March 29, 2022

Ward 3 Update: The District's Budget

Dear Neighbors,

With the release of Mayor Bowser's proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, the
Council has once again entered into the budget oversight season. While only
a month and a half long, conducting budget oversight is among the most
important Council functions and represents the opportunity to invest
directly in our neighborhoods, strengthen essential community supports, and
enhance agency services. The District is working with a $184 million
surplus this year (quite a bit lower than the initial projections of $576
million), which will be put toward enhancements to the Housing Production
Trust Fund and the District's capital infrastructure projects.

As committees undergo a thorough review of the proposed changes and
financial investments in the coming weeks, I would like to note a couple of
education-related budget items that stood out to me upon an initial look at
the budget reports:

The proposed budget continues funding for the [1]new Foxhall and MacArthur
Boulevard schools slated for Ward 3 and also announced the grade levels for
the buildings, with the Foxhall site to host an elementary school and the
MacArthur Boulevard site to host a high school that, once it receives an
addition, will have the capacity to educate up to 1,000 students. The
budget also maintained the additions proposed for Deal Middle School and
Stoddert Elementary School. These investments represent a huge step forward
in addressing the severe overcrowding at Ward 3 schools. That said, I’d
like to see if the athletic field at the old Georgetown Day School lower
campus site can be activated ASAP for use by Hardy Middle School and other
students over the next year and a half.

While capacity building in our schools is to be lauded, one budget cut that
is unconscionable to me is the discontinuation of the [2]District's
Foodprints program, which empowers children across the District to lead
healthier lives through outdoor learning in school gardens, increasing
access to nutritious food, and comprehensive food education. Unfortunately,
this cut was somewhat expected. During performance oversight, DC Public
Schools (DCPS) noted that it did not envision continuing the Foodprints
program long-term, viewing the District’s investments to date as simply
“seed funding." After Foodprints' [3]remarkable successes, it is stunning
that DCPS would not commit to funding this vitally important program
long-term, and I know that other Councilmembers agree that this funding
must be restored as the budget process advances.

Over the next six weeks, the Council will fine-tune the Mayor's budget
proposal to ensure we are appropriating our public dollars in a way that
most effectively serves the heightened needs of our residents and
prioritizes a continued robust recovery from the pandemic. For anyone who
would like to review the budget documents firsthand and participate in the
remaining Council budget hearings, please see:
* [4]The FY23 Budget
* [5]The District's Budget Process 101
* [6]The Council's Budget Oversight Schedule

Regards,

Mary

Vote to Name the ConstructionFest Mascot (& Win Prizes)!

[7]

The Cleveland Park Streetscape and Drainage Improvement Project has
officially begun, and phase 1 is anticipated to last 20 months. As you
likely know, construction can be very hard on local businesses—reducing
foot traffic during a time when our local businesses are still struggling
to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

That’s why Cleveland Park Main Street is organizing [8]ConstructionFest! A
4-week wacky and fun celebration scheduled to take place May 21st - June
18th. ConstructionFest will feature can’t-miss window displays,
construction-themed story times & children's events, a scavenger hunt,
special construction-themed cocktails, construction arts & crafts, and
more.

The Cleveland Park panda mascot will be hard at work helping to promote our
small businesses during ConstructionFest—and the panda needs a name!

The Main Street received so many fabulous name ideas from the community,
from Panda McBearface to Pan D. Monium, and now it's time to vote for the
official name. Voting ends 3/31 at midnight. Everyone who votes will be
entered into a raffle to win one of 6 available prizes:

* $50 gift card to CP Bar & Grill
* $90 gift card to Imaj Hair Salon (Cut & Blow Dry)
* $25 gift card to Laredo

* $25 gift card to City Paws
* $16 gift card to Fresh Med
* Free Steam Vac Rental from Brothers Sew & Vac ($39.99)

[9]Click Here to Vote Today!

From WUSA9 - Buildings in DC may have to change in order to become more
bird-friendly

DC Councilmembers have proposed new legislation that attempts to help stop
the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of birds in the District...The
legislation is called the Migratory Local Wildlife Protection Act of 2022.

Councilmember Cheh writes that the current untreated glass that is used in
windows, doorways, or other areas of large buildings poses a "significant
and growing risk" to wildlife.

"Each year, anywhere between 365 million and 1 billion birds in the United
States die following collisions with glass," writes Cheh. "In fact, glass
collisions are the second leading man-made cause of death for birds,"

Cheh explains that the heightened risk to the animals is due to the
transparency and reflectivity of the glass building elements, making it so
birds cannot distinguish between the horizon and a solid building.
Migratory birds flying at night may also have issues with seeing and being
attracted to lights inside these buildings.

