MINUTES
ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 3F
NORTH CLEVELAND PARK, FOREST HILLS & TENLEYTOWN
PUBLIC MEETING
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Capital Memorial Church
3150 Chesapeake Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
1. CALL TO ORDER [7:45 pm]
Chair Wiss called the meeting to order and, finding Commissioners, Klibanoff, Perry, Banta, Winstead and Solomon present, declared a quorum.
Note: No audio recording is available for this meeting.
2. AGENDA [7:47 pm]
Chair Wiss moved to adopt the agenda, but to delete approval of the minutes of the November 2006 meeting, as none had been prepared. Commissioner Banta seconded. Vote was 3-0-3, with Commissioners Klibanoff, Perry and Winstead voting Present. After discussion and a stated preference for the election of officers to be placed later in the agenda, Commissioner Banta moved the agenda be adopted. Commissioner Solomon seconded. Vote was 4-0-2, with Commissioners Perry Wiss, Banta and Solomon in the majority and Commissioners Klibanoff and Winstead voting Present.
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS [8:00 pm]
Councilwoman Mary Cheh introduced herself as well as her new Director of Constituent Services, Dee Smith. Dee can be reached at 202-724-8062. They are currently looking for office space in the ward. Councilwoman Cheh told the group that she would be chairing the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs, as well as sitting on a variety of other committees.
Chair Wiss announced that the Interim Branch of the Tenley Public Library has opened at 4200 Wisconsin Avenue.
4. OPEN FORUM [8:05 pm]
Sally Gresham from Davenport Street asked for neighborhood cooperation by not prompting DDOT to do any further repairs to Davenport until the winter weather was passed. Apparently some of the work that they’ve done thus far has been done incorrectly.
Dick Potter, Co-Chair of the Friendship Postal Station Advisory Committee announced that the committee is seeking new members. It meets on a Tuesday every other month. He left flyers to be picked up after the meeting.
5. POLICE REPORT [8:12 pm]
Officer LoConte provided crime statistics for the first two weeks of the year. He also commented on reduction in cell phone violations as the police have been ticketing more aggressively. A new focus on increased foot patrol is well under way. Auto-related crimes continue to be the biggest problem in our area, whether auto theft or theft of items left in both locked and unlocked vehicles. Commissioner Winstead presented photo of a UPS truck parked on Chevy Chase Parkway, with door open and packages in full view.
6. ELECTION OF ANC OFFICERS [8:25 pm]
1) Treasurer: Commissioner Perry nominated Commissioner Solomon. Commissioner Banta seconded. Commissioner Solomon said she’d be willing to accept. Vote: 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
2) Secretary: Commissioner Winstead nominated current Chair Wiss. Commissioner Klibanoff seconded. Chair Wiss declined the office. Commissioner Klibanoff withdrew his second. The election of Secretary was tabled for the present.
3) Vice Chair: Commissioner Solomon nominated Commissioner Perry. Commissioner Klibanoff seconded. Commissioner Perry agreed to accept if elected. Vote: 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
4) Chair: Commissioner Solomon nominated Chair Wiss to serve another term. Commissioner Banta seconded. Vote: 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
5) Secretary: As no Commissioner would agree to take the office, Commissioner Winstead moved to table until the end of the meeting. Commissioner Solomon seconded. Vote 6-0-0.
7. APPROVAL OF ANC MEETING DATES FOR 2007: Chair Wiss moved that this be tabled until the end of the meeting. Commissioner Perry seconded. Vote 6-0-0.
8. PARTICIPATION IN THE ANC SECURITY
FUND and AUTHORIZATION OF THE BANK OF AMERICA TO HOLD THE ANC
ACCOUNTS
Commissioner Solomon moved to table these items until the end of the meeting. Commissioner Wiss seconded. Vote 6-0-0.
9. APPLICATION NO. 17566 TO THE BOARD OF ZONING ADJUSTMENT FOR SUBDIVISION AT 3546 ALTON PLACE [8:35 pm]
Attorney Paul Tummins of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman presented the case for the owner to provide relief from minimum frontage and lot size requirements, resulting in two lots that are just below the legal threshold (39 sq. feet short of 225). Three neighbors appeared to show their support of the subdivision, expressing no opposition to the slightly reduced lot size or to a new house that would certainly be built on the lot.
Commissioner Banta moved to support the application. Commissioner Solomon seconded. No discussion. Vote: 3-3-0, with Commissioners Perry, Klibanoff, and Winstead opposing.
Commissioner Banta then moved that we not oppose the application. Commissioner Solomon seconded. Again the vote was 3-3-0, with votes distributed as above.
Commissioner Perry said that she voted against the application because she didn’t believe that it met the three criteria required by BZA. Commissioner Solomon asked Mr. Tummins to review the plans with specific reference to those criteria. Mr. Tummins then attempted to show that 1) the requirements were, in this case, unnecessarily burdensome; 2) that their request was de minimus; and 3) that their proposal was in keeping with the surrounding properties. Commissioner Banta then asked Mr. Tummins to show how large a house the owners could build as a matter of right on the single lot if the application wasn’t granted.
Commissioner Solomon moved that we vote one more time to not oppose the application. Commissioner Banta seconded. The vote remained unchanged from the previous two votes at 3-3-0, and the support from the ANC on this application was denied.
