ADVISORY
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 1B
Government
of the
Minutes
Thursday, July 1,
2010,
7:00 PM,
The regular
monthly meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B occurred on Thursday, July
1, 2010, at 7:00 pm in the
Acting
Chairperson Raia observed the presence of a quorum and called the meeting to
order at 7:00 PM.
Acting
Chairperson Raia then made the following announcement:
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 This meeting is audio-recorded for the
public record and the draft minutes of the meeting, which will be published on
our website within one week.
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.
You can come forward and sit at the witness table and make sure that
your comments are picked up. 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.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked Commissioners to introduce themselves.
Presentations
Councilmember David
Acting Chairperson
Raia introduced Councilmember David Catania.
Councilmember
Catania said he wanted to address issues of healthcare briefly, then take
questions. He said he had been chair of
the City Council’s Committee on Health since 2005. He referred to an Urban Institute study which
found that
One example
is dental insurance. Councilmember
Cantania said that until 2005 there were no dental benefits for people on
Medicaid. In effect, people were allowed
to have their teeth rot in their mouths while the rest of them was getting
treatment. They were not allowed to get
preventive dental care, but they could go to the emergency room and insurance
would pay for emergency extractions, which could range from $8,000 to $12,000. This was public policy. But now, in addition to greatly reduced rates
of uninsured, we have a very expansive dental benefit, one of the most generous
in the country. It includes full
restorative dental services for those who have lost their teeth and routine
preventive care. It is working pretty
well. There have been 60,000 unduplicated
patient visits since the benefit went into effect. The money to pay for this came from not
paying for emergency room visits and targeted efforts to tighten controls on
other spending.
An example of
tightened controls on spending is non-Medicaid transportation. DC will pay for non-emergency transportation
to take an individual to and from a doctor’s office. For years, there was no due diligence, no
appropriate management of this program.
Vendors simply billed the government; there was no effort to verify if
the person was Medicaid eligible or if they had actually gone to the doctor’s
office. DC had the second-highest rate
of spending for this program in the country, behind
Another issue
was health care for children. Five years
ago, only one in three DC schools had a full-time school nurse. Now, all but two of our schools have
full-time nurses.
Right now the
project which is first and foremost on the Committee’s agenda is youth violence
and youth mental health. The evidence is
compelling that if you engage in early intervention, if you have early
screening, you can identify issues before they emerge and get kids on the right
path. No jurisdiction in the country has
this kind of universal screening. DC
will be the first. The committee is also
looking at additional items to improve parental responsibility. Truancy is the gateway to trouble. Kids are not in school, they fall behind,
they don’t reappear, and they end up on the streets and in trouble. The Committee is looking across the country at
what other jurisdictions have done to improve children’s participation. He expects legislation to be introduced that
will be similar to a
Mr. Catania
said that, whereas 20 years ago the District was lagging behind on healthcare
policy, now it is on the leading edge and will benefit greatly from the
President’s healthcare reform package.
The federal government is now coming behind the District and next year
DC will save $40 million of what would have been spent because of healthcare
reform.
Acting
Chairperson Raia thanked Councilmember Catania for his time and his service to
the city.
Commissioner
Moss introduced Mr. Chip Ellis, President of Ellis Development, one of the
principals in the Howard Theatre Development Project. She asked him to provide the latest update to
the Commission on the status of the project.
Mr. Ellis
said that after eight years of working on revitalizing the
-- Jazz and
rhythm and blues. They are planning a
community celebration to mark the theatre’s 100th anniversary on
August 22nd.in front of the theatre at 3:00 PM and also at the DC
Historical Society on the same day at 4:00 PM.
Mr. Ellis
described his plan to restore the original 1910 façade, restoring original
windows and adding a “Jazz Man” sculpture to the peak of the roof.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked if liquor would be served as part of the cabaret.
Mr. Ellis
said food and drinks would be served.
Commissioner
Moss said that they would be applying for a liquor license.
Mr. Ellis
said it would be a full liquor license.
A member of
the community asked what measures would be taken to deal with rodents and other
pests that would be forced out into the neighborhood by the construction
activity.
Mr. Ellis
said that they would be doing everything possible to mitigate pest
infestations. He was also engaged in a
mixed use development nearby that would also cause issues, plus there were
other challenges, such as the Metro and an underground stream (Tiber Creek)
that runs beneath the site. That was
part of the reason why the development of this project had taken several years. He assured the commission that all practical
pest abatement measures would be taken.
Mr. Torrance
Hucks asked about provisions for parking with all the events that would be
taking place at the theatre.
