Bates Area Civic Association

DPW Observes Memorial Day, Monday, May 28

Parking Enforcement & Trash/Recycling Collection Will Be Suspended

Events Scheduled Tuesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 31

(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are advising the public about street closures associated with memorial events for the late Go-Go artist Chuck Brown. Two events are scheduled next week: a public viewing on Tuesday, May 29 at the Howard Theatre, and a public memorial service on Thursday, May 31 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Tuesday, May 29

The public viewing is scheduled from 11 am to 10 pm on Tuesday at the Howard Theatre, which is located at 620 T Street, NW. The following streets will be closed for this event:

3:00 am – Midnight
T Street, NW, from 7^th Street to Florida Avenue, NW

9:30 am – Midnight

T Street, NW closure will expand to include T Street between 9^th Street and Florida Avenue, NW

7^th Street, NW between Florida Avenue and S Street, NW

8^th Street, NW between Florida Avenue and S Street, NW

Wiltberger Street, NW between T Street and S Street, NW

Thursday, May 31

The public memorial service is scheduled from 12 pm – 3 pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, located at 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW.

6:00 am – 6:00 pm

L Street, NW will be closed in both direction between 7^th Street and 9^th Street

Please note: all street closures and times are subject to change due to prevailing or unexpected conditions.

The general public is strongly encouraged to use public transportation for both events.

Public Viewing: The Shaw/Howard University Metrorail stop on the Green Line is located a block from the Howard Theatre (please exit towards Howard University). In addition, Metrobus operates buses on several lines along Florida Avenue NW and 7^th Street NW near the theatre. To plan your trip by Metrorail or Metrobus, please visit Metro’s website at www.wmata.com.

For those who are not able to use public transportation, limited parking is available near the Howard Theatre on the day of the viewing:

• · Howard Center, located at 2224 Georgia Avenue (across from Howard University Bookstore)

• East Towers Lot, located at 2200 8th St. NW (behind the Howard Center lot)
• Banneker South, located at 2345 Sherman Avenue.

Public Memorial Service: The Mount Vernon Square/7^th Street/Convention Center Metrorail stop on the Green/Yellow Lines directly services the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Multiple Metrobus and D.C. Circulator bus routes also stop at the Convention Center on Mount Vernon Place, M Street and 7^th Street, NW.

The 4th Annual DC Housing Expo will take place on Saturday, June 2 from 10:00am-3:00pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place, NW).

Free workshops will be provided on homeownership, home repair, and financial literary. Free credit reports and financial counseling will also be available. Local lenders, realtors, housing developers, and government agencies will be on hand to provide attendees with various information and resources.

The event will also include information for homeowners wanting to improve their properties, renters wanting to own a home or find affordable city-funded units, seniors wanting to know about aging in place, and anyone needing to improve and protect their credit score.

For additional information, please click here or call the District’s Department of Housing and Community Development at 202-442-7200.

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) recently announced how services will be affected in observance of Memorial Day (Monday, May 28).

Trash Collection:

There will be no trash and recycling collections on Memorial Day. Trash and recycling collections will “slide” to the next day for the remainder of the week. In Ward 2, collections normally made on Tuesday and Friday, will be made Wednesday and Saturday. Trash and recycling containers should be placed out for collection no earlier than 6:30pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8:00pm on the day of collection.

Parking Enforcement

Parking enforcement, including ticket writing for residential parking, expired meters, street sweeping and rush-hour violations will be suspended on Monday. Enforcement will resume Tuesday, May 29.

Last week, NoMa residents were jammin’ on the Zuppa Fresca plaza with local R&B favorite Johnny Artis, in our first-ever evening concert. The NoMa BID is planning four more evening concerts this year on the Third Thursday of June, July, August and September. View the full schedule for dates and bands. Watch a video of the night’s festivities.

