CAPITOL HILL CORNER

Residents Turn Out for Monthly Crime Meeting But Learn No New Information on Shootings – PSA Meeting Becomes Venue for MPD Public Relations

by Larry Janezich

Thursday night, about 20 Capitol Hill residents showed up at the monthly PSA 107 meeting in Southeast Library, hoping to learn from Lt. Eddie Fowler of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) more regarding the 2:00 am shooting of Jason Emma on Christmas Eve and the afternoon shooting two days later at 14th and K.  Instead, Fowler focused on the more common crimes of robbery, theft, and car break-ins and cautioned residents to avoid using electronic devices in public.

Fowler deflected all questions regarding the shootings, saying that the shootings and any possible link between them and other recent shootings were still under investigation and that he expected there to be “closure” at the end of those investigations. 

It was unclear what he meant by closure, since he also used the term to refer to assurances from department officials that they expected closure on cases of robbery in the next four to five days.

In response to one resident who lived close to where Jason Emma was shot multiple times who asked what he should tell his wife and neighbors to help protect them from becoming victims, Fowler distributed a MPD brochure on tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of robbery and assault and issued an appeal to join the police in becoming the eyes and ears of the community to help them detect suspicious activity and to call 911 when they did.  For some who have attended many such community meetings with police, it was a familiar refrain. 

Fowler also cited the deployment of additional police resources in the community since the shooting and the commitment of additional resources in connection with the holiday season including the new Crime Suppression Team comprising 15-17 plainclothes offices aimed at robberies in PSA 106 and 107, as well as a new bike unit.

ANC6 B Commissioner Brian Pate asked in what case more officers would be permanently assigned to PSA 107.  Fowler responded that the PSA is currently the most heavily staffed among the PSAs.  PSA 107 roughly includes the area bounded by 2nd Street on the west, 13th Street on the east, G Street on the south, and Lincoln Park and North Carolina Avenue on the north.  Smaller than either PSA 106 to the south and 108 to the east, it is home to many members of congress, their staff, and other government officials. 

Mayor Gray recently was denied authority to hire an additional 48 police officers for the District by vote of the City Council.  Given the staffing of PSA 107, it’s not clear that additional officers are the solution to the problem. 

Here is a link to the relevant PSAs:  http://mpdc.dc.gov/node/158292

Pate and Fowler both remarked on the heavy attendance at last night’s PSA meeting which was held for the first time in the new location at Southeast Library.  Neither Fowler nor the ANC6B commissioners in attendance – Oldenburg, Pate, and Garrison – mentioned the scheduled appearance of Council Chair Mendelsohn at ANC6A next Thursday to discuss the shootings, or the community crime meeting – which, according to David Holmes, chair of ANC6A – is being arranged by Councilmember Wells and will likely involve Chief Lanier and Commander Hickson. 

Capitol Hill residents have many unanswered questions regarding the recent shootings, not only concerning the nature of the crimes themselves, but – at least in one case – the nature of police response.  In the view of some, the repetition of common sense advice regarding appropriate measures to take while in public – though not without merit – is a poor substitute for the more serious discussion that these serious crimes merit, including an assessment of the actions of those who have the professional responsibility for control, pursuit, and apprehension of criminals in the community. 

In other crime news, Metro transit released video-generated photographs of four young men who boarded a bus in Adams Morgan in the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve and attacked two women on the bus near 8th and G Streets, SE.  No word has come from either Metro Police or the MPD as to whether any of these four men match the descriptions or video of the four young men involved in the 12/26 shooting.  Please see the photographs at:   http://wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=5397

Medstar plans urgent care center in the building above at 228 7th Street, SE

ANC Committee Gives Green Light to Eastern Market Urgent Care Center
Medstar Facility Likely to Open this Fall

by Larry Janezich

Last night, Bob Gilbert, President of Medstar Ambulatory Services, appeared before Chair Francis Campbell’s ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee to present the case supporting a certificate of need for an urgent care and primary care facility across the street from Eastern Market. The remarks were warmly received by the committee which subsequently voted to enthusiastically endorse the proposal. The committee recommendation will go to the full ANC next Tuesday, where it will undoubtedly be endorsed by that body. Depending on variables involving the approval by the DC Department of Health and the city’s permit process, the facility could be in operation by the fall of 2013. Medstar officials expressed the hope it could open by the end of September.

