ANC1B Meeting Tonight — budget discussion
Please come out to ANC1B’s monthly meeting tonight at 7pm on the second floor of the Reeves Center at 14th/U. While not specifically listed on the agenda, the fiscal year 2011 budget will be discussed. Your commissioners need you to know you care about how your tax dollars are being spent in the community.
The full agenda can be found here: http://anc1b.org/nextmeet.html
Little League Returns to Ward One
Now here’s a grant I was eager to support!!!
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-neighborhoods/2010/08/little-league-returns-to-ward-1-1038.html
Keep up the great work Supreme and all those whose vision has brought the Banneker City Little League to life!
Metro to replace track switch to comply with NTSB recommendation, maintain a state of good repair
Editor’s note: Can I just say…it’s about freakin’ time.
Labor Day Weekend track work will close five Red Lines stations
Metro officials will replace a track switch to improve rail system safety and conduct several additional projects between the Takoma and Glenmont Metrorail stations, which will necessitate the closure of five Red Line stations throughout Labor Day Weekend, (Sept. 3-7). The track switch replacement is work that has been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board.
In addition, track workers will focus on replacing old components to keep the rail system in a state of good repair. They will replace two old track switches at the Silver Spring Metrorail station and install 750 new track fasteners, 1,720 new crossties, 525 feet of new track, 500 new rail insulators, new heater tape, new tunnel safety lights and lay 2400 feet of new fiber optic communications cables in support of upgraded cell phone access. In addition, workers will replace up to 6400 feet of emergency fire lines and repair up to 4800 feet of water leaks in the tunnels.
The Takoma, Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Wheaton and Glenmont Metrorail stations will be closed during the Labor Day Holiday weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3 through 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Normal service will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 5 a.m.
To help people get around the work zone, Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the Fort Totten and Glenmont Metrorail stations. Customers should build an extra 40 minutes into their travel plans if they need to pass through the work zone. Click here for the take one brochure.
This will be one of the largest maintenance projects involving station closures in Metro’s 34-year history. Officials anticipate having more than 500 employees and four contractors working during the Labor Day Holiday weekend.
By consolidating the work during the Labor Day Holiday weekend, Metro will save more than $1 million in late-night maintenance costs that would have otherwise resulted in 150 days of single-tracking.
Red Line Service
From 10 p.m., Friday, September 3, to 1 a.m., on Tuesday, September 7, all Red Line trains will operate between the Shady Grove and Fort Totten Metrorail station. The Fort Totten Metrorail station on the Red Line will remain open. (The rail system will remain open one extra hour on Monday night for a football game at FedEx Field.)
During the day, all Red Line trains will operate approximately every 6 minutes on Saturday, Sept. 4, and approximately every 7 to 8 minutes on Sunday, Sept. 5 and Monday, Sept. 6. After 9:30 p.m., on Sept. 3, 4, 5 and 6, all Red Line trains will operate approximately every 15 minutes.
Last Red Line Trains Between Fort Totten and Glenmont – Friday, September 3
The last trains will operate through the work zone prior to 10 p.m. because personnel need time to remove power from both tracks and to safely assemble maintenance crews in the designated work zones.
On Friday, Sept. 3, prior to closure of the Red Line between the Fort Totten and Glenmont Metrorail stations, the last Glenmont bound Red Line train through the work area will depart Shady Grove at 8:58 p.m., Fort Totten at 9:47 p.m., Takoma at 9:50 p.m., Silver Spring at 9:53 p.m., Forest Glen at 9:56 p.m., Wheaton at 9:59 p.m. and arrive at the Glenmont Metrorail station at 10:01 p.m. The last Shady Grove bound Red Line train through the work area will depart the Glenmont Metrorail station at 9:35 p.m., Wheaton at 9:38 p.m., Forest Glen at 9:41 p.m., Silver Spring at 9:44 p.m., Takoma at 9:47 p.m., Fort Totten at 9:49 p.m., and arrive at the Shady Grove Metrorail station at 10:38 p.m.
Last Red Line Train Departures from Fort Totten
In order for Shady Grove bound Red Line trains to make their final connections for the Blue, Orange, Yellow and Green lines, the last train will depart the Fort Totten Metrorail station at 2:51 a.m., on Friday, Sept. 3 (early Saturday morning) and Saturday, Sept. 4 (early Sunday morning), 11:51 p.m., on Sunday, Sept. 5 and 12:51 a.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Labor Day Weekend Shuttle Bus Service
From 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3, until 1 a.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 7, Metro will operate the following free shuttle buses between these locations:
- Green Shuttle: Glenmont Metrorail station to and from the Georgia Ave-Petworth Metrorail station with stops at the Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring Metrorail stations.
- Yellow Shuttle: Silver Spring Metrorail station to and from the Fort Totten Metrorail station with a stop at the Takoma Metrorail station.
