DC Government

Dear PoPville – Advice on Cleaning Up Overhead Backyard Wires

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

My Capitol Hill rowhouse has always had a ridiculous amount of overhead wires crisscrossing my backyard. I assume the wires are power, cable television, and even landline telephones. After the derecho storm, many of the wires are drooping really low and some have even pulled loose from their mounts on various neighboring properties. The cables are an eyesore in my backyard and I’d like to get them removed or uncluttered. Unfortunately, many of the lines cross several yards and attach to rowhouses as well as an apartment building. Do you know which entity in DC has jurisdiction over the wires that cross multiple yards? Or is cleaning them up a function of each individual property owner?

I believe these are cable/phone wires. You may have to deal directly with comcast, verizon etc. Has anyone had any recent success getting backyard wires cleaned up?

Second Phase of Connecticut Avenue Streetscape Project to Start

By Prince Of Petworth


Phase One of Connecticut Avenue Streetscape Project from K to L Street, NW

From DDOT:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) begins work this week on the second phase of the Connecticut Avenue Streetscape project. The project will include the construction of a raised median on Connecticut Avenue between Jefferson Place and L Street, NW, picking up where the first phase left off. Phase I, completed last summer, included the construction of a raised median between K and L Streets. The median is landscaped and maintained by the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID).

The goal is to enhance pedestrian safety on this heavily traveled avenue and improve the appearance of the retail corridor. The new 12 foot wide median will serve as a safe area for pedestrians to pause when crossing the broad avenue. Connecticut Avenue is one of DC’s most highly traveled vehicular thoroughfares with more than 24,100 cars on the downtown portion of the street each day.

In addition to the new median, the project will:

· Remove the existing concrete sidewalk and replace with new concrete pavers
· Install structural soil under sidewalk paving between tree boxes
· Remove existing and Install new metal tree box fences
· Plant trees and shrubs
· Install bicycle racks
· Adjust WMATA shafts to new grades
· Provide electric power service for median
· Provide irrigation and water service
· Mill and Resurface roadway
· Install new pavement markings and traffic signs

It is anticipated that the work will take 240 calendar days. The Contractor is permitted to work from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday, although work can be allowed beyond these times with prior notice and approval.


Connecticut Avenue and M Street, NW

Dear PoPville – Restore Librarians to DC Schools

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

“Dear PoPville,

A few more signatures are needed for this petition by Thursday!”

The petition, Restore Librarians to DC Schools, explains:

My son Kai attends our neighborhood elementary school and loves his librarian, Ms. Woodard, who always had wonderful literacy activities for the younger, just-learning-to-read kids like Kai, as well interesting activities to foster a love of reading in older kids. Thanks to the excellent teachers and Ms. Woodard, our struggling urban school raised its reading scores by 14% last year!

So I was shocked to hear that Ms. Woodard had been let go, due to “budget cuts.” In fact, 57 schools and 16,600 students in DC will have no librarian next year. And the remaining librarians are being re-labeled as optional/flexible staff! According to an independent City Council analysis, the DC Public School system has enough in its budget to fund a librarian and top-notch library materials for all of its schools. But despite the claims by Mayor Vincent Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson that they want to improve literacy and reading proficiency (outlined in their new five-year plan), they have so far refused to shift their priorities and ignored all protests by concerned parents and students.

My husband and I, along with hundreds of other parents in D.C., are fighting hard to Save Our Librarians. Librarians from the whole DC area have been joining us in this fighting including Kamaria Hatcher, a librarian in Maryland, who helped us start this petition. We have been working non-stop, but the Mayor and Chancellor Henderson have so far refused to hear us. We need your help! Tell Mayor Gray and Kaya Henderson that librarians are not optional!

We want a librarian in every school (at least part-time in smaller schools, if needed), a per student allotment for library materials as other school districts have, and for librarians to be put back in the essential staff category. Please sign our petition and help us Save Our Librarians! Thank you!

“District Awarded $8M in Federal Grants for Key Transportation Improvement and Infrastructure Projects (Includes Funds for Revitalization of Kennedy Street, NW)”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of Taqueria Distrito Federal at 805 Kennedy St, NW by PoPville flickr user rockcreek

A few weeks ago a reader wondered “Why Aren’t Investors Showing Kennedy Street Any Love?”

From DDOT:

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the District of Columbia more than $8M in grants to fund four projects in the city, including the revitalization of Kennedy Street, NW. The funding will also allow the District to move forward with planning for improved bicycle and pedestrian access near rail stations; implement a program to better manage curbside parking in busy commercial areas; and make infrastructure improvements for construction of the America Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial near the U.S. Capitol.

The Kennedy Street Revitalization project will receive $1M from the Transportation, Community and System Preservation Program (TCSP) to transform the public realm of the commercial corridor. The funds, matched by local monies, will upgrade streetscape facilities including streetlights, sidewalks, and street trees/landscaping; and implement low-cost, high impact safety improvements at key nodes. That includes the signalized intersection of Missouri Avenue/Kansas Avenue & Kennedy Street; and the non-signalized intersection of Mi ssouri Avenue/1st Street and Jefferson Street.

