ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on September 25, 2024. Commissioners present: Duvalier Malone (5A01); Emily Singer Lucio (5A03) – Vice Chair, Secretary; Diego Rojas (5A04); Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09) – Treasurer. ANC 5A06 & 5A07 are vacant.

Commission Business

The ANC approved the Fiscal Year 2024 3rd Quarter financial report. The ANC tabled voting on the FY 2025 budget.

The ANC approved a job description for an ANC administrative assistant.

Mayor’s Office Ward 5 Report (Anthony Black, Ward 5 MOCR)

Christian Starghill is a new Ward 5 MOCR. She will be helping out with issues in ANC 5A. She can be reached at christian.starghill@dc.gov or at 202-394-4399. Mr. Black can be reached at anthony.black@dc.gov or at 202-251-5049.

The MOCRs will hold Ward 5 days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10:00am-3:00 pm, when they can meet with ANC commissioners and residents across the ward to address issues.

September was National Preparedness month. Art All Night took place across all eight wards.

Ward 5 Council Report (Oliver Stoute, Constituent Services Coordinator for Councilmember Zachary Parker)

Ward 5 Day was a big success, with a shoutout going to Commissioner Lucio for helping with the young entrepreneur fair.

CM Parker is chairing a new subcommittee on libraries and youth affairs.

DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb plans to issue a letter regarding the investigation into the sale of the Providence campus. Look for that in an upcoming newsletter from CM Parker.

Up in the Air Public Arts Project (Leonina Arismendi & Lynda Andrews-Barry)

The Up in the Air art project is a public call to action for equitable access to clean air in Ward 5 with a special focus on the Ivy City and Trinidad neighborhoods. The “artivists” are currently working to install an exhibit at Trinidad Recreation Center. They are supporting the 2023 Environmental Justice Amendment Act. Residents can support the project by submitting photos to Up in the Air.

National Links Trust Langston Golf Course Renovation (Michael McCartin, Cofounder; Damian Cosby, Executive Director)

National Links Trust was awarded a 50-year operating lease at three golf courses in DC for an initiative called the Nation’s Capital Project. They recently reopened the mini golf course at East Potomac Park. They are turning their attention to renovations at historic Langston Golf Course, which opened in 1939. They will be holding community meetings to get input on the golf course. They emphasized the importance of municipal golf courses and their goal of having the site used for community programs (for example, an exhibit on Black golf history) and workforce development. Stay tuned for notices about community meetings regarding Langston.

Commissioner Updates

5A03

Commissioner Lucio (5A03) will hold a single member district meeting on October 10. She will discuss the Mundo Verde renovation and the friar building that is for sale.

Commissioner Lucio said she is working with CM Parker’s office to make sure the community is considered in the Attorney General’s letter that is forthcoming regarding the Providence campus.

The Kennedy School development is moving ahead. They will be razing the site shortly.

She is working with the HOA of the Michigan Park townhomes to resolve what is the city’s responsibility and what is the HOA’s responsibility.

5A08

Commissioner Fletcher (5A08) will have an SMD meeting on October 24.

There was a groundbreaking for 1 Hawaii Avenue, a 100% income-restricted affordable housing development in ANC 5A06.

5A09

A “party of five” that included Commissioner Bocoum acting in her personal capacity, not as a commissioner, reached a settlement agreement with Aldi for the sale of beer and wine at the store that will be opening soon at 5300 South Dakota Avenue in ANC 5A09.

(Aside: I have to acknowledge ANC 5F Commissioner Aru Sahni (5F02). Back in June I reached out to him to ask for a copy of the settlement agreement that his ANC reached with the Trader Joe’s that will be opening near Brookland Metro station. He responded right away. I shared that agreement with Commissioner Bocoum prior to the ANC’s June meeting, explaining that ABCA encourages parties to copy agreements that have been vetted and approved and tailor them as appropriate. For whatever reason, other commissioners on the ANC did not understand the protest process and created unnecessary confusion in trying to get an agreement at the ANC level. So Bocoum ended up pursuing an agreement as a party of five.)

Miscellaneous

Earlier in the meeting, a resident tried to tie the environmental justice issues in Ward 5 discussed during the “Up in the Air” presentation to the South Dakota Avenue safety study by stating that bike lanes on South Dakota Avenue would cause more car idling. Therefore, the resident said, there will be more air pollution if bike lanes are put on South Dakota Avenue. In response, Commissioner Fletcher said that he has been told that bike lanes have been taken off the table for the South Dakota Avenue project. A resident then stated that DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum said that all bike lane projects across the city have been put on hold. Commissioner Fletcher did not state where he received his information.

Jose Sousa, Chief Operating Officer for Yu Ying, requested to present on the school’s expansion at the ANC’s October meeting.

The next ANC 5A meeting will be October 23, 2024.