- Red Shuttle: Glenmont Metrorail station to and from the Fort Totten Metrorail station with stops at the Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma Metrorail stations.
The weekend’s free shuttle buses will operate continuously in coordination with Red Line service.
Available Existing Bus Service Labor Day Weekend
Riders who prefer to avoid the track work can use one of the following Metrobus or Ride-On lines to connect to the western end of the Red Line during the Labor Day Holiday weekend:
| Traveling Between | Alternative Route |
| Glenmont – White Flint | Metrobus C8 (Saturday only) |
| Glenmont – Twinbrook | Ride On 10 |
| Wheaton – Twinbrook | Metrobus C4 |
| Wheaton – Medical Center | Ride On 34 |
| Wheaton – Rockville/Shady Grove | Metrobus Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5, Q6 |
| Wheaton – White Flint | Ride On 38 |
| Silver Spring – Rockville/Shady Grove | Metrobus Q1, Q2, Q4 |
| Silver Spring – Bethesda/Medical Center | Metrobus J2 |
| Silver Spring – Rockville | Metrobus Q4 |
Rider Tips for Labor Day Weekend
Customers who normally use the eastern end of the Red Line between the Glenmont and Fort Totten Metrorail stations should consider using the western end of the Red Line to get to downtown Washington or taking Metrobus or Ride-On buses that connect from the eastern to the western end of the Red Line. Parking at Metro facilities will be free throughout the Labor Day Holiday Weekend.
On Monday, Sept. 6, the Metrorail system will close one hour later than usual to support fans attending the Virginia Tech vs. Boise State University football game at FedEx Field. The rail system will close at 1 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7. The last train departing the Largo Town Center Metrorail station will be at 12:24 a.m., and Morgan Boulevard at 12:27 a.m., after the game.
Customer Assistance
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 4, to Monday, Sept. 6, Metro administrative employees will be available at the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring, Takoma and Georgia Ave-Petworth Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the track work.
To alert customers about this work, Metro will issue e-Alerts, post signs in key stations, place notices on station kiosks, and make train and system announcements. Additional information will be available on Metro=s web site at www.metroopensdoors.com.
The Trip Planner, located on Metro’s Web site, will not reflect the impact of this work on its schedules. Customers should allow more time for their trips because of this work. For more information on traveling by Metrobus or Metrorail, customers may call (202) 637-7000 or TTY (202) 638-3780.
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News release issued at 11:01 am, August 19, 2010.
Message from Running Start: You should run
Why don’t women run for office? Often it is because no one has asked. So, consider yourself asked as of today. I am nominating you for She Should Run™, a program of the Women’s Campaign Forum, because we need more women’s voices in politics. As a member of Running Start, I know you have what it takes to make a difference in public life. (For the men receiving this message, please consider nominating a woman in your life to She Should Run and encouraging her to be a political leader!) By joining She Should Run™, our friends at the Women’s Campaign Forum will send you information about what it is like to run for office and what you can start doing now to prepare. I believe your membership will be a great complement to the resources and training available through Running Start. Click here to join, and complete your She Should Run member profile for full member services. Visit the She Should Run website to find helpful resources about everything from fundraising to elections. And, make sure you nominate your friends as well. As you know, it is never to early to start! If you have any questions about the She Should Run™ program, please don’t hesitate to contact Julie Daniels at the Women’s Campaign Forum Julie@wcfonline.org. Thank you!
Susannah W. Shakow
President & Founder
Running Start
ANC allocates $5,000 for Theatre event
It’s taken me almost two weeks to write this post, because I’m still fuming over the implications of the vote we took at the August 5 ANC meeting. It was a fairly typical agenda with 2 grant applications towards the end of the meeting. One of the grants was requested by Howard Theatre Restoration, Inc. According to the organization’s web site, “the mission of HTR is to raise funds to revitalize, preserve and protect the historic Howard Theatre in Washington, DC.” Certainly this is an issue of importance to ANC1B, as the now-vacant Howard Theatre is within our boundaries. In fact, the District government recently allocated a grant in the amount of $8,000,000 to the Theatre’s renovation and rehabilitation. There is no doubt that bringing this community performance space back into working order will revitalize the surrounding area and improve our U Street community if done correctly. I support that effort. But that’s not what was on the table August 5th.
HTR’s grant application requested $5,000 for their “community celebration commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Howard Theatre.” The grant request was for the printing and reproduction of the brochure and administrative support. Both of these expenses are allowable under rules governing ANC expenditures and the policies established by ANC1B.
The policies have evolved over the last 6 years or so, and the current set of guidelines emerged after a heated budget discussion last October. During this discussion the Commissioners agreed that it would lift its prior cap of $2,000 and begin to offer grants up to $5,000 to organizations that were doing transformative work in the community, serving constituents, and providing services to those in need. At that time we discussed moving away from funding one-time events at the rate we had done in the past. A consensus was not reached on that point, as will become evident as you read on.
