ANC 5A May 2016 Meeting Notice

Guest Post

On March 23, 2016, ANC 5A held its monthly community meeting at the Backus Campus of UDC’s Community College. The meeting included information on the following topics.

Robberies Have Increased All Over the City

MPD Officer Lucas reported on police activity in the Fourth District. He said that the number of robberies has increased all over DC. Officer Lucas reminded us to always be aware of our surroundings; for example, don’t be distracted by using your cell phone while crossing the street. In response to a question, he said most crime activity occurs on Metro property between the hours of 3pm and 10pm.   A member of the audience asked if the crime statistics of the three police agencies – DC, WMATA and US Parks – could be consolidated to provide a more complete crime picture.

Mary’s Center Opens in the Fall

Dr. Tollie Elliott, Chief Medical Officer at Mary’s Center, announced that Briya Public Charter School, Bridges Public Charter School, and Mary’s Center will open the doors at Mary’s Center’s new facility — 100 Gallatin St. NE — this fall with comprehensive services for Fort Totten area families. Dr. Tollie was joined by Joan Yengo, Chief Program Officer, who said Mary’s Center has strong relationships with Howard and Providence Hospitals and supports
Women, Infant and Children (WIC) services.  She mentioned that WIC availability will be posted once dates and times are set.

Dr. Elliot responded to audience queries with the following:

• For those interested in receiving service, walk-in slots are available, appointments are preferred;
• A kick-off date will be announced once scheduled, and Mary’s Center will operate Monday through Friday, with no weekend hours; and
• Mary’s Center is funded through various programs and grants, including DC Health Insurance and a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, which requires certification every three years.

ANC 5A March Meeting Notice

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on February 24, 2016. All commissioners were present except Commissioner Grace Lewis (5A02). This was a long meeting.

Transportation Issues

1.  South Dakota Avenue and Decatur Street NE

DDOT presented the conclusions of its study for a HAWK signal at the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and Decatur Street NE. Commissioner Adrian Jordan (5A03) requested the study because residents believe it is unsafe for them to cross at the crosswalk there and people would like it to be easier to access the bus stop at that corner. DDOT concluded a standard traffic light is not warranted because there are too few vehicles entering South Dakota Avenue from Decatur Street. And a HAWK signal is not warranted because of the low number of pedestrians crossing South Dakota Avenue at Decatur Street. DDOT did, however, provide short-term, medium-term, and long-term recommendations for improving pedestrian safety crossing at the intersection.

DDOT South Dakota Ave-Decatur Street Ped Safety-Access Study (pdf)

Short-term: Improving signing and marking for existing crosswalk

• Install new pedestrian warning signs and “down arrow” plaques on each side of crosswalk
• Install “PED XING” text on pavement
• Install new advance pedestrian warning signs and radar speed signs
• Install “DC Law Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk” paddle in the existing crosswalk
• Restripe crosswalks for high visibility

Medium-term: Install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB)

With RRFB, install advance stop lines and “Stop Here for Pedestrians” signs at each stop line. Here is an explanation they provided of RRFB: DDOT RRFB Handout (pdf)

The commissioners seemed receptive to this recommendation, particularly in combination with the short-term recommendation.

Long-term: Road Diet

• Study South Dakota Avenue between Michigan Avenue and Riggs Road for lane reduction to reduce vehicle speeds and improve crossing safety
• This would include one travel lane with right-turn and left-turn only lanes in both directions

This proposal seemed to be outright rejected by residents and commissioners, though it might make sense. A few residents said traffic is already terrible during the morning and evening commutes, particularly near South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road.

ANC 5A will have to decide which recommendations it supports, if any, and present a resolution or letter to DDOT to proceed. If you feel strongly about any of these recommendations, I highly recommend contacting your commissioner.

2.  Sound Barrier

ANC 5A has discussed sound and vibration mitigation, like a sound barrier, for residences near the train tracks for some time now. In past meetings, DDOT recommended trees as a buffer and installing new windows for the homes along Puerto Rico Avenue NE. Councilmember McDuffie had roughly $250,000 inserted in the budget for mitigation measures. At this ANC meeting, DDOT stated that the money in the budget was actually bond money, which cannot be used for the types of improvements contemplated, so now they have to find other sources of money, such as paygo funds, to pay for the improvements.

