Community Liaison Council Meeting Minutes
May 15, 2008, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Visitor Information Center, Building 45 (Natcher Building)
Conference Room D
National Institutes of Health

ANNOUNCEMENTS— Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair

- Thanks to Amy for supporting today's meeting since Sharon is on vacation.

- The NIH Chamber Singers will perform their popular program entitled Psalms, Spirituals & All That Jazz at the Potomac Library on 5/17/08 at 1 pm.

- A Black Cherry tree along the NIH property line adjacent to 8513 Rosewood Drive has reached the end of its healthy life span & will be removed & replaced with another tree.

- The County advises that the 2008 census update is now in progress.  Planning Board staff are using mail & a response web site to randomly survey some 30,000 homes.  The last update of the 2000 federal (every 10 year) census was in 2005.  The survey does not constitute attempted identify theft by unauthorized persons.

- NIH registration for Bike to Work Day (5/16/08) is 471 riders.  NIH participation is expected to again lead DC area federal agencies.  Congratulations to the Bethesda Transportation Mgmt District, which signed up 544 downtown Bethesda workers.

Rt. 355 Streetscape Improvement Project
Mr. Wilson provided the following activities & milestone information for the project, which received its Notice to Proceed in February:

- Initiation: months 1 through 3 (gather & review existing information; conduct interviews & summarize)

- Draft Plan: months 4 through 7 (develop & review framework diagrams; develop 3 alternative concepts & present to CLC for comment; select preferred alternative for draft plan basis, brief CLC & present to NCPC)

- Summary Design Guidelines: months 8 through 10 (develop recommended palette of landscape materials, furniture & hardscape materials; present to CLC for comment)

- Final Plan: months 11 & 12 (prepare & document)

Avoidance of Future Impact Reduction Retrofits
Mr. Wilson summarized 3 categories of lessons learned since the last master plan update; namely, campus wide, transportation & environmental issues.  NIH has every intention of incorporating past experience into future planning objectives & approaches.

The categories address the following specific areas of community interest:

- Campus wide: public access & BRAC impacts
- Transportation: parking ratio & growth limits
- Environment: noise, lights, reforestation/screening, buffer zone & utility (e.g. natural gas) services

With regard to screening, Ms. Harnish supports "pre-screening" of future tall buildings near the perimeter, such as the multi-level parking garage planned to be adjacent to the south side buffer.  Since it takes 10 or 20 years for screening to mature, she recommended moving ahead with the screening now.  She suggested evergreens, such as Cryptomeria or holly.

Mr. Coleman assured the group that he had informed Lynn Mueller (grounds keeping manager) about the prescreening idea and asked him to survey existing screening gaps, where future screening might be needed, what species might be appropriate, and where prescreening should be located to avoid interference with future construction.  

Mr. Wilson cautioned that budget constraints could prevent taking any action this fiscal year.  Mr. Coleman thought it significant that Dan Wheeland, Director of the Office of Research Facilities, supports better screening.

With respect to the buffer zone, Mr. Schofer supports the master plan provision that no further facilities be constructed in the buffer (including parking lots) and that temporary facilities should be removed if they haven't already been.

With respect to parking ratios, Mr. Oberlander suggested continued monitoring of parking facility occupancy since gas price increases are likely to increase future transit use by both staff & visitors & thus reduce the need for parking below what previous master plans may have assumed.

ENVIRONMENT - Dennis Coleman [Substituted Agenda Item Based on 5/6/08 Publication of BRAC RoD]

BRAC EIS Record of Decision
Last month, the Navy published its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the expansion proposed under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) law.  The next step was publication of its Record of Decision (RoD) on 5/6/08.  The RoD documents the EIS mitigations that the Navy actually commits to providing.  As a result, Mr. Coleman searched the RoD for "affirmative declarations" of actions to be taken by the Navy.  He presented a 1-page table summarizing these.  CLC members asked for electronic copies, which Mr. Coleman agreed to provide.

Most of the RoD commitments relate to secondary impacts of BRAC such as dust, noise, erosion, habitat and historical preservation.

