News from Muriel, 10-3-12
District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 10/03/2012 05:17 PM EDT
Letter from Muriel
Reminder: Parking Think Tanks, Tonight, Tomorrow and Oct. 20
Reminder: Citizen Planner Forum, Tomorrow
Columbus Day Government Closures
Emory Beacon of Light Mini Walk for the Homeless, October 14
The Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center in Ward 4 is a shining example of a facility that provides quality services to our senior population. Please join me in welcoming VIDA Senior Services as the new operator of Hattie Holmes. Previously run by Barney Neighborhood House, VIDA assumed responsibility on October 1. Hattie Holmes provides wellness and health promotion, disease prevention, medication management and other vital services to help seniors live healthier. We wish the dedicated team at Barney well as they continue their service and advocacy for seniors across the District of Columbia and congratulate VIDA on their selection to operation Hattie Holmes. The Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center is located at 324 Kennedy Street NW. For information, please call 202-291-6170.
Transportation Project Update
I met last week with DDOT Director Terry Bellamy to get an update on major transportation projects in Ward 4. A summary is included below:
Oregon Avenue - This project will culminate with the reconstruction of Oregon Avenue from Military Road to Western Avenue. We had initially expected DDOT’s recommendations in late spring of this year. Mr. Bellamy told me that because the comment period was extended it required a federally-approved adjustment to the Environmental Impact Statement which was completed over the summer. DDOT now anticipates releasing its recommended alternative in November, which will then require federal approval. Mr. Bellamy continues to ensure me that the concerns of both the ANC and community will be incorporated into DDOT’s final recommendation.
Kalmia Road Culvert - The culvert off the side of Kalmia Rd NW has been in need of repair since 2010. DDOT will now advertise for the construction bid in November. The project is scheduled to start in early spring (March, 2013) with completion in summer, 2013. While the delay in the start of construction is very frustrating, the materials will be pre-fabricated meaning that the actual construction time, and therefore road closure, will be much shorter. I have also told DDOT that the bridge must be restored to a full four lane road as it was originally.
16th Street/Military Road Bridge - This Bridge was constructed in 1956 and DDOT has concluded that it is in need of replacement, not rehabilitation. The contract will be awarded at the same time as Kalmia, but I insisted that work will not begin until the Kalmia work was finished in order to minimize traffic problems. Because the materials for this project will also be pre-fabricated, I am hopeful for an accelerated timeline as with the Kalmia project. Work is projected to begin in the summer of 2013. I should note here that ANC 4A is hosting a meeting on Tuesday, October 23 with DDOT to discuss both the Kalmia Road Culvert and 16th Street Bridge projects. That meeting will take place from 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm at the Lowell School’s dining room, located at 1640 Kalmia Road NW.
Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue - This project is just about complete and looks great. I remain committed to making sure that the triangle area near Food and Friends is safer and that sediment control is present. In addition, I’ve asked DDOT to review the tarffic pattern on South Dakota which requires drivers to make a U-Turn in order to access Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dakota Liquors. This doesn’t seem safe to me and since there are other safety needs that need to be addressed it is my belief that cut should be made in the median to allow an entrance.
16th Street Circle at DC Line - Ongoing problems and complaints remain around the convergence of 16th Street, Eastern Avenue, North Portal Drive and Colesville Road at the District’s border with Maryland. While this busy intersection looks like a circle, it really isn’t and a better plan for traffic control is necessary. The District must be more aggressive in terms of better lighting, the need for traffic signals, crosswalks and other pedestrian safety measures. Since this is a jurisdictional matter with Montgomery County, I will be meeting soon with Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin to accelerate a joint resolution.
Mr. Bellamy and I also discussed the need to retime the signal lights at Kansas and Georgia Avenues instead of the current no left turn signal and to work closely with ANC 4C on this matter; the intersection of 4th Street, Blair Road and Cedar Street NW in Takoma; and on requests for one-way traffic on Webster Street. I will continue to work with DDOT on these projects as well as other improvements needed in Ward 4 and will keep you posted on the status and progress. If you have any questions, please contact Judi Gold at jgold@dccouncil.us or 202-724-8052.
Muriel
Reminder: Parking Think Tanks, Tonight, Tomorrow and Oct. 20
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is hosting a series of community meetings, called Parking Think Tanks, so that they can accurately gauge the state of parking in the District and to solicit input on the future of parking. DDOT hopes that these think tank discussions will help lead to the development of a comprehensive curbside parking management plan. Anyone who visits, lives or works in the Nation’s Capital is invited to attend a Parking Think Tank meeting. The first such meeting is tonight. See below for details.