Rhythm in NoMa has expanded to three locations this year – with monthly evening concerts and weekly lunch-time concerts on Thursdays and Fridays. The popular lunch-time concerts start next week:

• Thursday Lunch at Au Bon Pain Plaza: May 31, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Johnny Artis plays at the NoMa Metro Plaza, Florida Avenue/Marriott, 1325 Second Street, NE
• Friday Lunch at Union Center Plaza: June 1, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Raddy & the Cats plays at 810-840 First Street, NE

View a full listing at www.nomabid.org/rhythm. Rhythm in NoMa is organized by the NoMa BID; sponsored by the UPS Store at 455 Massachusetts Avenue; and managed by Last Call Entertainment. Special thanks to the property owners who host the concerts: Courtyard by Marriott, Au Bon Pain, Lincoln Property Company, Akridge, Union Center Plaza Management Corp., the Loree Grand, Zuppa Fresca, and G&R Management Company. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The NoMa neighborhood needs park space now! Active community support is needed to achieve that goal. For years the NoMa BID has used vacant, privately-owned property to create community crossroads and interactions through a farmers market, regular movie nights, concerts and other events, but that cannot continue for much longer because all of these places are slated for near-term development. Permanent spaces for recreation, events, playgrounds, dog parks and sports courts are essential to our vibrant and growing neighborhood.

Over the past year, the NoMa BID has worked with the neighborhood to develop a Parks & Public Realm Plan to help identify where and how parks can be added to our area. Available spaces are rapidly disappearing and becoming new buildings. Greater NoMa has thousands of residents, children and rowhouses in desperate need of recreation spaces. We need to secure spaces for parks NOW or it will be too late.

Recently Mayor Gray requested $18 million in the District’s FY 2013 capital budget to begin work on NoMa parks. Last week in the first vote on the FY 2013 budget (there is a second vote on June 5 before the budget becomes final) the DC Council redirected the $18 million (just a fraction of the parks money committed to other neighborhoods, such as the great parks in Capitol Riverfront) to increase the amount of money going into the affordable housing production trust fund. Recognizing that parks in NoMa are desperately needed, the DC Council included a priority for NoMa parks funding if additional District monies become available.

Make your voice heard! Let the Mayor and Council know how important parks are to you as NoMa neighbors and District residents. Send emails to appropriate councilmembers. In addition, the NoMa BID will have a petition available at every NoMa event this summer for community members to demonstrate their support for NoMa parks. Stop by the NoMa table at: NoMa Summer Screen, Rhythm in NoMa concerts, and the Wednesday Farmers Market to sign the petition. We need your help!

NoMa Summer Screen is the neighborhood’s most anticipated summer event – and the fun starts tonight with The Day After Tomorrow! NoMa Summer Screen is a free, 12-week outdoor film series held Wednesdays through August 8 on the Loree Grand Field at Second and L Streets, NE. The event starts at 7 p.m. with music, giveaways, family fun, food vendors and picnicking. Films start at dark.

This year’s theme ‘Is 2012 the End of the World?’ features films about world-ending scenarios as a spoof on the doomsday prophesies marking the end of the Mayan calendar. Food trucks tonight include Redhook Lobster Truck, Amorini Panini and ice cream from the Orange Cow.

English subtitles are provided for all films. View a full listing at www.nomasummerscreen.com. In the event of a weather-related cancellation, follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and Facebook for updates.

From Table’s Facebook page:

You can please people with simplicity.” —Chef Frederik de Pue

Drawing on classic European sensibilities, Table will provide a simple and comfortable neighborhood dining experience. The changing menu will focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients and offer approachable yet innovative dishes suitable for every palate. Table represents a return to an old world, small-scale dining experience that emphasizes honest, delicious food.

Table will serve a small daily menu of appetizers, salads, and main dishes including frogs’ legs, octopus, scallops, pasta, and scratch-made desserts. Breakfast/brunch and lunch menus will be printed on the wall and will feature cheese and charcuterie plates, house-baked goods, egg dishes, and fresh juices. The bar will offer craft beer and about 20 wines by the glass, including a small selection of champagnes (no liquor). Open seating welcomes walk-ins (no reservations).

Corrected 5/23/2012 – ANC Vote Count

ANC 5 C took on the vote on CenterCity Care’s application to operate a medical dispensary at 1334 N. Capitol Street NW.

Mr. David Guard presented to the ANC the benefits of the dispensary to patients and described the proposed layout of the facilities. Mr. Guard also cited a UCLA study that showed the dispensaries lower crime in the areas surrounding the facility. There were a couple of relatives of patients that benefited from medical marijuana that were also present and spoke passionately in support of medical marijuana.