Medstar plans two facilities with separate entrances on the first floor of the Home Care and Hospice Association Building at 228 7th Street, SE; a primary care facility, open 8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, and an urgent care center, open 8:00am to 8:00pm, Monday to Friday and 8:00am to 4:00pm weekends and holidays.

The 5,500 square feet on the building’s first floor will be restructured into 12 examination rooms, a waiting room, a staff support space, an x-ray room and 3-4 bathrooms. The two facilities will share some of the same work space.

Medstar officials said the offices will be designed as a neighborhood center, and said that “most insurance plans” will be accepted. Gilbert noted that the average visit to a Medstar center runs $200 while an emergency room visit costs $1500. The office will be related to but entirely separate from the Medstar Primary Care Physicians located at 660 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

Residents whose properties are in close proximity to the building were on hand to express concern about deliveries and trash pickup and how these issues might affect them. They seemed reassured by the level of accommodation voiced by Medstar officials, but since – in the words of one neighbor “we had our fingers blistered” by the Hine development – they were taking nothing for granted.

Medstar is a $4 billion not-for-profit regional healthcare system with ten hospitals and a comprehensive network of outpatient centers serving Maryland and Washington, DC. They see a current need for access to primary care and estimate that a shortage of up to 40 primary care physicians currently exists in the downtown DC area. Medstar provides more than 30% of the inpatient healthcare in the DC market and is the largest provider of care in DC.

The Week Ahead …. Urgent Care Facility Coming to Eastern Market Block
June Tour de Fat Bike Parade to Skirt Capitol Hill

by Larry Janezich

January 2
Wednesday
ANC6B Planning and Zoning Committee meets at 7:00pm at St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Avenue, SE.

Bob Gilbert and Ulana Bilynsky will present the case in support of a certificate of need to establish Medstar Health, a primary care physician’s practice and urgent care practice on the ground floor of the Home Care And Hospice Association building at 228 7th Street, SE.

Also on the agenda:

Gina Arlotto will make the case for the Tour de Fat Parade on June 1, 2013. The Tour de Fat Parade is a costumed bicycle parade sponsored by New Belgium Brewing which made its Washington debut in 2012.. The event raises money for local nonprofits (generally in the world of bike advocacy – including trail maintenance, safety education, lobbying for better bicycle communities and other impact initiatives) through beer and merchandise purchases. Last year, a series of events raised more than $500,000. The parade is scheduled to begin at 10:00am from Yards Park and proceed to RFK Stadium via M Street, SE, and the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and return to Yards Park by the same route.

David Blackstock and Diane Odell will present a request for a zoning variance to allow to allow construction of new three unit residential building on the empty lot at 1311 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

January 3
Thursday
ANC 6B ABC Committee Meets at 7:00pm in Hill Center. The agenda is uncertain.

Important Update: Metropolitan Police Release Eastern Market Metro Video of Suspects in Shooting

by Larry Janezich

This afternoon, DC Metropolitan Police released the video of persons of interest in assault with intent to kill, in the 14th and K Street shooting which occurred on Wednesday.

Capitol Hill Corner reader “Pedro” posted the following link in a comment posted to the previous story.

DC Crime solvers currently offers a reward of up to $1000.00 to anyone that provides information which leads to arrest and conviction.

Separately, Capitol Hill Corner has learned from the MPD that the victim of the Decemer 26 shooting is in stable condition. The name is not being released because police do not identify surviving victioms of crimes.

Update on 14^th and K Shooting – CHC Suggests Capitol Hill Community Meeting on Crime

by Larry Janezich

Thursday night, Metropolitan police were searching for a weapon or weapons in the area where the getaway car involved in Wednesday’s shooting was abandoned after hitting a fence in an alley behind South Carolina Avenue, SE.  It did not appear that the search – including a nearby storm sewer – produced any results. 

The suspects apparently fled the scene into a driveway on 10^th Street, SE, made their way through backyards to emerge on 9^th Street, SE, and then to Eastern Market Metro.  Police have reported that video cameras recorded the suspects entering the metro there.  Multiple crimes were involved in the December 16th incident, including assault with intent to kill, a stolen vehicle, and hit and run. 