3. Other Issues: Use 311 & Submit Transportation Safety/Improvement Items to Commission

Residents and commissioners raised a host of other issues, such as the conditions of roads and sidewalks and the flow of traffic along South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road. DDOT noted residents should use 311 for many requests because that way they have a written record of the request and there can be appropriate follow-up from either the councilmember’s or mayor’s constituent services office if it seems like a request is taking a long time to close. (Sidenote: I can attest that 311 works; I have used it for a few safety improvement/road markings requests. It might take a while and you have to be persistent about following up.)

In addition, the commissioners said they will compile a list of items for study and improvement that they will submit to DDOT. If you have any item you would like to be included in that list, I highly recommend that you email your commissioner and Chair Angel Alston (5A08) with your request as soon as possible.

Creative Minds International Public Charter School

Hannah Reed, Director of After School Programs for Creative Minds International Public Charter School, located near the Armed Forces Retirement Home, briefly presented on the school’s plans to add middle grades in the future. The school currently serves Pre-K through 5th grade. Two 6th-grade classes will be added for the 2016-17 school year, expanding to 7th and 8th grade after that. The school is conducting outreach to Ward 5 families to get the word out about the school’s plans. All families will have to go through the lottery application process.

Creative Minds Intl Public Charter School Handout (pdf)

Police Report

PSA 405 Lieutenant Ashley Rosenthal presented the 30 day police report and year-over-year comparison for February. Violent crimes are up; there were five. Property crimes are down. Lt. Rosenthal also noted what seems to be an uptick in reported instances of women being approached from behind and having their purses or bags snatched.

PSA 405 Feb 2016 crime stats

There was also some discussion about an incident at the corner store near the gas station at South Dakota Avenue and Decatur Street. Residents apparently witnessed the previous storeowner running kids out of his store with a shotgun. That storeowner has since sold the store, which is now operating under a new owner.

Elected Officials Report

Ward 5 MOCR provided information about the private security camera rebate program. He noted the grand opening for the streetcar will be on February 27 at . The mayor’s office is holding budget engagement forums. The next one is on February 27 at 1:00 pm at DOES (4058 Minnesota Avenue SE).

Ronan Gulstone, Chief of Staff to Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, noted the council will be holding oversight hearings. See schedule: DC Council FY2015-FY2016 Oversight Hearing Schedule. When I asked about Councilmember McDuffie’s plan for finding an alternative location to the one he opposed that was selected for the Ward 5 homeless shelter (2266 25th Place NE), Gulstone noted there will be a hearing on the shelter plan on March 17, 2016, at 10:30 am. On February 22, 2016, the Langdon Park Civic Association and Woodridge Civic Association hosted a meeting on the proposed Ward 5 homeless shelter plan. There, residents mentioned lots of alternative locations (including apparently this neighborhood, according to DCist). Commissioner Sandi Washington (5A07) seems to believe the councilmember will follow “the community’s” direction. I do not know how accurate that is and it is unclear what “community” means in this context, but Gulstone noted at the very least, affected neighborhoods should be notified. We will have to see what happens at the hearing, considering the mayor’s office wants to move the plan in its entirety.

SMD Report/Community Concerns

There was more discussion about the St. Joseph Seminary development project (12th and Allison EYA project). Councilmember Jordan reiterated that he is open to listening and that until the developers submit an application for a planned unit development (PUD), there is nothing on which he or the commission can take an official position or official action. He highlighted that plans can and do change. At one point EYA considered building 150-180 townhomes; recently EYA stated it now plans to build under 100 homes, according to residents. (Commissioner Alston buttressed this point by pointing to one group’s plan to build affordable housing on land owned by Faith United Church. There was plenty of discussion and lots of meetings, but the group ended up not submitting a PUD application to pursue its plan.) So until the ANC receives notification about a PUD application, ANC 5A will not take any position, but Commissioner Jordan is free to hold SMD meetings about the project.

Commissioner Alston noted there is a rumor that the owner of the McDonalds on South Dakota and Decatur plans to move to it to South Dakota and Riggs where the KFC is located and that the land where the McDonalds currently sits will be sold to a developer to build apartments. Neither Commissioner Alston nor Commissioner Jordan has received notification or any confirmation about any impending move, so right now the rumor remains a rumor.

Commissioner Alston said the ANC received notification that DC Bilingual Campus will be offered to other charter schools because of low enrollment.

Commissioner Alston noted Capital Area Food Bank and Food & Friends are always looking for volunteers.

