ANC3B

November 2018 Meeting Report

All Commissioners were in attendance: Ann Mladinov (3B01), Jackie Blumenthal (3B02), Melissa Lane (3B03), Mary Young (3B04) and Brian Turmail (3B05).

Police Report. One violent crime occurred last month.  It was domestic in nature and was closed with an arrest.  Property crimes stood at 13 last month, up from 9 for the same month in 2017.  The increase was largely due to thefts.  In response to a number of questions about traffic safety, Commissioner Turmail said that ANC 3B will dedicate a future meeting to discuss ways to increase pedestrian, auto and bike safety in the area.  Lt Neal will ask traffic officers, Alton Brown and Tony McElwee, to attend that meeting.  Commissioner Turmail also announced that the Second District will be adding a new Patrol Service Area (PSA).  PSA 209 will include the areas between 9^th and 14^th Streets, NW.

Status Update from DDOT on ANC 3B Service Requests.  Donise Jackson, DDOT Ward 3 Liaison, gave an update on issues that were identified during the DDOT staff walk-through with ANC 3B commissioners in March 2018.  They included a) removal of rush hour no parking signs northbound on the 2300 block of Wisconsin Avenue; b) addition of no parking signs on Observatory Lane east of Wisconsin Avenue; c) traffic safety investigation to deal with speeding and pedestrian safety on Cathedral Avenue, including crosswalks and signage in the 4100 block; d) traffic safety investigation at the intersections of Wisconsin Avenue with Fulton and Garfield Streets; and e) solutions to problem of AM traffic congestion southbound at W Place and Wisconsin Ave.   These issues are scheduled for investigation by DDOT in the near future.

 Introduction of Mahesh Patel, New Owner of Good Guys.  Mahesh Patel, the new owner of Good Guys, bought the club from Behnam Zanganeh in October.  Mr. Patel owns a number of other adult clubs in West Virginia and Virginia and has a number of other properties and businesses including shopping malls.  He purchased the Good Guys business, liquor license and building from Mr. Zangeneh and is aware of the current settlement agreement with ANC 3B.   Mr. Patel intends to retain the same management staff for the club as well as the name and façade, but is planning some interior renovations. He committed to talking with ANC 3B before undertaking any changes. He introduced Mike Aloupis who has managed the club for ten years and will continue to do so.

 Resolution on Providing Men’s Hypothermia Shelter West of Rock Creek Park.  Commissioner Turmail introduced a resolution calling for a hypothermia shelter to be established west of Rock Creek Park for homeless men.   ANC 3B passed a similar resolution in November 2015.  As the need for such a shelter is growing, ANC 3B again passed a resolution urging the DC Department of Human Services to identify and establish a temporary hypothermia emergency shelter for men this winter west of Rock Creek.

 Letter to Councilmember Cheh on Small Cell Technology Guidelines.  Last month, ANC 3B approved a letter to DDOT asking to defer adopting its proposed design guidelines for installing small cell antennas for 4G/5G service until more public information is disseminated and more opportunity is given for review and comment from the public, ANCs and the DC Council.  This month, ANC 3B passed a resolution to send a similar letter to Councilmember Cheh for input to her November 19^th Roundtable on the topic.

Request from Hardy PTO for $2,500 Grant for Library Books and Other Materials.   Jason Orlando, Co-President of the Hardy Middle School PTO, made a grant request for $2,500 to update the library collection and purchase other library supplies.  ANC 3B approved the request.

 Updates and Information

•  Commissioners Turmail and Blumenthal met with representatives of the Second District MPD and the Departments of Human Services and Behavioral Health to discuss how to address dangerous behaviors exhibited by some homeless people in the area. While part of the challenge is communications problems between DC agencies, a large part of the problems arises from the lack of psychiatric beds in DC.  ANC 3B will consider a resolution on this issue at a future meeting.
• The Advisory Group for Senior Wellness Services for Wards 2 and 3 will be implementing a pilot program to provide senior wellness programming in multiple locations in the wards. Unlike other wards in the city, these wards do not have a dedicated facility for wellness services for seniors.  These wards are home to so many seniors, CM Cheh and many residents have called for the city to evaluate the concept of making services available at several satellite locations such as schools, libraries, and community centers.
• Councilmember Cheh held a hearing on October 9^th and Kenyan McDuffie held a second hearing on October 29^th on the proposed Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 (B22-0904), in preparation for a mark-up. The bill proposes to raise Renewable Energy Standards in DC, require the city to adopt performance standards for the energy efficiency of buildings in the District, raise a small fee on utility bills to fund research on energy efficiency and assist low income residents to pay for energy efficiency improvements at their homes, and enable the Mayor to coordinate with nearby states on clean energy programs such as a “carbon tax.”   ANC 3B passed a resolution in October supporting CM Cheh’s legislation, which was presented at the recent hearing,

The next meeting of ANC3B will be Thursday, December 13.