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OPPORTUNITIES CENTER NEWSLETTER

Volume 3,Issue 6-Summer 2012

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

MINORITY BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

WE CLEAN, INC. Opportunities Spotlight

Local Resident Profile

We Clean, Inc., is a minority woman-

owned small business currently provid-

ing janitorial services for Clark Construc-

tion overseeing the construction of the

U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.

Joei R. Jennings, Branch Manager, suc-

cessfully competed to obtain a janitorial

contract award with Clark Construction

performing adaptive resource restora-

tion work on several historical buildings

on the St. Elizabeths West Campus.

Ms. Jennings employs approximately 55

District residents which reflects her passion for the community. We

Clean, Inc. has been self performing janitorial services throughout

the DC Metropolitan Area since 2007. Ms. Jennings is no stranger to

hard work; she spent twelve years working for Fairfax County gov-

ernment in addition to managing other business endeavors. I’ve al-

ways wanted to have my own business” and no longer wanted to

“sit behind the desk”, she explains. The company is HUB Zone certi-

fied.

Renee Whitfield, a Ward 7

resident, was hired by General Dy-

namics Information Technology

partner, Global Com through the

Opportunities Center. Whitfield has

an administrative background with

experience in overseeing time and

attendance for team members. She

is proud to be a team member to

Bob Codichini, GDIT Campus Wiring

Manager and Global Com’s Campus

Wiring Managers Chris Brzys and

Roger Solomon. Whitfiled’s worksite

is located at the General Dynamics

office in Arlington, Virginia.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS

“Memorial Day Celebration “

Civil War Soldiers Honored on the St. Elizabeths West Campus

The civil war soldiers buried in the historic cemetery on the grounds of St.

Elizabeths West Campus were honored by GSA, placing over 300 flags at the

graves of the Union and Confederate soldiers buried side by side. The Na-

tional Historic Landmark designation for St. Elizabeths, was created in 1856

for the “friendless patients”. The first person buried at the grave site was a

female patient by the name of Sarah Fontaine.

During the Civil War, the site was also used for

soldiers recovering from wounds received dur-

ing the conflict. Approximately 300 military

headstones and 160 unmarked civilian plots are in the cemetery, which occu-

pies a west-facing hillside overlooking the Potomac River and the new U.S.

Coast Guard Headquarters nearing completion of construction. The last

known burial was in 1873.

The Ferebee Hope Recreation

and Aquatics Center hosted their

First Annual Family, Friends, and

Community BBQ and Pool Party

on May 31, 2012, with GSA in

attendance. The surrounding

community families and community leaders/partners

were encouraged to attend the party to stay involved

with the recreation center for the upcoming summer

and beyond. The Ferebee Hope Recreation center is

part of the Mayor Vincent Gray’s Safe Summer Initia-

tive. GSA would like to thank the Federal Protective

Service, along with the Metropolitan Police Depart-

ment, for their continued support of all community

outreach efforts.

“Community Day” Ferebee Hope Recreation and Aquatics – 1st Annual Family, Friends, and Community BBQ

and Pool Party

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS

“WARD 8 PARKS MEETING”

Councilmember Marion Barry set forth to have

5,000 individuals visit Ward 8 parks in the Summer

of 2012. As of July 2012 the goal has far exceeded

expectations. The Ward 8 Parks Committee held it’s

June 2012 meeting at the amphitheater in Oxon

Run Park. Absorbing the wonderful summer breeze

was refreshing and a great demonstration of utiliz-

ing inviting open space in Ward 8.

Lola the owl and her handler Darryl Wallace, joined the com-

mittee from the Earth Conservation Corps, a non-profit organi-

zation located at the Diamond Teague Park, 1st Street and Poto-

mac Avenue, SE. For over a decade, they have remained con-

sistent in providing environmental education, job training, and

community service programs for disadvantage youth between

the ages of 17-25 years of age.

In 1992, a small group of unemployed youth from the Valley

Green public housing community in Southeast Washington,

D.C., wanted to make a change in their lives as well as the

community at large. They began by restoring the Anacostia

River. Motivated by the belief that their strong hearts, minds,

and muscles could reclaim the Anacostia, they banded to-

gether under an ambitious name, the Earth Conservation

Corps (ECC).

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On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, the Senior Walk &

Tai Chi was held in the Oxon Run Park, located on

13th & Mississippi Avenue, S.E. Over 50 of Ward 8

beautiful seniors participated from The Overlook,

Wayne Place, Wheeler Terrance, and Know Hill as-

sisted living facilities. The Director of the Office of

Aging, Dr. John Thompson, led the quarter mile

walk in a section of Oxon Run Park. Everyone en-

joyed the Tai Chi exercise instructed by Charlene

Ward, Nutritionist of the Congress Heights Wellness Center located at 3500 Mar-

tin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, S.E. Tai Chi is the classical Chinese martial art, now

well-established as an excellent form of exercise. Recommended by the Arthritis

Foundation, Tai Chi is a modern tool for relaxation, range of motion, circulation,

balance and bone density. The practice is suitable for all ages and levels of physi-

cal ability.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS

St. Elizabeths West Campus Tour

A special thanks to the Washington Gas and Honeywell for providing lunch to the Seniors

“Harmony in the Park” Oxon Run Park Nature Walk and Tai Chi Event

On July 18, 2012, project managers from our Campus Devel-

opment team provided an awesome tour of the St. Elizabeths

West Campus. Forty (40) participants from various agencies

such as HUD, DC Habitat, DC Housing and Community Devel-

opment as well interns from GSA attended the tour. The

touring points included the Civil War Cemetery, Pump House,

Center Building, Adaptive reuse buildings, Mechanical Utility

Plant, Vault, and the U.S. Coast Guard Building. Dennis

Smyth from DC Habitat was truly impressed with the wealth

of knowledge shared by project managers Bill Willis, Gaftie

Marlow, Sulaiman Harris and building manager, Rick Stewart.

