Last Night's ABL Meeting

We had a really great meeting last night. There were a range of opinions expressed, but the contentiousness & tension that marred the last meeting were largely absent this time. Joe Englert spoke in detail about the establishments he hopes to open. Here are a few highlights from what was said (bear with me on this, as mistakenly left my notes at home):

*In the next few weeks a base of operations for Joe Englert's H Street operations will open on the first floor of1224 H Street. This will provide an easy way for community members to get access to Mr. Englert and his associates.

*Mr. Englert is talking to the police about possibly opening a new substation on the second floor of 1224 H Street. This is however, only in the discussion phase, so it might not happen.
-On a related note, Commissioner Joe Fengler spoke for a few minutes about
successful ANC efforts to centralize complaint response on H Street.

*Joe Englert said that he hopes to open the Argonaut (CR in the 1400 block of H Street) within the next 60-80 days. He said that although most of his places will not initially be open before 5pm, he does plan to have earlier hours (lunch and brunch at some of his establishments) after the businesses have settled in. The Argonaut will be a restaurant and will be one of the more family oriented establishments Mr. Englert plans to open.

*Mr. Englert also responded to community member questions about what he would provide for local youth. He said that Show Bar: The Palace of Wonders (CT in the 1200 block of H) would be similar to a Ripley's Believe It or Not, or a wax museum. There would be rotating exhibits & the establishment would be open for school tours during the day. In the evenings Show Bar will be a tavern featuring light food like cotton candy and popcorn. It will feature old circus decor.

* The Beehive (CR in the 1200 block of H) will be a restaurant serving upscale burritos with a theme decor.

* Mr. Englert says he would like to use the Rock and Roll Hotel (CT in the 1300 block of H) to offer free musics lessons (this is still in the planning stages, & is not a done deal) on various instruments, to local children.

There is a lot more to say, but this is getting long, so I will return to the topic later. Here is link to photos of these locations (except for the Argonaut).