First Meeting of 2025, ANC2E: Bags, Bottles & Big Events
By • January 9, 2025 0 288
The new year’s meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC2E) turned out to be all virtual on Jan. 6 due to a snowstorm that coated Washington, D.C., with a white blanket of snow and ice. All eight commissioners – including the two new representatives from Georgetown University – were on hand most of the evening to discuss in their usual highly civil way, the latest issues in Georgetown. They also elected 2025 officers: Gwendolyn Lohse as Chairperson and Topher Mathews as Vice Chair.
The three top topics of the evening of many, were about bags — as in bags for leaves that the city was supposed to have picked up in November; bottles — as in a new resolution with many questions regarding a city-proposed mandatory bottle return bill; and big events happening this month in D.C. that will bring thousands of visitors to Georgetown including the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9; the events and crowds expected for the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
City leaf pickup has turned into a contentious issue, dominating the January ANC meeting as it did the December one. The initial confusion about whether the city would only pick up loose leaves dumped in tree boxes in front of residences, or whether they’d pick up leaves bagged in requisite large brown bags, has now turned into visible frustration in a resolution passed by the ANC. It clearly stated that many if not the majority of Georgetown residents live in attached row townhouses and single family homes without a back entrance to the street. Raking up backyard leaves then consists of filling up to a dozen or so bags with leaves, dragging the bags through their homes and dumping them out again in the front tree boxes where many were not collected, and blew into now masses of rain and snow-soaked vegetation, leaving dangerous slippery goo in front of many houses and walkway entrances. Commissioners reported they were getting many angry calls from residents who had called 311 repeatedly as instructed to remove the debris, had been promised immediate pickup that however never came.
“We will be insisting on a personal meeting with the Department of Public Works next week about this and will let you know what action to take,” said Lohse after a long discussion of the issue with DPW Public Affairs Specialist Robert Butler sitting by on camera.
A bottle refund bill that was being proposed by the city also begat many pointed questions. “The project will reduce the over 75 percent of hundreds of thousands of unrecycled plastic and glass soda and water bottles a year that end up in D.C. landfills and the Chesapeake,” said Joanne Slanger, a project advocate. The project will give an immediate 10-cent per bottle refund to whoever places them into receivers in or near large stores that participate in the program. “The mandated bottle return project has become very popular in states such as California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York and Minnesota,” said Slanger. “They provide funds for schools and non-profits, promote environmental justice, is good for the climate and will create green jobs for D.C. residents,” she said reading from a slide presented to the ANC. Small businesses with no room for the large bottle deposit refund dispensers would be exempt from the mandatory bottle program however. Many bottles will still be deposited into trash cans and the like in parks and shopping areas. That brought up the concern that some cities with the program have seen an increase in vagrants and other combing through neighborhood garbage bins looking for disposable bottles. The ANC commissioners passed a resolution declaring more information was needed.
Crime in D.C. — The Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District Commander Tatjana Savoy told the commission: “I see that most crime in Georgetown is down except property crime that she distinguishes between residential (smash and grab from autos and package thefts from front porches) and commercial (open theft from store shelves).” Savoy repeated the often heard advise that cars should always be locked and nothing left visible on the seats of an empty car.
New to Georgetown, Lt. Danielle Vitatoe of the MPD was introduced to the commission.
A report on community and police relations was made by a Community Advisory Commission advocate Catherine Reynolds who urged Georgetowners to become involved with the police nonprofit.
The end of the Circulator and bus 31 in Georgetown. One of the biggest and most permanent changes in Georgetown transit history is happening this month, according to Ward 2 liasion Brian Romanowski. The last week of 2024 saw the end of the Circulator busses and the 31 bus route that went through M St to Union Station. Other buses are taking up the routes, including the 33 Metro bus, that will run regularly to Union Station.
Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Board Advisories — The ANC also reviewed two application requests which require the advice of the ANC. One for Baku Caviar on 1855 Wisconsin Ave. NW to serve wine samples with the caviar offerings was supported unanimously by the commissioners. The other, a proposed temporary “stimulated” license for medical cannabis at Georgetown Wellness Dispensary, was encouraged to do the full application process the legal way. “I look forward to working towards a settlement with you,” Lowes told the owner who agreed.
The next ANC2E meeting is Feb. 3.
