The invisible work of ANC commissioners: Navigating retail cannabis regs, requesting money for more teachers, and mending a fence

One of the reasons we started Forest Hills Connection was to reveal the largely invisible work of advisory neighborhood commissioners, especially those serving in ANC 3F.

The current two-year ANC term is nearing its end, and we’ve highlighted much of 3F03 Commissioner Mitchell Baer’s oversight of DC Water’s sewer project in the Soapstone Valley. We’ve also written about outgoing 3F02 Commissioner Teri Huet’s work with apartment building managers and residents, and on Forest Hills Park safety and maintenance issues. Most recently, we’ve written about the ANC’s calls for the mayor, DC agencies and the DC Council to act following the deaths of two young children in the neighborhood.

Even so, much of their work flies under the radar. So at our request, ANC 3F Chair and 3F06 Commissioner Courtney Carlson wrote about additional issues that came up during the term, and the neighborhood advocacy performed by our most local of elected officials.

Public schools advocacy

During my first months as ANC commissioner, Murch Elementary needed funding for two additional teachers in a grade where the enrollment had grown unexpectedly. I worked with Councilmember Matt Frumin’s office, Principal Chris Cebrzynski, and members of the Murch Home and School Association (HSA), Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) and other parents to learn the full scope of the issue. I wrote a resolution that was passed by our commission, and then to amplify its impact I shared that resolution with neighboring commissions. The resolution was ultimately passed by ANC 3E, 3F and ANC 3/4G – all of the ANCs within the Murch boundary. And thanks to our advocacy and the support of Councilmember Frumin, the request was funded.

The two sides of cannabis retail

There have been several unlicensed cannabis retailers in the neighborhood, including one that was operating in plain sight in a busy commercial strip in 3F06. I had several meetings with the proprietor, urging him to comply with Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) regulations and DC law. He did not. I alerted ABCA and MPD with phone calls and online reports, and was able to finally get the business cited for its illegal activity.

This literal drug dealing out of the back door in an alley was totally egregious, but it required a great deal of persistence to get ABCA to issue a citation. The citation should prevent this proprietor from being able to obtain a medical marijuana license in the future.

On the flip side of this issue was a medical cannabis dispensary seeking an ABCA license in the neighborhood. In order to draft and negotiate a settlement agreement with the applicant, I researched medical cannabis settlement agreements that have been written throughout the District. These settlement agreements impose restrictions on the hours and security requirements on the operation beyond what ABCA requires. Gaining an understanding of this important ANC authority required a number of meetings with ABCA, commissioners throughout the District who had this issue come before them, and the business owner.

It is important to note that the ANC would not have been able to prevent this business from opening, but we did have the ability to curb the hours and require additional security. The settlement agreement I wrote imposed strict stipulations on the business operation, and the business owner signed the agreement.

Pedestrian and traffic safety

Drivers are more distracted and more agitated than ever, so safe crossings, more sidewalks, and traffic control must remain at the forefront of our city’s priorities. 3F’s Streets & Sidewalks Committee meets regularly at problem areas to survey issues. We then follow up with resolutions and requests to DDOT.

We recently wrote a resolution asking DDOT to reassess a planned sidewalk on the south side of Albemarle Street (which already has a sidewalk on the north side) and instead prioritize blocks where there are more pedestrians, more car traffic and no sidewalks. DDOT received the resolution, met with us, then changed the sidewalk priority plan to include our recommendations. These sidewalks, based on our neighborhood’s priorities, will now be constructed in fiscal 2025.

Park maintenance – including some DIY

Forest Hills Park is a great amenity for our neighborhood, and the ANC has worked with Van Ness Main Street to improve the park beyond the city’s scope with clean-up days, successful fundraising to refill the sandbox, and re-energizing the Friends of the Park group.

I co-authored a resolution asking the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Department of General Services (DGS) for more frequent trash pick-up and essential park maintenance and repairs. When DPR and DGS did not respond to our repeated requests to repair a broken fence between the tennis court and basketball court, rendering the tennis court virtually unusable, I enlisted a neighbor and used my questionable handyperson skills and a piece of chain link to fix it myself. DPR has still not made the actual repair, but the second tennis court is now usable again.