ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1B

Government of the District of Columbia

Minutes

Thursday, April 1, 2010,

7:00 PM, Reeves Center, 2000 14^th Street N.W.

The regular monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B occurred on Thursday, April 1, 2010, at 7:00 pm in the Reeves Center, Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness being present as Chair and Commissioner Myla Moss as Secretary.  Other Commissioners present during the meeting: Rosemary Akinmboni, Myla Moss, Sedrick Muhammad, Brianne Nadeau, Peter Raia, Deborah Thomas; Commissioners Ferrer, Lopez and Smith were absent.

Chairperson Anderson Holness observed the presence of a quorum and called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.

Chairperson Anderson Holness then made the following announcement:

Good evening (afternoon) and welcome to the April 2010 meeting of ANC 1B. I am Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness, Chairperson of the Commission. Before I call the meeting to order, I would like to make the following announcements on behalf of the Commission.

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ü We ask that you silence your cell phones. By “silence” I mean either put them on “silence” or turn them off if you are able. The vibration and rings interfere with our recording and we sometimes lose valuable information.

ü Our meeting agenda is based on a strict time frame. We want to address all issues and assure participation by all interested parties, but we also want to make sure that our meeting ends at a reasonable hour. Therefore, we ask that all presentations be limited to five minutes. Mr. Jim Irwin, our staff director, will give each presenter a three-minute and one-minute warning, and then will announce the expiration of time. We request all those asking questions to be as brief and concise as possible. Ask a question, and not make a major statement or give us a dissertation. Community announcements at the end of the meeting are limited to two minutes each. We want to do this because individuals start to leave the meeting after they make their presentations, and we want the community to be involved as much as possible in all of the business of ANC 1B, so that is why we want to have our meetings for about an hour and a half. That way, people will want to stay and they will be interested in what is happening in our community, and we will all be knowledgeable about what is going on.

ü This meeting is audio-recorded for the public record and the draft minutes of the meeting, which will be published on our website as soon as possible.

ü We welcome and encourage public comment at appropriate points in the meeting. Normally, we will ask for public comment on issues before the Commission before any motion is offered for official action. Once a motion has been made and seconded, comment and discussion is confined to Commissioners.

ü We ask that all those making presentations, asking questions, or making comments speak loudly and clearly for the benefit of our recording device. Please state your name, residence address, and what organization you represent. If you are representing yourself as a resident, rather than an organization, please say so.

ü For the accuracy of our public records, we ask that all those making presentations, asking questions, or making comments complete the very brief speaker information form located on the sign-in table at the back of the room. Please give the completed form to our Staff Director, Jim Irwin, either before or after you speak to the Commission. The purpose of this form is to assure correct spelling of your name in the minutes, accurate address and accurate statement of representation.

Thank you for your attendance, participation and cooperation.

Chairperson Anderson Holness asked Commissioners to introduce themselves.

Chairperson Anderson Holness noted that the first item on the agenda was a presentation by DC City Council Chairperson Vincent Gray. She noted that Mr. Gray was on his way to the meeting. She further noted that Mr. Gray had announced his candidacy for Mayor and that he had been invited in January to speak to the April meeting, long before he announced his candidacy.

Chairperson Anderson Holness announced an addition to the agenda: the Commission would consider the question of office space in the Reeves Center.

Chairperson Anderson Holness acknowledged the resignation of Commissioner Meghan Conklin, ANC 1B06, from the Commission. She resigned because of serious health issues, and the position was now vacant. She asked that all present, in their own way, keep Ms. Conklin in their prayers. Chairperson Anderson Holness called for a moment of silence for Ms. Conklin.

Public Safety and Public Safety Committee Report

Commissioner Muhammad said that crime in PSAs 304 and 305 is down overall due to the severe weather of the past two or three months. There have been some public safety issues, but they have been minimal.

On March 6^th in ANC 1B01, Commissioner Moss’s district, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) at 4:27 am reported a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Florida Avenue and 7^th Streets N.W. A street light was knocked down.

On March 15rh in ANC 1B01 there was a report of ….[inaudible due to interference.].

On March 21^st at 3:30 am, there was a shooting in the area of 14^th and Fairmont Streets. There were three victims with non-life threatening injuries.

On March 22^nd in ANC 1B10, Commissioner Ferrer’s district, at 4:50 PM, ….[inaudible due to interference].

There has been a rash of robberies around Howard University in ANC 1B10 and 1B11.

Commissioner Muhammad announced that he was scheduling a meeting with Lt. Deborah Pierce, PSA 304, and Lt. Alberto Jova, PSA 305, so they can involve residents of the community, just as the Design Review Committee is doing.

Chairperson Anderson Holness thanked Commissioner Muhammad for his report and recognized MPD officers present in the audience and thanked them for their service to the community.

Officers Reports

Secretary’s Report – Minutes of March 2010 meeting

Commissioner Moss submitted the draft minutes of the March 2010 meeting for approval.

Commissioner Muhammad noted one correction, a typographical error naming Chairperson Nadeau instead of Chairperson Anderson Holness.

There were no other corrections.

Commissioner Moss moved that the draft minutes of the March 2010 meeting be approved as corrected

Commissioner Nadeau seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.

Treasurer’s Report

Chairperson Anderson Holness called Commissioners’ attention to the Treasurer’s Report for April, which had been distributed. She said that Treasurer Ferrer was out of town on business and unable to attend the meeting, so she would present the Treasurer’s Report for April 2010.

Chairperson Anderson Holness reported that the current bank balance was $86,525.18..

Checks written in March included:

#1747 $1,255.57 to James Irwin for staff wages

#1748 $241.71 to James Irwin for reimbursement of office supplies and printing.

Checks cashed included:

#1747 $1,255.57 to James Irwin for staff wages

#1748 $241.71 to James Irwin for reimbursement of office supplies and printing.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that expenses to be approved were $1,057.77 reimbursement to Commissioner Ferrer for payment of office furniture moving expenses, $1,592.21 to James Irwin for March staff wages, and $198.36 to James Irwin for office supplies and printing expenses.

Chairperson Anderson Holness moved that reimbursements to Commissioner Ferrer of $1,057.77 and James Irwin of $241.71 and payment of James Irwin’s staff wages for March be approved by the Commission.

Commissioner Muhammad seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7-0.

Chairperson Anderson Holness moved that the Treasurer’s Report for March 2010 be approved.

Commissioner Raia noted a typographical error in the Treasurer’s Report for James Irwin’s March 10 check for office supplies, which was corrected.

Commissioner Akinmboni seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.

Proposed Office Space for ANC 1B in the Reeves Center

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that she and Commissioner Muhammad had met with representatives of the Reeves Center about the proposed office space for ANC 1B. She said the space is very nice and would provide workspace for the staff director and for commissioners. The rent will be $1,000.00 per month. She asked Commissioner Muhammad if he had any additional report on their meeting.

Commissioner Muhammad said he had nothing to add, but that he was anxious to find office space and make a decision as quickly as possible.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the Reeves Center representatives had any explanation for why they had changed from no rent to $1,000 per month. Commissioner Thomas said that was her question too.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that they had told her and Commissioner Muhammad that they never said the space was free. They said they had told Commissioner Nadeau that there was no rent, but the Commission was responsible for expenses, which total $1,000. That figure includes electricity, security, and other expenses. They provided a detailed breakdown of the costs.

