Community Liaison Council Meeting Minutes

January 15, 2009; 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Visitor Information Center, Building 45 (Natcher Building)
Conference Room D
National Institutes of Health

ANNOUNCEMENTS—Dennis Colman, Co-Chair

• Mr. Coleman extended sympathy to CLC member Marilyn Mazuzan, whose husband Pat passed away Monday. He has contact information for anyone who needs it.
  
  
• NIH has been working with a Montgomery County District 2 police officer to find out what the county is doing about local crime. This may be something members want to follow up with their neighborhood watch groups.
  
  
• Lynn Mueller reports that he is no longer directly responsible for landscaping; that is now in the hands of the ORF Real Property Management Office. Mr. Clifford explained that they reorganized:  under the A76 process, in an effort to have the most efficient organization, employees must compete for their own jobs. Having a GS-14 like Mr. Mueller head landscaping was not competitive. So, now Mr. Mueller is in the Office of the Director, and Jim Davis heads landscaping.
  
  
• Comments are still coming in about people smoking outside the perimeter fence.
  
  
• Mr. Mueller put the receptacles outside the fence (at a cost of about $60 each) because NIH cannot prevent people from smoking on county property. However, there were no receptacles on the south side on either Monday or Tuesday—just many cigarette butts.
  Mr. Moss explained that, for the purpose of a tobacco-free campus, NIH’s jurisdiction extends to the perimeter fence. The land outside the fence is the county’s right of way.
  Ms. Rice reported that the smoking situation had improved immeasurably at NIH since the days when she worked here. Mr. Moss invited members to call his office if they had a suggestion or noticed a problem.
  
  
• A complaint about branches from tree pruning was received, but those branches have been collected.
  
  
• There was a hunt for a mysterious “giant yellow machine” roaming the campus about 2 AM on December 31, and Mr. Coleman believes they have tracked it down. Inspecting the logs at the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) indicates that this vehicle was driven by a crew wanting to finish work early on New Year’s eve.
  
  
• Blood donors at the Blood Bank and volunteers at Children’s Inn are eligible to receive security badges, but they do check for compliance with the regulations, and if a volunteer has not appeared for 3 months, or a blood donor has not given blood for a year, their security badge is revoked.
  
  
• Mr. Coleman discovered what seems to be the first neighborhood complaint to NIH. In the NIH History Office, he found that, in 1940, neighbors complained when NIH built on-campus residences near the property line.

FACILITIES

MD 355 Frontage Improvement Project Status Report—Susan Hinton, Master Planner, ORF; Kevin Fisher, Roadside & Harwell ; and Sanjay Arora, Map, Inc.

A few months ago Ms. Hinton let CLC know that ORF was working on a study to improve the appearance of the frontage land along Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Avenue. Today she reported preliminary analysis and ideas for those improvements and invited viewpoints, ideas, and comments.

ORF started by reviewing maps and looking at each intersection to see traffic patterns, who uses them, and peak times of use. They also looked at entrances (some of which may need to be widened) and pedestrian and bicycle traffic. (Between the perimeter fence and the road the path is shared by bicyclists and pedestrians.) They looked at the “special framework”—what you see as you drive along—visual blocks, focal points. Now, you see mowed grass, a few un-mowed natural habitats, many trees of various types, and a range of topography, e.g., the berm, a sloped area that flattens near the Gateway Center. The wide variety of signage and lighting adds to a sense of chaos. The Frontage Improvement Project is beginning by trying to mitigate the many small things that were done over the years in the absence of a Master Plan.

The initial list of issues includes:

1. Pedestrian/cyclist safety and visibility at intersections;
2. Lack of visual cohesiveness along Route 355;
3. Lack of campus identity along the perimeter landscape;
4. Poor visibility at entrances;
5. Maintenance and sustainability;
6. Coordination with potential highway modifications (road modifications or lane changes).