Downtown Area
Tonight, Wednesday, October 3
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
West End Library (Large Conference Room), 1101 24th Street, NW
Western Area
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 4
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Woodrow Wilson High School (Cafeteria), 3950 Chesapeake Street, NW
(Please note that this meeting was originally scheduled to take place on September 26)
Northern Area
Saturday, October 20
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Mt. Pleasant Library (Large Conference Room), 3160 16th Street, NW
For more information, please visit www.ddot.dc.gov/ParkingThinkTanks. Questions and requests for additional information should be directed to Angelo Rao at 202-671-1370 or angelo.rao@dc.gov.
Reminder: Citizen Planner Forum, Tomorrow
The DC Office of Planning (OP) and the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) DC Advocacy Committee is convening a Citizen Planner Forum on Thursday, October 4th from 6:30 pm until 8:00pm at the District Architecture Center located at 421 7th Street NW. Begun this past summer, OP’s Citizen Planner initiative sought to engage District residents in conversations to provide feedback on questions such as: what do residents care about most when it comes to where they live? Are there ways that government agencies and private developers can improve on how they engage residents to discuss proposed projects and improvements? How can DC residents get more involved in improving their neighborhoods? Four focus groups brought together a cross-section of District residents who spoke openly and candidly about life in the District and in their neighborhoods. Feedback from these focus groups was quite broad, displaying an interest in topics such as movable furniture in public space, diversity of housing types, and making community engagement fun. Next Thursday’s Citizen Planner Forum will include a panel discussion with four residents who participated in the focus groups; a presentation on new ways to engage the public in development projects; and an overview of new approaches to citizen engagement in building healthy neighborhoods. The AIA also will present its Citizen Architecture initiative to attendees.
To register for the Citizen Planner Forum or for more information about OP’s Citizen Planner Initiative, please contact Deborah Crain-Kemp at 202.442.7615 or DeborahLCrain.Kemp@dc.gov.
Columbus Day Government Closures
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - In observance of the Columbus Day holiday, all DMV locations will be closed on both Saturday, October 6 and Monday, October 8. All DMV service centers, adjudication services, and its inspection station will resume their normal hours of operation on Tuesday, October 9. DMV encourages customers to plan ahead and notes that the days immediately before and after a government holiday are generally very busy. As a reminder, the following services are available online at www.dmv.dc.gov :
*Renew vehicle registration (can only be done online or by mail; no in-person visit)
*Obtain duplicate vehicle registration
*Renew driver license
*Obtain duplicate driver license
*Renew identification card
*Surrender tags
*Obtain driver record
Department of Public Works (DPW) – Most DPW services will be suspended on Monday, October 8. Parking regulations, including expired meters, residential parking and street sweeping, will be suspended for the holiday. A possible noteworthy exception is that the Washington Nationals Playoffs schedule is currently being finalized and should a game occur on October 8, parking regulations around the stadium will be enforced.
Sanitation services will be suspended for the holiday and will resume Tuesday, October 9. In neighborhoods with once-a-week trash and recycling pick-up, collections will "slide" to the next day, so Monday's collections will be made Tuesday, Tuesday's collections will be made Wednesday and so on. In those neighborhoods with twice-a-week pick-up, Monday and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday and Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday. Street sweeping will be suspended Monday, October 8 so motorists will not be required to move their cars on that day. The Ft. Totten Transfer Station will also be closed Monday and will reopen Tuesday, October 9 to residents to bring trash, bulk items and recyclables between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm. For more information, visit www.dpw.dc.gov .
Emory Beacon of Light Mini Walk for the Homeless, October 14
Please join Councilmember Bowser, the Emory Fellowship and Emory Beacon of Light for their Annual Mini Walk for the Homeless on Sunday, October 14. We will gather in the parking lot of Emory Fellowship located at 6100 Georgia Avenue NW at 1:45 pm and the walk will start at 2:00 pm. For information on how to register for the Mini Walk, please visit www.emorybol.org . Emory Beacon of Light is a community development organization located in Ward-4. Proceeds from the mini walk go to help support their transitional housing program that provides temporary shelter for families with small children.
This weekend, trains on the Red Line will single track between the Judiciary Square and Fort Totten stations to allow for continued track maintenance, tie and fastener renewal, and platform reconstruction. As a result, trains running between the Grosvenor and Shady Grove stations will run every 26 minutes throughout the weekend. In addition, between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, extra trains will operate between the Shady Grove and Judiciary Square stations only, resulting in service about every 13 minutes between those stations. Customers traveling on the eastern leg of the Red Line should allow about 20 minutes of additional travel time; customers on the western leg and downtown should allow about 10 minutes of additional travel time. For more information, call 202-637-7000 or visit www.wmata.com .
Muriel Bowser
Councilmember, Ward 4
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 110
Washington DC 20004
202-724-8052-voice
202-741-0908- fax
mbowser@dccouncil.us
www.murielbowser.com
Please remember to call 311 for all your city service requests such as tree trimming and bulk trash removal. Call 911 for all police, fire or ambulance requests.