Police Report. Lt Johnson reported that crime in the area was low with only 9 property crimes in the past month. He announced that DC would resume parking enforcement on March 15 starting with vehicles parked in school zones, then commercial zones and bike lanes. The city will start with one week of warnings and then start ticketing.
Vote to approve live jazz on Ghostline DC’s rear patio at 2340 Wisconsin. Commissioner Blumenthal negotiated a new settlement agreement with Ghostline to allow live jazz music on the rear patio, which the Commission approved. With this change, Ghostline will be able to apply to ABRA for an Entertainment Endorsement to be added to their liquor license. The music would be only one weekend evening to start, possibly increasing to three evenings, with strict closing times and sound controls. The matter was put out for public comment. Of the roughly 30 comments received, one expressed concern while the remainder supported the Ghostline request.
Presentation by DC Department of Transportation about current activities. Haley Peckett, Program Manager for MoveDC, gave updates on DDOT projects affecting the area, gave an update on MoveDC, DC’s long range (25 year) multimodal transportation plan. DDOT is taking input from residents and drafting the new plan. See more information and interactive maps at wemovedc.org. Donise Jackson, Community Relations Specialist and Program Analyst in DDOT’s Office of Community Engagement, gave an update on DDOT services affecting area residents. She announced that Everett Lott, formerly Deputy DDOT Director, has been named Acting Director and he is very committed to community engagement and customer service. Over 9000 service requests on DC311 were received from Ward 3 residents in the past year and over 7000 had been closed. She was asked what “closed” means to DDOT since a number of requested services were not completed even though the 311 cases are listed as “closed.” Often DDOT does not communicate at all about specific requests. Donise recognized that DDOT had a large backlog of service requests that the staff has been working through and she reported progress on several long-standing requests. She asked residents to contact her at 202 391 8764 or donise.jackson@dc.gov if service requests are closed but the work has never been done.
Letter to WMATA RE proposed changes in Metrobus service in FY2022 (July 1-June 30, 2022). With passage of the federal COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill, WMATA anticipates that their proposed cuts for FY 2022 will not be necessary. Commissioner Mladinov introduced a letter to WMATA urging that they maintain current levels of bus service to Glover Park and Cathedral Heights, restore weekend service, bring back rush hour service on the D1 and 37 buses as travel volume grows, and continue crosstown service on the 30N and 30S lines. The letter also encourages WMATA to work with the community on future operating changes and take steps to build back customer confidence and support for transit service. The letter was approved unanimously.
Updates and Information
- The Office of People’s Counsel successfully negotiated a settlement with Washington Gas and Light to reduce significantly their requested rate increase.
- A decision is expected soon on the Pepco request for major rate hikes over the next 3 years. The OPC has urged that the large share of of Pepco’s rate requests be denied as not justified.
- Emile Thompson, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for DC, has been nominated to serve as Public Service Commissioner.
- A feasibility study is currently underway to examine expansion and improvement of the Jelleff Recreation Center. Detailed information is available at https://dpr.dc.gov/page/jelleff-community-center-feasibility-study.
- Glover Park resident Katarina Savvas encouraged everyone to sign a change.org petition at opendcschools.org to push to fully open DC schools. While DC DOH issued guidance in May 2020, it has not been updated to reflect the current reality of COVID-19 in DC. Under the outdated guidance, it is impossible for DC public middle and high school students to attend in person school. Private and parochial school students, however, are able to attend in person because they are not required to follow DOH guidance.
Next Meeting: April 8