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The May 7, 2003,
regularly scheduled monthly meeting of ANC-3D was called to order at
Sibley Hospital’s Ernst Auditorium by the chairman, John Finney, at 7:30
pm.
Commissioners Gates, Shapley, Heuer, Mullane, and Polk were present.
Commissioner Hamilton was absent. Approximately 23 others attended.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
1. Police Report
Officer Kennedy gave the police report. There were 34 crimes in April, a
lower figure than the previous month. The speeding on Arizona Avenue and
Loughboro Road yielded 18 violations and warnings served. On MacArthur
Blvd. there were 11 speeding notices served. The data on staffing for
the midnight shift, a recurrent concern, was not available.
2. Citizens
2.1 Ed Dixon, a resident in the Georgetown Reservoir area, raised the
issue of excessive usage of the local public school’s playing field by
organized groups from outside the community and its adverse impact on
both the neighborhood and the field. Commissioner Polk added that he had
received several e-mail comments to this effect also.
2.2 George Watson, resident of Wesley Heights, raised the issue of DC's
careful handling of garbage cans and the careless handling of recycling
bins by Waste Management, resulting in the breakage of the latter.
Sharon Campbell seconded this problem. The Chairman responded that a
note could be addressed to DPW relative to Waste Management's handling
of recycling in Ward 3.
2.3 Several residents near 3709 48th street raised their continuing
complaint about this home now rented to six American University students
who create public nuisance and disorder and who do not maintain the
property in good order. Richard and Andrea Blake, Ross Atkins, and
Pierre Abushakar spoke to this issue, about which they have been in
contact with Commissioner Shapley She had alerted the police and also
talked with officials of the university with a view to
expediting compliance by the students with neighborhood standards. There
has been at least one other similar case, concerning 47th street
apartments, which was resolved. Lt. Sullivan had reported on her review
of the file on the 48th street property last month. Some dozen residents
have signed a letter of complaint to the absentee landlord. They
emphasized that the neighborhood now has some 40 young children, which
is representative of the demographic change happening in Spring Valley.
A mediation meeting has been proposed by American University.
Commissioner Polk recommended use of a hotline to the university
security police if AU has such a mechanism. The national office of the
Fraternity, to which the students belong, has been brought into the case
and put them on notice.
INVITED FEATURED PRESENTATION
3. Department of Parks and Recreation.
3.1 Neil Rodgers, Deputy Director of the DC Department of Parks and
Recreation, responded to the commission’s questions about deleterious
usage of public playing fields by private sports teams, mostly soccer
teams. He said that DC has never charged groups for usage of public
playing fields since 1975 and that he would need a letter citing adverse
usage to trigger action by the department to cite the team for violation
of its permit. He emphasized that permits were revocable. The government
is trying to develop more public playing fields, especially in parts of
the city now underserved, such as Anacostia. It is hoped this will
relieve the pressure on our area’s fields. The department views all
permit applicants equally and gives no preference to users living in the
park’s actual neighborhood. This fact was greeted with some shock and
dismay by several commissioners, especially as the neighborhood has
donated considerable funds to improving the fields and residents were
unable to use the park for non-organized recreation when so many
organized games were scheduled. Discussion centered on the fact that
some well-organized groups get more permits than they need and sub-let
them and that the traveling league games inflict the most damage to
fields.
3.2 Ward 3 Councilmember, Kathy Patterson, has begun an action
to
transfer some fields, such as Fort Reno and in Rock Creek Park to the
jurisdiction of the Department.
3.3 Commissioners raised
again the desirability of negotiating with the Department a Sunday exception
to permitted organized sports leagues to allow for ad hoc neighborhood
usage. There is a conflict between the optimal timing for league play and
residential recreational usage, as they both occur at the same time of day
and week. Commissioners also emphasized again that private schools should
pay to use public fields.Mr. Rodgers noted that a school’s lease is not a
mechanism for gaining payment specifically for field maintenance. They
requested that a better scheme of community notification of the permit
schedule be devised, both awareness of when applications are taken and then
what schedule has actually been permitted for a given playground. Mr.
Rodgers acknowledged that there was over-permitting and
over-scheduling, leading to period of
actual disuse by groups. The application period for spring starts in January
and July is for the fall season. The community would have to apply for
permits for itself. The Commission will write a letter to the
department with its recommendations.
3.4 Other points from the community were (1) the experience of the NW
Washington Little League Baseball, offered by Jim Morrow, Spring Valley
resident; (2) the suggestion of delegating more authority (including levying
of penalties) to the local recreational park director, offered
by Linda Brackett, resident near Hardy School playground; (3) the experience
of Georgetown Day School, offered by Katie Lindsay, its Chief Financial
Officer, which had offered its parking lot to users of field at Hardy
to relieve the neighborhood. (5) the value of a Memorandum of Understanding
on usage and maintenance between the Department and the National Park
Service,
attested by ANC-3F Chairman, Cathy Wiss, of the Tenleytown area; (6) the
need for a position paper by the ANC on this issue, especially on how to use
the Enterprise Fund and other donations, as recommended by Ed Dixon, member
of Friends of Hardy Field; and (7) the need to coordinate the optimum season
for re-seeding maintenance and the major playing seasons, as recommended by
Kent Slowinski of Foxhall Village.
3.5 Mr. Rodgers noted that their FY03 budget of $31M had been reduced by
some $2.6M and they actively supported using the Enterprise Fund and
donations to it. He agreed with Mr. Dixon’s remark that the Fund’s monies
could be earmarked and carried forward from year to year per the
Recreation Act of 1994.
