Date:  December 12,  2012
From: From: Mike Silverstein. ANC Commissioner <DupontCircleANC.net> 
Subject: New Hampshire Avenue Reconstruction

New Hampshire Avenue Streetscape Project 

Timeline for Project:

Timeline for work on the 1300 block is still not available. Current work is concentrating on the M Street to 21st Street blocks, as well as Washington Circle and the adjacent areas. This work will include sewer/water, sidewalks, disability ramps, etc. on the west side of New Hampshire. The planning office has determined that the concrete sidewalk on the 1200 block opposite Hamilton House should be brick because of the historic townhouse structures on the block. Initially, all of New Hampshire was scheduled for brick sidewalks before more reasonable planning heads prevailed. There was a question about whether the sidewalk on front of the Heurich Mansion would also be brick - answer was no.

There is still no schedule on when work will proceed on the large area covered with metal plates on the corner of 20th St. and New Hampshire near the Apolline. The Project Engineer agreed to check on when that work would be completed and when the large concrete structure in front of the Apolline would be removed.

No official timeline for construction on the 1300 block was presented at the meeting. DC Water & Sewer representatives indicated that work which might require water cutoff would be in January and February. The construction website is being updated (NewHampshire-info@ddotprojectsdc.com). Ideally, there will be a 42 hour notice of any water cutoff. Since Hampshire House has no front desk available for staff walking by with flyers, we asked that we be notified by email or the team giving out notices contact Building Superintendent. As of this morning, that plan has been a total failure, however we have asked our neighbors with reception facilities to pass on information to Hampshire House by email.

Neighborhood Issues:

Late Night Work on 1200 Block: Broken gas main in the area of 21st & New Hampshire was reported last Thursday. 24 hours after the report, the leak was investigated and appears to be repaired. It was not clear at the meeting whether leak repair triggered additional work on the block, however, a decision was made to do work on water/sewer tie-ins overnight. The intention was to cause minimal disruption to the community; however, this work included jackhammers and other hard machinery and resulted in many resident complaints. The District agency involved has agreed that overnight work of this sort is not to be undertaken except in emergency situations and that any overnight or weekend work will require notification to businesses/residents.

Landscaping in Front of Hamilton House: On the Hamilton House side of the 1200 block, the landscaping plan is to plant grass in the area now covered by mulch. This will immediately result in weeds and constant maintenance of that area at the expense of Hamilton House, but apparently because of the root systems of the trees in that area, the alternative would be to remove the trees. There will probably be further discussion of this issue before the final implementation.

Inauguration Plans (1/22/13) & Fire House Relocation: ANC 2B6 Commissioner, Mike Silverstein brought up the following issues at this meeting:

Inauguration - For many businesses in DC, Inauguration week is a make or break period, and it was strongly suggested that the teams/contractors involved in the New Hampshire Avenue Reconstruction should take this into account and make arrangements to limit as much as possible construction downsides, such as water cutoffs or parking/construction noise hassles, etc.

Fire House Relocation: The firehouse at M and 24th Street is scheduled for temporary relocation. Three sites have been proposed and presented to the Ward 2 ANC. At the most recent Ward 2 ANC meeting, and at this construction meeting, Mike Silverstein brought up the problems involved in having a temporary firehouse site on the west side of New Hampshire. The traffic survey for firehouse relocation was apparently finalized without taking into account the New Hampshire Avenue Reconstruction project which will extend until mid-2014. Primary importance should be given to response time for emergency vehicles. A survey by Commissioner Silverstein and other involved parties will be completed to determine the impact of the project on the relocation sites and results reported to the ANC and other involved governmental agencies.

Jane Solt janesolt33@gmail.com

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