More residents requested ANC 5A to keep its website updated. Commissioner Jasmine White (5A06) appeared to state that the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (OANC) is or will be updating ANC 5A’s website, at the very least with respect to providing notice of meetings. Even though we sound like a broken record, I do think it is important to continue letting the ANC know at every meeting and emailing the chair that residents believe it is incumbent upon the ANC to utilize its website to provide information about resolutions, official ANC positions, developments, etc. Neighboring ANC 4B has a decent website from which ANC 5A can get ideas.

ANC 5A February Meeting Notice

On January 27, 2016, ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting. All commissioners were present. The meeting primarily consisted of ANC business. The commissioners elected new officers:

• Chair: Angel Alston (5A08)
• Vice Chair: Adrian Jordan (5A03)
• Treasurer: Sandi Washington (5A07)
• Secretary: Jasmine White (5A06)
• Parliamentarian: Isaiah Burroughs (5A04)

The commissioners voted to participate in the ANC security fund. They voted to support payment of up to $2,000 to have an electrical outlet installed in their new office for their copier. ANC 5A does not pay rent for its office at UDC-CC Backus. The ANC’s old office in the school had an appropriate outlet to support a copier, but the school moved them into a different room that does not.

Public Safety

PSA 405 Lieutenant Ashley Rosenthal presented a crime report. Generally, violent crimes are up; property crimes are down. Lt. Rosenthal reminded residents that officers are not able to provide a lot of detail about ongoing investigations, which is understandably frustrating for residents who think crime is not being addressed.

PSA 405 Crime Stats Jan 2016 and Year End Report

Elected Officials Reports

Ronan Gulstone, chief of staff to Ward 5 Councilmember McDuffie, discussed the markup of the councilmember’s public safety bill, the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act of 2015 (or NEAR Act). He stated some of the proposals in the mayor’s public safety bill are included in this bill. The councilmember supported a measure to continue the prohibition on smoking marijuana in private clubs. Gulstone also mentioned that DC’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants is responsible for promulgating regulations to implement the recently passed security camera incentive program. He believes regulations should be out soon.

Ward 5 school board member Mark Jones stated he was pleased the board passed a resolution to give GED holders after January 2014 a state high school diploma. He said having a diploma would better position GED holders as they apply for jobs or seek higher education.

Mamie D. Lee School Building

A community flyer was available with updates on construction progress for Briya Bridges Public Charter School and Mary’s Center, which will occupy the former Mamie D. Lee school building at 100 Gallatin Street NE. The flyer also contains contact information for construction employment and construction activity inquiries.

Briya Bridges St. Mary’s Community Letter Jan 2016

Community Concerns/SMD Reports

There was protracted discussion about the EYA 12th and Allison project, also known as the St. Joseph Seminary project. In response to a question about Councilmember McDuffie’s lack of engagement, Ronan Gulstone stated Councilmember McDuffie’s office is listening to residents’ concerns about the project, but until the developer submits a planned unit development (PUD) application, there is not really anything the councilmember can do except listen. Once a PUD is filed, and the developers indicate one will be filed in the spring, then the councilmember along with residents will have clearer information about the project.

The commission tabled support of the Brookland/Edgewood Livability Study after Commissioner Jordan and a resident expressed concern that the study area excluded residents in ANC 5A who live on the outer edges of Brookland.

Commissioner Alston noted the Zoning Commission approved Comstock’s proposed development for approximately 40 townhomes near the Capital Area Food Bank and Emerson Park. See Zoning Commission Order No. 15-04 (Comstock). To comply with inclusionary zoning requirements, two homes will be set aside for households earning up to 50 percent of the area median income (AMI) and two for households earning up to 80 percent of the AMI. The developer is also setting aside an additional home beyond the IZ requirement for a household earning up to 80% of the AMI. The development will include a paved, lighted pedestrian/bicycle path for people to more easily access Fort Totten metro station and other community benefits:

• $4,000 towards a vibration study
• $40,000 for repairs of homes of senior citizens in North Michigan Park, with $10,000 reserved specifically for senior citizens living in the 4700 and 4800 blocks of 6th Street NE
• $35,000 towards the renovation of UDC-CC Backus, with a provision permitting use of space by ANC 5A and the communities represented by ANC 5A08 60 times over a 2-year period
• $12,500 to help establish the Friends of Totten Mews
• $5,000 to North Michigan Park Civic Association to support their annual scholarship program and back-to school supply giveaway
• $10,000 to Capital Area Food Bank to service providers operating in Ward 5, specifically ANC 5A

Finally, the commissioners acknowledged they need to be better about communicating with residents. To that end, they have set up an ANC 5A twitter account (@ANC5A). And they pledged to do a better job of keeping the website up to date. Notably however, Commissioner Burroughs (ANC 5A04), who set up the twitter page, is still not listed on ANC 5A’s website. The position is still listed as vacant. Burroughs became ANC 5A04 commissioner on November 18, 2015.