The applicant met with the ANC1B Grant Committee on Tuesday, July 27th to review the application. The grants committee is comprised of 3 Commissioners and 1 community member, who was absent that day. During our meeting we communicated to the applicant that the amount of the request was not appropriate for the intended use. In short — we didn’t think we should spend $5K on a one-time event. Graciously, the applicant indicated he would appreciate any amount the ANC felt was appropriate and the committee recommended the Commission support the request in the amount of $1,500. We thought that was more than generous considering this event would not necessarily target ANC1B residents, would not take place in ANC1B, and that our tax dollars would be going to the printing of a commemorative brochure that would end up in recycling bins and memento boxes. Now that I’ve read that back to myself, I think we probably should have recommended less.
Which brings us to the August 5th meeting. When we arrived at the agenda item it quickly became clear that both Chairperson Holness and Commissioner Moss had other recommendations for this grant application. Moss, who sponsored the grant and I later realized, also serves on the board of HTR advocated that $4,000 be awarded in the form of a grant AND that the ANC purchase an ad for the commemorative book. Suggested ad price? Wait for it…$1,000.
Now, here’s the kicker. ANCs are permitted to purchase ads ONLY if they are meeting announcements. That’s right. Your tax dollars have purchased a $1,000 meeting announcement in a commemorative journal that will go to how many ANC1B residents? Your guess is as good as mine. All we know for sure is that the event is being widely advertised around the city and beyond.
Some other things worth noting. $5,000 is approximately 1/4 of the budget for this entire event, which has no entry fee. The amount awarded by the ANC also happens to be 1/6 of the entire grants budget for the fiscal year. The only other organization that has been awarded one of the coveted $5,000 grants is the Columbia Heights/Shaw Collaborative, which is an organization focused on “family stabilization,” and “promotion of safe communities where children and youth can thrive.”
While Commissioners Muhammad, Akinmboni and I advocated against such a large allocation, the motion was adopted 4-3 with Commissioners Holness, Moss, Raia and Ferrer supporting it. Commissioner Lopez was away on business, but had joined in the unanimous recommendation of the committee the week prior to support the grant at $1,500 and no more.
Those who regularly attend ANC meetings know I am something of a broken record on this point, which is why I have no shame in reiterating it here. These are tax dollars. We have the opportunity to use them in ways that truly enhance the lives of our constituents and improve our community. Or not.
A wise man once said to me, what feels good is not always right. What is right doesn’t always feel good. This is clearly a case of an event that is good. It’s in support of an organization that is helping restore a community landmark. But that doesn’t mean the Commission did the right thing by tax payers.
Here’s what you can do about it, residents of ANC1B:
1. Vote for fiscal responsibility when we elect new Commissioners in November. Heck, run yourself. We’re going to have a lot of vacancies in 1B.
2. Join the grants committee. And when the full Commission threatens to overrule the committee, be there in the audience at the monthly public meeting to speak your mind.
The next Grants Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, at the Commission office, 2000 14th Street N.W., Suite 100B. The next monthly meeting of the ANC is September 2.
3. Make sure you attend the community celebration on August 22 and get your money’s worth! The event is not posted on HTR’s web site, so I’ve included the invite the Commissioners received, which has all the details. Don’t worry, you’re not crashing. Your tax dollars paid for it.
Why Weaver Ward One? I’ll tell you
Over the past four years, if you asked me, “what’s the latest in the community?” I’d talk your ear off about crazy commissioners, despicable owners of vacant properties, big developers getting sweet deals from the city, mis-managed projects…you name it. When asked if I’ve enjoyed being a Commissioner I typically reply with, “I occasionally find it satisfying.” I didn’t get into this business thinking it would be fun. But I have had some great opportunities to help people in my community, have learned an incredible amount about city government and politics and do think I’ve contributed a great deal to the improvement of my own district and ANC1B as a whole. I will leave my seat at the end of this year reasonably satisfied.
And if you asked me today, “what’s the latest in the community?” I’d tell you all about Bryan Weaver, candidate for the Ward One City Council seat. Bryan is the kind of guy you meet and immediately like. He laughs often and is incredibly candid. He’s done the work of an ANC Commissioner much longer than I have, in Adams Morgan no less, and continues to exhibit boundless energy and enthusiasm for serving our community in Ward One.
After you get to know him and learn where he stands on the issues, he’s the kind of guy who makes you think — hey, we could really turn this place around! I’m going to reiterate that point. Bryan Weaver has made me a believer.
