Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember, Ward 5 John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 410 Washington, DC 20004 (202) 724-8028 kmcduffie@dccouncil.us

Constituent Services Update 2 Flooding in Bloomingdale 3 Spingarn Car Barn 4 WTU Scholarship Ceremony Cont. 5 Legislative News 6 National Guard Youth Graduation 7 Meet the Interns 8 Community Engagement Hours 9 Costco Job Fair 10

Councilmember McDuffie co-hosting the 2012 WTU Fund Scholarship Ceremony (see below).

Recess Edition

Volume 1, Issue 1I

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD
Dear Ward 5 Resident, Our office has been busy the past two months! We were hit with two severe storms, witnessed repeated heavy flooding in Bloomingdale after a number of rainstorms, and a fire broke out at Webb Elementary School. Our office remains fully engaged with residents who continue to experience difficulties as a result of these incidents. We have attended numerous civic associations meetings to discuss the citys response efforts, and we continue to collaborate with District agencies to create a better action plan. The goal is to ensure that residents and agencies are better equipped in the event that we are hit again with similar weather. At the Wilson Building, our legislative team has been hard at work. Leading up to the Councils recess, we hosted an organizational meeting for the Committee on Jobs and Workforce Development, adopting the Rules of Organization and Procedure that govern the committee. I also participated in a number of legislative meetings where we introduced and supported bills (see page 4) that will have a positive impact on the quality of life for the residents of the District of Columbia. Lastly, we appreciate all of the feedback our office has received. At times, we understand that life can be difficult, but as Ward 5 residents, we can all embrace the motto, We keep moving forward. Sincerely, Kenyan

COUNCILMEMBER MCDUFF IE AND STAFF RESPOND TO BLOOMINGDALE FLOODING

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5) called for an "all hands on deck effort in response to the recent series of flooding in Bloomingdale after yet another rainstorm on Friday, July 20. "We felt the frustration of every resident in Bloomingdale and neighboring communities," stated McDuffie. "We then coordinated a more robust plan with DC Water and the Department of Public Works (DPW) to address a number of ill-effects from the storms." The Councilmember and his staff joined representatives from DC Water and DPW to coordinate and get the word out about available resources for residents in need of assistance with preventing and reducing flood damage to their homes. In addition, many members of Councilmember McDuffie's staff personally distributed sand bags to senior citizens and residents who had difficulty Article continues on Page 3
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From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
CONSTITUENT SERVICES UPDATE
DERECHO More than 3.8 million customers were without power in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In the DC area alone, PEPCO indicated that more than 443,000 customers were without power from the June 29 storm. leaders and members of civic associations. The Councilmember and his staff are drafting a plan that will lay the foundation for storm responses in the future. The plan will include resources and tips already available for residents. The purpose of the written plan is to create a better way to disseminate information and ensure that residents without Internet access, particularly senior citizens, are equally prepared. residents in Trinidad, particularly those who live on Holbrook Street, which is directly across from the damaged building. The Councilmember and his staff are continuing to work closely with the Department of General Services (DGS), the agency responsible for Webbs building, along with the Office of the Fire Marshall and District Department of Environment to ensure the residents who live in the area are fully aware of the status of the building. To keep residents informed about the status of Webb, Councilmember McDuffie joined DGS Director Brian Hanlon on Tuesday, July 24 at the Trinidad Neighborhood Association meeting to answer any questions and provide an update on the future of the building.

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie and his staff worked tirelessly through the weekend and 4th of July holiday along with crews from PEPCO, the District Department of Transportations (DDOT) FIRE AT WEBB ELEMENTARY Urban Forestry Administration (UFA), SCHOOL Department of Public Works (DPW), DC Water, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Ward 5 team focused on keeping residents in the loop with updates that the office received from partnering agencies, as well as assisting with reporting more than 1,300 tree-related service requests generated from the storm. Derecho as well as the preceding storm were eye-openers for our office, indicated McDuffie. Ward 5 needs to be better prepared on the ground for future storms and I cannot think of a better way than partnering with not only other agencies, but with our community

The Councilmember was saddened to learn of the fire at Webb Elementary School on Monday, July 9. Although the school has been closed since 2008, indicated McDuffie, I am still concerned about the safety and health of our

WELLNESS CENTER EXTENDED HOURS

D.C. seniors can enjoy extended hours this summer and year round at several of the District's senior wellness centers across the city. Extended hours allow more individuals the opportunity to use the state of the art facilities and participate in the various programming offered. Skip the gym membership and become a member of a senior wellness center today! Year Round Model Cities Senior Wellness Center (Ward 5) 1901 Evarts Street, NE M & W, 5:30 -6:30 pm for fitness class Happy Hour every fourth Friday 5:30-8:30 pm
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From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5