Commissioner Nadeau commented that the idea of minimal utilities had gone out the window.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that that figure represented minimal utilities.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if Councilmember Graham could help.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said no, and added that the representatives had said that the monthly amount was the low end of the costs for other tenants in the building She had observed that ANC 1B is part of the D.C. government and they had said that other government tenants were paying that amount.

Commissioner Muhammad said that every government agency housed in the Reeves Center had to contribute, and with the budget deficit being as bad as it is, the amount could not be lowered. He had been as surprised as anybody about the cost, but all agencies had to contribute and he could imagine what would be reported in the papers if the Commission were not paying its fair share.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if there was any relation between the cost of this space and the provision of D.C. law that the D.C. government has to assist the Commission in finding reasonable office space.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that they had declared that the office space is reasonably priced. She said that she wanted the Commission to vote on whether to occupy the Reeves office space, but there was a caveat. There might be a possibility of getting office space elsewhere for a lower cost. She said the motion would be to rent the space downstairs contingent on not getting alternative space.

Commissioner Moss asked if the alternative space would have security for Commission files, because that was one primary advantage of the Reeves space.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that that was a major consideration.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he had also investigated alternative space above the Islander Restaurant, which could be a possible plan B, but he did not want to wait another five seconds to get the office space arranged.

Commissioner Moss asked if the monthly cost included cleaning services.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that cleaning, wireless, telephone and everything was included. The space is located on the first floor and is a very nice space. The Commission name is already on the door.

Commissioner Nadeau said that one discussion that had been going on for years was the idea of shared space for the four Ward One Commissions. The others do not have staff, so ANC 1B would be using the space the most, but she suggested that sharing the space should be considered.

Commissioner Muhammad pointed out that it was now April 2010, and regardless of the discussions of years past, it was important to take the available opportunity and establish an office.

Chairperson Anderson Holness called for a motion.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the Commission could afford the monthly cost.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said yes, the cost was $12,000 per year, and even though the amount was not budgeted, the Commission could afford it, given the current bank balance of $86,000.

Commissioner Moss said she would like to see an addendum to the 2010 budget to provide a specific line item for the monthly rent payment. She also suggested that the space could also be made available to the other commissions in the Ward with proper notice for a fee.

Commissioner Muhammad said he did not agree with that suggestion. He thought that if the space was to be made available, it should be to the residents that ANC 1B represents, not another commission. There are numerous groups, numerous residents of ANC 1B that could benefit. While he respected and appreciated the work of the other ANCs in the Ward on behalf of their residents, he thought the residents of ANC 1B should take precedence.

Commissioner Moss said she did not think extending a courtesy to other commissions would exclude ANC 1B constituents from using the space. The space would be reserved in advance, and other commissions would not be given priority over constituents.

Chairperson Anderson Holness observed that this was an issue that could be discussed after the Commission had decided to rent the space.

Mr. Lee Jackson, 1117 Clifton Street N.W., asked how large the office space was.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said the space was 500 square feet, with a closed office, two open office spaces and a fourth space in back, for a total of four office spaces, or three office spaces and a sitting area.

Mr. Jackson said it appeared to be $2.00 a square foot.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that was about right. She thought it was quite reasonable for what they were getting. It was not zero, but very few things are free.

Mr. Jeffrey Willis, 1937 Vermont Avenue N.W., said that it sounded like the cost was a concern and maybe the best thing was to get into the space for a short-term lease and perhaps later find something cheaper.

Commissioner Moss commented that a major concern was that the Commissions files were scattered in different locations, and sufficient space is needed for secure storage.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the Commission had to sign a lease.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said it would be month-to-month.

Commissioner Akinmboni moved that ANC 1B engage in renting the office space provided in the Reeves Center immediately, contingent on whether or not alternative less expensive space was available.

Commissioner Nadeau seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.

Commissioner Nadeau thanked Chairperson Anderson Holness for concluding the project to acquire office space that began in 2005.

Design Review Applications and Design Committee Report

Mr. Tony Norman, Chair of the Design Committee asked members of the committee to stand and said they had done outstanding work. Committee members present were Eric Fidler, LeDroit Park, Tom Dawes, Development Corporation of Columbia Heights, Lee Jackson, 11^th Street,

Mr. Norman referred Commissioners to the written Committee report provided to them before the meeting.

[At this point, D.C. Council Chairperson Vincent Gray arrived.]

Mr. Norman reported that the committee had three meetings at which they discussed internal structure and the projects referred to them by the Commission.

Mr. Norman said the committee recommended that committee membership should be closed by the next Commission meeting on May 6^th. This will establish a set committee membership so everyone knows who is a voting committee member. The committee also recommended that the staff director be available to prepare meeting notices, letters, minutes and written reports, because of the great volume of committee work.

With regard to the Justice Park project, Mr. Norman said the committee had heard presentations from some, but not all, of the interested developers. Some did not attend because of schedule conflicts and other meetings. As a result, the committee did not feel it could make a recommendation endorsing any one developer. However, the committee did have strong feelings about the proposal that the project should be entirely affordable work-force housing. Two-thirds of the committee members strongly supported that concept because the city is losing affordable housing.

The committee also reviewed the proposed renovation of 1922 3^rd Street N.W. Mr. Norman thanked Commissioner Moss for her work providing assistance to the committee. Committee members Eric Fidler and Joel Heisey did a great deal of work providing a report with drawings. The committee originally voted to recommend against the proposed project, but the developer had made extensive changes responsive to community input and comments and suggestions from the committee and Commissioner Moss. The changes are described in detail in the committee report. As a result, the committee now recommended that the design concept be approved by the Commission, with the provision that detail be presented to the community and commission before the developer applies for a building permit.

Chairperson Anderson Holness suggested that the Commission act now on the committee’s recommendation regarding 1922 3^rd Street.

Commissioner Moss said that she did not have any questions for the Chairperson of the Design Committee, but she did have questions for the developer, and there were constituents present who were opposed to the Design Committee’s recommendation.

Mr. Josh Kerns, 3^rd Street N.W., said it was important to note that the community had just received the revised concept drawings the previous night, so there had not been any opportunity for the community to vet the revised concept.

Chairperson Anderson Holness asked Mr. Norman if he would put the recommendation in abeyance until the community had had an opportunity to review the revised concept.

Mr. Norman agreed.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that the Commission wanted the community involved as much as possible, so that anyone who comes to the full Commission should first go back to your community and share with your community before coming to the Commission. It is the community that is more concerned about the issues than all of us. While we are concerned about the community, we do not all live in that particular single-member district. She asked Mr. Norman to take the issue back and hold it in abeyance.

Mr. Grant Epstein, the developer for 1922 3^rd Street, asked if he would have an opportunity to make his presentation.

Chairperson Anderson Holness noted that he was later on the agenda.

Mr. Norman said that they could hold the issue until Mr. Epstein had made his presentation.

Chairperson Anderson Holness agreed.

Mr. Norman reported that the committee recommended against supporting the application of Standard, 1801 14^th Street, for a public space permit for a sidewalk café. He said the proposed owner did not have a detailed design to present to the committee so it was very difficult to make a decision on what he was going to do.

Chairperson Anderson Holness asked if the owner was present.

