October Community Safety and Support Meeting
On behalf of ANC 4B, I invite you to attend our next Community Safety and Support Committee meeting on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 7pm. The agenda for the Community Safety and Support Committee's August meeting has been published to the Commission website and is available here:
https://anc4b.com/2024/09/30/community-safety-support-committee-october-2024/
The National Park Service has been invited to attend.
Virtual Meeting Details:
https://rebrand.ly/p9b4kni Meeting ID: 289 691 286 189 Passcode: PXYr2u
Dial in by phone 202-594-9550
Phone conference ID: 305 696 769#
Prioritized Locations for Traffic Safety Input
Last week, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) released its list of locations prioritized for review as part of its Traffic Safety Input (TSI) system. TSIs are a way for community members to share feedback on traffic safety concerns, and once every quarter, DDOT selects a new group of locations to delve into and assess roadway characteristics, crash patterns, equity, proximity to busy corridors. Here's the list of the locations in Ward 4 that were selected for prioritization this quarter:
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Brightwood: Georgia Ave & Missouri Ave
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Brightwood Park: 8th St & Farragut St, 7th St & Jefferson St, 8th St & Jefferson St, Georgia Ave & Longfellow St
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Manor Park: 7th St & Peabody St, 1st St & Nicholson St, 5th St & Roxboro Pl
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Takoma: Harlan Pl & Whittier St, 9th St & Butternut St, Main Dr & Butternut St & Georgia Ave, Georgia Ave & Elder St
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Lamond-Riggs & Riggs Park: 2nd St & Nicholson St, Kennedy St & Nicholson St & 8th St, Sheridan St & Chillum Pl
Now that these locations have been selected, DDOT will begin analyzing neighbors' complaints and looking into whether possible solutions are needed. As a reminder, DDOT is continually collecting TSIs from neighbors. You can share input here.
Georgia Ave Bus Priority Project
Over the next several weeks, DDOT is hosting a series of community pop-ups and open houses on the Georgia Ave Bus Priority Project. For those who aren't familiar, the project was proposed in 2022 and is focused on improving bus operations and safety along the busy Georgia Ave corridor. Last fall, DDOT held a series of events to present the community with a high-level overview of the project. Now, DDOT is picking these events back up to share updated concepts with the community. Here are the upcoming dates:
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Sunday, October 20th: Pop-up at Takoma Park Farmers Market (MD) from 9am to 1pm
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Thursday, October 24th: Open house at Shaw Library (Ward 2) from 4:30 to 7pm
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Saturday, October 26th: Pop-up at Petworth Farmers Market from 9am to 1pm
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Testify at an Upcoming Council Hearing!
Every week, the Council holds hearings on bill proposals, budget issues, and oversight of DC agencies. Testifying at these hearings is a great way to learn about changes being considered for our communities and share your input on the Council's legislative work. Many of these hearings offer the opportunity for remote testimony or submission of comments in writing. Here's a rundown on some significant hearings coming up in the next month that will have an impact on Ward 4 residents:
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Tuesday, October 22nd at 12pm: The Committee on Housing is holding a public roundtable on the performance of the DC Housing Authority (DCHA). The roundtable will focus on problems constituents have cited around DCHA's voucher and public housing programs, including long waiting lists, poor housing conditions, and unreliable internal processes and finances.
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Wednesday, October 23rd at 10:30am: The Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety is holding a public hearing on staffing shortages, recruitment, and retention at the Office of Unified Communications, which operates DC's 911 system. The hearing will also cover two bills concerning DC's emergency response system, the Transparency in Emergency Response Amendment Act, and the Childcare for First Responders Act
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Wednesday, October 23rd at 11am: The Committee of the Whole will hold a public oversight hearing on the FY25 DCPS budget, including DCPS Central's commitment to the Schools First in Budgeting Act, the efficiency of DCPS Central's operations, and other aspects of DCPS' budget.
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Thursday, October 24th at 10am: The Committee of the Whole will hold a public hearing on the Vocational Education for a New Generation Act, which would grow and establish new Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and expand career guidance and counseling services for participants.
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Monday, October 28th at 11am: The Committee on Health will hold a public oversight roundtable on the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), which oversees DC's in-patient psychiatric facilities. The roundtable will focus on DBH's effectiveness in providing a high quality of care and optimal outcomes for patients.
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Tuesday, October 29th at 4pm: The Committee of the Whole will hold a public oversight hearing on efforts to improve educator retention in DCPS and DC Public Charter Schools.
To view the full list of hearings and sign up to testify at upcoming public hearings, visit the Council's website.
ANC 4C Meeting with DC 911/Office of Unified Communications
DC 911/OUC (Director or one of her deputies) has agreed to join @ANC4C's November monthly meeting. Please plan to join in person AND share your experience with DC 911 via this community survey. This service is too critical to accept current performance.
https://t.co/ud3aLCFjpI
October 2nd Board of Zoning and Adjustment Hearing - 21101 (245 Peabody Street NW)
On October 2, 2024, I attended the BZA hearing on behalf of ANC 4B in support of Estrellitas Montessori's application for a special exemption. The Commissions resolution in support of this application can be found here. My testimony is found below. The hearing video can be found here.