Mr. Ellis
said there would be 100 parking spaces for the
Acting
Chairperson Raia thanked Mr. Ellis for his presentation. Commissioner Moss said that the presentation
was just to update the community and keep everyone informed, and no action from
the commission was needed at this time.
Douglas Development
Commissioner
Moss introduced Mr. Paul Milstein of Douglas Development. She asked him to give the Commission a brief
update on their on-going projects.
Mr. Milstein
said that the building at 7th and
The Wonder
Bread factory at 641 S Street has been stalled due to the economy. There is some new interest on the part of a hotel
in
Commissioner
Moss noted that the Pharmacare pharmacy and the Seven-Eleven will both be a
good source of jobs for residents of ANC 1B and are committed to hiring
residents.
Commissioner
Moss noted that no one from the D.C. Environmental Agency was present to
discuss the issue of the vacant lot across from the
Officers’ Reports
Treasurer’s Report
Commissioner
Ferrer referred Commissioners to the report in their meeting folders.
The current
bank account balance is $69,881.65.
The following
checks were written at the June 3, 2010 meeting:
#1758 to
James Irwin for staff wages $1,587.72
#1759 to
James Irwin for reimbursement for office supplies and printing $331.90
#1760 to
#1761 to Ethiopian
Community Services and Development Council for Grant #10-10 for $2,000.00
#1762 to DC
Caribbean Carnival Inc. for Grant #10-11 for $2,000
The following
checks were cashed in June:
#1756 to Friends
of
#1758 to
James Irwin for staff wages $1,587.72
#1759 to
James Irwin for reimbursement for office supplies and printing $331.90
#1760 to
#1762 to DC
Caribbean Carnival Inc. for Grant #10-11 for $2,000
Commissioner
Ferrer reported that three expenses required approval by the Commission:
Staff wages
for James Irwin: $1,777.60
Reimbursement
of office supplies and printing expenses to James Irwin: $93.76
Payment of
furniture moving and assembly expenses to Configuration Inc. $1,470.88.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked if the checks to pay taxes to the IRS had to be voted on by the
Commission.
Commissioner
Ferrer said no, those expenses were included in the budget.
Commissioner
Ferrer moved that ANC 1B approve the reimbursement of the three expenses as
stated.
Commissioner Moss
seconded the motion.
The motion
was approved unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Commissioner Ferrer
moved that ANC 1B approve the Treasurer’s Report for July, 2010.
Commissioner Lopez
seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Commissioner
Lopez asked if a draft 2011 budget could be given to the Commission in August
so that it could be reviewed and then considered at the September meeting.
Commissioner
Ferrer said he would provide a draft budget by August.1st so that
the Commission would have the entire month of August to review it.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked about the grant to the Westminster Neighborhood
Association. They intended to plant
trees, but Casey Trees cannot provide the trees until September and the 60 day
period for the grant report expires on August 22nd. He asked if the unspent funds would have to
be returned.
Commissioner
Ferrer asked if the trees would be paid for before August 22.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said no, but they had spent some of the funds.
Commissioner
Nadeau said that the receipts for what they had spent should be submitted with
a statement of use of funds by August 22.
Commissioner
Ferrer said that they should submit a new grant application for the unspent
funds for September.
Secretary’s Report – Minutes of June
2010 meeting
Commissioner
Moss submitted the draft minutes of the June 2010 meeting for approval.
Commissioner
Moss moved that the draft minutes of the June 3, 2010 meeting be approved.
Commissioner Muhammad
seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted, 7 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain.
Commissioner Ferrer abstained.
Public Safety Committee Report
Commissioner
Muhammad referred Commissioners to his report, which he had distributed by
e-mail in advance of the meeting.
Commissioner
Muhammad said there had been three serious public safety issues on June 9, the
same day as the Public Safety Committee meeting.
From
approximately 6:25 PM to 7:45 PM, the 1300 block of
At
approximately 8:05 PM, a multiple shooting occurred on the 2100 block of
At
approximately 10:11 PM, a pedestrian was struck at 9th and Florida
NW.
Commissioner
Muhammad also reported that the death of a 32- year old woman that occurred on
April 6th at approximately 11:30 AM in the 1300 block of
Commissioner
Muhammad also reviewed the Public Safety Area (PSA) reports for ANC 1B, which
includes PSA 304 and 305 for the period June 3-30.
PSA 304 is
bounded by
1 sex abuse
crime
4 robberies
excluding gun
5 robberies
with gun
6 assaults
with dangerous weapon excluding gun
1 assault with
dangerous weapon
Total of 17
violent crimes in PSA 304
Total
property crime in PSA 304 was 39. Total
crime in PSA 304 was 56.