ANC 5A held its monthly public meeting on March 25, 2015. Below are highlights.

Education

At-large Councilmember David Grosso spoke about his work chairing the council’s education committee. A few priorities for him are providing wraparound services in schools, examining disciplinary practices, and making sure students get mental health services more quickly.  He mentioned a bill that will require the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to annually gather data on suspensions and expulsions.

He also highlighted a bill to seal the record of nonviolent marijuana offenders. The benefit of having a record sealed is that it will not have to be disclosed on employment applications asking about criminal history.

In response to a question, Grosso spoke about his support to build a new all-boys public school to be located east of the Anacostia River as part of the District’s Empowering Men of Color initiative. (An aside: DC Attorney General Karl Racine reportedly weighed in recently with no legal objection to a public all-boys school).

MBT

Jim Sebastian of DDOT provided a look at the preliminary design for extenstion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) between Brookland and Takoma. The commissioners raised concerns about public safety, particularly with respect to the narrow off-road section planned next to the trash transfer station. Sebastian noted DDOT welcomes comments about all aspects of the trail, including suggestions for lighting, security cameras, and a call box. More information about the trail is available on the project website. Comments may be sent to jim.sebastian@dc.gov.

Brookland/Edgewood livability study

DDOT is undertaking a six-month livability study for Brookland and Edgewood to increase safety and improve transportation connectivity and accessibility in the area. A tiny part of ANC 5A is in the study area. Those in ANC 5A who live close to the study area, but not within the boundaries of the study area, are still able to be part of the conversation to address concerns that any recommendations for the study area may have. There will be a public meeting on April 9, 2015, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, at Trinity Washington University Main Hall-O’Connor Auditorium (125 Michigan Avenue NE). For more information about the study and public meetings, visit the project website.

Totten Mews townhomes

Comstock Development and their counsel gave a brief presentation on Totten Mews, the planned townhome subdivision to be located near the Capital Area Food Bank and Emerson Park. They submitted a planned unit development (PUD) application and are in discussion with neighboring residents about community benefits. There was some back-and-forth about whether 6th Street will be opened up (as approved in the now expired PUD submitted by the previous landowner) and the perceived safety issue with having only one way in and one way out of the proposed development. Emerson Park and some nearby residents do not want the street opened because they do not want to deal with car traffic, while other nearby residents believe opening up the street will relieve traffic on other streets and allow a more direct route for people to reach their homes. The compromise included in the new PUD application is to open the street for bike and pedestrian access, but not vehicle access. For more information about the development, contact ANC 5A08 commissioner Angel Alston.

Miscellaneous items

The commissioners accepted the new grant procedures introduced by Commissioner Alston.

Councilmember McDuffie’s deputy chief of staff announced that arrests have been made for the recent robberies that took place on or near the MBT in Edgewood. He also mentioned that DC Water is hosting its annual ward town hall meetings during the month of April. The Ward 5 meeting will be April 9 at 6:30 pm at Noyes Education Campus (2725 10th Street NE).

The February 25, 2015, ANC 5A meeting was a long one.

• ANC business
• Police report
• Verizon
• ANC Budget
• Potomac Charter presentation
• Transition plan for CAPCS

The commission voted to approve the 2015 budget pending certain changes and agreed to post the budget to its website.

Police report

The commission decided to combine the PSA 405 meeting with the ANC meeting because people rarely attend PSA meetings. Lieutenant Michelle Ridlehoover attended with Officer Lucas. Lt. Ridlehoover mentioned the crew-related homicide on 12th Street and Emerson Street NE, but did not share too much information because the shooting was not random and involved suspects known to Fourth District police.

The officers also shared news of the new marijuana law in effect in the District. They did not pretend to know all of the nuances of the law and we will not either, but the big things to know from Lt. Ridlehoover: no retail buying or selling, no smoking in public, and definitely no smoking on federal property.  That includes Fort Totten and Fort Circle Parks.

One interesting point the officers raised when discussing burglaries in Brookland is that property managers of multi-unit buildings can share keys with officers so that they can patrol the building if there is concern about an outbreak in crime.