The District was also awarded more than $6M to complete infrastructure improvements for the Closing of C Street, SW from 2nd Street to Washington Avenue, to facilitate the construction of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. The approved location for the memorial is a triangular-shaped site bounded by 2nd Street, SW on the west, Washington Avenue on the east, and the I-395 tunnel portals on the south, necessitating the closure of C Street, SW between Washington Ave and 2nd Street. The infrastructure improvements include utility work, signage, lighting, pavement markings, reconfiguration of the roadway, and improving pedestrian facilities. The project will result in improved traffic flow, an increase in pedestrian and bicycle safety, and improved security at the nearby Rayburn Office Building.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will use a $1.09M grant to implement a Multimodal, dynamic parking pricing pilot program in the Chinatown/Penn Quarter area of downtown DC. The program will include a reservation system for commercial vehicle parking to manage metered curb-side spaces in congested areas. It will encourage freight travel at off-peak times and enable tour bus operators to find parking, as well as use parking revenues to support transit services.

Finally, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) was awarded $160,000 to identify opportunities for promoting housing and employment development close to rail by providing walk or bike access to and from the stations using a complete streets approach. The project will seek to moderate demand pressures on the transportation system and improve efficiency by encouraging rail ridership in the reverse-peak direction on trains that currently have plenty of seats, or by selling the same seat twice in the peak travel direction (where one group of commuters alights at a mixed-use suburban location providing space for new commuters traveling further in the peak direction). The final product of the project will be an inventory of up to 25 rail stations with high promise for housing and employment development, and an accompanying list of high-impact transportation capital projects to improve access to these stations that could be quickly implemented should funding become available from the public or private sectors.

Post-20-Week D.C. Abortion Ban Bill Defeated

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user thisisbossi

From the office of Eleanor Holmes Norton:

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the following statement on the defeat in the House of H.R. 3803, a bill sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) that would have banned abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks of pregnancy:

“Seldom does the District win a vote on the floor of the House this big. Republicans failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary on a bill that would have denied District of Columbia residents of their constitutional rights for the first time in American history. Women’s groups, among them Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, helped us blow the whistle on a bill that used D.C. residents to target the reproductive rights of women across the nation. Every member of the House, except the one representing the only district affected by the bill, had a vote on the bill. During floor debate, Ranking Member John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) asked Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), the sponsor of the bill, why his bills was not introduced as a national bill, Franks never answered. Women understood the answer, however. The D.C. label fooled no one. And, in the end, I am grateful that an overwhelming majority of Democrats stuck with the District and refused to cross over to be a party to this abuse of congressional power. The bill has had the effect House Republicans most dreaded. It has reinvigorated the pro-choice movement in our country, raising the consciousness of American women again to understand that their right to reproductive choice is always on the line.”

Dear PoPville – Does Your Neighborhood Have Visitor Parking Passes?

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

Last evening I was astonished, and quite frankly, pissed off to find an envelope from DC-DOT containing a letter and visitor parking pass (VPP) for ANC-1C (Adams Morgan).

Having been a resident of Adams Morgan for coming on 10 years, this has got to be the worst action to effect our Ward 1 specifically those who resided in Adams Morgan. As if parking for us wasn’t already a problem!!!! Now we have to compete for parking spaces from everyone’s “visitors” for an unspecified amount of time?!?!?! I was excited by the potential to have a side of the street saved for residents but it looks like this potential future option (if ANC-1C votes approvingly), still allows for these VPP users to park there.

This system is going to be uncontrollable, unenforceable, and allow a fraudulent underground business to occur (selling passes, renting passes), etc.

I wanted to see what other PoPville readers have thought of these programs throughout the city? Has your community, Ward, or ANC suffered due to this? Does your community have a huge bar/social scene that draws an exorbitant number of “visitors”?

From DDOT:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is continuing the annual Visitor Parking Pass (VPP) program in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and portions of 6. The goal of the VPP program is to make it easier for residents to host their guests. A Visitor Parking Pass is mailed to each residence in the proscribed Wards which eliminates the inconvenience of having to obtain a new temporary visitor parking permit each time a visitor is expected.

During the month of July DDOT will provide 2012/2013 visitor passes to residents in the following areas:

Ward 1: Residents in ANCs 1A, 1B and 1C and residents on RPP blocks in ANC 1D
Ward 3: Residents on RPP blocks
Ward 4: Residents on RPP blocks
Ward 5: Residents on RPP blocks
Ward 6: Residents on RPP blocks in the Ballpark Area bounded by
North: Pennsylvania Avenue SE
East: 11th Street SE
South: Potomac Avenue SW
West: 9th Street SW

If you live in any of these areas you will receive an annual visitor’s pass that will allow your guests to park on RPP blocks in your community; this includes sides of streets with Resident Only RPP protection. These passes are only valid during the hours of RPP enforcement and they do preclude a resident from Registration of Out of State Automobiles (ROSA) tickets if they live in the District of Columbia and do not register their vehicle with the District DMV within 30 days of moving to the city.