[10]Read the Full Story

For more on Councilmember Cheh's effort to protect migratory birds, please
see [11]DCist, [12]WTOP, and [13]Fox5.

Ward 3 Community Corner

The High Rise Survey - The Forest Hills Connection has launched a community
survey for the purpose of collecting information on DC apartment buildings
and landlords. How well do the owners and managers perform on building
maintenance, safety and security, noise and trash? How many buildings have
tenants associations?
* [14]Click here to share your input!

Community Conversation with the Humane Rescue Alliance - Join the Humane
Rescue Alliance (HRA) on Thursday, March 31st at noon for a virtual
discussion on the Animal Care and Control Omnibus Amendment Act, landmark
animal welfare legislation introduced by Councilmember Cheh that will
strengthen the District's animal cruelty laws, promote adoption of animals,
and enhance HRA's ability to protect vulnerable animals from harm.
* Click [15]here to RSVP for the free virtual event!

Return of the Walk to End Homelessness - Friendship Place has announced the
return of the in-person Friendship Place Walk to End Homelessness! The
event will be held on April 30th on the National Mall. To sign-up as an
individual, start a walking team, or to join an existing team, please go to
[16]Friendship Walks.

The Ward 3 ANC Redistricting Task Force's Final Recommendations

The final ANC Boundary Redistricting Task Force meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday (tonight), March 29th at 7:30 pm.

At that meeting, the Task Force will present its final Recommendations
Report. As with all all previous meetings it is open to the public via Zoom
at [17]this link. Recordings of the discussion are also made available the
morning following each meeting.

To explore the Task Force's proposed boundary map, online resources,
previous meeting notes, and summary materials, please see: [18]The Ward 3
Redistricting Task Force.

Calling All Master (And Aspiring) Gardeners!

[19]

Click Here to Volunteer!

Fort Totten Drop-Off is Temporarily Changing

April 2nd is Last Day for Fort Totten Drop-Offs - The Department of Public
Works has received a stormwater management grant to improve the state of
stormwater runoff generated at the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station. Due
to these required renovations, the Fort Totten Transfer Station will be
closed for residential drop-offs from April 3rd through the Fall of 2022.

Fort Totten's operations will shift to the Benning Road Transfer Station
(located at 3200 Benning Road, NE) beginning on April 6th:
* Bulk and residential drop-off will take place Wednesday through Friday
from 10 am until 2 pm
* Household Hazardous Waste drop-off will continue on Saturdays from 7 am
until 2 pm
* Shredding will take place on the first Saturday of every month from 7
am until 2 pm

For more information, please see: [20]Changes Coming to Fort Totten.

Resident Resource: The DCRA Contractor Rating System

[21]

Owning a home requires maintenance, repairs and renovations, but how do you
know if you are hiring the best contractor to do the job? To help District
residents and businesses hire contractors and building professionals with
more confidence, the DC Regulatory Authority launched the [22]DCRA
Contractor Rating System that uses objective data to assign a rating of
between one and five stars to licensed building professionals doing
business in the District. Armed with this information, consumers can hire
experienced, licensed professionals with proven track records, thus
preventing the pain and hassle of dealing with a bad contractor.

[23]Use the Contrator Rating System

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Celebrating 50 Years of Giant Pandas at the National Zoo!

[24]

A Conservation Success Story - Celebrate 50 years of giant pandas at the
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute! Special
events will take place [25]onsite at the Zoo and online through August
27th. Visitors can enjoy live dance and musical performances, documentary
screenings, special giant panda enrichment and more. Many local businesses
are also offering “Panda Specials” that range from themed treats to
discounts on food, drinks and merchandise.

The following Woodley Park businesses are participating in the Panda
celebration by providing 10% discounts to public Zoo visitors, and 15%
discounts to Zoo members and staff (when you show your Zoo ticket or
badge):
* Duke's Counter
* FroZenYo
* Baked By Yael
* LiLLies Restaurant & Bar
* Taco City DC
* District Kitchen
* Naanwise
* Eddie's Cafe Chinese Cuisine
* India Art & Crafts
* New Heights Restaurant
* Han Palace

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via [26]email or phone through our main line
at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent
services requests.

[27]Facebook [28]Twitter [29]marycheh.com

FOLLOW MARY

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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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