In PSA 305
there was reported:
9 robberies
excluding gun
9 robberies
with gun
2 assaults
with dangerous weapon
1 assault excluding
dangerous weapon
Total of 21
violent crimes in PSA 305.
Total
property crime in PSA 305 was 120
Design Review Committee Report
Mr. Tony
Norman, Committee Chairperson, recognized committee members who were present.
Mr. Norman
said the owner of the vacant lot at
1201 S Street N.W.
Mr. Norman
said the Committee had not had an opportunity to review this project. It had come before the Commission before, but
the BZA hearing was postponed. However,
the Committee did not receive notice of the project or the original hearing
date until after its June meeting.
Mr. Norman
called on Committee member Joel Heisey to review the project, as he had met
with the applicant.
Mr. Heisey
said he wanted to note for the record that he owns a similar building in a different
ward and had not voted on anything connected with this project.
Mr. Heisey
said the building in question was on the corner of 12th and S
Streets NW. It had been a long-time
grocery store, but had been vacant for several years. The applicants were proposing a sandwich
shop/deli, which is a change of use, so they must get a special exception from
the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). It
will have seating for 18 plus outdoor seating, which will require a separate
public space permit application to the Department of Transportation. The only design concern that he had was that
there was no provision for trash storage and removal. The project architect said he would address that
issue and had since identified a location for trash storage and pickup next to
the building.
Mr. Heisey
said that, aside from the one design issue, the owner of the building and the
manager of the proposed shop were not present at the meeting with him, and he
had recommended that they attend this Commission meeting.
Mr. Norman
said the Committee had not voted or taken a position on this application.
Commissioner
Moss asked when 1201 S Street would go before the BZA. Mr. Norman said on July 28th.
Acting
Chairperson Raia noted that there were representatives of the applicant for
1201 S Street present at the meeting.
Acting
Chairperson Raia called for a motion regarding the Committee’s recommendation
on
Commissioner
Moss moved that ANC 1B support the application for a zoning variance for
Commissioner
Ferrer seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Mr. Norman
concluded his report with a Committee recommendation that the Commissioner of
jurisdiction for a project coming before the Committee should attend the
Committee meeting to provide her/his opinions and insights on the project.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked that Committee reports be inserted into the minutes of the
Commission meetings.
Acting
Chairperson Raia agreed that this should be done.
DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE
Tony Norman, Chairperson
Report and Recommendations
July 1, 2010
SUMMARY
The Design Committee met on June 15, 2010 to receive a presentation
on the proposed construction of a new two-unit row house at
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee unanimously recommends that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B support the application of Mr. and Mrs. Reynaldo Paniagua to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a zoning variance for lot size, width and occupancy to permit construction of a two-unit, three-story row house at 928 Euclid Street N.W, and that the Commission support the design of the project.
REPORT ON RECOMMENDATION
Mr. and Mrs.
Reynaldo Paniagua own the vacant lot at
Mr. Jerald Clark,
the architect for the project, presented plans and drawings to the
Committee. His presentation and the
subsequent questions and discussion elicited the following points:
- Although the property is not located in
a historic district, the owners desire the house to match other houses on
the block, so the design reflects the historic appearance of existing
structures.
- The footprint of the structure will
match the footprints of existing houses; in fact, the new house will be
slightly smaller. The structure
will occupy 67% of the lot.
- There will be one parking space in the
back of the house, although it will probably accommodate two small
cars. Only one parking space is
required.
- The structure will be three floors with
a basement. The basement will be
one living unit with two bedrooms and one bath. The main house will have five bedrooms,
three full and two half-baths.
- Mr. Clark has tried to talk with the
immediate neighbors, but they do not speak English, so communication has
been limited.
- The structure will be wood frame with
stucco exterior. Stonework will be
employed for the sills and caps above the windows.
Members of the
Committee strongly recommended that Mr. Clark communicate with and consult with
the residents of the block. Mr. Norman
recommended that Mr. Clark consult with Commissioner E. Gail Anderson Holness. She lives on the same block and the property
is located in her single-member district.
After extensive
discussion and questions, the Committee unanimously recommended that the BZA
application and the design of the proposed row house be supported by the full
Commission.
COMMITTEE PROCEDURES
The Committee
discussed its meeting procedures and agreed on the following:
1.
Eight members
of the Committee constitute a quorum for the purpose of taking official action.
2.
All issues to
be considered by the Committee must be submitted for the agenda not later than
seven days before the date of the Committee meeting.
3.
