some Truxton Circle/Bates residents ticked off about blacktopped parking lot that just appeared on the CAPCS school site at 1st & P Street NW

See this message lifted from the blog of the Bates Area Civic Association (BACA):
 

 

finished parking lot at CAPCS, 1st & P Street NW

 

Councilmemberand Mayor’s Office Invited to Next BACA Meeting

Posted on August 23, 2013               by mrgeovani      

As both the Mayor’s Office and the Councilmember have not responded to community requests for assistance, a formal invitation was issued to the September 9 BACA meeting.

Email Invitation:

From: Geovani A Bonilla [mailto:gbonilla @ hospicemanagement.com]

Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 7:15 PM
To: ‘McDuffie, Kenyan (Council)’; eom @ dc.gov; Marchim.williams  dc.gov
Cc: ‘Mandel, Jon (Council)’; Bradley Thomas; Christa Fields; David Hall; Harold Gist; Jason Miccolo Johnson; miles holloman; thomkyle @ gmail.com
Subject: Invitation to Speak with Bates Area Civic Association on Monday, Sept. 9, 2013

Dear Council Member McDuffie and Office of Mayor Vincent Gray,

As our elected officials sworn to protect the rights and wellbeing of the residents of the District of Columbia, I am extending you an invitation to please meet with the Bates Area Civic Association and its members on Monday, September 9, 2013 at 7pm. The meeting takes place at Mt.Sinai Baptist Church at the corner of 3rd and Q St NW.

The focus of the topic is how Community Academy of Public Charter Schools (CAPS) was able to build a parking lot for over 140 vehicles overnight without any oversight, inspection, permits, environment impact study, community input, ANC vote, and permits in what is designated a high floodplane zone. With the floods Truxton Circle and Bloomingdale are experiencing, it is amazing the District Government would allow for thousands of square feet of land to cover covered with concrete.

What is more amazing is that all DC Government Agencies, including your own have not responded to community concerns about this issue. District Government Agencies that oversee construction permits and environmental issues (DCRA and DDOE) have stated that they do not conduct these types of inspection. I find that DCRA does not oversee construction of such a parking lot, given that if a citizen tried to build a deck without a permit, DCRA would waste no time issuing a fine and stop work order.

We are reaching out to you once more for your assistance and having the proper oversight, investigation and actions taken to address the environmental and flood hazard this construction has created. I understand the owner and Founder of the CAPCS Schools has a lot of political influence and power, however I trust that you will work with your constituents to find a solution.

Regards,

Geovani A. Bonilla

Bates Area Civic Association