Commissioner Raia said he was not and noted that the Commission had voted to protest his liquor license and was in the process of trying to negotiate a voluntary agreement, which would address public space issues.

Mr. Norman noted that the owner was a small-business owner and he had empathy for small-business owners who could not afford experts and attorneys, so the committee is open to working with him, but at this time, without more information, it could not support his proposal.

Chairperson Anderson Holness suggested that the issue be left open-ended and the committee not make any recommendation until more information was available. She said the Commission did want to encourage small businesses in the area, so it would be good to give him another opportunity to provide more information.

Mr. Norman agreed.

Mr. Norman said the committee had met with Maybelle Bennett of Howard University regarding the chiller plant and amendment to the campus plan. The committee recommended that the Commission support the proposed amendment with the conditions that no construction traffic be directed through the community, that there be no objectionable noise once the plant is completed, and that there be a continuing dialogue with Howard University on its campus plan and its amendment process.

Chairperson Anderson Holness thanked Ms. Bennett for working with the community and the Commission by going back to consult with community and neighborhood groups. She had touched all bases and that is the example of how people should work with the community, so that when they come to the Commission, everything has been ironed out, and Commission meetings can be kept to an hour and a half and everybody can stay until the end.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he wanted to note for the record that Mr. Epstein, in developing his plans for 1922 3^rd Street, had done the same thing. He had attended the LeDroit Park Civic Association and had presented to the Design Committee as well.

Chairperson Anderson Holness that was exactly what they were looking for, and it made for more cohesiveness and togetherness.

Commissioner Moss moved that ANC 1B accept the Design Committee’s recommendation to support Howard University’s proposed amendment to its campus plan to construct a new chiller plant for the Howard University Hospital.

Commissioner Muhammad seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.

Mr. Norman reported that the committee also discussed proposed cuts in Metro service at the request of a committee member. Metro was planning to end the Yellow Line extension from Mount Vernon to Fort Totten, end the Yellow Line entirely from 9:30 during the day and on weekends, close the 10^th and U Street entrance by the African American Civil War Memorial, close the Cardozo stop on weekends, and end Metrorail service at midnight at all stations. He said that Metro was having a hearing to consider these recommendations right now. The committee recommended that the Commission oppose these cuts as not in the best interests of the community.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that this was a new issue and should be held in abeyance until information on what happened at the Metro hearing was available.

Commissioner Muhammad asked how the Commission would be able to do that. Would somebody at the hearing report back to the Commission before adjournment?

Mr. Norman said that a member of the committee was at the meeting and would be reporting back.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the report would come to the Commission before it adjourned the meeting.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said no, the Commission would get a report at next month’s meeting.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if it would not be preferable for the Commission to say it opposed cuts on the Yellow Line.

Chairperson Anderson Holness said that was up to the Commission.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he thought time was of the essence. He moved that ANC 1B oppose all cuts to the Yellow Line that affect Ward One and oppose any proposal to end service at midnight.

Commissioner Akinmboni seconded the motion.

Commissioner Nadeau suggested a friendly amendment to include opposing any closing of the 10^th and U Street Metro station entrance.

The friendly amendment was accepted by Commissioner Muhammad.

Commissioner Moss proposed that the Commission’s opposition be stated in a letter to the Executive Director and Board of Directors of Metro. Commissioner Muhammad added that the letter should be sent tomorrow.

Commissioner Muhammad incorporated both suggestions in his motion and further clarified his motion to state that the Commission opposes any cuts affecting Yellow Line service all the way to Fort Totten.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.

Ms. Maybelle Bennett suggested that she might provide a draft letter of support for the Howard University campus plan amendment that the Commission could adapt.

Chairperson Anderson Holness agreed with the suggestion.

Ms. Bennett said the Zoning Commission case number was 08-32A.

Ms. Bennett noted that the Commission had made a grant to the Robert and Mary Church Terrell House to support the Forensic Challenge in February. She thanked the Commission for its support and presented the final report on the grant.

Presentations

Chairperson Anderson Holness introduced the Chairperson of the D.C. City Council, Mr. Vincent Gray.

Mr. Gray thanked Chairperson Anderson Holness for the invitation to speak to the Commission. He thanked the other Commissioners he had worked with, especially Commissioner Moss, Commissioner Muhammad and Commissioner Akinmboni.

Mr. Gray recognized Dr. Frank Smith, a past member of the City Council representing Ward One, now the Director of the African American Civil War Memorial Museum. He noted that the Museum will soon have a new home and that he was proud to be part of the City Council vote that provided $5 million to assure that the records and artifacts relating to African American soldiers in the Civil War would be properly preserved and displayed. He also noted that Dr. Smith had played a key role while on the City Council in laying the groundwork for bringing major league baseball to Washington, especially when no one else was interested in the issue.

Mr. Gray also recognized Josh Kerns as one of the moving forces in the charter school movement in D.C. He met Mr. Kerns when the Thurgood Marshall Academy was just getting started in a church on Alabama and Martin Luther King Avenues. Now they are in the old ____Avenue School in a fantastically renovated building. Thurgood Marshall is one of the most outstanding charter schools in the District of Columbia, and that was because of Mr. Kerns’ vision, leadership and resolve.

Mr. Gray also recognized members of Councilmember Jim Graham’s staff, including Jonathan Kass and Steve Hernandez, and Commissioner Sedrick Muhammad.

Mr. Gray said that the education of our children was one of the very special things that interested him, not only on the City Council, but also for many years before he was elected to the Council.

Mr. Gray said he had been a huge proponent of education reform. One of the things he did when he became Council Chair was to put education into the Committee of the Whole because he strongly believed that every Councilmember should be involved with educational issues. What the Council’s governing responsibility would be was not absolutely clear then and it continues to unfold as we move forward with education reform.

Mr. Gray made the following points during his presentation:

There is nothing more important than how we try to insure the future of our children in the District of Columbia.

A lot of what we focus on in educational reform is K-12. But what we need to do is fundamentally redefine what education is in the District of Columbia.

Educational reform began with the advent of the charter school movement. Twelve years ago, there were only 1,000 children in charter schools. Today, charter schools are serving 28,000 children and they have 40% of the children who are in public education. That is education reform. It has changed the governance model from a centralized governance system.

We need to question the givens. Who said education starts when children turned five years old? We need to change that notion. We need to change the notion that school is out at 3:00 PM. We need to change the notion that school gets out in the middle of June and kids come back at the end of August. It is time to change and question how we deliver educational services. He is most proud of the fact that the Council has created, through legislation, a universal pre-kindergarten program. This program will assure that by September 2014 every child in the District of Columbia who is three or four years old will have a seat in an educational program if their parents want them to be there. Participation is voluntary not mandatory. This fundamentally redefines when education begins. Down the road, we will see the benefits of children starting their education two years earlier than the conventional programs. This program has been so popular that we already have 1,400 new children in this program when the goal is to have 2,000 children by 2014. In about twelve months, Washington D.C. will be the first city in the nation to say that it has universal pre-kindergarten education.

Mr. Gray said his concept of education is that it begins at birth and continues to age 24. We are now going to move to an infants and toddlers program. We are bringing a new organization into D.C. called Educare. They will begin building a facility this summer in Parkside, which is the fasted developing area in the District of Columbia. In a matter of months, they will have seven pre-K classrooms and seven classrooms for infants and toddlers.

