Evans' remarks at MVSNA March Meeting, Part 1.

At the Mt Vernon Neighborhood Association meeting this week, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans commented on Distict's budget and noted that balancing the budget will be difficult. There is only $950M in the District's savings account. He suggested that the Distict's economy might not improve for a couple of years. More notes on the meeting are available here and here.

Evans also discussed his new crime bill and asked that local residents submit testimony in person (or by filing it by close of business on Thursday, April 15 with dkelly@dccouncil.us). The crime bill he pushed for last year, on behalf of crime ridden communities like Shaw, failed in part because citizens did not take time to submit testimony to the full Council.

His develpment remarks were basically the same as his update earlier this month at the ANC2C meeting. But Evans did announce that the financing for CityMarket at O is mostly in place now that the development has been confirmed for a HUD grant this week.

Evans' remarks at MVSNA March Meeting, Part 2.

• Warren Williams, owner of a property on the 1500 b/o 7th Street, met with Mr Evans and confirmed that Williams will be coming to an upcoming community meeting to address his property that Mr Evans noted "has been a blight on the neighborhood for a long time."
• The one bright spot of all the local projects in Ward 2 is the Yale Lofts 2 which has received HUD financing and has cranes operating on the site now.
• Public safety will probably experience the least amount of reductions in the new budget since cuts would directly affect the numbers of police officers and firemen. Human services might be a more likely place to make cuts.
• As a potential budget crisis fix, Evans suggested that freezing wages government wide would be the best method to balance the budget and save $100-$150M. He also suggested freezing the education budget to the current levels.
• Regarding the United Negro College Fund project at 7th & S Streets NW, Evans noted that he would get back to the community with details on the "affordable" housing component. Evans suggested that there are no additional subsidies expected for the project, but it will use the subsidies originally planned for the RadioOne Project. It will also receive some funding from the Howard Threatre area development project.

Evans requested that Mike Rupert from DCRA, give an update on the Liberty Farmers Market that was operating on the grounds of the Carnegie Library last fall, but was closed down on its opening day this year.

Mr Rupert submitted the following statement to the Shaw list servs (comments not included in this video clip):

"We have been in contact with the event organizer and told them exactly what they need to do to continue to operate their market. They need to produce a letter giving them permission to operate at that location which will allow them to get a Certificate of Occupancy for the event, and they need to get a General Business license.

Many of the food products being sold were also products we believe were not grown by the region's farmers including Columbian coffee, oranges and other items. It is important that those vendors selling non-regional food products get a food license so the city's heath inspectors can ensure they are safe for residents. In addition to these suspect food items, the event had vendors selling t-shirts, crafts and other items not covered under the farmers' market exemption.

We are huge supporters of farmers' markets and have been lauded by D.C. Hunger Solutions and the D.C. Farmers' Market Collaborative for our efforts to simplify regulations that encourage new farmers' markets and differentiate them in regulations from other events.

We have already told this event's organizers that we will work closely with them to come into compliance with the regulations that cover the type of market they are attempting to create. But based on the products at this event, it would not be considered a farmer's market.

Mike Rupert, Communications Manager, DCRA
(202) 442-4513 | michael.rupert@dc.gov