Jeannette Mobley, Constituent Service Director, coordinating with DC Water on relief efforts in Bloomingdale

BLOOMINGDALE FLOODING RESPONSE EFFORTS CONT.

finding transportation to RFK Stadium, the original pick-up location for the sand bags. "Initially, the sand bags were available at the stadium," noted Jeannette Mobley, Constituent Service Director. "Councilmember McDuffie advocated for a more convenient way for residents to gain access to the sand bags and, as a result, DPW delivered sand bags to four additional sites in Ward 5."

Vincent C. Gray and DC Water explore the implementation of green solutions and other civil engineering options to prevent the flooding from happening in the future. Further, he is asking DC Water to expedite its plan to offer rebates for the installation of backflow preventers. You can view DC Waters presentation from the meeting here.

Councilmember McDuffie continues to work with the A meeting took place on Saturday, August 4 at St. George's Mayors office, DC Water and various stakeholders to find Episcopal Church, 160 U Street NW, to discuss the an interim solution and mitigate the flooding in concerns of Bloomingdale residents regarding the recurring Bloomingdale. flooding in the neighborhood. Councilmember McDuffie asked for more details and steps from DC Water's "Bloomingdale Action Agenda," which is a plan produced by DC Water to address the effects of runoff and flooding. Councilmember McDuffie also requested that Mayor

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5 C O UN CI L M EM B ER M CD UF F I E H OS T S AN EM E RG EN CY M E ET I N G ON P ROP OS ED CAR B ARN L O CAT I ON F OR S T RE ET CA R

Councilmember McDuffie hosts an emergency meeting on DDOTs proposed location for a streetcar car barn on Spingarn Campus

On Monday, June 25, Councilmember McDuffie hosted an emergency meeting on District Department of Transportations (DDOT) plan to build DC Streetcars manufacturing/repair facility, also known as a car barn, on the campus of Spingarn Senior High School. More than 50 residents attended the meeting, where DDOTs Director, Terry Bellamy, and the Chief Engineer Officer explained why the Executive Office of the Mayor selected Spingarn to house the car barn over the other proposed sites. Residents expressed deep concerns about placing the car barn on the grounds of a school, particularly with the safety issues and noise associated with the day-to-day activities of the facility. Due to the numerous complaints received by the Councilmembers office, Councilmember McDuffie wrote a letter to Mayor Gray requesting an alternative site for

the car barn. As noted in the letter, the Councilmember supports the streetcar system, however, he asks the Mayor to reconsider the decision to place the car barn at Spingarn Senior High School and to propose another location. Councilmember McDuffie recently sent a follow-up letter to the Mayor, citing opposition to the proposed site from the Committee of 100 for the Federal City, two advisory neighborhood commissions, a neighborhood association, and Friends of Kingman Park. You can read both letters in their entirety by clicking the link here.

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
COUNCILMEMBER MCDUFFIE CO-HOSTS WASHINGTON TEACHERS UNION FUND SCHOLARSHIP CER EMONY
Councilmember McDuffie and the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) hosted WTUs annual Scholarship Fund Ceremony, which awarded $80,000 in scholarships to four DCPS high school graduates who will pursue teaching careers in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) after college. Chief of Schools John Davis, WTU Scholarship Fund Founder and former WTU President Bill Simons as scholarship recipients Bruce Mann and Angela Johnson shared their future plans to return to D.C. public schools to teach. freshman at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, FL, will pursue a career in secondary education. By placing myself in the classroom, I believe I can encourage students to succeed and develop them into leaders. I have a goal to create solutions for the Districts public school system when I become a teacher, said Mann. We appreciate the financial assistance the Washington Teachers Union provides to our students, said Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, an alumnus of DC Public Schools. I wish the recipients of this years scholarships the best of luck as they pursue their degrees and look forward to working with our aspiring teachers to help create an even brighter future for our students in D.C. Public Schools.