The Committee
strongly recommends that Commissioners with projects under consideration by the
Committee in their single-member districts attend the Committee meeting to
discuss such projects and give the Committee the benefit of their views and
concerns. Because the Committee is able
to consider proposals and projects at length and in detail, participation by
Commissioners of jurisdiction will be very helpful in expediting consideration
and action by the full Commission.
1201 S Street N.W. – applicant
presentation
Acting
Chairperson Raia invited the applicants for 1201 S Street N.W. to speak to the
Commission.
Mr. Nicholas
Anuforoh, Mr. Toye Bello and Mr. Casey Dalton introduced themselves to the
Commission. Mr. Anuforoh will manage the
sandwich shop, Mr. Bello is the project architect and Mr. Dalton is the owner
of the property.
Mr. Anuforoh
said the project was a coffee shop/deli.
They would be tenants in the building owned by Mr. Dalton. The shop will be run to serve the community
and will be staffed by students from the
Mr. Dalton
said he had tried to persuade the prior owner/operator of the grocery store to
stay as he was in the process of buying the property, but he said he made no
money and left. The beer and wine
license for the store was sold to somebody in a different location. Mr. Dalton said that he had tried to market
the property and get a tenant without success until now. The proposed shop is the first viable tenant
he has had in ten years.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said the property was located in his single-member
district. He had met with the applicants
before this meeting.
Mr. Bello
said that the applicants would like the Commission to support their application
for a special exception to zoning regulations to change from one non-conforming
use to another.
Commissioner
Ferrer asked if the
Mr. Anuforoh
said it was a comprehensive charter school.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if there were questions from the community.
Mr. Brian
Card, a resident of the 1100 block of
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if there were any plans to change the nature of the
operation at some point.
Mr. Anuforoh
said there was no intention or plan to change the nature of the operation. He addressed the other concerns mentioned by
saying that there was a pad and trash containers would be placed there and
emptied as often as every other day.
They intend to contract with a trash collection company.
With regard
to students, they will be hired to work in the shop, which will be owned by a
separate stand-alone company. The
students will be managed by personnel from the Academy.
With regard
to parking, Mr. Bello said there was no requirement to provide parking and the
shop will be a neighborhood business. It
is not designed to attract large numbers of people. Those who visit the shop will come from the
neighborhood and will be on foot.
Mr. Dalton
said he had spoken with neighbors and had suggested to his tenants that a
meeting be arranged with residents of the neighborhood at the store so that
people can see what is planned, how it would work, and discuss all the issues
and concerns with everyone in one place.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked if they had considered how deliveries would be handled and timed
so as not to disturb the neighborhood.
Mr. Anuforoh
said that operational details had not yet been fully determined, but they would
certainly take that into consideration and work around it.
Mr. Eric
Fidler, a member of the Committee, asked if it was a two-story building and if
so what the second floor would be used for.
Mr. Dalton
said it was a two-story building and the second floor had apartments, with the
store on the first floor. A two-bedroom
apartment was located directly above the store.
He said it had been configured that way since it had been built.
Acting
Chairperson Raia moved that ANC 1B support the application to the BZA for a
special exception to change 1201 S Street NW from a non-conforming use as a
grocery store to a non-conforming use as a coffee shop/deli.
Commissioner
Muhammad seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Liquor Licenses and ABC Committee
Report
American Ice Company,
Mr. Joe Riza,
Acting
Chairperson Raia said that the owner had met with about 30 residents of the
community on June 6th.
Overall there was support for the business, but there were some concerns
that would probably be expressed at this Commission meeting. They are willing to negotiate a voluntary
agreement with the residents and the Commission.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked how the building was situated, related to other properties.
Mr. Riza said
that the building right next door, the only building touching his building, is
an office building. He had talked with
the owners of that building about three or four years ago. To the right is an alley and another alley
behind the building. The Rhapsody is on
the other side of that alley. Those were
the people he really wanted to meet with first to let them know what they were
doing and answer questions.
Commissioner
Moss asked what the timeline would be if his liquor license application was
approved.
Mr. Riza said
sometime between September and the end of the year.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked for questions from the community.
Ms. Leila
____, a resident of the Rhapsody Condominium, said that her building was shaped
like a U and there was a section with about 30 residents that would be most
affected by this new business. She said
she thought the meeting had been
attended mainly by those residents not most directly affected. The building section along the alley is all
bedrooms and now if two people are talking in the alley, people inside can hear
them clearly. The application proposes
about 44 people outside on the patio.
This means 44 drunk people just 20 feet away from her bedroom
window. If it is so easy to hear two
people talking in the alley, she could not imagine what 44 drunk people would
sound like. She thought it was a much
bigger issue than was being described.