On the other end of the continuum is what we do with higher education. Shouldn’t we have the best state university in the nation? We have begun by opening, last August, a new community college for D.C., which will award two-year degrees, provide educational remediation, and provide individual classes for people who just want to continue their own development. One way to measure success is that we already have 2,200 people enrolled in the community college. Give us five years and we will have a satellite campus in every ward of the city for people who want to pursue a two-year degree. We will have created a continuum of education from birth and infancy to getting a graduate degree from the University of the District of Columbia. Then you will see, and it will not take very long, how many other issues in the District of Columbia will be addressed and will be solved.

One of those issues is economic development. We need to use our community college as a second piece in this three-cornered effort, to be able to create opportunities for economic development. Economic development in D.C. up to this point has been a group of projects – a new office building here, another new building there, a new business down there. But what connects the dots and how do we use our educational system to insure that people in the District of Columbia participate in those experiences as they emerge.

In connecting the dots, there are three pieces to it: education, economic development, workforce development.

The unemployment rate in the District of Columbia right now is 11.9%, which is about the highest rate since we began gathering unemployment data. Unlike other cities in America, D.C. has more jobs available today than it did three years ago, yet we have epidemic levels of unemployment. The job skills or skill sets of a lot of our people do not match up with the jobs that are available. That is where our educational system, our community college, and other educational institutions have to connect. In our community college, we have to know what the job trends are because we are moving on certain economic development fronts. For example, we could become a center of financial services. We don’t want to become Wall Street, but why couldn’t we create the District of Columbia as a financial center? It would lead to job creation, the development of more buildings and office space, and through our community college to be able to attune our job development to what we know are the trends. We need to connect the dots, which says this is what we want to be, this is we want our economy to look like, these are the jobs that will be created, we need to go out and attract those people to this city if they don’t exist here already, and then we need to make sure we use our education system to train people for those jobs. One of the worst decisions we ever made was to eliminate vocational education from our educational system. We used to have seven vocational schools in the city. Those schools became archaic and out of date because what they taught no longer matched the job trends in the city. As a result, the system was closed down and is one of the reasons why we now have 12% unemployment in the city, 19% in Ward Seven, 30% in Ward Eight, because we have failed to connect the dots with where we were going with what the needs are in terms of the skill sets for our people.

The reality is that all education is vocational education. You go to college to get an education and a degree so that you can get a job. We need to recognize the value of that in our educational system, reposition the perception of career and technical education, and make sure that it is attuned to the job needs of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Gray said that the vision that he had going forward, and that he was absolutely confident could be achieved, was a full continuum of educational services that begins for those families that want it when a child is born all the way through a graduate program and then connects itself to economic development opportunities in the city, whether financial services, green jobs, allied health services.

Mr. Gray said that the D.C. law that requires that employers hire 51% of their work force from residents of D.C. is very poorly enforced; there are two people in the Department of Employment Services who monitor compliance, so businesses have no problem signing up, because they know they won’t really have to comply. We need to put some teeth in the law and enforcement of the law. The financial implications are great, because 70% of the jobs in D.C. are filled by people who don’t live in the city. We are foreclosed from being able to tax income at the source because we cannot do a commuter tax.

Mr. Gray said that the things he had talked about were the things that he intended to work on behalf of the city. We ought to be able to say at the end of the day that we not only provided a first class education for our young people, but also they connect the opportunities, that they can see how the education system can lead them to the jobs they want and are prepared to do.

Chairperson Anderson Holness thanked Mr. Gray for his very informative and inspiring presentation.

Chairperson Anderson Holness was obliged to leave the meeting due to another enagement and turned the Chair over to Commissioner Raia as Vice Chairperson.

Design Review Applications and Design Committee Report - continued

Easter Seals Application for Child Development Center Occupancy Permit

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Commissioner Akinmboni to introduce the Easter Seals request.

Commissioner Akinmboni said that Easter Seals has been in their present facility since 1958 and they have an occupancy permit for their childcare center. However, they want to expand the capacity of the center and must apply for a new occupancy permit. They are asking for the Commission’s support for their application.

Ms. Marilyn Ricker, Easter Seals, 2800 13^th Street N.W., said they had an occupancy permit for 80 children, but need to increase the number to 96. The Board of Zoning Adjustment has visited the facility. There will be minimal impact to the neighborhood because the vast majority of their clients use public transportation or walk.

They have 250 children on their waiting list and want to serve more that are on the waiting list.

Commissioner Akinmboni moved that ANC 1B support the application of Easter Seals for a new occupancy permit.

Commissioner Nadeau seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 6 yes, 0 no.

Community Three Development, LLC, 1922 3^rd Street, NW. Historic Preservation Conceptual Review

Commissioner Moss noted that Mr. Grant Epstein, the developer, had presented a conceptual design to the Commission at the March 2010 meeting that would rebuild a historical building, rebuild a carriage house and construct a new townhouse. The Commission voted against the concept because Mr. Epstein had not had an opportunity to present his proposal to the Design Review Committee or the LeDroit Park Civic Association. Commissioner Moss commended Mr. Epstein for his diligence and his patience and noted that he had met the prerequisites of meeting with the LeDroit Park association, meeting individually with affected residents who live directly around the property, and going before the Design Committee. She said he would present a new concept for the Commission’s review at this meeting and requested that he be given five minutes for his presentation. She also requested that affected residents be given the opportunity to comment.

Mr. Epstein said that he had met with the Design Committee for about an hour to review the concept he had presented. The major issues he had heard were the size and mass of the proposed townhouse, the profile, the number of units, and the amount of parking spaces relative to the number of units. He also attended the LeDroit Park Civic Association meeting and heard a lot of comments, the majority of which related to the same issues. He then had only about a week to make changes to the plan that took those comments into account.

Mr. Epstein referred to a large set of drawings in describing the changes he had made.

Those changes included:

• Reducing the size of the proposed new townhouse drastically, by about 40%, by reducing the height to the same height as the existing townhouses, and by reducing the depth and height in the back;
• Added articulation to the side of the building so that it looked more like townhouses in LeDroit Park, giving a lot more light and air to the site;
• Redesigned the addition to the main house, based on recommendations from Historic Preservation staff to make the addition more compatible with the main structure;
• Redesigned the front porch to more closely resemble the original porch, which no longer exists;

Mr. Epstein then reviewed plans and profile drawings that showed how the proposed townhouse had been reduced so that the only three-story structure on the site was the original building already there.

He thanked the Commission for its time and commented that he thought the design had gotten much better as a result of the input from the community.

Commissioner Moss asked Mr. Epstein if the new townhouse was directly linked with the existing townhouse. Did it share a wall?

Mr. Epstein said that they would construct the new townhouse with its own wall adjacent to, but not touching, the neighboring townhouse. No load from the new structure would be placed on the existing townhouse.

Commissioner Moss asked if Mr. Epstein was suggesting that there would be a wall that would separate the new townhouse from what is currently there.

Mr. Epstein said that there would be two townhouses with two independent walls touching each other. All of the load of the new structure would be on his property, not touching any of the load that is on the adjacent property.

