At the last Civic Association meeting on October 4, 2023, the Faith United Church informed the community that as part of their outreach ministry they wanted to implement a plan to house homeless women overnight between November and March. Because this will impact the North Michigan Park community, Faith Church has agreed to hold a community meeting to listen to our concerns regarding this impact on the community.
This meeting is scheduled as a face to face meeting ONLY :
Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Faith United Church
4900 10th Street NE
Washington, DC 20017
Please make sure to inform your neighbors of this important meeting.
ANC 5A held its public meeting on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Commissioners present: Duvalier Malone (5A01); Karlus Cozart (5A02) – Parliamentarian; Diego Rojas (5A04); Tyeron Boston (5A05); Kweku Toure (5A06) – Vice Chair; Gordon Fletcher (5A08) – Chair; Shelagh Bocoum (5A09). ANC 5A07 is vacant.
This was the ANC’s first hybrid meeting. It was held in person at Yu Ying Public Charter School and available for viewing on zoom. Commissioner Fletcher said that the ANC plans to rotate the in-person meeting sites around ANC 5A.
[Aside: I think the hybrid format worked okay for the ANC’s first attempt. I viewed online. It would be helpful for speakers in the room to use a microphone when speaking so that the sound can be picked up online. There are some gaps in the recap because I could not always hear what speakers in the room were saying.]
The presenter for the mediation organization on the agenda did not attend.
ANC Business
The ANC voted for new ANC 5A09 commissioner Shelagh Bocoum to serve as treasurer.
The ANC voted to approve a budget. It was unclear what budget was being approved. They mentioned the proposed FY2023 budget, but October 1 was the beginning of FY2024.
The ANC also voted to approve an annual report. It was unclear if the annual report is done.
If anyone is interested in serving on the ANC’s public safety committee, contact ANC Commissioner Karlus Cozart (5A02) at 5A02@anc.dc.gov.
UDC gave a presentation on their proposed Lamond-Riggs campus plan. The Lamond-Riggs campus is located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. It houses the college’s community college programs as well as one of UDC CAUSES urban food hubs. UDC submitted the campus plan application to the DC Zoning Commission on June 21, 2023. A public hearing is scheduled for October 30, 2023 (ZC case no. 23-16).
The university is proposing a two-phase campus development plan. Phase 1 will involve renovation of the existing buildings. Phase 2 will involve construction of a new wing on the campus. The campus plan site is https://www.udc.edu/campus-master-plan.
The Armed Forces Retirement Home project was on the agenda, but representatives asked to be moved to a future meeting date when they will be ready to present to the ANC. (A map amendment request for the site is before the DC Zoning Commission (ZC case no. 23-21)).
Miscellaneous
I could not hear much of what those in the audience said during the community concerns portion of the meeting, but I do know that there was at least one long comment about the Providence campus. Commissioner Fletcher said that there will be more conversations about that project. The project website is https://www.providencereimagined.com.
The Ward 5 Mutual Aid group is looking for a permanent space in the ward. The organization is currently housed in ANC 5A’s office at The Modern on Galloway Street NE. The mutual aid group wants to find a space near their current location. Commissioner Fletcher said he will work with the group to find a space.
The next ANC 5A public meeting is scheduled for October 25, 2023.
[Ed. Note: At the North Michigan Park Civic Association meeting held on October 4, Faith United Church shared that DC’s Department of Human Services (DHS) approached the church about serving as a hypothermia shelter site for single women when hypothermia alerts are in effect. A church representative said that the church wants to help and that there is space for up to approximately 30 women. He said the individuals would remain on the grounds of the church during their stay. DHS wants to have everything in place by November in time for the cold weather months. The church representative stated the church will have a community meeting about the proposal. ANC 5A sent the information below to the ANC’s distribution list.]
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From ANC 5A
Faith United Church of Christ at Decatur Street NE and South Dakota Ave NE has been asked to become a shelter for women over the winter. At this point, what we know is that if this goes forward, the women will be bussed there in the evening and will be bussed from there in the morning. It is out understanding that there will be security and that they will not be allowed to leave the shelter after they arrive. We have also been told that there will be security. That is all we know as of now.
There is a community meeting scheduled. Please attend to learn more.
Single agenda: Faith UCC becoming a temporary hypothermia site for DHS.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 7pm Faith United Church of Christ 4900 10th St NE, Washington DC 20017
My neighbor Keith and I have been working with some of the large private property owners along the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE corridor to tidy up their properties and to help keep surrounding public properties clean as well. Neighbors know that the public spaces owned by the District government, Metro, and National Park Service (NPS) in the neighborhood need a little attention.
The reception has been generally positive. Keith reached out to Alan Thompson, the owner of the Chick-fil-A located at 220 Riggs Road NE, to ask if his team could help with cleaning up the area along the north side of Riggs Road between the bridge & 1st Place NE. That area, the responsibility of partly NPS & Metro, tends to get debris that ends up accumulating, making it a bit unpleasant to walk down the street.
Alan answered the call. Oh the transformation. I have not seen that area look so clean in many, many years.
Huge thanks to the property owners who recognize they are part of a neighborhood & want to help us keep it clean!
Riggs Road NE North Side After Chick-fil-A Cleanup
Riggs Road NE North Side Before Chick-fil-A Cleanup
UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) invites neighbors to a Community Open House.
October 27, 2023 1:00 pm-4:00 pm UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus/Urban Food Hub 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
Community-based organizations, local agencies, and residents are invited to explore CAUSES urban research projects, academic degrees and certifications, and land-grant opportunities.
