MPCA Minutes May

Michigan Park Citizens Association
2 May 2017
Ross Auditorium, Providence Hospital

The meeting was began at 7:25 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Ms. Beulah Sutherland read the treasurer’s report into the minutes.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.  President David Conrad read the nominated members for positions for the next year. The entire slate of officers was accepted.

PRESIDENT: David Conrad
VICE PRESIDENT: Roxanne Carter
SECRETARY: Paul Wood
TREASURER: Beulah Sutherland
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Ralph Bucksell, Lavinia Wohlfarth, Don Looney, Anne Gribbin
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Kathleen Sutherland
FEDERATION DELEGATE: Elizabeth McGowen

ANC 5A03.  Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) Latisha Coffield-Lynch introduced herself and offered to add neighbors’ emails addresses to her distribution list.  A sheet was pass among members for their email addresses.

STREET LIGHTS. The high intensity Kelvin lights currently being installed by the city throughout the District has been discussed at previous meetings. A motion by Elizabeth McGowen was made and accepted.

Whereas the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun replacing conventional streetlights with energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights.

Whereas DDOT plans to issue a Request for Proposal to replace all of the District’s 71,000 streetlights with LED lights.

Whereas the LED streetlights being installed by DDOT emit a large amount of blue-wavelength light and thus appear a harsh, blue-white color (4000 Kelvin).

Whereas the American Medical Association (AMA) has warned that blue-rich LED lights produce more glare than conventional lighting, creating a road hazard.

Whereas the AMA has warned that blue-rich LED lights are potentially harmful to human health because of their impact on circadian sleep cycles.

Whereas the AMA recommends that outdoor lighting use “the lowest emission of blue light possible.”  This can be achieved with warm-white LED lights that are 3000 Kelvin or less.

Be It Resolved That:

The Michigan Park Citizens Association (MPCA) supports adoption of energy-efficient LED street-lighting in the District of Columbia while using the best available technology that is least likely to harm the health of District residents.

Therefore, Be It Further Resolved That:

  1. The MPCA recommends that the D.C. Department of Transportation adopt warm-white 2700 Kelvin LED lights for all streetlight installations in the District and
  2. The MPCA recommends that DDOT replace all existing LED streetlights in the District with warm-white 2700 Kelvin LED lights.

MUNDO-VERDE SCHOOL. John Briar, Chief Operating Officer, of Mundo-Verde Bi-lingual Public Charter School addressed members.  The school operates at a property on 30 P Street NW with city-wide enrollment and an open lottery. Now in its sixth year, school management is looking to expand to the now vacant building at 4401 8th Street NE, with a current capacity for 560 students.  Building space for schools are at a premium in the District. The traffic flow at 8th and Varnum is an issue, but Mundo-Verda management has had much experience in mitigating traffic. The current location is serviced by shuttle bus. Fifty percent of the students arrive by car. A motion by Steve Lowe, amended by Katherine Sutherland follows:

MPCA stands opposed to the current petition by Mundo Verde Public Charter School to operate on 4401 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 (corner of 8th and Varnum Streets) unless the following two provisions are met:

  1. Agree to create and implement a traffic management plan to reduce traffic and manage the traffic volume and flow of private cars and buses delivering and picking-up children to the school.  Also, the school should publish its commitment to implement the plan and support it with signage, communication with parents, and the assignment of staff to be outside to enforce the traffic plan every day, morning and afternoon.
  2. Remove their plan to enlarge the building and limit the building capacity to 458 students.

The meeting closed at 9:10 pm.

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