August Meeting minutes

Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance
August 2, 2007 Meeting minutes

In attendance:
Joseph Glover, chair, jagbfree@comcast.net
Irv Sheffey irv.sheffey@sierraclub.org
Gail Benjamin, gail.benjamin@dc.gov
Trinh Doan, patricia.doan@dc.gov

Action items/ Agenda:
(1) Execution of the Pope Branch Task Order – we need DC WASA to give us the updates.
(2) Outreach – recruitment for governance maintenance on Pope Branch Park.
(3) Trail construction partnership with DPR and REI.
(4) Anacostia Watershed Citizens’ Summit report.

Agency Status Reports
DDOE: (T. Doan)
• DDOE encourage Minnesota – Fairlawn residents to volunteer ~1.5 hr. to maintain governance, i.e. trash pick up, plant maintenance. Would like to put in action this Spring ’07 when we get recruitment.
• Contractor, Black & Vetch (B&V) is on schedule for designing alternative technical memo. The memorandum will be submitted on August 26, 2007, expected date is end of September. There may be one or two months turn around on DATM approval of alternative

DCWASA: (e-mail correspondence from Mike Thorstenson)
• B&V is performing the necessary background information, surveying, geological mapping, and WASA record drawing search to identify potential design alternatives for both the stream restoration and the sewer rehabilitation.
• B&V is expected to give initial cost estimates to be included in the recommended alternative. If there are multiple viable options, then they would be identified at this time as well. There are no complications at this time. September 26 is when the plan will be submitted from B&V.
• B&V has been scouting Pope Branch neighborhoods for markings. Good progress.

DDPR: (G. Benjamin)
• The MOU for installing a rain garden at the church is in a draft form and soon needed a signature from director of DPR. PBPRA has agreed to maintain the rain garden. From the MOU, the maintenance include: mulching, removal of debris, trimming, trash pick up, watering, staking the shrubs/trees, treating diseased trees.
• I. Sheffey suggested we need trainings on the maintenance of rain gardens before we take the responsibilities. DC Greenworks has maintained many greenroofing, rain barrels, and young tree. We could consult these people. Steve Coleman of Watts Branch has Washington Parks and People to maintain their gardens. We may want to explore this option.
• No updates on the walking trail of Pope Branch. (Refer to Jesse Rounds)

DDOT: (no updates)

Outreach and Education for Pope Branch areas: (I. Sheffey)
• Service projects for students in W7 schools (Kimball ES, Randall HS, ect) on installing Storm Drain Makers. Casey Trees has a program called: Project Slurp about storm drain stenciling. DDOE has all the supplies for the storm drain marker installing.
• Prince Georges, Montgomery Counties and Virginia have an “Anti-littering Campaign” addressing responsible actions. Irv Sheffey has an idea of forming an “I Care” campaign for DC to promote awareness of clean/ trash free environments.
• As part of the publicity & outreach efforts, PBPRA would like to conduct a “virtual brainstorming” session. An e-mail will come out with a list of ideas. An individual will “reply all” with more ideas. I. Sheffey will oversee the flow of emails and will compile all the suggestions into a master list. Some suggested ideas already are: (1) go door to door to homes along the creek; ask neighbors what they would like to see happen in and around Pope Branch Park. (2) Conduct a poll. (3) Ask neighbors to adopt-a-spot with the park to keep clean and free of invasive plants. (4) Host a community cook out; celebrate the park. (5) Post signs along the edges of the park informing the community that “we all live in a watershed”; create ownership. ect….

Announcements: (all)
- M. Thorstenson (DWASA) has moved to Chicago with his wife. However, Mike is planning to see this subwatershed plan get through.
- Josh Burch (ECC) has resigned.
- DC is proposing a couple of new car licenses. Sam Jordan of W7 suggests “save the Anacostia” plate. Another suggestion is “No taxation without representation”. Carol Schwartz in 2000 proposed the license plates, but the bill did not pass.

Next meeting: Thursday – September 6, 2007. 6:30- 7:30 P.M.