Commissioner Moss said that she was delighted that Mr. Epstein had reworked the concept and that the original structure was being redefined. She had difficulty supporting the current concept even if had been reworked because of the linkage of the wall to the current edifice. She said she thought they were halfway there, but the current linkage was untenable to her constituent. She was not amenable to having even part of the new structure linked to her home at all. [Part of Commissioner Moss’s comments were inaudible due to audio interference.]

Mr. Epstein said there would be a gap between the walls. They would be independent walls.

Commissioner Moss said she understood the technicality of an architect’s thinking, but there could not be anything at all linking the two walls.

Acting Chairperson Raia and Commissioner Akinmboni commented that there needed to be some gap between the two walls, but it could not be too wide.

Commissioner Moss said she was not an architect and was learning as she went, but she was presenting her constituent’s position. She called on her constituent to present her concerns.

Ms. Joyce Thompson, 1916 3^rd Street N.W., said she was very concerned about the wall being built so close to her house. Her house had already shifted, especially in the kitchen where she had large deep cracks in the wall. She was hoping that the new construction would not be close to her house because it might cause more shifting. She was also concerned that the new construction would block the light from her kitchen windows.

Mr. Epstein said that he understood the concern and had tried to reduce the size of the new structure to accommodate that. In townhouse neighborhoods, having houses next to each other is what exists. He said he could not know for sure what was going on until he inspected her wall, but anything he built would provide additional support and help to keep the existing wall from falling down. It would actually prevent further problems in the future.

Ms. Thompson asked if he would put a new wall there.

Mr. Epstein said it would be a completely new wall and at the top, no water could get in. Part of the problem with the existing townhouse wall was that over the past 100 years, water had gotten into it, which caused bricks to move a little bit and settle a little bit. With a new wall next to the existing wall, there will not be any further leakage of water into the wall. In the long run, it should be stronger and safer and last another 100 years.

Mr. Epstein said that he wanted to work with the neighbors. This was a concept going through a number of stages. They would work with the neighbors at every stage of the process.

Commissioner Moss said that had already been acknowledged. She said they did not want to cut off their noses to spite their faces, meaning the community really wanted revitalization of this area because it had been in urban blight for a long time. However, they did not want to buy in or feel rushed or in a hurry. The building had been vacant a long time, so it could wait another five minutes.

Commissioner Moss asked why the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) would not allow the construction of a rear addition.

Mr. Epstein said that HPRB was not preventing them from doing a rear addition. It was a zoning issue. A part of a zoning ordinance was unclear and it specifically related to apartments in R-4 zoning. The interpretation was unclear and appeared to prevent the construction of an addition.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if any of Ms. Thompson’s windows would be blocked by construction or would there be an alleyway to provide light.

Mr. Epstein said that they would not be bricking up any windows,

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if Ms. Thompson would be looking at a wall a few inches outside her window.

Mr. Epstein said it depended on where Ms. Thompson’s windows were located, and he did not know exactly where her windows were located in relation to the proposed new wall.

Acting Chairperson Raia suggested that Mr. Epstein check the locations and take that into account in developing his plans. He said that many houses in the city are one size in the front, then are narrower in the back to allow light into the neighboring house.

Mr. Epstein said that he thought that was the case with Ms. Thompson’s house, and he could look at the same design for his structure.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked for questions from the audience.

Ms. Alison Raff, 1908 3^rd Street, said she was concerned about the breezeway, which she felt interfered with the visual integrity of the row house block and the single family home [part of her question was inaudible due to audio interference].

Mr. Epstein said it was not a breezeway, but units that connected the two buildings together. It is the portion of the site least visible from the street and therefore suited to locate units…[inaudible]. It is not a breezeway or just a connection, it has units and it makes the building being constructed a better building.

Ms. Lillie Brantlee, 316 U street N.W., said her house was connected to the carriage house. She asked Mr. Epstein what he planned to do with the carriage house.

Mr. Epstein said he was hoping to put a unit into the carriage house. Currently, the zoning code does not allow a unit, but that is what they are proposing to do—to have someone living in it. He said he knew Mrs. Brantley had a water condensation problem in her wall

Mrs. Brantley said yes and asked if Mr. Epstein would be able to fix that problem.

Mr. Epstein said that he did not yet own the property. He had it under contract, but if he did buy the property, he promised on the record that Mrs. Brantley’s problem with condensation in her wall would be the first problem he would fix.

Ms. Sharon Johnson, 221 Rhode Island Avenue N.W., asked if there would be fourteen units on the site.

Mr. Epstein said no, he had reduced the number of units to twelve, with four parking spaces. They had kept the number of parking spaces the same, but reduced the number of units. He said they were in compliance with the normal zoning requirement for residential parking.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Mr. Epstein what he wanted the Commission to do for him.

Mr. Epstein said that the HPRB wanted a report or comments from the Commission saying what it thought about the conceptual design for his project. He said he would be going before the HPRB in two weeks. Comments were better than no comments because they give some basis for discussion.

Commissioner Moss said that the Commission was fully aware of what the HPRB needed from them. She was going to make a motion that said essentially that they were halfway there, that they need to work on this a bit more. Mr. Epstein had done a great job but she did not think that she could be in full support of the full concept.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if there was a motion.

Commissioner Moss moved that ANC 1B does not accept the proposed conceptual design and that Mr. Epstein be asked to make further modifications.

Commissioner Nadeau if the Commission did not already have that on record.

Commissioner Moss said the Commission had not yet communicated anything in writing to HPRB. She said she wanted to provide a letter to HPRB that said where they stood on the project at this point and that there needs to be more modifications.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if that could be provided from the Design Committee report.

Commissioner Moss said that the Design Committee had already given their report, and the Commission could use their recommendation as a solid template.

Mr. Norman commented that the committee had provided detailed recommendations.

Commissioner Moss agreed and said they were very good. She reiterated to Mr. Epstein that she was not opposed, but the project was not totally there yet.

Mr. Epstein asked for clarification. He noted that the Design Committee had provided recommendations that had been realized in his revised design concept. He asked what other changes there were beyond what had been recommended by the committee and community input in order to move forward.

Commissioner Moss said she needed clarification about what zoning will allow regarding the carriage house, and about the rear addition.

Mr. Epstein pointed out that the only matters at issue were related to historic preservation.

Commissioner Moss said she understood that, but that she was including all of these variables in her final decision.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the Commission was making recommendations that were not under the purview of HPRB.

Commissioner Moss said no, the Commission was not making any recommendations, but was saying that it did not accept the current conceptual design.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if that was based on historic reasons.

Commissioner Moss said it was based on reasons from her constituent about the new house connecting to an existing house.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he understood that the new house wall would not be connected to the existing house….[additional comments inaudible due to audio interference].

Mr. Epstein said that the two walls would be parallel with a quarter-inch gap, covered at the top.

Acting Chairperson Raia commented that the houses everyone lived in had been built 100 years ago. Everyone had the right to build to the full lot size as provided by law. Mr. Epstein was really not asking anything different from what was done 100 years ago. He wanted to keep that in mind. He did not think Mr. Epstein was outside the playing field.

Commissioner Muhammad said that if he was correct, the walls were not connected, but the Commission was being asked to vote as if they were connected. If the walls were parallel and there was a space, then the walls were not connected.

Commissioner Thomas observed that the issue seemed to be Ms. Thompson’s windows being obstructed, along with the assertion that the walls of the new and old house would be connected, which Mr. Epstein had said was not true.