I want to be a teacher because without DCPS I wouldnt be who I am today. I Our students are committed and want to be a part of a school system that passionate about education and we are not only cares about the students proud that the scholarship fund is education, but also the students wellavailable to assist graduating DCPS being, said Johnson, who will be students, said WTU President Nathan A. attending West Virginia University in the Saunders. Since its inception, the fund fall. has awarded more than 75 scholarships worth an estimated $1.5 million dollars to Johnson, an aspiring kindergarten teacher deserving DCPS students. Past and graduate of Roosevelt Senior High scholarship recipients have gone on to School, also explained how her pursue teaching degrees at various grandmother made an impact on her universities including Yale University, education by enrolling her in a Head Start Virginia Commonwealth, and the program at two years old. University of the District of Columbia. Mann, a recent graduate of McKinley Councilmember McDuffie joined DCPS Technology High School and an incoming

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Councilmember McDuffie participated place on June 29. in several legislative meetings leading up to the summer recess. Other legislative accomplishments within the Councilmembers first Among the accomplishments from the several weeks in office include meetings, Councilmember McDuffie introducing the Career and Technical introduced the Heat Wave Safety Education Plan Establishment Emergency Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 with Act of 2012 with Councilmember Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward Brown and Chairman Mendelson. This 3). The law prohibits PEPCO from Act sets the District of Columbia on a disconnecting residential electric path toward a comprehensive service when the forecast for the heat District-wide strategy for providing index in the District of Columbia will be career and technical education to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above at any District residents. This legislation time during a day. The law applies to establishes a task force to review best the day before and the day of the practices and develop a strategic plan forecast of extreme temperature and for career and technical education also has special provisions for programs that we may be able to weekends and holidays. implement as early as 2013. Councilmember McDuffie deemed this legislation critical to the health, safety The Councilmember also worked and welfare of vulnerable District closely with Councilmember Cheh to residents and said, At a time when strike a compromise on the taxicab PEPCO routinely fails to provide even modernization legislation. The Taxicab the most basic service to residents, it is Commission Service Improvement unthinkable that PEPCO would Amendment Act of 2012 modernizes the proactively disconnect a residents Districts taxicab fleet while preserving power during these oppressive heat the ability of Uber to operate legally waves. I introduced the Heat Wave until the Council has an opportunity to Emergency legislation to protect our evaluate whether and how Uber should residents first and foremost. In light of be regulated. As the taxicab legislation the prolonged difficulty residents have is phased in, residents can expect to see experienced with unreliable power taxicabs with Smart Meter systems that service, the Councilmember also joined accept credit and debit cards, GPS Councilmember Bowser (D-Ward 4) technology, dome lights atop cabs and Councilmember Alexander (Dindicating whether they are available, Ward 7) on Friday, July 13, for a special panic buttons to signal an emergency to public oversight roundtable on the Taxicab Commission, electronic PEPCOs reliability and restoration passenger complaint filing, and efforts following the storm that took eventually new vehicles that are uniformly painted. Additionally, all taxicab companies with 20 or more vehicles must have a 20% wheelchair accessible fleet that is linked to a dispatch system by 2018. Perhaps most importantly for residents of Ward 5, the new legislation will make it easier to get a taxi in Ward 5. The residents of Ward 5 and the hundreds of thousands of tourists that our city attracts every year have been clamoring for a modern taxicab fleet, stated McDuffie. I am glad that we have joined other major cities around the country to adopt a system that will create a safer, more reliable, and more comfortable environment for not only our passengers, but our drivers as well. As a member of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation and Planning, the Councilmember was proud to support the District of Columbia Public Library Hours Expansion Act of 2012. This legislation, if funded by the Executive, will extend public library hours from 9:00am to 9:00pm hours Monday through Thursday, 9:30am to 5:30pm on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5:00pm on Sunday.

Visitor Parking Passes

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has begun mailing your new visitor parking permits this week to your homes. Your current permits, which are red and white, expire at the end of this month on July 31. The new passes, which are purple and white, will be valid from August 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. Your guests can use these permits during the restricted RPP hours posted on your block, and we stress that these permits are not valid for use during the overnight hours. DDOT says that these visitor permits were originally targeted towards persons such as healthcare providers, nannies and contractors. Should you need a permit for an overnight guest, please visit the District Police Station For more information, visit http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/Services/Parking+Services/Visitor+Parking+Passes/ Visitor+Parking+Passes or call DDOT at 202-673-6813.
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From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
COUNCILMEMBER MCDUFFIE ATTENDS NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH GRADUATION

On June 16, Councilmember McDuffie attended the National Guards Youth ChalleNGe Graduation Ceremony. The program is a preventive rather than remedial at-risk youth program, which enrolls unemployed participants who have not completed high school and do not possess a criminal or drug record. A number of the graduates are Ward 5 residents who are receiving a second chance in life. The stories you hear from the graduating cadets truly touch your heart, indicated McDuffie. At one point, many of these young men and women had given up on looking for a career or continuing their education. The program inspired these young men and women to want a better life for not only themselves, but their families as well. Councilmember McDuffie was joined by several decorated men and women in the military. Among the top officials was Major General Errol R. Schwartz, Commanding General of the Militia of the District of Columbia National Guard, who gave remarks to the graduating class.