They see opportunities in the following:

1. Creating visual continuity though landscaping, etc;
2. Strengthening a campus image;
3. Making entrances more recognizable and consistent with the campus identity;
4. Enhancing distinctive corners and understory;
5. Keeping and enhancing riparian and un-mowed areas;
6. Improving pedestrian/cyclist experience.

The beginning concept plan focuses on plantings of mixed evergreen and deciduous trees to give definition along the perimeter, without creating a severe edge. This could involve ornamental plants and flowers, benches, etc for interest and variety. They are considering how best to improve pavement treatments, using not just asphalt or concrete, and more cohesive lighting.

Discussion
Dr. Ozarin hoped they could add the south side perpendicular to Route 355. With new buildings planned to be begun immediately, it is not too soon to start plantings along the road. Mr. Wilson said the immediate goal is to focus on Route 355 itself; then they will continue the plan along the other perimeters. Mr. Coleman noted that Mr. Mueller had been considering short-term measures.

Ms. Hildebrand suggested interviewing pedestrians and cyclists. Mr. Fisher thought this was a good idea, and, he suggested, CLC members may be able to act as liaisons. Ms. Hildebrand added that the entrance to the new parking garage may be a new problem, but Mr. Fisher said it is too new to be used much yet.

Speaking as an engineer of several decades’ experience, Mr. Schofer asked:

• How will the severe gradient along Rockville Pike affect the riparian area at the north end?
• Meadows along Route 355 are intended to encourage wildlife, but how will they commingle with the very heavy traffic?
• All pavements are falling apart at this time of year. What about crosswalks and striping?
• How will they commingle traffic and pedestrians and cyclists?
• “Variation” in plantings along this road may provide a place for muggers to lurk.
• There are several other types of pavement besides asphalt and concrete.

Mr. Fisher replied:

• For paving they were thinking of using stamped asphalt and stamped concrete, which would introduce color and pattern.
• In the un-mowed area, vegetation is perennial grasses, which are low, but do not have to be mowed. This serves as habitat for insects and birds, not larger animals. They are also trying to enhance Mr. Mueller’s bird-box program.
• Indeed, the drop-off area near the Metro makes entering the new visitors’ garage (MP15) problematic, and Mr. Fisher will add this to the list of issues.

Ms. Rice suggested that the grounds crew try a grass seed called “No Mow.”

In response to Ms. Hoos, Mr. Fisher said the pedestrian and bike areas would be no wider than they are now (10 feet) because the slope is quite steep, and a wider path would require retaining walls. But,
Mr. Wilson thought they should be made wide enough to serve as part of the regional bike trail system.

Mr. Oberlander asked whether the study will include the 250-foot-wide bumper, which governs placement of buildings and plantings. He urges inclusion of all land from the inside boundary to the bumper strip, and noted that an objective of the Master Plan is to keep it open. He also noted that the map does not show the existing security fence. He thought they would not be allowed to plant some types of things, and that the ambiguous bridge or tunnel to the Navy’s property across the street would impinge on any plans. Mr. Fisher said they do not want to enable people to climb over the fence or drive along it.

Ms. Volz noted that a few months ago she had brought up the berm in front of CVIF, which serves as a protection from explosions. But, said Mr. Fisher, it is not just for safety; it lifts the plants up higher, and it would be possible to alter the path and get the berm up 2 to 3 feet higher, which would better separate pedestrians from it. Ms. Volz asserted that NIH’s real danger is from a truck bomb, and that the CVIF is separate from the main NIH campus for that reason, but civilians are still at risk.
Mr. Fisher agreed to look more closely at the blast implications. Ms. Volz would like to see results of the explosion study as it refers to civilians, not to the NIH.