She thought the location of the business was definitely a problem
Mr. Riza said
that he had told the residents that he would work with the company that had
installed sound mitigation measures for Marvin and the Gibson and would try to
reduce the noise as much as possible. He
said the patio was at the front of the building, which was another sixty feet
from the alley. There will not be people
out in the back of the building. In
addition, there will be no overall cover to the patio (just umbrellas), so use
of the patio will be affected by inclement weather.
Commissioner
Moss asked if they would consider installing additional sound reduction
barriers further down the road. Mr. Riza
said yes.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked if the door to the garage opened onto the patio. Mr. Riza said yes. Commissioner Nadeau asked if the garage door
would be closed. Mr. Riza said the door
would be open to the patio, except in inclement weather. He agreed that the music inside could be
heard on the patio. He said they would
not be hosting live bands or DJs or playing loud music.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said that a restriction on live music or DJs could be placed
in the voluntary agreement.
Mr. Charles
White, a resident of
Another
resident expressed great concern about noise on weeknights disturbing residents
of the condominium building. She said
there were solutions, so a voluntary agreement was very important to make sure
those solutions were implemented.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said that if a voluntary agreement were to be negotiated,
there would be another meeting with residents to get their input.
Acting
Chairperson Raia moved that ANC 1B protest the liquor license application of
American Ice Company on the basis of peace, order, quiet and parking to develop
a voluntary agreement to be sent back to the Commission.
Commissioner
Muhammad seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 8 yes, 0 no.
Bella,
Mr. Mike
Pappas, the agent for the owner of Bella, said that this would be a new
restaurant at 9th and
Acting
Chairperson Raia said that the owner was willing to negotiate a voluntary
agreement and had addressed some concerns brought up at the ABC Committee
meeting. There were no more questions
after that.
Commissioner
Ferrer asked what concerns had been brought up at the Committee meeting.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said there were concerns that they might turn into a
nightclub, what kind of restaurant it was going to be, what kind experience the
owner had as a restaurant operator.
Commissioner
Moss asked if the business was solely a restaurant with no music.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said they had applied for an endorsement for music.
Commissioner
Moss asked what type of music.
Mr. Pappas
said the most the owner would have would be a three-piece band. There would not be music that would disturb
the neighbors.
Acting
Chairperson Raia said that the owner had done soundproofing on the back wall
and insulation to reduce noise.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked where the nearest residents were located. Mr. Pappas said all the neighboring buildings
were businesses. There were no
residential buildings nearby.
Acting
Chairperson Raia moved that ANC 1B protest the liquor license application of
Bella on the basis of peace, order, quiet and parking in order to establish a
voluntary agreement.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted, 7 yes, 1 no, 0 abstain.
Commissioner Nadeau voted no.
Grant Applications and Grants
Committee Report
Because Commissioner
Akinmboni had to leave the Commission meeting for another commitment,
Commissioner Nadeau presented the report of the Grants Committee.
GRANTS
COMMITTEE REPORT
June
29, 2010
Commissioner Rosemary Akinmboni, Chairperson
Grants Committee Members
Commissioner Akinmboni, Commissioner Nadeau, Halima Roebuck, and grant
applicants from Capital Cause, R Kesia Williams, Gresham, LaMotte, Corey,
Brittany Whaley and applicant for the Tournament of Games Mack Thompson and
community member Scott Pomeroy and Commissioner Raia joined the meeting as
well.
Presentation from
Capital Cause
Kesia Williams from Capital
Cause spoke on behalf of the grant in the amount of $4,984.88. The committee
had asked for additional input from the original submission. The grant will be
a funding source for participating non-profit and for Capital Cause. It will
take place at
Presentation from
Mack Thompson from Columbia
Heights Village Together spoke on behalf of the grant in the amount of
$2,720. The Tournament of Games will take place in
Committee Business
The grant committee has
requested that the treasurer give them an updated budget for the remainder of
the year, taking into account grants awarded and new office expenses.
The committee also had an
informal discussion with Scott Pomeroy about an application he will submit in
the future, and had questions about what was permissible for ANC grant funds.
The committee agreed to refer the question to the Staff Director.
Capital Cause Grant Application
Commissioner
Ferrer noted that a non-profit organization that he works with is applying to
participate in the non-profit fair organized by grant applicant Capital
Cause. He asked the Commission for
guidance as to whether he should recuse himself from any discussion of the
Capital Cause grant application and from voting on the application. He said that he would receive any pecuniary
benefit. He works as a volunteer for the
organization, but wanted to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.
Commissioner
Moss said that Commissioner Ferrer’s insight and information about the group
would be important, but she suggested he recuse himself from voting.