COMMISSION AGENDA
4. School Carpools and Traffic.
4.1 Peter Barrett, Headmaster of St. Patrick’s Episcopal School, had sent to
each commissioner a detailed paper of his school’s handling of pick-up and
delivery of students by parents. The Chairman commended him for this and
welcomed the turn-out of representatives from the local private schools in
response to the ANC’s invitation to this meeting. Mr. Barrett reported on
the schools’ developing a collective response to the problem for public
traffic in the area. They have met informally once and will meet again. He
emphasized that any traffic study should include the volumes during
non-school times, as that is quite heavy now.
4.2 Tony Barnett, the director of aquatics at the Lab School, representing
the Operations Director, Peter Braun, affirmed their willingness to join in
this effort and reappraise their procedures. They do use a hired, off-duty
policeman to guide school traffic on a limited basis.
4.3 Kate Lindsay, CFO of Georgetown Day School, described their routine and
experience with off-duty police help (10 a week at two campuses, 2-3 for
carpool time, with city tickets to penalize parents violating parking
signs). She recommended focus on fixing the sequencing of the traffic lights
to maintain the flow. She also saw the need to study the non-school volumes
of traffic.
5. Wesley Heights Macomb Street Parking Restriction.
5.1 Commissioner Mullane presented his case for applying for Residential
Permitted Parking on the 4400 block of Macomb street, which runs along one
side of the Horace Mann public school’s property. He will circulate a
petition among his neighbors. This block has become a problem for the
residents living along Macomb Street because commuters use it when school is
not in session.
6. Foxhall/44th Street Stop Signs.
6.1 Commissioner Polk presented his case for applying for new
traffic-slowing measures for 44th Street as it runs from MacArthur Blvd.to
Reservoir Road, which is now used as a commuter byway for Foxhall Road. He
has collected 57 petition signatures from more than half of the residents.
The petition is for 3 stop signs (Volta Place, Que Street, Greenwich
Parkway) and for new cross-walks across 44th street at the intersections of
P Street, Volta Place, Greenwich Parkway, and Reservoir Road; and a speed
limit sign and “SLOW, CHILDREN” sign on the 1500 block of 44th street. All
present on the Commission voted to approve this request of the Department of
Transportation 6-0-0. (See Attachment.)
7. Liquor & Restaurant Licenses.
7.1 Ace Beverages, 3301 New Mexico Avenue, NW, Liquor License Renewal
#184: Upon application by John Siegel, the ANC voted to approve renewal of
their license to sell liquor. The vote was 6-0-0, with one member being
absent.
7.2 Bambu Restaurant, 5101 MacArthur Blvd., NW, New Liquor License
Application #50236: Upon application by Suchen Chen and Robert Golfman for
Bambu Restaurant, the ANC voted to approve their permanent license. The vote
was 6-0-0, with one member being absent. The owners reported on their
completion of the promised screening of utilities on the roof, the
diminution of related noise, and the attention to compliance by garbage
contractor for clean and complete pick-up. Commissioner Gates said she would
review the situation to ensure that the screening of the air conditioner and
fan units was as complete as could be from the vantage of the Dana Place
neighbors adjacent. Citizen George Watson noted the presence of pooling
water in front, which is a water management issue is to be pursued by the
restaurant and Commissioner Gates.
7.3 Bassin’s MacArthur Liquors, 4877 MacArthur Blvd., NW, Liquor
License Renewal #211: The Chairman recorded this application, and the
Commissioners present approved it 6-0-0.
8. BZA Appeal #16679, 3020 43rd Street Home.
8.1 J. Patrick Brown, attorney acting on behalf of the Spring Valley &
Wesley Heights Citizens Association, presented the case for the new action
to appeal the building permit granted on October 11, 2000 for additions to
this home in Wesley Heights. (See attachment.) This is a long-running case,
which has involved 5 permits relating to overlay restrictions, front yard
set-back, and other variances. There are new grounds for action to challenge
the BZA (Bureau of Zoning Adjustment) decision as being inconsistent with
its own order in the case. It was noted that the ANC had entered 10 letters
in support of the citizen association's case over the years. Mr. Brown asked
this Commission to approve re-submitting those letters as part of this
appeal. The
Commission voted to approve this action 6-0-0. The Hearing will occur on
June 10th, 2003.
9. St. David's Episcopal Church Nursery School.
9.1 Commissioner Shapley, a vestry officer of the church, informed the
Commission that St. David's would be forwarding a letter to the ANC about
this project, which the church believes may be done as a matter of right and
does not require new zoning permits.
10 Abandoned Car on Que Street, Foxhall.
10.1 Commissioner Polk informed the Commission of his effort to resolve the
problem of the car, which has been parked on Que Street in his district
since December 2002. The problem of such abandoned cars is systemic in DC.
11. Chairman's Actions.
11.1 The Chair's request to comment on the value of Tree/Slope Overlays was
discussed and agreed. This comment responds to an inquiry by Zoning
Commission.
12. ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER BUSINESS
12.1 The minutes of the April meeting were approved, with the amendment to
clarify ownership of the Hardy School playing field.
12.2 The treasurer's report from Commissioner Heuer was presented. The
Commission is solvent, with a balance of $15.8K, which includes the
allotment for the 3rd quarter.
The next meeting of ANC3D
will be Wednesday, June 4, 2003. |