The ANC did not have a quorum for its monthly public meeting on October 23, 2019, so this meeting became a discussion of general community issues. Commissioners present: Chair Ronnie Edwards (5A05), Emily Singer Lucio (5A03), and Gordon Fletcher (5A08).

Shawn Hilgendorf, Committee Director for the Committee on Facilities and Procurement chaired by At-Large Councilmember Robert White, is visiting ANC meetings throughout DC. Councilmember White is finishing up a series of roundtables with ANCs to hear what their needs are. A couple of pieces of legislation are pending, one to give ANCs great weight in tbe comprehensive plan review process and the other to provide support within the Office of ANCs for commissions as they assess development projects. Many ANCs are ill-equipped to effectively advocate for communities with respect to development projects in which developers are represented by attorneys, architects, and other experts, so the idea is to have staff with planning and other expertise within the Office of ANCs to provide support to commissioners. If you have thoughts or concerns you would like share about how the ANC is operating, you can email Mr. Hilgendorf at shilgendorf@dccouncil.us.

Rocketship Charter School and Social Justice Charter School were on the agenda again. The DC Public Charter School Board is scheduled to hold a vote on October 28 on Rocketship’s application to open a third campus near Fort Totten metro station. Without a quorum, the ANC could not vote on the application. Commissioner Edwards stated the ANC will hold a special meeting within the next two weeks. I suppose the ANC wants to have a vote even though any special meeting will have to be after the DCPCSB’s vote on October 28.

DC Water is performing upgrades to the Soldiers’ Home Reservoir, located at the intersection of Arnold Drive and Pershing Dirve, NW on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. See handout here. Estimated construction start date is late Octobet 2019 and estimated construction completion date is late December 2020. Golf course operations on the two affected airways will be limited during construction and the fairways will be restored after construction is done. For more information, contact DC Water Project Manager Willis Thomas at (202) 787-7616 or willis.thomas@dcwater.com.

MPD public safety report: There continue to be a lot of smash and grabs from cars. Seriously, do not leave anything in your cars. It will be taken and you will be left with a smashed window to repair. The T-Mobile has now been robbed of phones twice. Someone was robbed on South Dakota Avenue near the 7-11. Be aware of your surroundings especially as it is getting darker earlier.

Without a quorum, the ANC was not able to vote on its fiscal year 2020 budget, so the budget will be presented at a future meeting.

The November meeting is scheduled for Novemer 20, 2019, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.