The Navy has not changed its position with respect to traffic congestion, the main impact.  The Navy will cooperate on implementing traffic mitigations outside their fence line, but is unable to fund them.  They will request that DoD (through its Defense Access Roads or DAR program) fund at least a portion of some improvements.  These were originally expected to include extra turn & storage lanes that directly connect to base access gates on 355 & Jones Bridge Road, plus improved Metro access via a tunnel or bridge across 355 or elevators on the east side of 355.

The scope of turn & storage lanes has been reduced, and the elevator option is apparently preferred.  DAR funding will be sought only for the intersection of 355 & North Wood Road.  A northbound lane on MD355 to allow left turns into NIH’s CVIF, and an extension of current left turn lane storage on southbound 355 into the North Wood Road gate are now specified. 

The Navy’s intention is unclear, since Mr. Moss is certain that NIH has no agreement with the Navy to inspect any of the base's commercial traffic, and the proposed configuration seems to prepare for that eventuality.  Mr. Coleman also noted that the Navy intends to fund a study of whether a new traffic signal at 355 & North Wood Road is warranted, and if so will ask the state to fund it.  

Ms. Michaels said that a left-hand turn onto North Wood Road would complicate traffic.  Because it is a state highway, she thought that lobbying by citizen’s groups would be effective in revisiting the wisdom of this option.  Mr. Wilson said that the state does not want this left-hand turn when the CVIF was planned.  In fact, Mr. Moss thought that the state was going to install a concrete median in front of the CVIF, so it would not be physically possible to turn left there.  

Mr. Oberlander suspected that much of what is listed in the ROD will not be implemented, and that the purpose of this document is simply to satisfy a requirement that the EIS process end with an RoD.  He expects that the Navy will only deal with BRAC transportation impacts when they eventually find out the hard way that patients and employees cannot get in and out of the base.

The RoD does commit the Navy to update its transportation management and master plans, but not now.

TRANSPORTATION—Brad Moss [for Tom Hayden, Director, Division of Amenities & Transportation Svcs.], ORS

NIH Police Representative
Mr. Moss introduced Cpl. John Ritch, the new NIH Community Policing Coordinator. Officer Ritch distributed his business card and invited community members to call him to report problems.

North Entrance to NIH off MD355
In February, Ms. Volz reported a pedestrian safety issue at the northernmost entrance to NIH from MD355, which has acquired the name, Speeders' Drive.  In summary, drivers tend to speed and ignore the crosswalk during AM rush hour; pedestrians and cyclists tend to ignore the crosswalk and marked pathways; and several near miss accidents have occurred.  

To orient the group about the location of interest, Mr. Coleman showed a 2006 aerial view of the northeast corner of the campus focused on the driveway of concern.  Mr. Moss distributed a packet of photos and information Mr. Hayden had prepared.  Comparing the 2008 photos and 2006 aerial view, it was obvious that NIH had tried several remedies.

Officer Ritch, Mr. Hayden, and Mr. Mueller will be actively involved in dealing with this situation and are reviewing possible remedies beyond what has been tried so far (signs, bollards, boulders & painted roadway surfaces).  Escalated solutions include rumble strips (grooves dug into the road instead of bumps on top of the road) and speed humps.  

Speed bumps have been vetoed for now because of possible damage to cars and hindrance to snow plows.  Mr. Oberlander noted the difference between speed bumps and speed humps.  Ms. Lueders observed that the county has dozens of 20-mile-per-hour speed humps in neighborhoods all around NIH, and they don't seem to worry about damaging cars or impeding snow removal, so NIH need not be so timid.

The driveway faces 3 lanes of traffic southbound on 355 and is about 300 feet long.  The pedestrian crossing is less than 100 feet off 355, which may be part of the problem.  After negotiating the driveway, commuters make a 90-degree right-hand turn through the security gate and onto the campus.

Officer Ritch said the Police Department has considered parking a police car in plain view of driveway traffic, but that could create another distraction or obstacle for inbound commuters.  Because the distance between the crosswalk and the sidewalk is so short, ORS has also considered extending the sidewalk, which would put the crosswalk farther away from 355. In addition to rumble strips, a flashing caution light is another option.