Goals

To provide District residents with parking passes for their guests.

Mayor Gray Announces One City Action Plan

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today unveiled the One City Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that describes in specific steps how the Mayor’s One City vision will be achieved. Organized by goals, strategies and actions, the plan provides District residents and business leaders alike with a concrete roadmap to understand and measure progress and hold city officials accountable in the areas that matter most to stakeholders. Picking up on the theme of the mayor’s 2012 State of the District Address – “Seizing Our Future” – the plan emphasizes the need to harness the tremendous change the District is experiencing to remake and reinvent our city for the next generation.

The One City Action Plan is organized into three overarching goals:

Grow and Diversify the District’s Economy,
Educate and Prepare the Workforce for the New Economy, and
Improve the Quality of Life for All.

Within each goal are strategies and specific actions District officials are taking, as well as measurable key indicators for each goal. Each section allows District residents to easily identify actions being pursued by the administration and how they link to the Mayor’s One City vision and goals. Additionally, the plan provides an action checklist so that residents can track progress and hold city officials accountable.

The One City Action Plan was built using the Mayor’s priorities, day-to-day feedback from community members and data from the nearly 2,000 residents who participated in the One City Summit in February 2012.

Full plan in PDF below:

One_City_Action_Plan

Dealing with Flooding in Bloomingdale

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville resident SG

Thanks to all who sent links to the new page by DC Water:

“The flooding events of July 2012 are evidence of a change in the Bloomingdale neighborhood since DC Water last extensively surveyed the area in 2006. The permanent, long-term solution is the Clean Rivers Project, scheduled for 2025. In the meantime, our Bloomingdale Action Agenda is a list of specific steps DC Water, residents and businesses, and other parts of the government are taking and can take to reduce the effects of runoff and flooding.”

DC Water also wrote in an email:

“We have already begun implementing what I call our Bloomingdale Action Agenda,” commented DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. “This is a list of specific steps DC Water, residents and businesses, and other parts of the government are taking and can take to reduce the effects of runoff and flooding.”

In addition, DC Water and Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie are in communication about coordinating a multi-entity examination of this problem. District and federal agencies with jurisdiction over streets and alleys, stormwater management, plumbing codes, insurance and flood plains, and residents, all have a part in this discussion.

DC Water will also attend a special meeting of the Bloomingdale Civic Association on Saturday, August 4 at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 160 U Street, NW in the basement.

Another reader sends a note from Teri Janine Quinn, President, Bloomingdale Civic Association:

We met with DC Water during the Bloomingdale Civic Association held this past Monday. Many residents were underwhelmed by DC Water’s presentation. We agreed to host a second public meeting with DC Water on Saturday, August 4th (time and location to be determined). It is troubling to know that many residents just experienced flooding for the third time in less than two weeks. It has become painfully obvious that we cannot wait indefinitely for solution.

As an initial matter, we need to get a better understanding of how many residents have been impacted and the scope of the damage. These questions were asked of DC Water during our meeting but the representatives were unable to provide clear and concise responses and have not since followed up with additional data. Even if DC Water provides information regarding the impact and scope of the damage, unless we assess the problem on our own we will have no way of evaluating the accuracy of their data. As such, Please find below a link to a brief survey (10 questions) for residents who have experienced flooding. You do not need to complete the survey if you have not experienced flooding. In addition, we only need one survey completed per address. The information we collect will be useful in discussions with DC Water and elected officials. As such, if you have experienced flooding recently or in past years, please complete the survey as soon as possible but not later than Wednesday, July 25th. Here’s the link to the survey:

Bloomingdale/LeDroit Park Flooding Survey

“Norton Sees Possible Home-Rule Breakthrough in Height Act Hearing”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) said that she was pleased at today’s hearing on the Height Act when Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) invited her to join him in a colloquy about giving the District of Columbia greater authority to decide Height Act matters for itself. “Not unlike Chairman Issa’s announcement at the end of his hearing on the D.C. budget last year that he supported D.C. budget autonomy, the chairman’s comments today indicated another breakthrough with his willingness to consider greater authority for the city under the Height Act,” Norton said. “Such a change would simply acknowledge that in hometown D.C., local officials would be best able to make changes, if needed.”

Norton said that neither the witnesses from the city, or subcommittee members envision changes in the near term, with the possible exception of allowing human occupancy in areas on top of buildings now used exclusively for housing mechanical equipment, such as for elevators. This idea, she said, appears to offer the benefit of additional space for human occupancy with no change to the city’s vistas or views. In fact, D.C. Office of Planning Director Harriet Tregoning testified that those views and vistas could be enhanced with various kinds of uses in the space now used for mechanical penthouses, allowing more residents and visitors alike to enjoy unique views of the nation’s capital.

Chairman Issa said that a study on how the District would view changes to the Height Act would be appropriate. If there is concern with the federal interest, Norton said she believes the current zoning board, which has both local and federal representatives, would protect federal concerns and would be consistent with the transfer of greater home-rule Height Act authority to the District.

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