ANC Meeting Notes

I'm just now getting around to reviewing my notes from the October 3rd ANC 2F meeting. So here they are:

2F-05 Election
The election for 2F-05 commissioner was held during the meeting. Jerome Sikorski won receiving 17 votes to Dustin Cole's 16. Sikorski, a DC resident for over 25 years, has been living at 13th Street and Massachusetts Avenue for four years. He is recently retired after working for 10 years on the Hill, and his volunteer activities include extensive involvement with the Whitman Walker Clinic and serving as an usher at the Washington National Cathedral. Sikorski's main platform issues were combating nighttime crime, particularly prostitution, pedestrian safety in his SMD, and road improvements. He also pledged to bring a level of city services to the neighborhood commensurate with taxes paid.

PSA 307 Report

• After what Lt. Mike Smith called a significant burglary arrest, property crime and burglaries are down 47 percent.
• Police have three teenagers in custody who have confessed to six robberies. The M.O. also fits the Be Bar assault.
  
• There was a robbery at the 10th Street CVS, but police do have a good quality security video of the suspect and believe that they also have several good fingerprints.
• A representative of the US Attorney's office has agreed to attend ANC meetings. The ANC hopes to address mishandling of evidence, outstanding warrants that are not entered into computerized systems/shared with DCPD, and felony charges that are reduced to misdemeanors.

Report from the Mayor's Office

• Mark Biorgi is new to the Office of Community Service
• DCRA has taken over trash management at 1107 11th Street and has levied fines.
• Helen Kramer, on behalf of the Iowa building condo association, complained of cars parked too close to the curb cut at the O Street garage exit. She requested new pavement markings to mitigate this problem.
• There have bee problems with folks driving the wrong way on N Street because of confusing traffic signals
• One resident reports that poor sidewalk conditions in SMD 2F-05 hamper those with mobility impairments.

Crime and Public Safety Committee Report

• Council member Graham introduced a "hot spot" no loitering act, which would allow the chief of police to declare a no loitering provision, permitting no more than two people to congregate in certain areas. A hot spot would be defined as an area with a high number of arrests for homicide, robbery, and/or assault. There are no such qualifying areas in Ward 2, the closest would be Sursum Corda.
• The recent burglary incidents have been focussed in new condo buildings during workday hours. The committee recommended that condo presidents meet with Lt. Mike Smith to conduct a security assessment.
• The committee recommends calling 311 if residents witness excessive vehicle idling, defined as three or more minutes. The concern is that a long-idling vehicle could potentially be used as a means of fleeing a crime scene.
• The committee is pursuing the issue of vacant properties where higher taxes are not being collected.
• A resident complained of frequent prostitution in the alley behind the 13th Street Mr. Wash. Residents and the ANC will work with Mr. Wash to add an additional light illuminate a now-dark corner. More details can be found on the front page of the Wednesday, October 10 Dupont Current.
  

DDOT Matters
No DDOT representative was present so Commissioners Dyer and Reed shared what they knew of current DDOT matters.

• Resident advice with regards to the 11th Street streetscape project has been heard and implemented.
• There is a proposal to make 15th Street two ways.
• The Q Street improvements between 14th and 13th Streets are in the sixth month of work. The estimated completion date for the work is two months from now.
• Reed believes that the water main and electrical improvements will minimize the risk of another manhole cover blow-out. (Apparently there was one this year that blew out windows on the block but didn't cause personal injury.)

ABRA Matters

• Logan Tavern seeks to add seating to the restaurant -- 46 new seats in the expanded dining room and 14 new outdoor patio seats. They will, however, be reducing the seating in the existing dining area by 18. The ANC has successfully negotiated a VA and will not protest the license modification.
• Stoney's finally negotiated a VA with the ANC for the proposed opening of a second floor on top of their existing space. As no representative from Stoney's was present, Reed went on a long ramble about how he believes the process to have been unnecessarily difficult. You can seen some of the history of the dispute here. Stoney's has been granted an extra hour of late-night operation. Though this is one more hour than the other restaurants on the block will remain open, it is in line with the operating hours of Halo and Vegas Lounge. After one year, the condo residents and the ANC reserve the right to revisit the VA and evaluate any noise issues. The VA negotiation process dragged five months from May until October.
• Mar del Plata wants to add 10 seats to its outdoor patio. The ANC will not protest this addition.
• El Sauce restaurant wants to change their license from a class CR to a class DR. As no one present knew the difference between the classes, and no representative from El Sauce was available, Dyer moved to protest so that the ANC has standing at the ABRA hearing.
  
• Nema's and the ANC have successfully negotiated a VA, and the ANC will withdraw its protest.
  

Other
The Fannie Mae Walk for the Homeless will be held on Saturday, November 11th. Rolling street closures are planned from 7th Street to Independence Avenue. However, no street should be closed for more than an hour at a time.