Mr. Oberlander said that a high-traffic, pedestrian walkway crosses a high traffic driveway, which is not an optimal design.  He suggested closing that entrance and bringing commuters onto the campus via North Drive, which requires a 90-degree turn off 355.  Any resulting gridlock sounds better than pedestrian injuries.  

Mr. Moss noted that pedestrians and bicyclists are also at fault and that drivers seem not to know that the speed limit there is 5 miles per hour.  ORS will try to raise awareness by sending out a global e-mail to all employees and contractors reminding them that pedestrians always have the right of way at NIH.  Mr. Moss added that they have to badge-in many vehicles at rush hour, so the absence of the angled entryway would cause traffic back-ups.  He added that the driveway is only open between 6 and 10 AM and that the currently short distance between 355 and the pedestrian crosswalk limits signage possibilities.

Recognizing that ORS is doing all it can, Mr. Schofer reiterated that the main issue is the poor design of this entrance.  As a result, it will be very difficult to make it work effectively regardless what is done.  Mr. Coleman added that the Navy wants to put a traffic light on 355 near this driveway, which may solve the problem since no one will be able to speed anywhere in the area.

Mr. Moss thought that a sign that tells a driver how fast s/he is going might help.  He added that the short length of the driveway and the background traffic on 355 precludes radar enforcement of the speed limit. Mr. Oberlander suggested constructing an arched pedestrian bridge.

Both Mr. Coleman & Mr. Moss have personally contacted NIH Police Chief Hitton about this issue.  Mr. Coleman assured the group that it now has appropriate visibility, and Officer Ritch has been assigned to monitor the situation and develop a solution.  If all else fails, and the police launch even a brief ticketing campaign, Mr. Coleman feels sure that it wouldn't take long for drivers to get the idea that they should slow down.

Buffer Facilities—Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair [for Mr. Hayden, ORS]
In March, CLC members asked when they see implementation of the landscaped, 250-foot-wide buffer specified in the master plan to insulate the community from NIH activity.   In April, Mr. Hayden provided copies of a 2006 aerial photo and asked that CLC members mark the areas they are concerned about.  

Mr. Coleman and Ms. Miller (CLC Co-Chair) used a 2004 master plan drawing of the buffer to accurately determine its location and transpose that location onto the aerial photo.  They then circled & labeled every facility (including both buildings & parking lots) that occupies part of the buffer.  Finally, Mr. Coleman listed the 13 facilities, noting their description and status, whether known or assumed.  Subtracting "grandfathered" and "required" facilities (which are understood by CLC members to be permanently in the buffer) left 5 question marks. 

SPECIAL PROJECTS—Tony Clifford, Chief Engineer, ORF

South Lawn Drainage
Since 2003, the community has been concerned about flooding and soggy surface conditions on the south lawn public recreation area.  In 2007, the County admitted that the storm water was coming from their system.  A consulting study funded by NIH recommended installing an underground 24-inch pipe to divert water to North Brook Lane, where it could reenter the County's system.  In early 2008, the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) changed their view and advised NIH that it was NIH’s responsibility to accommodate drainage onto its property from offsite sources, including the county’s 21-inch drain pipe.  Furthermore, it is NIH’s responsibility to implement a solution if such drainage poses a problem.

ORF Director Dan Wheeland (who is a registered engineer) reviewed the issue and suggested a cooperative solution involving both NIH and County resources.  NIH would install a 470-foot, 24-inch-diameter underground stormwater line parallel to NIH’s south property line from Maple Ridge Road to North Brook Lane, with a manhole at either end. The pipe location would parallel existing underground utility lines. The new line would be perforated and surrounded with gravel to support filtration of water back into the soil during mild storms and redirection of water eastward during heavy storms.  This would be more environmentally friendly than the previous non-perforated design, which environmental staff had opposed.  The pipe would be 5 to 6 feet underground.  The County would install at their expense, connections between the perforated pipe and the 21 inch source pipe at its west end and the drainage system at its east end.

