Social Service Office's Water Shut Off Because of Unpaid Bill

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By Yolanda Woodlee

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 26, 2008; Page B06

The water was temporarily shut off yesterday at one of the District's main social service offices because the commercial real estate company that leases the five-story building to the city for $212,000 a month had not paid the utility bill, city officials said.

Services to 645 H St. NE, headquarters of the city's Income Maintenance office, were interrupted from 9 a.m. until 11:45 a.m., D.C. Water and Sewer Authority spokeswoman Michele Quander-Collins said. Visitors were told that the restrooms were "out of order." More than 120 employees work in the building, and they were allowed to use the facilities next door at 609 H St. NE.

Quander-Collins said that the lessor was a private company and that WASA could not reveal details about the bill or arrangements to pay it. The city leases the building from 601-645 H St. Ventures, a company registered in Delaware and affiliated with H Street Investors. The company's president and managing partner is F. Davis Camalier, whose family is a well-known real estate developer in the region. The offices of the company also are affiliated with Washington Real Estate Partners. Messages left at that office requesting information about the utility bill were not returned.

City records show that H Street Ventures has not filed the papers needed to renew its corporation registration. In November, its registration was revoked.

Bill Rice, a spokesman for the city's Office of Property Management, said that the lease will expire at the end of this week but that the city has signed a short-term lease to continue it. "This is the kind of thing we try to fix as soon as possible by working with the department and the building owner," he said.

Cheryl Holliday, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, said that the utility problem was a "slight" inconvenience for workers but that it was important to keep the office open. The office serves residents who receive food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.