Laura for ANC

Drainage for field below level of grass

In my first term on the ANC, we have seen the grass replaced at the Lafayette Elementary School baseball field. I have worked with DGS and DCPS Capital Projects to hold the city accountable to the Memorandum of Understanding for a well-maintained, environmentally sustainable grass field. We will have aerating and reseeding this fall, and mowing 27 times per year. I have also worked to have the DC restore the damage caused by years of neglect to the upper field and Broad Branch section. The upcoming erosion project is projected to proceed in sections, so that some parts of the upper field remain open at all times, limiting stress on the school field. Trash pickup has been an ongoing concern. DC has just announced pilot projects for rodent-proof cans for sites colocated with schools and parks, and I will be asking for those. I got our Rec Center bathrooms open on weekends, but we still need our Rec Center available all weekend for birthday parties. I am hopeful that with our new Mayor, we can make that self-funding permitting of the Rec Center a reality.

Bathrooms and party rooms closed on Sundays

Having safe streets and sidewalks is critical. Around Lafayette ES, we have many children and families who bike to school, the park, and Broad Branch Market. We also have in places uneven sidewalks, which need to be ground down, because they are tripping hazards. I have been reporting sidewalks to DDOT to get repairs, such as the grinding of uneven pavement on the 3200 block of Patterson ST NW. During the Snowcrete, I walked my entire Single Member District daily to assess and report on the condition of plowing, and cleared sidewalks of ice for residents who had been unable to do so themselves. Bike lanes have been on the slow burner this term, but I’m mindful that DDOT’s previous approach to bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue simply diverted out-of-state vehicular traffic through side streets, which would decrease safety and quality of life. Chevy Chase deserves improved— not reduced—WMATA bus services to reliably transport our students to Deal and Jackson-Reed and reduce car dependency.

In 2023, DDOT began installing LED street lights in our neighborhood, but many families found them too bright. Many requests for shielding or dimming were closed out without resolution, and I aim to have these concerns addressed, as excessive light pollution harms both human health and wildlife.

DDOT proposes more bioretention sites, yet many current bioretention sites have been poorly maintained and/or installed in ineffective locations; I have been working to see that existing sites are properly maintained and any new sites are placed where they function properly and have minimal impact on neighborhood parking.

The community center and library site is a cherished space in Chevy Chase, hosting events like Chevy Chase Day and elections, while offering pick-up play and a beautiful respite with its volunteer-planted gardens. When affordable housing was first proposed for the site, it was pitched as a few apartments over the existing structures. The current plan now includes much higher buildings, loss of green space, loss of library patron parking, and the transfer of public land to a private developer for an extended period. I believe our community should have the chance to develop its own, bottom-up contribution to affordable housing stock, without surplussing public land, while also addressing the necessary (and long-promised) renovations for the community center and playground.