Ms. Kesia
Williams and Mr. Gresham Harkless of Capital Cause presented their grant
application.
Ms. Williams
said that she is the Chair of Capital Cause.
The goal of the organization is to engage young professionals in the
giving process and public service. The
To DC With Love Festival is actually a fund-raiser. A portion of the proceeds will go back to
non-profit organizations. Five of the
participating non-profits are ANC 1B organizations. They have a marketing plan and will be
aggressively soliciting the residents of ANC 1B to attend and participate in
the event. The goal is to get 300 people
to attend. Flyers will be distributed at
the
Commissioner
Ferrer said that the original proposal was to have a block party in his
single-member district and close a block of Gresham Place N.W. In order not to disturb the residents, they
worked with Howard University and relocated the site of the event to the Howard
University parking lot next to the reservoir behind Drew Hall. That relocation has caused much of the
additional expenses that they have to deal with. In order to sign a contract with
Commissioner
Ferrer said that the event was exciting because it targeted young professionals
and got them involved in a part of ANC 1B that was not really known among a
younger crowd. The event will be a great
way to get young professionals involved and interacting with
Commissioner
Muhammad said that he respected Capital Cause’s efforts and initiative, but the
Commission several months ago had approved a grant of $5,000.00 to the Columbia
Heights-Shaw Collaborative, an outstanding non-profit organization serving ANC
1B. In comparing the work the Collaborative
is doing to their proposal, he was not comfortable approving such a large
amount for a one-day event.
Commissioner
Ferrer said he considered the grant an investment of Commission funds in the
community. They would take whatever
amount the Commission approved and the event would multiply that amount by two
or three times, then redistribute it, so it was really an effective investment
in the community. The Commission
normally gave a grant to a single organization, but in this case, the grant
would support an event that would provide a platform for a neighborhood in our
single-member district, then also turn around and give out more grant money
that the Commission would be restricted from providing. He said he looked at it as (1) a great
investment and (2) a great marketing tool for our single-member district.
Commissioner
Muhammad said that the Columbia Heights-Shaw Family Collaborative had not just
name recognition, but outstanding community service. He thought the grant approved for them was
the highest amount that the Commission had approved for the year, and to even
come close to that for a one-day event—he was not comfortable with it at all.
Ms. Williams
said that the admission fee to the fair would be $20.00, but 50% of that would
be redistributed to non-profit organizations, so the funds would be reinvested
in the community. The 300 or more people
who attend the event would have the opportunity to visit the tables of
non-profit organizations, learn about their work and be able to volunteer for
community service. They feel that the
event will make a financial investment in the community and a human resource
investment as well.
Commissioner
Nadeau said that she was challenged by the fact that five of the twenty
non-profit organizations that would benefit were located in ANC 1B, but the
Commission was being asked to support 80% of the bottom line costs. There was the potential for great results,
but the project is unproven and we just don’t know what the results will be, so
it is something of a risk to put tax dollars into this project. She said she wanted to support their efforts,
but she was having a problem with the number; it was just a lot of money.
Ms. Williams
said the goal of the project was to recruit as many as twenty non-profit
organizations, but to date they had twelve organizations signed up, so ANC 1B
participation was closer to 50% of the total number of organizations.
Commissioner
Muhammad observed that the low response of non-profits to the event might be
because they were duplicating efforts already ongoing in ANC 1B.
Commissioner
Nadeau said that a good point for the Commission to hear was where they were
marketing the event.
Ms. Williams
said that 70% of the marketing effort would be in ANC 1B, especially around the
metro stations.
Acting
Chairperson Raia added that they were all volunteers and this creates a
movement in the city when residents do things like this. This is movement for change. This is what we want to do.
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that ANC 1B approve the Capital Cause grant application for the
amount of $2,000.00.
Commissioner
Muhammad seconded the motion.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if Commissioner Nadeau would accept a friendly amendment
to increase the grant amount to $3,000.00 to get them closer to their goal.
Commissioner
Nadeau declined to accept the friendly amendment.
Commissioner
Moss said she liked the middle-of-the-road approach and supported Acting
Chairperson Raia’s friendly amendment.
She said that although the Commission’s funds were limited, they were
intended for community support and Capital Cause’s initiative deserved the
Commission’s support.
Commissioner
Lopez asked how close the grant expenditures were to the budgeted amount.
Commissioner
Nadeau said the Committee had requested that information from Commissioner
Ferrer in their report.
Commissioner
Ferrer said he would be providing the grant expenditure balance to the
committee and the commission.