A follow-up hearing will be held before the BZA on November 13, 2024, at 9:30am.
Many of our spring services will conclude at the end of this month and fall season operations will resume in the coming weeks.
Leaf Collection Season is Coming! Collection will begin on October 28th, 2024 for DPW-serviced households. To access information regarding this year’s Leaf Collection, please click this link to visit DPW’s Leaf Collection page on our website.
The recording of our Leaf Collection Briefing can also be found in the FAQ section. Please feel free to share this link with your constituents.
Once collections begin, visit https://dpw.dc.gov/leaf to track leaf collection weekly.
Download the MyDPW App leaf collection updates!
New Snow and Ice Removal Service Request Consolidation
DPW is excited to announce improvements to our Snow & Ice Removal Service Request process!
We are streamlining the way residents can report snow-related issues, making it easier and more efficient. Currently, residents must choose from multiple specific service request options. By consolidating these options under a single “Snow & Ice Removal” category, we aim to reduce incorrectly filed requests and improve response times, ultimately enhancing both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
DPW Service Level
Many of our spring services will conclude at the end of September and fall season operations will resume in the coming weeks.
Leaf Collection Season is Coming! Collection will begin on October 28th, 2024 for DPW-serviced households. Once collections begin, visit https://dpw.dc.gov/leaf to track leaf collection weekly.
Download the MyDPW App leaf collection updates!
Food Waste Drop-Off sites: DPW hosts twelve weekly staffed Food Waste Drop-Off sites across the District. See the locations/hours of operation here: https://zerowaste.dc.gov/foodwastedropoff
Curbside Composting Pilot Program: Not in the Pilot Program but interested in participating in the future? Please fill out this waitlist form to be one of the first to hear about program updates and openings: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompostPilotInterest
Free mulch/compost pickup at Fort Totten Transfer Station is back! Residents can fill up to five 32-gal bags (bring your own bags & shovel) from Wed-Fri 10 am-2 pm & Sat 7 am-2 pm at 4900 John McCormack Rd NE.
Spring Services
Street cleaning, alley cleaning, mowing/grounds maintenance, and graffiti removal spring services resumed on April 1st and run through October 31st. Please contact 311 to request an alley cleaning or street cleaning. For more information regarding DPW spring services visit https://dpw.dc.gov/page/spring-services24
Assigned Mechanical Street Sweeping service resumed on March 4th and runs through October 31st. Vehicles parked on Assigned Mechanical Street Sweeping streets during sweeping hours are subject to $45 tickets and $100 relocation fines. If your street is missed, please contact 311 to submit a Signed Street Sweeping Missed service request.
Unified Communication Center UCC
DPW is committed to delivering efficient and effective services to our residents and quickly resolving issues. As our partner in providing streamlined and effective resolutions, we wanted to share the best channels for residents to utilize.
In order to improve our customer service and our internal tracking mechanisms, DPW launched the Unified Communication Center (UCC) in November 2023 aimed at decreasing our response and resolution times. Through the UCC, we have consolidated our call centers and phone numbers into one accessible line. In February 2024, our average hold time was under 2 minutes, affirming our swift assistance for all callers. We also consolidated our emails into one central address. Each contact, whether by phone or email, is provided a Service Request (SR) if they don’t already have one. For a service inquiry, our representatives offer service information and pass along Service Level Agreement (SLA) benchmarks. In instances where an SR is past our SLA benchmarks, our operational escalation team intervenes to quickly resolve the outstanding request.
To ensure smooth communication for everyone, as a first step, we kindly request you share the contact details of the UCC with all members in your office and constituents who reach out to you. This will make the service resolution process quicker for residents and raise awareness about DPW's new communication center. DPW’s leadership team is here to address continual issues or problems that have not been addressed satisfactorily by the UCC.
The UCC is still new, and staff are still learning. If you have used the UCC, please share feedback on what’s working well and what needs improvement. We’d love to hear from you so we can continue to improve!
UCC Phone: (202) 673-6833 (Mon – Fri) 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Central Email: dpw@dc.gov.
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Estate Planning Workshop and Legal Clinic @ Emery Heights Community Center, October 23
The DC Department of Insurance Securities and Banking will host an Estate Planning Legal Clinic on Wednesday, October 23 at Emery Heights Community Center.
Our goal is to ensure families are empowered to plan for their legacy by taking the steps to protect and transfer wealth.
This educational workshop is a unique opportunity for residents to learn about the components of wills, probate, trust, power of attorney, and healthcare directives. This is a unique opportunity for them to meet with an attorney, schedule an appointment to begin their estate planning process and check their deeds.
We would appreciate an opportunity to make an announcement at your upcoming meeting and request that you share the information with residents in your newsletters and listservs.
See details below and attached.
Wednesday, October 23, 5:30 pm
Emery Heights Recreation Center
5701 Georgia Avenue NW
RSVP is encouraged
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/estate-planning-and-legal-clinic-building-your-legacy-tickets-1031211460237?aff=oddtdtcreator
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