ENVIRONMENT
No topic this month

TRANSPORTATION
Old Georgetown Road & South Drive Pedestrian Exit—Lou Klepitch, Physical Security Management, ORS
Everyone agreed on the nature of the problem at the South Drive pedestrian exit:  Because of budget cuts, NIH has closed some gates during the part of the day when they are not heavily used. The pedestrian gate at Old Georgetown Road and South Drive is one of these gates, and is now closed at noon so it does not have to be staffed. This causes a problem for pedestrians exiting the Metro station who have no security badge but want to cross the NIH campus onto Old Georgetown Road.

Ms. Hildebrand said it also relates to truck traffic to Building 37 when people cut across this T-shaped intersection. Ms. Hoos said the problem is that the police, concerned about pedestrian safety, do not let people walk on the grass into the road to get around the gate. Mr. Klepitch revealed that ORS had thought the small gate behind the guard box could be a short-term solution, but it does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ms. Hoos suggested using flags like they do on Connecticut Avenue below Chevy Chase Circle to facilitate road crossing. She reported success in crossing the road by being obviously careful:  making eye contact with the officers seated in the nearby car and then carefully looking for oncoming traffic before entering the intersection.

Mr. Moss said they had referred this issue to the Chief of Police, as well as other people; they think the problem is that the officers get annoyed with people trying to cross where they are not supposed to. Mr. Klepitch concluded that they are continuing to look for a comprehensive solution.

h Dr. for some reason don’t seem to take advantage of right turn on red opportunities, which holds up traffic more than necessary. Mr. Hayden will check on whether buses are allowed to do this and if so, why they don’t.

Mr. Hayden announced a seminar series to promote NIH’s TDM program. These are scheduled for the first Tuesday of the month in Conference Room 6 of Building 31.  The series begins March 4.

Mr. Hayden then said that he had talked to county representative Sandy Brecker about designating a cell-phone waiting area along Cedar Lane. NIH is doing this for patients, but Cedar Lane is a county road, so County staff would have to look into it from their own perspective.

Finally, Mr. Hayden said that shuttle ridership has been steady. The number of riders continues to be seasonal and weather-related (higher ridership in winter & wet weather). There are no outstanding issues with regard to shuttles being late or not stopping where they are supposed to stop.

SPECIAL PROJECTS
South Lawn Drainage Improvement Project Status Report—Ivan Locke, Project Officer, ORF
Mr. Clifford introduced Mr. Locke, a civil engineer with 5 years’ experience at the St. Louis Water Department, who has been at NIH since August and is the NIH Project Officer for the South Lawn Drainage Improvement Project. Mr. Clifford showed photos of the South Lawn along the property line and reminded CLC members that the proposed solution to dealing with water that keeps coming onto the property is to install a 500-foot-long, 21-inch-diameter outlet pipe between North Brook Lane and Maple Ridge Road. This project has finally come about with the help of the Liaison Office and people in Rep. Chris Van Holland’s office. June 12, NIH proposed this solution to county officials and asked the county to connect their storm drain to new manholes. Everyone agreed, a contract was awarded to Tishman. Tishman will do the construction, but subcontracted the study and design to A. Morton Thomas (AMT). On October 15 the project team met. The engineers agreed that relying on historic maps would give a general idea of the location of the gas and electrical lines known to run under the lawn, but that they needed to know the exact depths of both lines so as not to accidentally damage them. Early in December, AMT located the gas and electrical lines, which run parallel to the fence, about 20 feet apart from each other, and about 4 feet deep; the electric line is encased in concrete. The utility company obtained an easement for them, and they serve the Navy across Rockville Pike.

Although they are just at the stage of the concept plan, Mr. Locke thinks they will have intermediate access points or surface drains inset along the line. They will also look at storm drain and swale issues, as well as the lawn itself. The project must be budgeted by both NIH and Montgomery County. And, they have to address legal issues of the easements for the utility lines. (There are probably 2 easements because the 2 lines were put in at different times.)