Verizon report

Mario Acosta-Velez, Director of Government Affairs for Verizon, attended to address the widespread phone outage that occurred in late 2014. He also shared that Verizon is in the middle of its 10 year, three-phase FIOS deployment plan. Deployment is based on central office service area. This neighborhood is served by the Brookland central office, with deployment scheduled for the final phase to be completed by 2019. He also noted that multi-unit buildings require a separate agreement. Even after FIOS service is deployed to an area, a resident in a multi-unit building cannot call Verizon for FIOS service unless that building has a FIOS agreement with Verizon. If residents have any issues they would like Verizon to address, he can assist at (202) 515-2580.

Introduction of Director of African-American Affairs

Rahman Branch, the newly appointed Director of African-American Affairs, introduced himself to the community. Branch is a former principal of Ballou High School. He shared that the purpose of this newly created office is to advocate on behalf of concerns of African-American residents in the District.  He highlighted the mayor’s budget transparency initiative, inviting residents to participate in the budget engagement forums.

Potomac Preparatory Public Charter School

Melody Giles, Parent Engagement Events Coordinator for Potomac Preparatory Public Charter School (4401 8th Street NE), invited commissioners to the school as part of the conditions for the school to obtain its new charter.  Giles shared that the school (formerly Potomac Lighthouse) has new management and changed its curriculum from arts and fusion to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math).

Report from Councilmember McDuffie’s Office

Councilmember McDuffie recently hired another constituent services coordinator, Wesley Dawson. For any concerns, he can be reached at (202) 727-8274 or wdawson@dccouncil.us.

Councilmember McDuffie’s Deputy Chief of Staff Ronan Gulstone shared a number of opportunities to testify before the council regarding metro safety issues.  Find out more on the councilmember’s website.

Gulstone also shared the transition plan for the Dorothy I Height Community Academy Public Charter School (CAPCS), which had its charter revoked by the DC Public Charter School Board. CAPCS has four schools, one located at 33 Riggs Road NE (Keene campus). According to a letter from the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), DC Bilingual Public Charter School will relocate to the Keene campus and accept a limited number of Keene students. That announcement set off a protracted discussion of the District’s process for handling traditional public school buildings and charter schools and the perceived lack of communication to or consideration for the affected ANC. Commissioner Sandi Washington noted DC Bilingual was one of the charter schools vying for the Mamie D. Lee school building (110 Gallatin Street NE), which was awarded by the outgoing DME to Bridges and Briya Public Charter School in December 2014. ANC 5A formally opposed that selection. Gulstone stated Councilmember McDuffie has worked with the commission to have its concerns articulated to the DME.

Miscellaneous items

Arcadia Food will have a mobile market at Providence Hospital every Friday, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, during the months of May to October to provide healthy food for residents at an affordable price.

The commissioners briefly mentioned that WMATA presented on the joint development proposal for the park-and-ride lot at Fort Totten metro station at ANC 5A’s executive committee meeting. Two proposals were submitted for the joint development; a developer will be selected soon.

ANC 5A held its holiday celebration on December 18 with a few items on the agenda:

• ANC 5A plans to draft a resolution opposing the selection of Bridges and Briya Public Charter School for the Mamie D. Lee school building.  ANC 5A sent a letter in support of a different school before the selection was announced. Commissioner Sandi Washington, in whose SMD the school sits, cited a few reasons for opposing the selection.  (1) The new school will serve 400 students.  The school also plans to partner with Mary’s Center to offer medical services. As a result, the commissioner believes there factors will be an increase in traffic and congestion.  (2) The operating hours for the new school will be 7:00 am – 10:00 pm because the school plans to offer nighttime GED classes. These hours raise public safety concerns for the commissioner. (3) It is unclear if Bridges and Briya plan to simply add on to the current school building or if they plan to tear down part or all of the building to build what Commissioner Washington says will be a five story building. In either case, the building will not look the same and the community expressed concern about how large the new building will be. (4) The school the ANC supported planned to serve special needs students, as Mamie D. Lee currently does. Bridges and Briya will not exclusively serve special needs students.

• Commissioner Angel Alston announced that she received the PUD documents from Comstock to build an additional 47 townhomes in North Michigan Park near Capital Area Food Bank.

• A board member of Potomac Lighthouse Public Charter School (4401 8th Street NE) reported on the management and personnel changes at the school.  He stated the changes resulted in the school going from a Tier 4 school to a Tier 2 school.