Take a tour of the Lamond-Riggs Urban Farm & learn about volunteer opportunities.
Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker invites North Michigan Park residents to a public safety walk with new MPD 4th District Commander Nikki Lavenhouse.
October 12, 2023 5:30 pm
Meet at corner of South Dakota Avenue & Delafield Street NE (McDonald’s side).
For questions, contact Carlos McKnight at cmcknight@dccouncil.gov or at (771) 333-9914.
Phone call should remain on mute unless asked to unmute.
Respect others when speaking
Respect our guest.
Raise your hand if you have a question and wait to be acknowledged.
President’s Update
Scholarship Night
NMP Community Yard Sale
Bulk Trash and Electronic Roll-Off
Community Day
Meeting of the 200 footers regarding McDonalds
Faith United Church
Special Thanks:
MOCR ‘s
Deja Pierre – Clean City
Inspector Darlette Salley Cromer DPW,
Community Day Volunteers
Joint Effort with Michigan Park 4 Life
NMP Recreation Staff
Council members Office Staff
Resident of NMP
Community Development Task Force
Meeting will be scheduled in November regarding the request for a gas station at the 4Mart. Hearing canceled until Jan. owner must meet with Community and the ANC
Providence Hospital update by ANC
Guest Speakers:
4D Commander Lavenhouse or designee
Officer Hamrick 4D Community Relations
DPW – Inspector Darlette Salley Cromer
McDonalds’s – Leila Batties , Raoul Alvarez
Community Leader Reports
Mayor’s Office – MOCR – Christian Starghill / Christopher Ingram
From the Office of Ward Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
Join Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George for the second annual Ward 4 Senior Jubilee on Friday, October 6 from 12:30pm-3:30pm at Lamond Recreation Center!
This will be an opportunity to gather together, celebrate community, and enjoy music, dancing, food, games, prizes, and important resources from District agencies.
RSVP online at https://janeeseward4.com/jubilee or by calling or leaving a voicemail with the council office at 202-724-8052 to save your spot.
For questions or requests for accommodations, please reach out to Barbara Rogers at brogers@dccouncil.gov.
Become a member of LRCA. LRCA membership dues support scholarships for neighborhood youth. Last program year, LRCA awarded two scholarships to youth who started college this fall.
Art All Night hosted by The Parks Main Street (TPMS) returns to the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods on September 30, 2023.
Visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5. Should be a fun time.
Register to automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park. Registrants must check-in at a TPMS Welcome Center to confirm eligibility.
Presented by The Parks Main Streets with financial support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Small and Local Business Development. Additional support by Chick-fil-A Riggs Park, Riggs Park Place (EYA), Riggs Crossings Senior Residences (APAH).
The chair of the DC Board of Zoning Adjustment postponed the hearing on a proposed gas station at 4975 South Dakota Avenue NE to January 17, 2024 (BZA case no. 17963A). This is the proposal to put a gas station in front of the DC SuperMart/Z-Burger, which is next to a Sunoco gas station and across the street from the McDonald’s. The property is located in ANC 5A08.
The hearing was previously scheduled for today. This is the second time the hearing has been postponed. The applicant requested a postponement in order to have time to meet with ANC 5A and the North Michigan Park Civic Association.
This is the area west of the red line tracks at Fort Totten Metro station. It includes the area along 1st Place NE (including Metro’s large parking lot that is slated for future development), the Met Branch Trail at Fort Totten, a big chunk of National Park Service parkland, and the residential area west of Fort Totten Park in the Fort Totten neighborhood.
Nominating petitions will be available starting October 10.
From the District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
DDOT is giving away 170 bikes at Open Streets Georgia Avenue on Saturday, October 7th! 50% of the bikes will go to low-income families, and the rest will be raffled off to lucky DC residents! Enter the raffle here: https://forms.office.com/g/fUn2rFgwUq
[Ed. Note: The volunteer coordinator for UDC CAUSES passed along the following note regarding volunteer opportunities at the university’s food hub located on the Lamond-Riggs campus at South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE]
From UDC CAUSES
My name is Michele Bassler and I am the Volunteer Coordinator at the University of DC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). I would love to help connect you in a meaningful way with the Lamond-Riggs Urban Food Hub (formerly Bertie Backus) at 5171 South Dakota Avenue.
There are regular volunteer opportunities at Lamond-Riggs where you can support urban and sustainable agriculture projects that address food insecurity, healthy nutrition and quality of life in DC. Please click here to learn more and sign up in our volunteer platform, Golden Volunteer.
Also, I want to announce that next week we are holding a Volunteer Program Information Session for any community members who are new to volunteering with CAUSES or are interested in learning more. There are two options to attend:
Tuesday, September 26th, 5:00pm-6:00pm (in person at UDC Van Ness Campus)
Thursday, September 28th, 6:30pm-7:30pm (via Zoom)
The agenda includes an overview of all of our volunteer opportunities in areas such as food security, healthy nutrition, youth mentoring and urban agriculture that actively contribute to the DC community. You’ll learn how to search and sign-up for opportunities, as well as next steps and the support that you can expect from us. Snacks and giveaways will be provided at the in-person event. Feel free to forward this announcement.
Pre-registration is required. Please RSVP by Friday, September 22nd by clicking here.
If you have any questions or concerns about our volunteer platform, the Volunteer Program Information Session, or the CAUSES Volunteer Program in general, feel free to reach out to me. I am here to help and am happy to chat by phone or via Zoom. I also love visitors to my office on the Van Ness Campus of UDC. I hope to connect with you soon!
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
