ANC3B

September 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.  Captain Kelvin Cusick and Lt. Ralph Neal represented the Second District MPD. Commissioner Blumenthal presented concerns about an incident that happened at her home the previous week. Before dawn, a man opened their front storm door and smashed his fist through the glass front door. He left when he realized someone was home. She called the police who came promptly but did not locate the man. But police did locate a suspected perpetrator after they were called a second time. Because they did not have direct evidence that the person had committed the crime, the suspect was not detained, despite the fact that he was identified as the homeless man who had previously been arrested after a similar incident at the Sheffield Condos the
week before.

Commissioner Blumenthal wanted to understand why the police did not arrest the person, who has increasingly been a problem in the neighborhood, or why they did not communicate with the DC Dept of Behavioral Health, especially since the suspect has been involved in a number of troubling episodes in Glover Park and has been arrested on multiple occasions. Captain Cusick conceded that there were a number of mistakes made by the
responding officers including not conducting a thorough investigation and collecting bodily evidence (i.e., blood samples). He denied that homeless people are treated differently because they are perceived to be mentally unstable, but agreed that coordination and communication between MPD and DC agencies
that provide services for homeless persons could be improved.

Commissioner Turmail asked what MPD was doing about the recent series of home break-ins in Glover Park.  Several homes have been targeted by thieves who apparently were sitting in vehicles watching for people to leave for work and broke into the house through windows or a back door once they believed the house was empty.    Captain Cusick said that police patrols have been increased in the general area and officers are particularly watching alleys.

 Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration liquor license renewals and other updates.   Sarah Fashbaugh, Community Resource Officer for ABRA, presented the timetable for liquor license renewals. The schedule is set so all the licenses in establishments from specific license classes are renewed at the same time.   Nightclub licenses are up for renewal by September 30, 2019 (ANC 3B has one, Good Guys).  By  March 30, 2019, all restaurant alcohol licenses are up for renewal.  Ms. Fashbaugh encouraged citizens to call the ABRA hotline (202 329 3647) about problems such as trash, noise, and violations of allowed hours of operation at ABRA licensed establishments. Anyone who would like advice on ABRA related issues such as filing complaints may contact her directly at sarah.fashbaugh@dc.gov or 202 397 3971. She also  offers community training sessions.

Laligura’s Restaurant opening in Glover Park.  Dawa Tanang of Laligura’s Indian and Nepali Cuisine presented his plans for opening a branch of his successful restaurant at Connecticut and Van Ness.  His new restaurant will be at the Calvert Center in the former Bruegger’s space and half of the space that was the Salvadoran consulate at 2332 Wisconsin Avenue, NW.  Besides on-premises dining service, they will also offer delivery.  Some parking spaces in the lot behind the Center will be designated for Laligura’s.  The target date for opening is October 2018.

 Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018.  Nicole Rentz, Legislative Director for Councilmember Cheh, described proposed legislation introduced in the DC Council in July.  The goals of this bill, as introduced, include  to require  electricity suppliers to rely on renewable energy for 100% of the power they sell by 2032, establish energy efficiency standards for new buildings, boost the city’s fees on customers’ electric and gas bills by under a dollar or two per month to pay for sustainable energy projects and offset utility bills for low income households, and encourage the city to join with other states in the region to reduce greenhouse gases.

 Grant Request from DC Food Project.  The DC School Food Project requested a grant for $1,918.12 to support two new projects at Stoddert Elementary School; baskets in the cafeteria for students to share extra packaged snacks and whole fruit fro their lunches, and weekend bags for students in need to take home with ingredients for healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. The goal is to provide access to nutritious food in school and throughout the weekend for children and families in need and also to help reduce food waste in DC schools. The grant is for signage, flyers, paper products and other administrative support, but does not include any funding for food which is not an allowable purpose for an ANC grant. The Commission  unanimously approved the grant.

 Grant Request from Iona Senior Services.  Diane Greenspun of Iona Senior Services requested a grant for $1,412 to purchase a wireless, ceiling-mounted projector for one of their meeting rooms.  The projector will be used for clinical training and community services programming.  The grant was approved unanimously.

 Grant Request from Second District MPD Citizens Advisory Council (CAC).  The CAC hosts an annual awards banquet for 2^nd District officers each September.  Ticket prices and contributions from businesses  and other organizations cover the cost of the banquet.  CAC is requesting a grant from ANC 3B for $1,000 to pay for one-half the cost of the award plaques.  Another ANC has approved  a grant for the other half.  The grant was approved unanimously.

 Updates and Information

• Several new staff from the DC Government and the DC Council introduced themselves: Cole Wogoman, Legislative Counsel for CM Cheh, Phil Thomas, Program Analyst for the Department of Parks and Recreation, and Rich Harrington and Jessica Wertheim, Ward 3 Liaisons from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.
• Commissioner Blumenthal announced that the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) unanimously approved a special exception for Kindercare to use the Former IUOE building at 2461 Wisconsin Avenue as a childcare facility for children ages 1-5, Kindercare hopes to open the facility by September 2019 or January 2020.
• Rushton Lewis introduced himself as an independent candidate for an At Large DC Council seat in the General Election on November 6.
• All five of the current members of the ANC will also be running for reelection this year, with no other candidates on the ballot.

 The next meeting of ANC3B will be Thursday, October 11.