Monday night’s marathon Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting was one of the most contentious in recent memory, with most of the meetings devoted to a controversial Department of Parks and Recreation agreement with the private Maret School for developing a new artificial surface and pool at Jelleff Field, located on 3625 S Street NW.

But first, other orders of business: Apart from the controversial Jelleff Field matter, the ANC passed a resolution expressing its support for renewing a five-year moratorium on liquor licenses in Georgetown, meaning no new liquor stores will open in the neighborhood.

The Commissioners also briefly reflected on Philly Pizza and Grill, noting in passing that they expect it “to be taken care of” on February 9, when the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment convenes to make a decision about Philly P’s appeal of the revocation of its license, which Philly Pizza very well may lose.

Georgetown is also set to lose three stoplights. After a successful experiment to see if a four-way stop would be as effective as a stoplight in controlling traffic using blinking red lights, the Department of Transportation will replace those stoplights—at 33rd and Q Street, 34th and Q Street, and 34th and Reservoir—with stop signs.

Jelleff Field: In what appears to be an increasing hallmark of the Fenty administration, the DPR agreement was characterized by its utter lack of transparency, occurring with neither competitive bidding nor community input.

Just two weeks ago, Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) disclosed in a press conference that the deal with the Maret School would grant the private institution exclusive use of the new field from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekday afternoon for the next two ten years. In exchange, the Maret School will be installing a $2.5 million upgrade to the facilities.

The agreement had slipped entirely under the radar of the ANC, so the tension was palpable as representatives from several community organizations took the floor before an unusually packed audience.

Read the rest of this entry »