Commissioner Moss said the issue was the obstruction of view and the connection of the two properties.

Commissioner Thomas said that it was pretty much that the properties were too close. They were not connected, but they were too close.

Commissioner Nadeau said that she did not think the Commission needed to do anything but have Mr. Irwin write the letter they had voted on last month.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that the Commission had not done anything last month. Mr. Epstein had just revised his design concept, so the Commission was now talking about a new concept.

Commissioner Moss told Mr. Epstein that she was saying they were halfway there. She was saying that there had to be a way for Ms. Thompson’s view to be unobstructed.

Commissioner Akinmboni observed that there was a gap between the two walls, but the gap had to be covered at the top to prevent water from seeping into the walls and causing damage.

Commissioner Nadeau seconded Commissioner Moss’s motion.

Commissioner Moss said that they were halfway there and they were talking about a homeowner who had lived there for twenty-plus years and had not had an obstructed view. So now she would be losing lighting and getting an obstructed view. Commissioner Moss said she applauded Mr. Epstein for all the work he had done and changes he had made to this point. She said there had to be some kind of modification in relation to Ms. Thompson’s view.

The motion was adopted 3 yes, 2 no, 1 abstain. Acting Chairperson Raia and Commissioner Akinmboni voted no and Commissioner Muhammad abstained.

Liquor Licenses and ABC Committee Report

Acting Chairperson Raia said the ABC Committee met at the Thurgood Marshall Building. The MidCity Business Association and DuVin Osteria gave presentations.

The committee discussed the establishment of standards for outside seating, soft closures for CR licenses, a singles ban for ANC 1B, which he planned to ask the Chairperson to put on the agenda for the next meeting. ABRA was present at the meeting. Fourteen people total participated in the meeting, either present or by e-mail. Three were businesses, one was MidCity Business Association, three commented by e-mail. Commissioner Nadeau also attended.

DuVin Osteria, 1401 Florida Avenue N.W., Retail Class C Tavern License Application

Commissioner Nadeau introduced DuVin Osteria. She said they had met with the Meridian Hill Neighborhood Association (MHNA) and will meet with them again this month. In addition, they will be meeting with the Solea condominium board of directors, and they have been before the ABC Committee. They have discussed a voluntary agreement that would address noise, trash, loading and hours.

Mr. Scott Rome of the Veritas Law Firm, standing in for Andrew Kline, who could not attend, introduced Mr. David Schott and his mother, who are the owners of DuVin. Mr. Schott will live in the Solea below the business. They are proposing a small wine bar. The application is for a CT license, but the business is not a large conventional bar. It will be a small wine bar with a convection oven and small tapas plates, and a small outdoor café with a small amount of seating. The residents living above the proposed location have expressed their support for the concept. The applicant is willing to work with the neighborhood and the Commission on a voluntary agreement.

Commissioner Nadeau asked Mr. Rome to address actual occupancy versus the application occupancy estimate.

Mr. David Schott said the maximum capacity of the business would be 38. The application number of 199 was based on the estimate of one person for every seven square feet. However, the addition of tables, the bar and an additional bathroom reduced the available square footage. The total square footage is 841. There will be four bar seats and a banquet along one wall with tables. The 38 capacity includes the outdoor café as well, which will have five small tables.

Commissioner Nadeau said that she had discussed with Mr. Schott and Mr. Rome that she would be moving to protest the application to give the Commission standing to negotiate a voluntary agreement on its behalf and on behalf of other community groups.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if the Solea condominium board of directors is protesting.

Commissioner Nadeau said the condominium board is reserving judgment. Because they do not have a public meeting schedule, they can protest anytime up to May 6^th. They will follow the Commission’s lead unless they feel their needs are not being met in the voluntary agreement.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if the board would be protesting with the Commission or would they be giving input on the negotiation of the voluntary agreement.

Commissioner Nadeau said they would be giving input to the negotiations and would be a signing party to the agreement.

Acting Chairperson Raia said they would have to protest to gain standing as a party to the voluntary agreement.

Commissioner Nadeau said the Solea condominium board would do whatever they had to do to participate in the voluntary agreement negotiations.

Mr. Rome said it was their hope to get a voluntary agreement with all of the involved community groups and associations.

Commissioner Nadeau said that MHNA would also be a party to the voluntary agreement, which was why the applicant was meeting again with them this month. They hoped to have a draft agreement ready to review with MHNA.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if MHNA would also be protesting if they were going to be a signatory.

Mr. Rome said they would want them to be a signatory whether they protested or not.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that it was up to ABRA to allow them to be a signatory and they had to protest to have standing. He said he was not trying to get everyone to protest the license, but just wanted to make sure it was done correctly.

Commissioner Nadeau said that if that were what they needed to do, then MHNA would do it.

Mr. Rome said that a number of the Solea condominium board members also belonged to MHNA.

Commissioner Nadeau said Commissioner Thomas had let her take the lead on this, but had been staying in contact and updated on progress.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that would be his only concern, that there might be conflict. Maybe Commissioner Thomas should help in writing the voluntary agreement since the business was located in a building where Commissioner Nadeau lived. He suggested Commissioner Thomas should construct the agreement, share it with Commissioner Nadeau, then bring it to the Commission.

Commissioner Nadeau said that she and Commissioner Thomas intended to collaborate.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if there were any questions from the audience.

Ms. Sharon Johnson asked where DuVin was located.

Mr. Rome said the wine bar would be in the Solea condominium building.

Mr. Schott said the street address was 1401 Florida Avenue N.W., but the business was on 14^th Street across from the View 14 lofts.

Commissioner Nadeau moved that ANC 1B protest the application of DuVin Osteria for a Class C Tavern License on the basis of peace, order and quiet, authorize her and Commissioner Thomas to represent the Commission and negotiate a voluntary agreement, and withdraw the protest if an acceptable voluntary agreement is signed

Commissioner Akinmboni seconded the motion.

Acting Chairperson Raia suggested a friendly amendment, that the motion state that the voluntary agreement will be circulated to all Commissioners for review and comment as is usually done.

Commissioner Nadeau said she wanted to bring the draft agreement back to the Commission at the May meeting for a final vote, since there was time before the scheduled hearing date.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if there were any objections to having the agreement come back to the Commission.

There was none.

Commissioner Nadeau said that the D.C. Code actually required that voluntary agreements be voted on by the Commission. She said if anyone wanted to have that discussion later, she could. She wanted to make sure the agreement was valid and binding.

The motion was adopted 5 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain. Acting Chairperson Raia abstained.

Design Committee Report continued

Mr. Norman called the Commission’s attention to two recommendations of the Committee that the Commission had not voted on: closing the Committee membership on May 6^th and providing the Staff Director’s services to support the Committee’s work.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if May 6^th came before the next Commission meeting.

Commissioner Thomas said that was the date of the next meeting.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that the Commission could not vote on closing committee membership at the next meeting. He asked if there was an issue with Mr. Norman using Mr. Irwin’s services. He said the ABC Committee was allowed to use his services, so he did not see any difference with the Design Review Committee.

Commissioner Thomas said she did not have a problem with the proposal, but was concerned about the wording of the recommendation, referring to “appropriate compensation if necessary.”