INFORMATION FORUM—Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair
BRAC Master & Transportation Management Plan Summaries
The Navy has published a Master Plan for the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansion at the National Naval Medical Center. Mr. Coleman invited the Navy to send a representative to a CLC meeting to present it, but they are not willing to talk to community groups because they think it would compromise their relationship with the county’s BRAC committee (which includes 5 homeowners’ associations). He also tried to get someone from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), but the Navy’s Master Plan goes before the NCPC in February, and NCPC is restricted to having a public hearing. Therefore Mr. Coleman, applying his experience with such plans in California communities, summarized the plan’s major points as follows.

The Navy property encompasses 42 acres (vs NIH’s 209 acres) with a 148-foot set-back from the perimeter. The Master Plan is a manifestation of the “Preferred Alternative,” which was published in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), except that the Navy included a Transportation Management Plan, in compliance with NCPC. Montgomery County estimated that the impact of BRAC on traffic would cost $230 million. Because the State of Maryland can provide only $31 million, the plan relies heavily on the Navy’s participation. The Navy has applied for a $22 million Metro stop on their side of Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike. Possible sources of funding are the military’s Defense Access Roads (DAR) Program, and the federal Economic Stimulus Package.

Construction
In addition to building 3 medical facilities, a parking lot, an administration building, housing, and a medical research facility (which is not part of BRAC), they will triple the size of the shopping area for the commissary (also not part of BRAC). A large rehabilitation center, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, will be funded by veterans’ groups, and a heliport will be built. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) is already a tenant on the base, but is also expanding. Navy staff, now numbering 8000, will increase to 10,500. Bachelors’ quarters will be increased from accommodations for 499 to 806. These will be “transient quarters” (like hotel rooms not houses). There will also be a new fire station. The Navy property drains into pipes under Stone Ridge. The Navy has adopted an advanced storm water management system and intends to be in compliance by 2011. However, existing storm-water policies will be applied. Most of the BRAC construction will be done by 2011.

Transportation
All 5 gates (3 on Jones Bridge Road and 2 on Wisconsin Avenue) will be widened on the inside, and a traffic light will be installed at Northwood Road and Wisconsin just south of Stone Ridge. The Navy campus shuttle is to be expanded to go to the Medical Center Metro stop on the NIH side of Wisconsin Avenue, and they will build a Kiss & Ride area on Jones Bridge Road, but not on Wisconsin Avenue; they also plan to use the one on the NIH side, which, it is assumed, will be expanded. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is studying the cost of increasing access to the east side. The Transportation Management Plan for parking allows 1 space for every 3 potential drivers, and it applies to staff only—not patients and shoppers. The National Research Council reports that paid parking is the most efficient means of encouraging use of public transit—at NIH, it increased ridership from 10% to 40% overnight. However, the Navy is not allowed to charge for parking, nor is remote parking allowed. Shuttles are for patients only. An emergency medicine partnership among NIH, Suburban Hospital, and the Navy is being established, and they are considering vehicular connections. They will build a Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) at University Road. Route 355 and North Drive is the only intersection where, they say, BRAC causes the level of service to increase to F; all others would have gone to F anyway.

The Planning Board meets today (January 15), and the NPCP public hearing (for advisory purposes only) will be held February 5. More information is available on the Montgomery County web site (http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/).

ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m.; next meeting:  February 19, 2009

PARTICIPANTS

CLC Members
Marian Bradford, Camelot Mews
Jean Harnish, Whitehall
Lucy Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma
Deborah Michaels, Glenbrook Village
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway
Lucy Ozarin, MD, Whitehall
Eleanor Rice, East Bethesda
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood
Beth Volz, Locust Hill

NIH Staff & Support
Anthony Clifford, ORF
Dennis Coleman, OCL
Susan Hinton, ORF
Lou Klepitch, ORS
Ivan Locke, ORF
Brad Moss, ORS
Sharon Robinson, OCL
Winfield Swanson, Audio Associates
Ron Wilson, ORF

Guests
Kevin Fisher, Roadside & Harwell
Sanjay Arora, Map, Inc

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