10. PUBLIC SPACE APPLICATION FOR A CURB CUT AT 4618 - 38th STREET. [9:20 pm]
Jeremy Busse, Architect of the new house on this lot, presented drawings of the property showing proposed curb cut. Two nearby neighbors stated that they and the next door neighbor do not oppose the application. No one appeared in opposition. Commissioner Wiss pointed out that a Pepco utility pole sits on the right-hand edge of the proposed cut, but that this pole is not shown on the plans presented with the application. This pole presents a hazard coming in and out of the driveway and has the potential to knock out power to some portion of the neighborhood if hit. It was also noted that some work has already occurred in public space without a permit and that construction has resulted in cracks in the public sidewalk. Commissioner Wiss then moved a resolution objecting to the application and requesting that the applicant modify the plans by relocating the driveway or moving the utility pole, or in the alternative that the Public Space Committee deny the application. Commissioner Solomon seconded. At the request of the residents, the resolution was amended to add a "whereas" clause indicating that neighboring residents do not object to the driveway. Resolution 07-01 was approved 6-0-0.
11. REQUEST TO RESTORE RESIDENTIAL PERMIT PARKING IN THE 2900 BLOCK OF UPTON STREET [9:52 pm]
Commissioner Klibanoff drafted a letter to DDOT urging them to change parking signs back to what they were before construction of the Edmund Burke School on the street. Neighbors have tried for months to have them changed but to no avail. Commissioner Perry asked that the last paragraph be deleted. Commissioner Klibanoff had no objection to this. Commissioner Klibanoff moved that we accept the letter with that change. Commissioner Perry seconded. Letter 07-01 was approved 6-0-0.
12. DISCCUSION OF NEW WILSON POOL [10:05 pm]
Commissioner Wiss opened the discussion by showing a diagram of the floor plan of the new pool with a 50-meter competition pool and a smaller leisure pool with three 60-foot lap lanes.
Ginny Callanen: Parks and Rec will come to do a presentation. The website www.Wilsonpooldc.org shows the current design. Parks and Rec wants 50 meters in length in order to divide the pool for different activities. There will be 477 spectator seats in a bridge over the leisure pool. Leisure pool will be 5900 sq. ft. Ms. Callanen presented a signed letter from Dr. Tarason, principal of Wilson High School, asking that the project move forward without delay.
Anne Cauman: The Parks and Rec process was designed to exclude the community. One meeting was held. By the second meeting three or four weeks later, decisions had been made. She knows the acting swim coach for Wilson because her son is on the Edmund Burke swim team. Wilson's acting coach would rather see 8 lanes at 25 meters because 25 meters is the standard for high school competition. She believes that 477 spectator seats is stretching it. 50 spectators at the most attend school swim meets. Water aerobics require more depth than 3.5 feet in the lap lanes of the leisure pool. 4-5 feet in the shallow end of the 50-meter pool is too deep for little kids to use for recreational swimming. It is too high for water walking by adults. She is concerned that the pool temperature may be too cold for recreational swimming if it is set for competition (between 75 and 81 degrees). She would like more light in the building. She asked how the pool will be used during the times of year that the Wilson High School team is not using it. Will there be constraints on other uses?
Commissioner Perry pointed out that the pool is going to cause a real parking problem, particularly with swim meets and such a high number of spectator seats. Zoning requires parking. Buses will be idling. Who is looking into this?
Allie Hajian believes that there is no sense in making the pool smaller because of the lack of parking.
Sherry Zowader and Beverly Nissenbaum of Chesapeake Street noted that they were appointed to be the representatives of the Tenleytown Neighbors Association in discussions about the new pool, but had not been contacted. Ms. Nissenbaum stated that process has been closed for community input, except possibly from the school, and asked for transparency.
Kent Slowinski stated that he is past president of the Masters Swim Team. He has talked to managers of other DPR pools, who believe that their pools would have been designed better if there had been more community input. He is concerned about security in the locker rooms and theft if there are no locker attendants. Without locker attendants, there was a pedophile in the men's locker room at the old pool. Attention should be paid to acoustics. The pool at Turkey Thicket is too loud during summer camp. He is disappointed that the delivery date will be pushed back. The adjacent wetland should not be used to prevent building the pool. He would like two whirlpools for adults and a 3-meter diving board.
A Wilson High School parent read letters from two students who wished to voice their need of and support for the new pool.
13. ANC SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS FOR 2007 AND OTHER PROCEDURAL MATTERS [10:50 pm]
Discussion was had whether to change meetings to second Monday of the month because of so many holidays. Commissioner Banta moved to stick with the 3rd Monday. Chair Wiss seconded. Vote was 5-1-0 with Commissioner Winstead voting no.
Commissioner Perry moved to pay into the ANC security fund for 2007. Commissioner Banta seconded. Resolution 07-02 was approved 5-1-0, with Commissioner Winstead voting no.
Commissioner Winstead inquired how the notice of the evening’s meeting was accomplished. Chair Wiss reviewed the various public notices and when they were sent out or posted. Others told when and where they posted notice. Commissioner Winstead expressed his concern that our meeting did not comply with the notice requirements and was not legal.
Chair Wiss moved to accept the Bank of America as the ANC’s bank. Commissioner Perry seconded. Resolution 07-03 was approved 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
Commissioner Perry moved to hire a consultant to take minutes at the next meeting and prepare them afterwards for distribution. Commissioner Solomon seconded. Vote 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
14. ADJOURNMENT [11:20 pm]
Commissioner Perry moved to adjourn. Commissioner Banta seconded. Vote: 5-0-1, with Commissioner Winstead voting Present.
These minutes were approved 5-1-1, with a quorum present, at a duly noticed public meeting of ANC 3F on March 19, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Jane
Solomon
Jane Solomon
Treasurer
Attachments:
Agenda
Res 07-01, objecting to the application for a new driveway and curb cut in public space at 4618 – 38th Street, N.W.
Ltr 07-01, requesting restoration of residential permit parking signs in the 2900 block of Upton Street, N.W.
Res 07-02, approving participation in the ANC Security Fund for 2007
Res 07-03, regarding the ANC bank accounts for 2007