A regular summary of irregular news and notes from neighborhood blogs and email lists around the District.

I Need Space: Members of the Tenleytown email list and other Ward 3 residents have been up in arms over the length of the swimming lanes at Wilson Pool. Councilmember Mary Cheh, ostensibly attempting to calm down her constituents, wrote to the list, “There has been a lot of back and forth about the configuration of the lanes at the Wilson Pool. I have no particular expertise about the issue, but some residents have asked me to share my opinion. Simply, it seems to me that surely a compromise can be worked out and the pool shared between 50 meters and the 25 meters.” But this isn’t enough for one list member, who responds, “While it is hard to oppose compromise, in the case of the Wilson Pool lane configuration debate, your call for the DPR to effect a compromise is not justified by the facts. In every survey of users since the pool has been open, nearly 80% have answered that the long-course configuration meets their needs best. That includes swimmers of all ages, genders, races and abilities…and from all over the city. This is not a Tenleytown pool, or a Ward 3 pool. It is to serve the entire city and it does so admirably. Not once has anyone demonstrated why the current configuration, including slow, leisure and walking lanes as well as a 20-yard pool adjacent, is not exactly what serves the community of users best….I hope you would look at the facts more carefully before weighing in on this issue in the future.”

Sad Trees: “We recently moved to the 1800 block of A St. SE from a much more wooded block further west. We are rather concerned about the lack of trees here, and the poor condition of the trees that do exist. Some of the smaller saplings seem to be drying out. Who is in charge of street trees in DC? Is there a city arborist or other city office we can call to ensure that these trees are receiving the proper care under the extreme weather conditions we’ve been experiencing? And are there any neighborhood programs that help support a healthy urban forest?” writes a member of the Hill East email list in a thread entitled “street trees looking sad; who to call?” Other members recommend the Urban Forestry Administration and Casey Trees.

Enjoy Your Food, But Not at the Expense of My Seat! A member of the Georgetown email list writes a glowing review of the recently-opened Shanghai Lounge: “As far as we can tell, this is the best Chinese food in the District. Everything is homemade and flavorful. The portions are modest and the food is not weighed down by heavy sauces and breading—everything we had was light and delicious.” But, they continue, “I’ve got mixed feelings about sharing this news with the list. We plan to return there soon and often and I hate the thought of having to compete with all of you for a table (there’s no problem getting one there now)! On the other hand, I want this place to succeed and stick around for a long time, so I urge everyone to give them a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.”

Cleveland Park, ISO: Requests from the Cleveland Park email list include the following: “Housecleaner,” “oil/pastel painting equipment,” “fast turnaround on hemming two pairs of pants,” “ride to Boston on 8/27 and to & from NYC 9/10 and 9/11,” “photographer…for pictures of newborn,” “bike assembly help,” “beach chair and umbrella,” driver disks for old HP & Epson printers,” “an internist,” advice for “barging in France” (which is to say, “We are thinking about renting a barge next summer for a large family group with a wide range of ages, including young children”), and “afternoon babysitting Mon-Fri.”