MINUTES OF PUBLIC MEETING
June 8, 2009
CHEVY
CHASE ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 3/4G
Chevy Chase Community Center
5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20015.
1.
Call to Order and Quorum. The
meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Chair Thompson, who presided. Commissioners present: Thompson, McCarthy, Beach, Griffin, Cook,
Sewell, and Engel. A quorum was
declared.
2.
Attendees.
Approximately 60
persons were present.
3.
Agenda. The agenda was approved by vote
of 7-0 with the additions of items concerning the stop signs at Upland Terrace
at 31st and 32nd Streets, DDOT’s new RPP Ward 3 parking
permits, and the donation of the fireboxes at Livingston Street and Nebraska
Avenue to the Trolley Museum. The request for parking for drop off and pick up
at the Montessori School at Jocelyn Street and Connecticut Avenue was postponed
due to further discussions among the parties involved.
4.
Commissioner Announcements.
Commissioner Beach noted that the Chevy Chase Community Center’s “Rain
Garden” was being successfully installed.
Chair Thompson announced that the National Park Service had installed
two new information boards and improved access to Fort DeRussy, improvements
that he had been seeking for some time. Commissioner cook indicated that the
Department of Parks and Recreation’s first annual Beautification Day would be
held on June 13 to clean up parks, including Lafayette. Volunteers would be
welcome at the Community Center from 8 AM- 12 noon.
5.
Community Announcements. Two
representatives from the ACLU of the National Capital Area described the
emergency crime bill now pending before the DC Council. They said that the
anti-gang provisions (under which injunctions to prevent interactions would be
placed on those suspected of having ties to a gang) would have unintended
consequences and violate the civil rights of those placed on the injunction
list. They urged the community to
contact their Councilmembers about alternatives to reduce crime and gang
activity. More information is available
from the ACLU at 202 457 0800 or www.aclu-nca.org.
6.
Ward 3 Residential Parking Permit Program. Mr.
Damon Harvey, DDOT’s head of public parking, briefly described the new
residential parking permit program that will soon be implemented in Ward
3. In Ward 3, many streets restrict
parking during daytime hours to two hours unless the parked vehicle has a
residential parking permit (RPP) or a temporary two-week permit issued by the
MPD. (No part of Ward 4 in Chevy Chase
has such residential parking restrictions).
He said that each household will receive one pass that will be valid for
a year that can be used by that household to provide legal parking in a RPP
zone for those currently not eligible.
Typically, residents could provide the pass to contractors or other
service providers on a longer term basis than the MPD two-week pass. Mr. Harvey
can be reached for information at 202 671 0493 or damon.harvey@dc.gov.
7.
Club 60+ New Social Program for Seniors. Commissioner Cook described a new program that she had initiated in
partnership with the Chevy Chase Community Center that will provide senior
residents with the opportunity to develop and participate in free social and
cultural activities of their choice at the Chevy Chase Community Center. She said that activities would be held on
Friday mornings at the Community Center and could involve art, sewing, or
discussions on a variety of topics, the specifics of which she said will depend
on the interests of participants. Mr.
Ralph Wright, the site manager of the Community Center, said that he has been
in touch with the Department of Parks and Recreation’s (DPR) head of seniors
programs and that there is the possibility of DPR provision of transportation
to sites of interest in the area. He
said that his staff will be available to facilitate the development of the
program. The program will coordinate
with IONA and the Northwest Neighbors Village.
The Chair and others thanked Commissioner Cook for her kind and caring
leadership on this effort for the seniors in our neighborhood.
8.
Proposal for a 10-Foot Addition to Flag Pole
at St. Johns for Cell Phones. Mr. Paul Pellens of Cricket Communications
made a presentation of his company’s request for a temporary site of a cell
phone tower at St. Johns, and a 10-foot extension of the current flag
pole. He said that the school has
approved the company’s request. These
were confirmed to be matters of right, so there was no variance or special exception
requiring ANC approval.
9.
DDOT Policy on Speed Humps and Request for
Humps on 3700 Block of Morrison Street. Chair Thompson introduced the topic, noting
that for years various questions had been raised about speed humps in our
area. He invited DDOT to summarize its
current policy regarding speed humps.
Karina Ricks, Associate Director of Transportation Policy and Anna
Chamberlin, Transportation Planner for Ward 3 and 4, kindly explained the
policy: if there is (a) an application
with a petition showing 75% support of the households, and (b) ANC approval,
then (c) DDOT will conduct an engineering study and if approved, install the
hump. Engineering considerations
preclude humps on hills or steep inclines, bus routes, or collector streets
(Connecticut Avenue, Military Road, Western Avenue, McKinley St, and
others). Ms. Ricks said that the general
policy was that while DDOT has a range of options for traffic calming,
including studies and audits of particular areas, the quickest solution (even
if temporary) is the consideration of speed humps on specific streets. DDOT has revised its policy on speed humps,
no longer requiring an assessment of actual speed readings on a street.