Many of you will recall that I’ve supported the incumbent Jim Graham over the years, and he supported me. We’d supply each other with a quote, put it on campaign materials, and the world would keep on turning. He asked me early in this cycle if I’d support him, and I said yes. So I ended up on his letterhead. But after a year of scandals and example after example of him handing out favors to those who do not have our Ward’s best interests at heart, I became wary. By the time he showed up at our June ANC meeting touting the liquor license moratorium and reimbursable police detail as magic bullets for all of U Street’s troubles, I had had enough. And for what it’s worth, I did extend the professional courtesy of letting him know myself.
Enter Bryan Weaver. I sat down with Bryan Weaver over lunch one day and we talked about his campaign. I drilled him on the issues, on his field plan, on his vision for U Street. And I, the eternal critic, was impressed. I signed on immediately and haven’t looked back. Every free moment I have is now dedicated to the Weaver Ward One campaign. As a sitting Commissioner, once might suggest it’s suicidal to turn my back on the Graham machine. But as someone who cares about the community it’s essential. I have never looked back, and I know I won’t regret it.
I hope you will join me in supporting Bryan Weaver at the polls on September 14th. If you normally contribute to my campaign and are wondering what you’ll do with that extra $25 this year here’s an idea: give it to Bryan. You know if he’s made me a believer again he must be something special.
Meridian Hill Park: Harassment-Free Zone?
I just finished a run around the upper level of Meridian Hill Park. To be clear, I am not a runner. I like to say, I only run late. Or for office. But as part of a 6-week “boot camp” session with Project Fitness this summer I ran many laps around Meridian Hill Park. And then, realizing it was the quickest way to burn calories, I kept doing it.
I love exercising in the park because it’s pretty, there’s shade, and it’s good people-watching. The daylight seems to flush out most of the questionable behavior we’ve all heard so much about,* and people are exercising, walking their dogs, and enjoying the day. I even saw a little girl wearing fairy wings today.
What occurred to me today was that in the approximately 8 weeks I’ve been working out in the park, I have never once been harassed by one of the men lounging on the benches. This is a stark contrast from 14th Street, which I have been known to refer to as “The Gauntlet.” Even factoring in the handful that are passed out and drooling on the benches, that’s a pretty remarkable thing for my beloved DC.
Is there an unspoken rule in Meridian Hill Park — thou shall not harass women enjoying the park? Maybe I shouldn’t question it. And I hope I haven’t jinxed it.
Meridian Hill Park, lower level
*As ANC for the park, I’ve worked with the National Park Police on these issues for years
Message from DPW about storm cleanup
Dear Neighbor:
We understand that you are clearing up yard waste from last weekend’s severe storm and many of you also suffered the loss of electricity, which has led to spoiled food. The Department of Public Works wants to help by collecting the smaller tree limbs and branches, spoiled food, and the recyclable food containers. Check our web site for your neighborhood’s collection(s).
We ask you to do the following:
Yard Waste – Please cut limbs into 4-foot lengths, bundle them and place the bundles with your trash. In Supercan neighborhoods, yard waste will be collected on your regular trash collection day. In twice-a-week neighborhoods, yard waste will be collected on your second collection day. These collections are subject to available space in the trash trucks.
Spoiled Food – Please empty recyclable glass, cardboard (juice boxes, etc.) and metal food and beverage containers, rinse the containers and place them in your recycling bin(s) or cart(s). Place the spoiled food in your garbage disposal or a sturdy trash bag. The bagged food should be put in your trash can and placed out for collection on your next collection day. Recyclables are collected in Supercan neighborhoods the same day trash is collected. In twice-a-week neighborhoods, please put your recycling containers out on your scheduled collection day.
Thank you for helping us help you,
Kevin
Kevin B. Twine
Staff Assistant
Department of Public Works
Office of the Director
2000 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Ph: 202-671-2593
Fx: 202-671-0642
kevin.twine@dc.gov
Please join hosts Bryan Martin Firvida and Brianne K. Nadeau for a meet and greet with Ward One Council candidate Bryan Weaver
If you haven’t seen Bryan’s famed commercial yet, you’re missing out. If you have, and you want more — we’ll see you August 2!
Press Clip on Graham, Hatch Act application to ANC
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-36649-DC-Libertarian-Examiner~y2010m7d21-Graham-commissioners-school-board-member-violate-Hatch-Act
Meanwhile, last week one of the commissioners appearing on Graham’s letter withdrew her support. Although Commissioner Brianne K. Nadeau respects Graham and praises his constituent services program, with respect to “the deeper issues that really impact our Ward One community, he has lost touch and does not have the solutions we need to move forward.” Nadeau now believes that Weaver is “the guy who can put us back in the right direction in Ward One.” As for the application of the Hatch Act to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, Nadeau summed up the view of many people: “We’re not employees, we don’t get paid, we have to be elected. None of it really makes sense.”
“We’re not employees, we don’t get paid, we have to be elected. None of it really makes sense.” — Ward One ANC Commissioner Brianne K. Nadeau