Commissioner Nadeau asked Mr. Norman if he had written the recommendation that way because he was not sure how Mr. Irwin was paid.

Mr. Norman said that he did not know if Mr. Irwin was paid by the hour or salaried.

Commissioner Nadeau said Mr. Irwin was hourly. She said the only question then was could the Commission afford to do that.

Commissioner Thomas said that several committees were now up and running, so Mr. Irwin was being asked to do a little bit more.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Mr. Norman how long his meetings were and how often the committee met. Mr. Norman said meetings lasted about one and a half to two hours and the committee met once a month. Acting Chairperson Raia observed that that was about the same as Mr. Irwin working on the Commission meeting.

Commissioner Thomas said it was different from the Commission meetings because Mr. Irwin would have to travel to a different location for the committee meetings.

Commissioner Moss asked how many hours of work would be required.

Mr. Norman said the Committee needed him to take minutes and prepare a summary report of committee actions. He did not think it would require more than one or two hours.

Commissioner Muhammad noted that if the Commission moved into the office space in the Reeves Center, there really would not be any travel time.

Commissioner Nadeau said that Mr. Irwin was not paid for his travel time.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he hoped that once the office space was acquired, various committees could meet there.

Commissioner Moss suggested that the committee could use an electronic device to record the meetings, then Mr. Irwin could transcribe the recording without having to actually be present at the meeting.

Commissioner Nadeau commented that it might take longer to transcribe a recording, rather than be present at the meeting.

Commissioner Moss suggested that the Commission vote first on the question of closing the committee membership, then caucus as to additional tasks for the Staff Director.

Acting Chairperson Raia said it sounded like there was nothing to vote on at this meeting.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the Commission should not go ahead and vote on making Mr. Irwin available to the committee.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that Mr. Irwin would not be used until May.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if the committee was not meeting in April.

Mr. Norman said the committee would be meeting in April.

Acting Chairperson Raia said the Commission should have a motion on providing Mr. Irwin’s services.

Commissioner Moss asked whether Mr. Irwin’s contract should be reviewed to see if it needs to be modified to include those additional work hours.

Acting Chairperson Raia said he did not think there was any specific hour limit. The limit was the budget. He did not think there had to be a motion. Mr. Irwin could just attend the committee meetings. It would just be work that he would be paid for.

Commissioner Thomas thought there needed to be clarity as to whether Mr. Irwin was being compensated or not for extra committee work.

Acting Chairperson Raia said Mr. Irwin would bill the Commission for his hours just as he does every month.

Commissioner Nadeau said that she thought the issue came up because Mr. Norman had not been sure how Mr. Irwin was paid.

Acting Chairperson Raia concluded that no motion was necessary.

Commissioner Muhammad said that he supported the idea of closing the committee membership on May 6^th. He thought it should be voted on now so that an announcement could be made to the community that the deadline for joining the committee was May 6^th.

Commissioner Muhammad moved that ANC 1B accept the Design Review Committee recommendation that committee membership be closed on May 6, 2010.

Commissioner Moss seconded the motion.

Commissioner Nadeau asked when committee membership would open again.

Mr. Norman said in January, when the Commission elects officers and committee chairpersons,

Commissioner Muhammad agreed to add the membership open date of January 1 to his motion.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked that an announcement be sent out to all community listserves right away advising of the closing date.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 6 yes, 0 no.

Commissioner Moss said that the Design Review Committee needed clarification of its tasks. She said she and Mr. Norman had discussed what issues fall under the jurisdiction of the committee. She understood that the Committee only dealt with design issues, not with transportation or development issues, only design.

Commissioner Nadeau said that the committee had dealt with DDOT and zoning issues in the past.

Commissioner Muhammad said that this committee far outshone committees of the past. The website description clearly states what the committee does. The work they have done over the past two months should be highly commended. He was confident that the committee would handle anything else that falls under that description appropriately.

Commissioner Moss observed that the committee members were professionals in other areas and did not have a great deal of time to read the plethora of materials that came to the Commission in relation to transportation, development and design. In addition, they would need more than just the Commission’s staff support to help facilitate that volume of information, so she thought it was necessary that the committee be very clearly tasked with one area, which is design. Perhaps the title of the committee should be reconsidered. Transportation and development and design is too much.

Commissioner Nadeau asked Commissioner Moss if she felt the committee’s recommendation regarding Metro service cuts was a little far out.

Commissioner Moss agreed.

Commissioner Nadeau asked if she agreed that the committee could deal with DDOT on public space issues if they related to design or streetscape.

Commissioner Moss agreed.

Grant Applications and Grants Committee Report

Vermont Avenue Garden Party Grant Application

Acting Chairperson Raia introduced Mr. Jeffrey Willis of the Vermont Avenue Garden District to present his grant application. He said that this would be the first time that Mr. Willis’s organization had received grant funding from the Commission if the application were approved. He said that both he and Chairperson Anderson Holness supported the project.

Mr. Willis said that he was partnering with the African American Civil War Memorial and Dr. Frank Smith to carry out this project and to apply for this grant. In past years, they have worked with DC Greenworks and other organizations to plant up to 50 trees on Vermont Avenue. The project of planting trees and greening the Vermont Avenue neighborhood is carried out entirely by volunteers who are residents and neighbors. Nellie’s and other businesses are providing in-kind support. They are requesting $2,200 for the cost of trees and other materials.

Commissioner Nadeau observed that the grant request was for 100% of the project and the Commission required that applicants obtain other sources of funding.

Acting Chairperson Raia said he had checked the grant policies posted on the Commission website and there was nothing in the policies that required applicants to have other funding sources for their projects.

Commissioner Akinmboni agreed with Commissioner Nadeau that applicants had been required to have other sources of funding.

Acting Chairperson Raia said the Commission could not hold applicants to a standard that was not posted on the website. He said that, although the applicant was not getting funding from other sources, they were getting donated food and other in-kind services and materials to supplement the grant funds. They had tried to get a grant from the Commission in the past and had not been successful. This was their first time coming to the Commission. In addition, the residents have been and are contributing time and labor to the project.

Commissioner Nadeau said that, if the rules did not include a requirement to get additional sources of funding, that should be added.

Acting Chairperson Raia quoted paragraph two of the grant policies: “Grants from the ANC may be combined with other funds Applicants are encouraged to solicit additional funds.” He pointed out that the policy did not say it was mandatory.

Commissioner Nadeau asked Mr. Willis if he could provide a total dollar value for in-kind donations.

Mr. Willis said he thought the value was close to $1,000.00.

Commissioner Thomas asked if the project was being carried out on public space.

Acting Chairperson Raia and Mr. Willis said yes.

Commissioner Thomas said she asked because there had been a discussion about building tree boxes on public space at a previous Commission meeting.

Acting Chairperson Raia said the discussion had been about tree boxes and what type of tree boxes could be planted.

Commissioner Thomas said she thought that the issue had been that the Commission could not pay for tree boxes to be constructed on a public space.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that the proposal had been for wooden tree boxes, and the law required that tree boxes had to be made of iron.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked if there were any questions from the community. Dr. Frank Smith, African American Civil War Memorial, said that they had been a part of this project for years and were happy to be a part of it and support it again this year. The neighborhood had done a wonderful job of creating a more pleasant and park-like environment along Vermont Avenue, which enhanced the area around the Civil War Memorial.