Commissioner Engel then noted that the ANC had received a petition to DDOT
from residents of the 3700 block of Morrison Street to install a speed hump on
that block. Many residents from the 3700
block of Morrison spoke in favor of the requested hump. Others, including several Commissioners, made
the point that the blocks perpendicular to the Conn. Ave. shopping area are
interconnected and that the Commission should consider the broader
ramifications of speed control measures on any one block relative to other
blocks. A lively discussion ensued about
the pros and cons of installing speed humps generally (the “humpification” of
the neighborhood), on the 3700 Morrison block in particular, and on the
interplay with McKinley St. and other streets.
The Commission voted 6-0-1 (Cook abstaining) to defer consideration of
the specific application for the 3700 block of Morrison St. until the meeting
of July 13, and that for the next 30 days, other blocks off of the Conn.
Shopping area should be informed of and invited to submit applications for
speed humps (should they have 75% household support), and then when all such
applications are in hand, consider them as a group. At the Commission meeting of July 13, the
Commission will consider any applications received by that date and vote on the
requests. The Chair made it clear that
this is not a deadline and that any block could apply for humps after that
date, but that the Commission believed that taking up a broader set of
applications for all blocks in the Chevy Chase business area would afford a
broader perspective and allow for balance.
A broader idea was discussed that DDOT conduct a formal area-wide
study. DDOT indicated that such a study
could take up to three years, in part due to limitations of funding and
personnel. So the Commission decided to
proceed on July 13 as decided and not tie consideration of the issue to the
outcome of a broader DDOT study.
10.
Stop Signs on Upland Terrace. By vote of 7-0, the Commission agreed to support a recommendation in
the DC Register by DDOT to support the installation of stops signs on Upland
Terrace at 31st and 32nd Streets (one-way stops on Upland
only) and to send a letter to DDOT in support of these installations.
11.
DDOT Policy on Sidewalk Installation. The Chair explained DDOT’s written policy on sidewalks (Administrative
Order No. 01-2005), which states: “there
shall be a sidewalk on at least one side of every street or roadway where
pedestrians are legally permitted,” and that “DDOT will construct sidewalks on
all streets and roadways as part of roadway reconstruction projects.” He explained that while this is
administrative policy, it is not codified law, and that Councilmember Cheh has
introduced a bill that would elevate the policy to law (allowing for several
exceptions), which would have the effect of mandating DDOT actions in this
regard without administrative exceptions other than as allowed by the
bill. As time was running out, the
Commission agreed to follow up on this issue at the next meeting. Time is not of the essence as apparently,
the bill is stalled in Committee.
12.
Request for ANC Support for National Trolley
Museum to Acquire DC Fireboxes at Nebraska Avenue and Livingston Street. By vote of 6-1 (Cook dissenting), the Commission gave its approval to
the National Trolley Museum to acquire the firebox at Nebraska Avenue and
Livingston Street. Past efforts to
garner neighborhood support to pay for the rehabilitation of these boxes has
faded, and the museum would restore and preserve the piece for posterity.
13.
Commission Business
a. The Minutes of the May 11, 2009 meeting were approved by vote of 7- 0.
b. The following checks/transfers were approved
by vote of 7-0: $100 Emily Jones and $100 Shelby Abdilah (sign language
interpreters 4/27); $151.09 IRS (fed w/holding May);
c. Commissioner Beach suggested that the ANC follow the proposal from a Commissioner in another area to revive an intra-ANC group like the old ANC Assembly, a currently defunct group that met to allow Commissioners to share ideas and support broader objectives.
d. Tentative items for Meeting of June 22, 2009 include: DDOT sidewalk policy & CM Cheh;s bill; the encouragement of applications for speed humps; other matters TBD.
14. Adjournment
& Next Meeting. The meeting was adjourned at approximately
9:40 PM.
The
next scheduled meeting of the Commission is scheduled for June 22, 2009.
Chair: Secretary
___________________________ __________________________
Gary Thompson Allen Beach
MINUTES OF PUBLIC MEETING
June 22, 2009
CHEVY
CHASE ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 3/4G
Chevy Chase Community Center
5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20015.
1.
Call to Order and Quorum. The
meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Chair Thompson, who presided. Commissioners present: Thompson, McCarthy, Beach, Griffin, Cook,
Sewell, and Engel. A quorum was
declared.
a. The Minutes of the June 8, 2009 meeting were approved by vote of 7- 0.
e. The
following checks/transfers were approved by vote of 7-0: $100
Kari Bahl and $100 Shelby Abdilah (sign language interpreters 6/8); $91.73
Verizon (May); $45.45 Office Depot (office supplies).
f.
Transfer
from saving to checking account of $3,000
g. Treasurer Beach reported on the
findings of recent Audit Reports of two ANC’s and some of the problems that
they have been incurring.
h. Commissioner Beach indicated that a
new telephone may be needed for the ANC office, as we are having problems with
the current phone.
i. Tentative items for Meeting of July 13, 2009 include: consideration of petitions for speed humps in Chevy Chase business district; other matters TBD.
11. Adjournment & Next Meeting. The
meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:20 PM.
The
next scheduled meeting of the Commission is scheduled for July 13, 2009.
Chair: Secretary
___________________________ __________________________
Gary Thompson Allen Beach