* Today's Washington Business Journal (subscribers only) reports that the city is "considering" using 225 Virginia Ave. (the old Post Plant) as the new home for Child and Family Services, now that they've decided not to move the agency to a new development at Benning Station. The city continues to pay $6 million a year in rent on the 420,000-sq-ft building, though tried a request for proposals last year to see about a sublease or sale of the property (but apparently didn't get much interest). I wonder how much the city would have to spend the rejigger the very warehouse-y building into the 180,000 sq ft of office space needed by CFSA.

* From the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star, a story that Prince William County is spending $225,000 to look at passenger ferry service up the Potomac: "It will conduct test boat runs on May 4, 5 and 6 from stops at Prince William marinas at Quantico, Dumfries and Occoquan to Fort Belvoir, Alexandria and the Washington Navy Yard. The test boat will be a catamaran that seats 149." (I assume they'd want to use the dock under construction at Diamond Teague Park, but there's no specifics.)

* On Wednesday evening, the Post reported (though the article is no longer on the web site) that the city had informed Metro--in the middle of a game!--that it would no longer pay the $27,000-an-hour cost of keeping the subway open if games at Nationals Park ran late because of extra innings or rain delays. By the next morning, the city had changed its mind.

* The Douglass Bridge will be closed Sunday (4/26) from 5am to approximately 10am for the monthly swing span test.

* It's Emancipation Day, a DC government holiday, so city workers have the day off.

* The Post's Going Out Gurus has more about the Akridge Half Street "beer garden," which now appears to be called "The Bullpen." Watch for the launch of thebullpendc.com for more information.

* On Wednesday, April 22, EYA will be marking Earth Day at Capitol Quarter with a ceremony marking the first CQ house to achieve LEED for Homes certification, with a plaque presentation by the US Green Building COuncil. The proceedings start at 11 am, with a light luncheon at 11:30, at the sales office at Fourth and L. (Capitol Quarter is currently the country's largest for-sale LEED for Homes development.)

* Another green-related event: On April 21 the city's monthly Anacostia Waterfront Forum will focus on "Green Waterfront, Green Jobs, Green Living in a Green DC." It's at the MLK Library at Ninth and G, NW, with an open house beginning at 6:30 pm and the forum running from 7 to 8:30 pm. The April "Waterfront Watch" newsletter has more information on the forum, as part of its focus on "Green DC."

* Greater Greater Washington writes about the impact of the planned expansion of the 11th Street Bridges, especially in light of the possibility of the "Center Leg Freeway" (I-395) between Massachusetts and New York avenues.

* DC Urban Turf has a roundup of progress in the Near Capitol Ballpark River Yards neighborhood, with lots of quotes from the BID.

* The latest BID newsletter (not yet online) has the lineup of films for this summer's "Outdoor 80's Movies" series on Thursday nights on the plaza at Fourth and Tingey, beginning June 4: Back to the Future, The Princess Bride (6/11), Ghostbusters (6/18), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (6/25), Caddyshack (7/2), Breakfast Club (7/9), E.T. (7/16), Top Gun (7/23), Dirty Dancing (7/30), and Big (8/6).

* The Post and City Paper cover the second annual Mayor-vs-Council free-stadium-suite-tickets standoff, with City Paper posting the transcript of a particularly feisty exchange this morning between the Mayor and the media today.

This is the "beer garden" that caused a bit of a stir last week, and representatives of Akridge, Georgetown Events, and Headfirst Sports were on hand to explain their concept to the ANC. A document handed out describes it as a space with "a large tent that will include a beverage station, a temporary stage for live music, porta johns, tables with seating, possible baseball netting cages for live instruction, and a children's activity area." It would be open on game days beginning three hours before game time and ending two hours after (or before midnight regardless of whether the game is over). The newly erected 12-foot-high wooden fence would surround the site, with one entrance where IDs will be checked and bracelets given to those 21 and older, with up to 12 security employees on hand. There would be food from third-party vendors as well as Georgetown Events' own restaurants (Surfside, Jetties, and the Rookery). There's also the possibility of activities in the space (such as farmers' markets or other events) on non-gamedays, though the lease for the space ends at the beginning of November.

Headfirst Sports (named by Sports Illustrated for Kids as the "Best Summer Camp in the Entire Washington Area") is planning to run in the park a "variety of games, contests, and competitions as well as small clinic and group instruction aimed at teaching young Nationals fans how to play and love baseball and softball." The operator of Headfirst also made clear his interest in working with youth groups from the neighborhood in sessions apart from the gameday activities.

The ANC commissioners were supportive of the plans, although they had a lot of questions (too bad you all missed the long discussion of whether the phrase "frozen drinks" is a legal term), and 6D07 commissioner Bob Siegel complimented the group, saying "you convinced us that this is going to possibly work." Some specifics still need to be hammered out in the "voluntary agreement" that Georgetown Events is entering into with the ANC, but the commissioners voted 7-0 to support the group's application for a "Tavern" liquor license. An April 30-May 1 opening date is being targeted, but there is still city bureaucracy to contend with.

As for the Akridge site, baseball fans heading to the ballpark today were met with a slew of new signage on the west side of Half Street advertising "Akridge at Half Street"--the new web site shows some of the art on the signs, and I also took a few photos of the fences and put them on my Akridge Half Street page, though the skies were so gloomy that I couldn't bring myself to post the complete set. There's a spot where local artists will be creating works right on the fence, and there is also a chalkboard where passers-by can write messages, as many did today.

UPDATE: Some additional details on the plans from WBJ.

The game didn't have the outcome fans hoped for, but there were a fair number of moments to cheer about for the pretty-darn-huge crowd that played hooky to show up at Nationals Park for the 2009 home opener. I took a pile of photos, of the pre-game ceremonies and just a bunch of tableau shots from around the stadium, which eventually I'll get installed on my main ballpark page. And, just for the heck of it, here's some reminders of what the area looked like before and after the stadium.

Now, off to the ANC meeting, which I'm already late for.