Smyth states, “The tour was great and very informative”.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS

Ward 8 Back-To-School Launch

Bringing Unity to St Elizabeths’ East Campus

Thanks to the generosity of the St. Elizabeths general contractors, the 2012 “Ward 8 Back-To-School

Launch” was a huge success! Overwhelming contributions from the St. Elizabeths general contractors

provided for the delivery of more than five hundred backpacks filled with essential school supplies

needed by children for the upcoming academic school year. On Thursday, August 23rd, over 350

families accompanied the grounds of the St Elizabeths East Campus. The Chancellor for DC Schools,

Kaya Henderson, participated and reflected on the importance of the community coming together to

ensure our youth are one step closer to being prepared for the new school year. Also on hand was

the Assistant Chief of Police, Diane Groomes, who stands as a strong advocate for the youth in the

Ward 8 Community and Councilmember Marion Barry, who encouraged the children to stay in school

and provided one-on-one advice emphasizing the importance of education.

Health screenings were available for those present and a wealth of health and wellness management

information was offered. The event would not have been a success without our committed efforts of:

Grunley Construction

H&W Cleaning Services

Washington Gas/Honeywell

A very special thanks to the Deputy Mayor’s Office for accommodating the event on the St.

Elizabeths East Campus!!!

Clark Construction

Balfour Beatty Construction

Federal Protective Service

General Dynamics

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS

Ward 8 Back to School Launch Photo Gallery

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St. Elizabeths’ Project Promotes

Sustainability in Design

Upcoming Events

On the St. Elizabeths West Campus GSA is reducing the storm wa-

ter runoff on the campus in order to comply with GSA, EPA, DDOE,

and DC Water and LEED requirements. Storm water runoff is being

reduced by the construction of green roofs, rain gardens, infiltration

structures, rain water harvesting, and a retention pond.

When the St. Elizabeths West Campus development is completed,

the storm water runoff will be reduced by 47% of the amount that

was leaving the site before the GSA development began.

Rainwater will be captured and reused for irrigation and in some

cases the rain water will be reused for toilet flushing. The infiltration

structures capture the water in underground structures that allow the

water to slowly release slowly into the soil after a storm event. The

multi-acre retaining pond, and visual feature at the west side of the

USCG HQ new building, will hold rainwater and delay runoff into the

storm sewer and additionally add to the reduction of the runoff by

evaporation.

The below photos show some of the steps required to build an

infiltration structure. The one shown was completed in July

2012.

For more information on specific locations and times for

our events, please contact the Opportunities Center on

202-561-6910 or email us at oppscenter1@gmail.com

Calendar Events/Sustainability Report

Community Leaders Meeting Dates

September 14, 2012

October 12, 2012

November 9, 2012

December 14, 2012

September 7, 2012

Campus Tour with SOME career

development Trainees

September 15, 2012

“Restore Shepherd Parkway”

(TBD)

Senior Dance with Mayor Gray

Mostly covered

infiltration

Structure with bull-

dozer smoothing

out soil

Structural units with

voids covered with filter

fabric, gravel and soil

Pit dug, structural units

with large voids in place

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Quick Links

U.S. General Services Administration

www.gsa.gov

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

www.dhs.gov

United States Coast Guard

www.uscg.mil

National Capitol Planning Commission

www.ncpc.gov

U.S. Small Business Administration

www.sba.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

www.fhwa.dot.gov

Advisory Council on Historic Preserva-

tionwww.achp.gov

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

www.norton.house.gov

Federal Business Opportunities

www.fbo.gov

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

www.acquisition.gov/far

GSA Acquisition Manual (GSAM)

www.acquisition.gov/gsam/gsam.html

Washington DC Metro Council

www.dclabor.org

DC Preservation League

www.dcpreservation.org

USCG Hdqtrs-Clark Construction Group, LLC

www.uscgproject.com

Balfour Beatty Construction

www.balfourbeattyus.com

Grunley Construction Company, Inc.

www.grunley.com

U. S. Department of Labor:

www.dol.gov

2701 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE St. Elizabeths West Campus, Gate #2

Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

oppscenter1@gmail.com

Join Our Mailing List

Employment Summary as of August 2012

Total Overall Employed to Date: 4,690 Overall D.C. Residents: 717

Get Certified! Workshop For Small Business Subcontractors

Procurement opportunities

for small businesses

Assistance on completion of

8(a) certification

Information to assist in

small business development

Information on employment opportunities

On-site computer lab

Conference room available

for community meetings

For additional information, contact LaJuan Stevens

GSA Lead Opportunities Coordinator at (202) 561-6910.

We encourage small businesses to register! For more information

regarding upcoming workshops, contact Carrie Lieberman at carielieberman@grunley.com

SERVICES

Upcoming training sessions

NOVEMBER 27

DECEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 25

OCTOBER 30