Acting
Chairperson Raia called for a vote on Commissioner Nadeau’s motion. The vote was taken by roll call.
Yes No Abstain
Nadeau Moss Ferrer
Raia
Muhammad
Thomas
Lopez
The motion
failed, 1 yes, 5 no, 1 abstain.
Acting
Chairperson Raia moved that ANC 1B approve the Capital Cause grant application
for $3,000.00.
Commissioner
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted, 5 yes, 1 no, 1 abstain.
Commissioner Nadeau voted no.
Commissioner Ferrer abstained.
Commissioner
Nadeau said the Tenants Association was represented by Mr. Mack Thompson, who
is working to coordinate the tournament of games. She said that it was important for
Commissioners to look at the grant application budget for total expenses and
total sources of income. She said that
what was not included in the grant application budget, but had been provided to
the Committee by Mr. Thompson, was a breakdown of the manpower costs of the
project, which represented a very large part of the budget. The total labor/manpower cost was
$2,200.00. The Committee went over these
costs quite extensively at the meeting.
Mr. Thompson provided the following breakdown:
Event
organizer $750.00 for organizing the event over a period of
months
Facilitator $300.00 for the day
Judges $200.00 each
for five judges
Servers $50.00
Helpers $30.00 each
for two
Youth Helpers $20.00 each for three
Commissioner
Nadeau said that the balance of the grant budget was $500.00 for supplies. She said that Commissioner Akinmboni
negotiated and got the organizer’s fee reduced by $100.00, so the Committee’s
recommendation is $2,620.00.
Acting
Chairperson Raia offered one correction to the report, which was that the
Committee agreed that the Commission should not dictate the details of how
people were paid, but did specify how much it was willing to recommend for
manpower costs.
Commissioner
Nadeau agreed.
Commissioner
Moss asked what expenditures were included in the supplies budget.
Commissioner
Nadeau listed the supplies to be purchased, including disposable cameras,
developing of film, markers, certificates and frames, score pads, etc.
Commissioner
Nadeau pointed out to the Commission the other sources of funds for this
project. Councilmember Graham was
providing $500.00. The Mayor’s Office
was providing $250.00. She said that in
her mind, there was a very sharp contrast between what these other sources were
doing and what the Commission was being asked to do. On the other hand, she noted that the event
was taking place in ANC 1B and ANC 1B residents were benefiting.
Acting Chairperson
Raia said the majority of those being hired for the event were residents of ANC
1B.
Mr. Mack
Thompson said the event would be the sixth Tournament of Games. Games would include chess, checkers, ping
pong, spades, dominoes, horseshoes, volley ball. He said they expected a total of 1,000 people
to participate at some point during the day.
The event will take place in the park at 14th and Girard
Streets N.W. The goal is to provide a
recreational opportunity that brings together the very diverse population of
Commissioner
Nadeau noted that she had voted against this application in the Committee
meeting, but in the absence of Commissioner Akinmboni, she would offer a motion
to act on the Committee’s recommendation, then vote against it.
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that ANC 1B approve the Columbia Heights Tenant Association grant
application for $2,620.00.
Acting
Chairperson Raia seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted, 6 yes, 1 no. Commissioner
Nadeau voted no.
Mr. Thompson
presented a certificate of support to ANC 1B, thanking the Commission for its
support of the Spring 2010 Tournament of Games.
Revision of Grant Policies and
Procedures
Commissioner
Nadeau said that the final item of the Committee’s report was a recommendation
to revise the grant policies to reduce the amount of time between receiving a
grant application and considering it for approval at a Commission meeting.
Commissioner
Nadeau moved to revise paragraphs 9 and 10 of the grant policies to provide
that if a grant application is submitted 15 days before a public meeting of the
Commission and if the applicant attends the Grants Committee meeting, the
application may be considered at the next public meeting of the Commission.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if the normal rules would apply if the applicant did not
come to the public meeting.
Commissioner
Nadeau said that the Commission had the discretion in any case not to consider
a grant application, so we are not locked into considering any grant
application, but we are reducing the amount of time between applying for a
grant and having that grant considered for approval.
Commissioner
Moss said that the recommendation was really to mandate that applicants must
appear before the Grants Committee before their application can be considered
by the full Commission. She asked if
that could not be stated explicitly.
Commissioner
Nadeau agreed that it could.
Commissioner
Ferrer suggested that the policy state that grant applications must be received
by the 15th of the month before the Grants Committee and Commission
meetings. Commissioner Nadeau agreed.
