Rat Summit for 14th Street in October

Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2F/Logan will host a summit in October to address the rat problem on the 1300 block of 14th Street NW. This block is the home of Birch and Barley, B Too, and The Pig, among other restaurants.

(Wikipedia)

The initiative was announced last night (Monday, September 9) at the ANC's regular monthly meeting at the Washington Plaza Hotel (10 Thomas Circle).

Commissioner John Fanning (district 04) said that the rat problem on this block deserved special attention. He hoped to get restaurant owners on the block "in the same room" with the relevant parts of the DC government, including the Department of Public Works, the sanitation department, the District Department of the Environment, DC Water, and the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, among others. ANC2F is working on coordinating with these agencies.

One of the reported problems was cooking grease overflowing from the disposal area of a popular upscale restaurant to storm drains on Rhode Island Avenue. Fanning noted that this was, in effect, dumping oil into a waterway, which is an environmental crime.

Fanning said the restaurant B Too (1324 14th Street) has already offered to be part of the presentation, showing its state-of-the-art waste disposal techniques.

Fanning is the chair of ANC2F alcoholic beverage licensing committee. Liquor licenses often provide crucial leverage for ANCs when they wish restaurants to pay greater attention to public sanitation issues.

Commissioner Chris Linn is a co-sponsor of the initiative. This area of 14th Street falls into his district, which is number 03.

The "Sanitation, Education, & Enforcement" Summit will take place on Thursday, October 17, at 7pm, at the Washington Plaza Hotel.