NIH has already put in a pipe to direct North Brook Lane discharge, and a surface grate to try to deal with the ponding in the South Lawn.  However, the grate was installed before the origin of the water was apparent, and the pipe connected to it is only 8 inches in diameter.  Moreover, soil erosion causes the grate to be occluded with mud most of the time.  The County's western connection to the proposed NIH pipe would also remedy the erosion and mosquito habitat issues now being caused by the open 21 inch pipe.

This environmentally friendly solution would cost about $100,000, including planning. Mr. Clifford did not know what the cost would be for the County to connect to it.  

To advance this plan, Mr. Clifford must meet with Bruce Johnson, DWPT’s capital project manager.  He needs to be sold on the benefits of such a cooperative solution and then details can be worked out.  NIH could then conceivably proceed with design work this year and budget for construction in FY2009.  Mr. Clifford will brief the CLC on progress at forthcoming meetings.

Ms. Rice asked what would become of the beautiful bald cyprus trees when the water retention pond is installed. Mr. Clifford assured her that Mr. Mueller is working on the pond and is very attuned to saving trees in general and these trees in particular.

Mr. Clifford concluded that stagnant water was the original problem. He does not want to keep coming up with interim solutions and spending money on things that won’t work. This solution, with percolating pipes, allows water to return to the soil. He feels sanguine because the county suggested this solution, but did not recommend it because they didn’t want to pay for it, and because it was perceived to be environmentally unfriendly until Mr. Wheeland suggested a perforated pipe.  

Mr. Coleman pointed out that using County interest in building a 3 acre storm water retention pond on NIH property to leverage their participation in a South Lawn solution is probably not a constructive option because it could compromise or delay another drainage solution that is 20 times bigger (~$2M).

INFORMATION FORUM—Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair

Helicopters
ORS has completed a report on helicopters and regulations governing them, which will be presented in at least 2 parts—1 in June and 1 in July.  He showed the cover page on which 14 helicopters that now fly into Suburban and Navy helipads are pictured to scale and labeled with their model number.  The latter determines power, performance and capacity, which govern much of the noise and safety impact.

Other Issues
In the interest of time, Mr. Coleman drew everyone’s attention to the underlined (higher priority) items in the Information Forum packet.

ROUND ROBIN—Dennis Coleman, CLC Co-Chair

Comments and Concerns

• Dr. Ozarin related a satisfying experience when her car recently broke down outside NIH.  She went to the police station in Building 31, where they called a tow truck for her and then sent a policeman to wait with her until the tow truck arrived.  She had no NIH badge with her and thought their response neighborly enough that she wrote to Dr. Zerhouni commending the police officers.

• Ms. Lueder has observed that NIH visitors coming from the beltway to Old Georgetown Road need more informative signs than the one sign that now reads, “Visitors’ Entrance, South Drive.”  For unaccustomed visitors, it is not always clear how to get into NIH.  Mr. Moss reported that ORS is aware of the problem and is in the process of a “way-finding plan" to coincide with this summer's opening of Gateway Center.

• Mr. Coleman reminded everyone that next month BRAC construction starts at the Navy base.  A new construction entrance is to be created on 355.  Up to 50 cement mixers, dump trucks and other vehicles are to be accommodated on the front lawn staging area.  

• Mr. Schools added that many of the base's service facilities will be closed during the 30 month construction period, while wounded soldiers continue to return from Iraq.  The Navy has approached the NIH R&W Assn. for help in dealing with this.  Mr. Schools’ office has been organizing and coordinating community donations of individual entertainment items such as DVDs.

ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 6:06 PM.
Next meeting: June 19, 2008

PARTICIPANTS

CLC Members
Marian Bradford, Camelot Mews
Jean Harnish, Whitehall
Darrell Lemke, Bethesda Parkview
Deborah Michaels, Glenbrook Village
Marilyn Mazuzan, Oakmont
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway
Lucy Ozarin, Whitehall
Eleanor Rice, East Bethesda
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood
Beth Volz, Locust Hill

Liaison Representatives
Kira Lueders, NIH Alumni Association
Randy Schools, NIH R&W Assn.

NIH Staff
Anthony Clifford, ORF
Dennis Coleman, OCL
Howard Hochman, ORF
Brad Moss, ORS
Amy Blackburn, ORF
Ron Wilson, ORF
John Ritch, ORS

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