Two recent shootings have alarmed residents – the Christmas Eve murder of Jason Emma and the December 26 shooting of an un-named victim at 14th and K Streets, SE.  The large number of shots fired in each case seems to be the only connection between them at this point.  The last report on the 14^th Street shooting was that the victim remains in critical condition following surgery for multiple gunshot wounds. 

Friday morning, Capitol Hill Corner sent an email to Councilmember Wells suggesting that it is time for a Capitol Hill community crime meeting. 

A nearby resident of the Capitol Power Plant tells of her asthma problems since moving to the neighborhood.

Residents Outraged Over On-going Use of Coal, Planned Increase in Emissions at Capitol Power Plant

Tommy Wells Says, “This In Not Acceptable”

by Cathy Plume  

Monday evening, Capitol Hill residents used a DC Department of the Environment (DDOE) public hearing to voice outrage over the continued use of coal and a proposal by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to increase emissions at the Capitol Power Plant (CPP).   The purpose of the hearing was to discuss Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers’ request to construct and operate an additional combined heat and power system at the Capitol Power Plant that will be primarily fueled by natural gas, with fuel oil as a backup, but will not burn coal.  Approximately 50 people attended the meeting including Hill Residents and representatives from the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club and Greenpeace.

Speakers  noted that burning coal produces sulfur dioxide, soot, and carbon monoxide as well as mercury, lead, arsenic, dioxins, formaldehyde and radioactive elements (including radium and uranium.  The emission of these pollutants is eliminated or reduced when natural gas is burned.  Several nearby CPP residents noted the adverse effects to use of coal has on their asthma as well as the ash residue and “rain” (soot) that falls on sunny days when coal is being burned at the plant.  The short stacks with which the CPP is outfitted exacerbates the amount of pollution that drifts across the DC area.  Attendees also pointed out that coal burning and its impact on climate change are undeniable and that Washington, DC AND the AOC should be looking to sustainable energy options.

On Tuesday, Councilmember Tommy Wells weighed in with DDOE, voicing his opposition to any increased emissions and continued use of coal at the plant, noting that the “proposed installations ‘will likely result in increased emissions for the facility.’  This is not acceptable.”  The full text of Wells’ letter is here:  http://www.tommywells.org/2012/12/wells-letter-to-1.php

For decades the CPP has burned coal for steam and hot water during the winter.  Some 10 years ago, the plant was reengineered to burn natural gas and diesel both of which burn much “cleaner” than coal.  In March 2009, an estimated 2,500 protesters blocked the five main gates to the CPP to protest the burning of coal in the facility.  In response to the protest and later in the same week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid released a letter asking the Capitol Architect to switch the Capitol Power Plant from coal to 100 percent natural gas by the end of 2009. 

Since 2009, the amount of coal burned in the plant has dropped but still continues.  Many attendees were unaware and outraged that coal is still being burned at the plant.  A Sierra Club representative showed photos tracking the reduced size of a pile of coal at the CPP over time. The AOC, at best, has slow-walked the request from Congressional leadership, though coal burning in recent years has been reduced.  According to the DC Environmental Network, the plant burned 11,406 tons of coal in 2009 compared with 1,902 tons of coal in 2010.  However, the Defense Logistics Agency has recently solicited bids for 20,000 tons of coal for delivery to the Plant in 2013 for the 2013-2014 winter season.

Several speakers noted that DDOE, despite the call for a public hearing on the issue, seems to already be siding with the AOC.  The DDOE website notes, “Two of the large boilers at CPP can and have historically burned coal.  Their coal use, however, is quite small compared to most coal burning facilities.”  DDOE goes on to state, “The permits actually propose to significantly lower the emission limits at the power plant and therefore limit the amount of coal that CPP can use”.

A few notes of clarification:

·         The CPP does not have to burn coal at all as it has been reengineered to burn natural gas.

·         The use of coal in this plant is small as the CPP itself is small since it only services the Capitol and a few other government buildings (vs. several cities as is the norm for most coal-fired power plants).

·         The permits would establish facility-wide emission limits, which would limit, but not ban, coal usage at the facility.  However, the AOE is using a 2007-2009 baseline for emissions – years that were characterized by high levels of coal burning versus emissions from more recent years when coal burning at the CPP have been reduced.

