| | | Southeast Capitol Hill commission (ANC 6B) opposes National Marathon plans | | January 18, 2010 |  | | | Voice Correspondent | | At its Jan. 12 meeting, the commission:
• unanimously opposed plans for the city-spanning 5th Annual SunTrust National Marathon, scheduled for March 20. The commission decided to schedule a meeting with bordering advisory neighborhood commissions and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Office of Special Operations to voice its concerns.
Commissioners spoke about local residents’ frustrations with the marathon last year, when police apparently halted traffic on major thoroughfares from the race’s start at 7 a.m. through mid-afternoon. According to commissioner Francis Campbell, officers also were not authorized to allow traffic to cross the race path when no runners were in sight.
Diane Thomas, director of community relations for the marathon organizer, the Greater Washington Sports Alliance, acknowledged the community’s concerns and suggested that “many issues can be managed by letting residents know” about the race ahead of time. In previous years, the alliance has posted notices at houses along the race route, she said.
Thomas said the race will begin at RFK Stadium, and most runners would be out of the neighborhood by 7:30 a.m. The half-marathon runners will begin to cross the finish line at the stadium by 8:15 a.m., and the other runners will start finishing by 10:30 a.m., she said.
Commissioner Ken Jarboe said organizers should have started the discussion much earlier. He added that they have not done enough research on the race’s impact on the community, including the Capitol Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church, which normally uses part of the race route for parking on Saturdays. Jarboe warned that he will push to eliminate the race next year if organizers are not more accommodating this year.
• voted unanimously to re-elect David Garrison as chair, Kenan Jarboe as vice chair, Kirsten Oldenburg as secretary, Carol Green as treasurer, and Neil Glick as parliamentarian.
• heard commissioner Neil Glick announce that the Southeast Neighborhood Library will host a discussion featuring people who associated closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
• heard Amanda Molson, a Capitol Hill reviewer from the D.C. Office of Historic Preservation, discuss the recent streamlining of the review process for modifying historic structures. Homeowners of historic buildings who wish to modify windows, retaining walls, and other building features will now be able to contact preservation staff directly to receive permits more quickly.
Molson also announced that last fall D.C. was accepted into the White House’s “Preserve America” initiative, which recognizes cities that take particular pride in their heritage. The city can now apply for matching federal funds, including “historic homeowners grants,” to help finance reconstruction of poorly maintained houses in historic neighborhoods.
• unanimously supported the conversion and renovation of 1215 D St. SE, which has been a warehouse since its 1921 construction, into two residential units, each with a two-car garage. Commissioner Francis Campbell, who chairs the commission’s planning and zoning committee, explained the difficulties of restoring the building for commercial use due to its “very poor” structural condition, and said the property owners’ want to convert the building into a 3,700-square-foot owner’s unit and 1,200-square-foot rental unit.
• heard commissioner Ken Jarboe explain that the D.C. Department of Real Estate Services is considering changing the leases for merchants in Eastern Market but the exact nature of the change is still unclear. The department might also return rents to the rates for outdoor vendors to pre-fire rates. It might also change the jury process for selecting those vendors.
Jarboe also noted that activities in the North Hall of Eastern Market have become popular. He said the hall hosted 15 events in December, raising $15,000.
• heard Bruce Jackson, the community liaison for the Marine Barracks Washington, say the Barracks plan to hold a meeting to present its
“Community Integrated Master Plan.” This initiative would help create services like fire stations, businesses, gyms and mixed-use buildings that would be available to the community, the Barracks on 8th Street and the Navy Yard.
The forum is scheduled to be in the North Hall of Eastern Market from 5 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 27. Four workshops will also be scheduled over the next four months to develop land-use plans, mostly for south of the I-395 overpass.
• unanimously approved a $500 bonus for Bert Randolph, the commission’s executive director. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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