Ms. Sharon Smith asked where the trees would be located. Mr. Willis said that they had 50 trees planted all the way from Florida, Vermont and V Streets down to 11^th Street. They were replacing trees that had died during the winter.

Commissioner Moss said that Mr. Willis and the residents had done great work over the years with very little funding and had really been proactive in keeping the area up. Mr. Willis had been very diligent, to the extent that he was out shoveling snow during the recent 50-inch blizzard all by himself.

Acting Chairperson Raia moved that ANC 1B approve the application of the African American Civil War Memorial for $2,200.00 for the Vermont Avenue Garden Party.

Commissioner Moss seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 6 yes, 0 no.

Commissioner Moss introduced two new grant applications from WPFW-FM and the Ethiopian Community Services and Development Council. She said the grant applications had been circulated to the Commission and would be sent out again on Monday for review. These grants would come before the Commission for consideration at the May 6^th meeting.

Acting Chairperson Raia introduced a grant application from the U Street Neighborhood Association for Movie Nights at Harrison Park, which will be considered at the May 6^th meeting.

Commissioner Muhammad asked if one of the grant applicants, WPFW-FM, was owned by Radio One.

Commissioner Moss said no, they were a non-commercial radio station owned by the Pacifica Foundation.

Mr. John Kardon of U Street Movie Nights and the U Street Neighborhood Association said that they had submitted a grant application that would be considered in May. However, they need to apply for a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) before then and needed the Commission’s support for their application.

Raia said that this issue was not on the agenda and he understood that they had not yet vetted their project with community groups.

Mr. Kardon said they had done so. He said that they had met with Meridian Hill and U Street Neighborhood Associations, and had distributed flyers to all the residences in the immediate neighborhood, including Langston Lofts.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Mr. Kardon if he had letters of support from the organizations.

Mr. Kardon said that both Meridian Hill and U Street Neighborhood Associations were sponsors of the event. In addition, the MidCity Business Association is a partner in the event, soliciting business contributions.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Mr. Kardon what he would need from the Commission.

Mr. Kardon said they needed to apply to DPR for permit to use the Harrison Park field to show movies. They were requesting a letter of support from the Commission to DPR.

Commissioner Nadeau moved that ANC 1B send a letter to DPR supporting the U Street Move Series application for a permit to use Harrison Park.

Commissioner Moss seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 6 yes, 0 no.

New Business

Residential Parking Program

Acting Chairperson Raia said that Councilmember Jim Graham’s proposed residential parking program had been discussed by the Commission before and had broad support in the community. He asked if anyone in the audience wanted to hear about the program.

Acting Chairperson Raia noted that there were no questions from the audience about the residential parking program.

Commissioner Nadeau noted that the proposed program would reserve 50% of every residential block for residential parking only, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with parking passes for short-term visitors and guest passes for longer-term (overnight) guests.

Mr. Jonathan Kass, Councilmember Graham’s office, added that there were some differences in neighborhoods in Ward One, so after the bill passes, ANCs will be asked to opt-in to the program by voting formally to participate. At this meeting, the Commission is being asked to support the Councilmember’s bill.

Commissioner Moss asked where the bill was in the process.

Mr. Kass said that the bill had been through three public hearings and was now in Councilmember Graham’s committee. The Councilmember hoped to report it out of his committee in April. There would then be two votes by the City Council.

Commissioner Moss asked how much the program would cost to implement.

Mr. Kass said there was no fiscal impact statement yet, but usually things of this scale could be done without significant fiscal impact in the DDOT budget.

Commissioner Muhammad said he would like the Commission to work with Councilmember Graham to make the program ANC specific, and even SMD-specific.

Acting Chairperson Raia said that it might be difficult to make the program SMD-specific because SMDs boundaries are often residential streets. For example, he and Commissioner Moss share 9^th Street as a boundary, making it difficult to allocate residential parking by SMD.

Commissioner Muhammad said that the issue had to do with residents in one ANC or driving into another and parking for the day to take the subway.

Mr. Kass said that there were ongoing discussions about these issues and there were a lot of benefits to the idea of making the program ANC-specific. There were also problems, such as the boundary issues, but it was an ongoing discussion and might be addressed in a separate piece of legislation.

Commissioner Nadeau moved that ANC 1B support Councilmember Graham’s bill to implement the proposed residential parking program to alleviate issues of residential parking.

Commissioner Moss seconded the motion.

Commissioner Akinmboni expressed concern about how the program could be enforced when there were so many new residential buildings and residents. It was impossible to provide reserved parking for everyone on the block with people coming in from outside the ANC or her SMD.

Mr. Kass said that it was important to understand that the program did not reserve 50% of the parking on a block for the people who live on that block. The program would change the present situation, which allows anyone from inside or outside the city to park on a neighborhood block for two hours. It would reserve 50% of the parking on the block for Zone 1 permit holders only around the clock.

Commissioner Muhammad proposed a friendly amendment to add that ANC 1B will work with Councilmember Graham to make the program specific to ANC 1B and single-member districts as well.

Commissioner Nadeau said she did not accept the amendment, and would rather see that as a separate motion.

Acting Chairperson Raia called for a vote on Commissioner Nadeau’s original motion.

The motion was adopted 6 yes, 0 no.

Commissioner Muhammad moved that ANC 1B work with Councilmember Graham to make the residential parking program specific to ANC 1B and the Commission’s single-member districts.

Commissioner Akinmboni seconded the motion.

Mr. Scott Pomeroy said he strongly supported ANC 1B, but as a resident living with a different SMD across the street from him, he did see major problems because he had to shift from one side of the street to the other for street cleaning.

The motion failed, 3 yes, 3 no.

Commissioner Muhammad moved that ANC 1B work with Councilmember Graham to make the residential parking program specific to ANC 1B.

Commissioner Nadeau seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously, 6 yes, 0 no.

Community Events and Announcements

Commission Announcements

Commissioner Akinmboni announced a community-wide forum on April 6^th from 3 PM to 7 PM at the Charles Sumner School, 17^th and F Streets N.W. on supporting children and families.

Commissioner Muhammad announced that there would be a public safety meeting for PSA 305 at the DC Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Avenue N.W. on Tuesday, April 6^th. On Thursday, April 8^th, there will be an informational meeting about the Sherman Avenue redesign from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the DC Housing Finance Agency. The South Columbia Heights Neighborhood Association, of which he is the president, would be meeting on Wednesday, April 14^th, at 7:00 PM, at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15^th Street N.W. This will be a joint meeting with Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) PSA 304. The guest speaker this month will be Councilmember Phil Mendelson, Chairperson of the DC Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

Commissioner Moss announced that the Board of Elections and Ethics is proposing to relocate the polling place for precinct 20 from the Gage-Eckington School to the K.C. Lewis Elementary School at 300 Bryant Street N.W. This change will be effective for the September 14, 2010 primary election.

Acting Chairperson Raia asked Commissioner Nadeau to work with Mr. Irwin to get out an announcement to the community listserves regarding the vacancy in ANC 1B06 and the special election that will be held. He asked that the announcement be sent out during the coming week.

There being no further business, Commissioner Moss moved that the April 2010 meeting of ANC 1B be adjourned.

Commissioner Nadeau seconded the motion.

The motion was adopted unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 9:55 PM.