DDOE representatives seemed unprepared for the large number of attendees at the meeting.  Officials were unable to answer seemingly basic questions regarding the decision-making process for the permits or the timing of the decision.  DDOE was also widely criticized for their lack of public outreach regarding the hearing and residents lauded the Sierra Club for their efforts to inform residents about the meeting.

The Washington Times published a story on the meeting that can be found at:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/dec/17/use-of-coal-in-capitol-plant-draws-protesters/print/#.UM_myK5qB68.email

To continue following this issue, contact the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club. http://dc.sierraclub.org/

The Week Ahead….

by Larry Janezich

December 17, Monday

Capitol Power Plant Air Quality Permits

Nearby residents are worried that the Capitol Architect’s request for permits will allow continued operation of the plant as a coal powered rather than a natural gas facility.  Details will be forthcoming at a public hearing held on the request for the air quality permits at 5:30pm at the District Department of the Environment offices at 1200 First Street NE.  Interested parties wishing to testify at this hearing must submit in writing their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and affiliation, if any, to Mr. Stephen Ours at DDOE by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 17, 2012.  Stephen.Ours@dc.gov   No written comments postmarked after December 17, 2012 will be accepted. 

December 18, Tuesday

CHRS Board of Directors meets at 6:30pm at Capitol Hill Townhomes, 750 6th Street, SE, 2nd floor.

December 19, Wednesday

ANC Scheduling

ANC 6B Executive Committee meets at 6:30pm, Hill Center.  The Executive Committee will set the agenda for the first meeting of the newly elected ANC6B on Tuesday, January 8

 December 19, Wednesday

Vacant and Blighted Houses

ANC 6B Outreach and Constituent Services Task Force will meet from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at Hill Center.  At the meeting, the task force will review ANC 6B’s inventory of vacant and blighted properties and 2013 technology initiatives. 

Thursday, December 20

Zoning Regulation Re-write

ANC 6B’s newly created Zoning Regulations Review Task Force will hold its initial meeting on 7:30pm – 9:30pm at the Hill Center.  The objective of the task force is to review the Office of Planning’s proposed rewrite of the city’s zoning regulations (see http://www.ZoningDC.org) and make recommendations to ANC 6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee.  ANC 6B residents interested in assisting the task force in its efforts are encouraged to attend.  Residents with questions about the task force should contact either their 6B Commissioner or the task force chair, Commissioner Dave Garrison (david6b01@anc6b.org). 

Thursday, December 20

The Difficulty of Adding a Third Floor in the Historic District

Historic Preservation Review Board meets at 9:00am at 441 4th Street NW, Room 220 South.  One of the cases it will hear illustrates the  problem of trying to add additional space to a home in the historic district.  Residents at 426 11th Street, SE, are seeking approval from the HPRB for a third story roof addition to accommodate a growing family.  The applicant sought the approval of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society – who weighs in on these matters invoking the same right any citizen or any civic organization has to submit an opinion to HPRB – for the project, but failed to meet the criteria of the Society’s Historic Preservation Committee, who submitted a letter to HPRB opposing the addition because a fraction of it will be visible from public space.  HPRB’s Zoning Committee, on the other hand, found – regarding the applicant’s application for zoning relief to allow a third story addition and roof deck – found that the addition “does not substantially visually intrude upon the character, scale and pattern of houses along the street frontage.”  ANC6B, who also opines on historic preservation and zoning matters – under the dictum that its opinion be given “great weight” by government agencies – was unable to render a recommendation, deadlocking twice on a 5-5 vote on the question of approval, and voted to take “no position” before HPRB.   Aside from demonstrating one of the disadvantages of living in the Capitol Hill Historic District, the case points up the fact that there is no uniformity of standards on these questions, a complaint raised by the applicant before ANC6B’s Planning and Zoning Committee.  Indeed, the criteria appear to be in part subjective, given the language in the CHRS’s Historic Preservation Committee’s protest to HPRB: “visibility is by necessity something to be judged on a case-by-case case basis due to such variables as a structure’s location, configuration, and relationship to its neighbors and placement in a block.”  According to Brian Flahaven, ANC6B Commissioner, the HPRB staff as well as the CHRS will oppose the current concept of the proposed addition.   If the opposition prevails, the applicant will be far from the first resident to have spent thousands of dollars in planning for an addition and then be denied approval by HPRB.