What Mr. Guard missed in his presentation, as stated by Commissioner Ransom is addressing the community concerns on how CenterCity Care would ensure the safety of its patients when patients leave the facility; citing the environment (crime and, loitering, social programs) around the proposed locations.

The opposition resolutions of the Bates Area Civic Association, Hanover Civic Association and North Capitol Main Street was also entered into the record. Geovani A. Bonilla challenged Mr. Guard’s citing of the UCLA study (with a copy of the study in hand), as the study says “We find that some security measures, such as security cameras, having  a door man outside, and having signs requiring an ID prescription card, taken by medical marijuana dispensary owners might be effective at reducing crime within the immediate vicinity of the dispensaries.” Might be, it was not conclusive.

Furthermore, Mr. Guard was not able to speak to other findings of the study, such as these sections:

Theoretical Approaches Relating Medical Marijuana Dispensaries to Crime

Page 4

Three theoretical approaches are relevant to the problems often thought to be associated

with MMDs: routine activities, availability, and niche theories. Routine activities theory

purports that three conditions must be met for crimes to occur: convergence of a suitable target (here, the dispensaries and their clients), a motivated offender, and the lack of suitable guardians (Cohen & Felson, 1979). The cash and carry nature of the business and the fact that they sell a substance (marijuana) which is illicit for non-medical users makes the dispensaries targets of crime (California Police Chief’s Association, 2009). Clients, who may be frail due to the debilitating medical conditions that lead them to use marijuana and carrying large amounts of cash to the dispensary, may also be targets for motivated offenders. Further, lack of security measures, marketing to population prone to participating in crime (i.e., young males) or being located in a socially disorganized neighborhoods characterized by high residential turnover and concentrated disadvantage may further put dispensaries at risk for crime as those areas are likely to lack place managers (i.e., suitable guardians). Recent studies suggest that offenders will travel some distance to participate in crime at such locations (Tita & Griffiths, 2005), and violence surges, particularly in relatively safe areas, will create adverse effects on businesses in the area (Greenbaum & Tita, 2004).

Page 20

Discussion. The preliminary findings show that some security measures, such as security cameras, having a door man outside, and having signs requiring an ID prescription card, taken by medical marijuana dispensary owners might be effective at reducing crime within the immediate vicinity of the dispensaries. However, dispensaries with locked metal doors had higher crimes within 500 feet radius. This finding may be more indicative of the location of the dispensary than crime related to the dispensary itself. In other words, dispensaries located in high crime areas may already have locked metal doors on the building from previous tenants to ward against crime in this high crime areas. These findings are limited by the small sample size and crosssectional nature of the data in one location. Despite this, they point to some interesting,  relatively inexpensive, measures that can be taken that might result in lower levels of crime within the immediate vicinity of medical marijuana dispensaries.

The ANC Vote – 12 ANCs present

6 ANCs opposed the application (voted to uphold majority of community opposition)

 2 (not 3) Bloomingdale ANCs voted to support the application to operate the dispensary at 1334 N. Capitol St NW

3 ANCs abstained from voting

The motion to oppose the application passed. The interesting vote was from our friends and Bloomingdale neighboring ANCs. Maybe the vote in support indicates that Bloomingdale may be a welcoming neighborhood to the dispensary.

AGENDA:

PART 1.

 1.     Call to Order

2.     Welcome

3.     Establish a Quorum

4.     Introduction of Executive Board

5.     Approval of Last Meeting Minutes—————————Carol Fleming

 GUEST SPEAKER(S):

 1.     Introduction of Councilman Elect Kenyan McDuffie and Remarks——–

                                                                                  Mayor Vincent Gray

   2.      Remarks——————————-Councilman-Elect – Kenyan McDuffie

  3.      Special Election (Financial Secretary)—————-Election Committee

PART III.

1.     Crime Statistics———————————Commander Andrew Solberg

2.     Highlights from the Chief’s .   Advisory Meeting-Frances S. Penn

3.     Committee Report(s)

Financial Audit Report——————————John Washington, Chair

4.      Treasurer’s Report

5.     “Monthly Outstanding Achievement Police Award”

 CONCLUSION:

 Election Read-out

Announcements

Adjournment

 NEXT MONTHLY MEETING – THURSDAY, June  28, 2012

 This meeting is governed by the Roberts Rule of Order