enhance our living situation.

24 Hour Party People

It's been brought to my attention that Friday night there were, once again, a couple of large and really loud parties on the roof. I'd hate to see the access to our lovely rooftop limited further because of a few clueless tenants that really don't care about management's posted or stated rules, or the peaceful aims of other residents in the building.

I happened to have gotten home late Friday night and, exhausted, I lay down in my bed. Mind you, I'm quite a few floors from the roof, but as I lay there I heard all kinds of screaming and yelling--louder than I've ever heard before-- but I couldn't quite tell where the noise was coming from. Was it from the loud-talker next door? Could it be the new tenant upstairs doing construction again? Maybe it's a gaggle of dog walkers coming in after their dog's late night constitutional? Could it really have been coming from the roof? Why of course it was! After all this is the Jefferson.

So what happened to the restricted number of guests on the roof rule? This was reiterated in a note from management only a week or two ago. So where is the follow through? Management can't continue to simply issue mandates and not enforce them. What's the point? No one is even here in the evening to enforce them. What makes you think the less considerate tenants in the building are going to abide by rules when they know no one will be watching? It's silly! Couldn't we get one of those crotchety, old building supers in the building to keep things at a dull roar at night? Better yet, how about a cop!

We are lucky enough to have a rooftop with extraordinary views, and indeed the view is one of the buildings selling points, but what good are they if most of the tenants can't enjoy them? I know I have stopped going up there long ago. It's not worth it. You bring a friend up to enjoy the views and you are bombarded by loud, drunken idiots screaming, cursing, and generally acting stupid.

The limited number of guests rule, if not being ignored outright, is being circumvented by groups in the building that either live together or party together. If they want to "play by the rules" they simply each invite a couple guests and Viola! a party. Step outside on a Friday or Saturday night and you'll see the "glitterati" lining up to get into the doors, 12-packs of Bud light in hand, the evening crackling with energy. It's not hard to tell when there is going to be another loud night ahead.

Perhaps management needs to speak with the concierge about this issue again. I certainly don't expect them to endanger themselves, (we all know the drunken idiots here are inclined to fight and bust the place up) but they might help devise a strategy along with management to limit this activity. I'm sure they are overwhelmed every weekend by the party people, but are these "guests" being checked in at the door? If so, is the policy being enforced?

Here's another access point; the garage. If you come in a car there is no check in at the desk thus making it easy to bring in an unlimited number of guests. The doors on the P2 parking level, elevator one, often do not close all the way either which may also allow strangers in the building. (BTW, the smell outside that door is heinous.)

Ultimately what I suspect is happening is that there are such a large number of Capital Hill staffers (and I know you are not all bad) in the building who socialize regularly and extend their parties to our roof. I know because I have seen them, half drunk in the bars on Pennsylvania avenue. Next stop? Why the roof at the Jefferson of course!

Let your voice be heard!

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D meets at 7:00 pm on the second Monday of each month. *

See their Calendar for more information about important upcoming meetings. http://www.anc6d.org/index.html

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is an elected body that considers a wide range of issues affecting the Southwest/Near Southeast community, including zoning, liquor licenses, recreation, traffic and parking, police protection and public safety, economic development, sanitation and trash, and street improvement.

The purpose of the Commission is to provide an official link between our community and District government. The Commission is made up of representatives of each of the neighborhoods (Single Member Districts) within the community. Commissioners are elected every two years, and serve as unpaid volunteers.

The Commission presents its positions and recommendations to District government agencies, the Executive branch, and the City Council. It can also present testimony to independent agencies, boards and commissions. By the DC law governing Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, such testimony must be given “great weight” when agencies render decisions.

Your Commissioner. Residents are urged to contact their Commissioner when they have concerns or comments specific to their neighborhood. To find your representative, check the ANC Map to find out in which Single Member District (SMD) you live, then go to the Commissioners page to find his/her name and contact information.

Ours is:

ANC District 6D07

Robert Siegel, 919 5th Street SE Washington DC 20003

202-704-0471

robertbobsiegel@gmail.com

Committees. The ANC has three committees, Development and Planning, Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Community Outreach. They are made up of representatives of each Single Member District, and meet monthly to discuss issues coming before the ANC. The public is welcome to attend the committee meetings. For more information, visit the Committees page of the website.

Citizen comment is welcomed and encouraged, but you must contact the ANC office (554-1795) 48 hours in advance of the meeting to be put on the agenda. Under ANC 6D rules, comment from the audience is also allowed on any topic if a motion is on the floor. All ANC business is done in public (including "housekeeping"' chores such as financial reports and approving official correspondence) so meetings can run late. Time limits for comments are enforced to allow everyone an opportunity to speak. It's often helpful to contact your Commissioner prior to a meeting to discuss your concerns or requests.

*Except August (no meeting) and October (3^rd Monday)

The menu Ninja's continue to infiltrate

I got YET ANOTHER menu shoved under my door last week. I don't understand how this keeps happening. The ONLY way it could happen is if the front desk is not stopping them at the door, or if tenants keep letting these guys in while they come into the building. In either case it's gotta stop!

The issue here is not the menus, though they are annoying once you have about ten of them, it's the infiltration into the building by unauthorized people. Someone is NOT doing their job!

Maybe management needs to post something at the door or send out another note about letting people in the building whom they don't know. Sheesh!