Bates Area Civic Association

The following is a recap of recent activities in Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 5C generally, and in our Single Member District (SMD) ANC5C01:

ANC 5C OCTOBER 2011 MEETINGS
The last two public meetings of ANC5C were held on October 4, 2011, at the Community Academy Public Charter School, and October 18, 2011, at the Bennett Career Institute, 700 Monroe Street, N.E. The October 4th meeting was a special meeting called to address just two issues, the application of Full Yum Carryout for a Class A Liquor License and the request of the Hanover Civic Association to form a “Friends of New York Avenue Playground” entity. The October 18th meeting was a regular meeting of the Commission with a full agenda.

At the October 4th special meeting, the Commission voted unanimously to submit a protest against the issuance of the liquor license to Full Yum, based on the overwhelmingly expressed sentiment of the community is opposition to Full Yum’s application. The request from the Hanover Civic Association for a supporting resolution from the Commission was deferred pending proper action by the civic association to introduce and vote on its own resolution to establish the “Friends of New York Avenue Playground” entity.

The October 18th regular meeting featured a spirited debate between invited presenters on the proposed D.C. internet gaming law. Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., when asked for comment stated that the law has passed Congressional review and that the city should move forward to put it into effect before the internet gambling business goes elsewhere. The Commission took no position on the pending legislation. Ward 5 School Board representative Mark Jones brought greetings and asked to be placed on the agenda at a future meeting of the Commission. Jon Hasse presented the request of B.A.C.A. for a letter of support for B.A.C.A.’s application to become a Park Partner for the soon to be reopened First Street and Florida Avenue Park. My motion to issue such a letter of support passed without opposition. A copy of the letter is attached to this report. Likewise, a Community Workforce Resolution, calling for hiring preferences for qualified Ward 5 residents seeking employment at Engine Company 12, the soon to be opened North Capitol Street restaurant and bar, was introduced by Commissioner Youngblood and was passed without opposition. A number of pending grant issues were also discussed. Details are available in the minutes of the ANC5C October 18th meeting.

OTHER OCTOBER 2011 MEETINGS & ACTIVITIES:
The October meeting of the Dunbar S.I.T. took place on October 5, 2011. Plans are moving forward to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking in November 2011. To commemorate the rich heritage of the school, a corridor of historic plaques will be created. The first phase of construction is expected to run until July of 2013.

I, along with 5 other commissioners of ANC5C met with a representative of the D.C. Auditors Office on October 17, 2011, to discuss the status of grants issued by the ANC. Funds issued in the past to grantees have, in some cases, not been properly accounted for or refunded to the Commission as required by law. The Auditor recommended another moratorium until outstanding issues can be resolved and the books can be balanced.

On October 27, 2011, Jennifer Ragins and I testified before the Historic Preservation Review Board on behalf of the petition to designate John Mercer Langston Elementary School, at 43 P Street, N.W., and John Fox Slater Elementary School, at 45 P Street, N.W., as historic District of Columbia Landmarks. A copy of my statement is attached to this report. The Board was moved by the information it received from its staff and from our presentations and voted, unanimously, in favor of bestowing historic designation on both schools.

ADVISORY CABINET
Our 5C01 Advisory Cabinet met on the next to the last Saturday in September, at the home of Marcia MacNeil and Ricardo Espitia. The focus of that meeting was to review the proposed ANC redistricting plan and to devise a unified response to it. We also met on the last Saturday in October at the home of Thaddeus and Lori Corley. The full range of issues facing our community was discussed with special emphasis on seeking a ban on single alcoholic beverage sales in Ward 5 or, in not the entire ward, the 5C area. Another action item which was discussed was a strategy to address the increasing rat population. It was decided to bring the idea of circulating a rat abatement petition to a meeting of B.A.C.A.

UPCOMING ACTION ITEMS:

As usual, I encourage B.A.C.A. members to attend public meetings of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C which are held on the third Tuesday of each month. Locations rotate around the 5C area. We will host the December 20th meeting here at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. Meanwhile, the November 15th meeting is scheduled to be held at the Alpha House, 2405 First Street, N.W., beginning at 7:00 p.m.

That’s my report.

Bradley A. Thomas
(202) 670-0151
5C01@anc.dc.gov