Councilmember McDuffie with two graduating members of the Youth ChalleNGe Program

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5

C O UN CI L PAS S ES RES OL UT I O N H ON O RI N G OU R I N T E RN S
On Tuesday, July 10, the Council passed a resolution honoring our interns who work so hard to keep our office on top of every item that comes through the door. We wanted to take a moment and introduce you to our wonderful Ward 5 Interns, Natasha Amadi, Malik Williams, and Elisha Williams.

Natasha Amadi

Malik Williams

Elisha Williams

Natasha Amadi is a 16 year-old graduate and recent valedictorian of Washington Mathematics Science Technology PCHS in Ward 5. In high school, she was an active member of the Student Government Association and the Yearbook Committee. She also volunteered with several nonprofits and worked as an advice columnist for DC Public Librarys Youth 202. She has been an intern with the DC Council since October 2011 and joined Team McDuffie in June 2012. This fall, Natasha will attend Syracuse University, where she plans to major in Information Management and Journalism.

Malik King Williams graduated from Roosevelt Senior High School. He took culinary courses during his senior year and was an active member of the Boy Scouts, where he attained the level of Eagle Scout. He enjoys hiking, camping, and cooking. Malik is also member of Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC, where he serves as an usher. He now attends Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and majors in political science, with a double minor in business administration and black studies. Malik joined Team McDuffie in July 2012. Malik lives in the Brookland neighborhood of Ward 5.

Elisha Williams is a junior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, where she is currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program. has volunteered for several organizations, including Young Lives Mentoring Program for Teens, Sisters in Progress Mentoring Program, The Young Womens Project, Calvary Christian Academy, Imagine Hope Community Public Charter School-Tolson Campus, Porchs Catering, and J.B. Johnson Nursing Center. Elisha joined Team McDuffie in June 2012. Elisha lives in the Michigan Park neighborhood of Ward 5.

From the Councilmembers Desk

Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5
COUNCILMEMBER MCDUFFIE IS COMING SOON TO A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR YOU

Councilmember McDuffie has held four community engagement meetings across the ward. These meetings give the community a venue to voice their concerns and offer constructive suggestions. Constituents who have attended the sessions stated that they like having the opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue with their councilmember about their concerns without having to travel to the John A. Wilson Building. If you haven't had an opportunity to come out, please join the Councilmember at the next meeting:

Community Engagement Office Hours Tuesday, August 28 6:308:30pm Israel Baptist Church 1251 Saratoga Ave NE

Ward 5 Bulletin Board

Brookland: Building for the Future. A Panel Discussion on Brookland Redevelopment

Friday, August 17 6:30 PM 12th Street Gallery 3500 12th Street NE With the face of Brookland changing daily, come and take the opportunity to meet some of the people behind Brooklands bright new future.

DCPS Beautification Day Saturday, August 25 8 AM1 PM

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/ Parents+and+Community/ Beautification+Day This annual DCPS event was established in 2005 as a citywide spruce up of all DC public school buildings in preparation for the first day of school.

Ward 5 Night at the Shakespeare Theater

Saturday, September 1 810 PM Sidney Harman Hall 610 F Street NW Join Councilmember McDuffie for a showing of William Shakespeares Alls Well That Ends Well. First 100 individuals who sign up will receive a free ticket. RSVP: jmandel@dccouncil.us or (202) 724-8028

COUNCILMEMBER MCDUFF IE ATTENDS COSTCO JOB FAIR IN WARD 5

On Saturday, July 28, Councilmember McDuffie attended a Costco Job Fair at Mount Horeb Baptist Church in Ward 5. Over 2000 applicants stopped by for one of 150 available positions slated for the new warehouse in Fort Lincoln. Costco anticipates opening its newest location in November.

Todays turnout sends a clear message, indicated Councilmember McDuffie, Chairperson of the Committee on Jobs and Workforce Development. We must address the unemployment rate, particularly in Ward 5, before we can expect to see the crime rate go down or attract the community-oriented, economic development we all desire.
Councilmember McDuffie (D-Ward 5), right, with ANC Commissioner Bob King

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