Commissioner
Nadeau withdrew her motion and restated it as follows:
Commissioner
Nadeau moved that the policies governing grants to community organizations be
revised: that paragraph nine will
read: applicants must meet with the
Grants Committee before being considered by the full Commission; that paragraph
ten will read: the application must be
received by the Staff Director by the fifteenth day of the month.
Commissioner
Muhammad seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously, 7 yes, 0 no.
Commissioner
Moss announced that a grant application from the Banneker City Little League and
the Howard Theatre Restoration Inc. had been submitted for consideration at the
next meeting.
New Business
Commissioner
Muhammad asked about keys for the new office.
It was agreed that the Staff Director will have keys made for all
Commissioners.
Commissioner
Nadeau said that one of the things she had asked when the Commission first
considered getting office space was that the Executive Committee draft office
policies and procedures for full Commission review and approval. She said it was important to set guidelines
for appropriate office use for future Commissions and to be accountable to our
constituents.
Acting
Chairperson Raia noted that the ANC Handbook provided to all Commissioners
states that Commissions should adopt office policies and procedures.
Commissioner
Nadeau asked that the Executive Committee meet to address this issue as soon as
possible and offered her assistance.
Councilmember Phil Mendelson
Acting
Chairperson Raia noted that Councilmember Phil Mendelson was present and asked
if he would like to make a few remarks.
Councilmember
Mendelson said he wanted to give an update on some of the issues before the
City Council.
The Public
Safety and Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, is considering legislation
that would open the court of juveniles convicted of a violent crime to public
review. In addition, the Committee is
revising the law to allow police access to juvenile justice records without the
need for a court order. This legislation will come before the City Council in
mid-July and will be acted on later in the year.
His view is
that the budget, although balanced, is a mess and will have to be revisited
later in the year. The city has dipped
into its fund balance too much, and the fiscal stability of the city is at
risk.
Councilmember
Mendelson invited questions.
Commissioner
Moss noted that the Third District is an outstanding law enforcement group, but
they are woefully understaffed. She
asked what was in the budget for public safety and the expansion of manpower.
Councilmember
Mendelson said they tried not to cut the police budget, but there is about a
$10 million reduction. This means that
the number of police officers will not increase, but will hold at about 4,000. Hiring will continue, but the total number of
officers will be frozen. For many years,
the force was around 3,800. His sense is
that the budget for the department is OK for the short term, but we need to get
past this difficult fiscal situation so that we can begin adding police
officers again. He commented that he
believed PSA 305 had eighty officers assigned to it.
Commissioner
Moss said that at night only 25 officers were available to cover a very large
PSA area.
Commissioner
Ferrer asked if the interim leadership at DYRS was going to become permanent or
just continue until after the election.
Councilmember
Mendelson said he did not know. He said
that while his committee had jurisdiction over the juvenile justice law, it did
not have oversight over DYRS. He did not
know what the Mayor was going to do with the acting director, Mark Schindler.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if funds for reimbursable details could be redirected to
hire more police officers.
Councilmember
Mendelson said no, that money was really for police overtime and could not be
redirected.
Acting
Chairperson Raia thanked Councilmember Mendelson for his time and his service
to the city.
Community Announcements
Commissioner
Muhammad announced that the ANC 1B Public Safety Committee meeting would be
held on Wednesday, July 14th at 7:00 PM in the second floor
conference room of the
Ms. Andrea
Doughty, Chairperson of the ANC 2F Arts Overlay Committee, reported that the
Zoning Commission (ZC) took action this past Monday on recommendations of the committee
that ANC 1B had endorsed and supported.
The ZC approved a proposed action to increase the cap on bars and
restaurants in the arts district to 50%, a proposed action to change the
measurement to block by block, and accepted the committee’s recommendation to
apply a much more stringent test to any applicant who would exceed the 50% cap,
changing it from a special exception to a variance.
Ms. Doughty also
announced a new project supported by $200,000 in grants from the DC government
to develop a major branding and marketing campaign for the arts district. This is the first time in the city’s history
that they have funded a branding and marketing campaign. She referred Commissioners and the public to
a flyer she had left on the information table, which gave detailed information
on the project and exactly what the grants would support. There will be public workshops, meetings and
other opportunities for public input into the design of the campaign.
Acting
Chairperson Raia asked if people got appointed to the workshop.
Ms. Doughty
said that the grant applications had to designate the individuals who would be
executing the project. Those persons
included herself as coordinator and other professionals, including a compliance
officer, a lawyer, and a program leader expert in branding and marketing. She said that members of the public could
participate through the workshops and other public meetings.
There being
no further business, Commissioner Ferrer moved that the July 2010 meeting of
ANC 1B be adjourned.
Commission
Moss seconded the motion.
The motion
was adopted unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.