Neighbors,
Even as we continue to practice necessary social distancing in
order to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the needs for ourselves
and our families continue. The public health emergency has
obviously had a brutal impact on our entire economy, importantly, including
our local small businesses.
From the Council's first legislative response to COVID-19, I have
been focused on helping residents make it through the pandemic
safely and with their health. Small businesses are not just a
critical part of the District's culture and fabric, they employ our
people and they are more likely to spend their dollars within our
community.
I've been highlighting essential Ward 5 small businesses that are
open during the health emergency and I encourage you to support
them as well. Stay in shape with during the pandemic with Wired Cycling Fitness Studio, Bourne 2 Fly Fitness Studio, or Fitness Snob Studio. Pick up a cup
of coffee at Creative Grounds on North Capital
St and Seaton Pl NW or stop by Tastemakers in Brookland for some
contact-free goodies from Captain Cookie, Bullfrog Bagels, or OMG
Latin Flavors.
Ward 5 Main Street organizations also have directories of local
businesses that are open in Brookland, Rhode Island Avenue NE, and
Bladendsburg Road NE as well as North Capital Street. Support our
local economy and shop local!
In service,
Kenyan
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In this
issue of the Ward 5 Report:
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Three Ways to
Engage with the Council on the Budget
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Next week,
the Council will receive a draft budget from the Mayor and begin
holding Budget Oversight Hearings. For obvious reasons, this budget
process will not be like other years. Council committees are each
taking written testimony as well as allowing residents to call a
phone line and leave testimony, which will be transcribed and
included in the official record. Additionally, there will be
limited opportunities to testify before committee hearings held via
videoconference. Check the Council website for the full
schedule of hearings and additional details for
each committee.
The Council Committee on Business
and Economic Development, chaired by Councilmember McDuffie, will
receive input from the public through multiple channels:
Written Testimony:
- Written Testimony
shall be submitted by emailing the document to BusinessEconomicDevelopment@dccouncil.us.
- Written testimony
must be submitted as instructed above by June 3, 2020, 5:00
pm, to be included in the record.
- Public witness
testimony will not be accepted after that date.
Transcribed
Oral Testimony:
- Call (202)
430-5122.
- When prompted,
ready your testimony (speak slowly and clearly).
- You may provide up
to three minutes of testimony.
- Your testimony will
be transcribed and made a part of the record.
- At the beginning of
the message please state your name, spell your name, the
agency you are testifying on, provide the name of the
organization you are representing (if any), and then begin
your testimony.
Live
testimony via videoconference hearing:
- The hearing will
take place via Zoom on Tuesday, June 16 from 9:00 am – Noon.
As with all Council hearings, it will be streamed live on the
Council website and broadcast on DC cable channel 13.
- Public witnesses
are required to complete the witness form linked from here. The form to sign up
for the virtual hearing will open on June 10, 2020, at 9:00 am
and close on June 12, 2020, at 5:00 pm.
- Participation in
the virtual hearing is limited, and participants will be
selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Each public
witness will receive a maximum of three minutes to testify,
and each organization is limited to one testimony at the
virtual hearing.
- Witnesses that
completed the form on May 11-12 will carry over to the new
witness list.
- Public witnesses
selected to participate in the virtual hearing will receive
additional instructions from the Committee on Business and
Economic Development.
- These hearings are
official proceedings of the Council of the District of
Columbia, and public witnesses who will appear live in a
virtual hearing must conduct themselves respectfully and are
subject to removal for using profane, indecent, or abusive
language or images.
- All public
witnesses are encouraged to submit written testimony in
advance of the hearing. Written
Testimony can be submitted by emailing the document to BusinessEconomicDevelopment@dccouncil.us.
- Written testimony
must be submitted as instructed above by June 3, 2020, 5:00
p.m., to be included in the record.
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The Ward 5
Office is Open and Teleworking
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Throughout the
public health emergency, Councilmember McDuffie and staff are
teleworking and remain hard at work on behalf of Ward 5
residents. You can still call (202) 724-8028 or email any staff.
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Team
McDuffie joined ANC Commissioner Pierre Hines (ANC 5C03) in
delivering masks, gloves, and hot meals to seniors in Ft. Lincoln.
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Do You Have
Spingarn Photos or Memories to Share?
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Pre-Order the
Book Written by Brookland Middle School Students
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A group of
Brookland Middle School are publishing a book, We Matter: Notes from
DC's Generation Z. Pre-order the book today for only $15 by
clicking here. The book description reads: From go-go
dancing and Mumbo sauce to gentrification, education equality, and
environmental concerns, this collection explores what matters to
this generation of new authors and offers key perspective into what
DC is really like from their point of view.
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Open Space Design
for the New York and Florida Ave NE Intersection Project - May 18
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Lamond-Riggs
Library Meeting - May 20
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Join your
friends and neighbors on Wednesday, May 20, at 6 pm for a virtual
community meeting about the Lamond-Riggs Library project. The
design team will:
- Share final designs
for the new library
- Provide a project
timeline
- Talk about what to
expect during construction
- Gather community
feedback and answer questions
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DC Water Northeast
Boundary Tunnel Forum - May 21
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- Bryant Street APA
& New LeDroit Park APA
- Construction Site
Updates
- First Street NW
Pumping Station
- T Street NW
- Florida Avenue NW
- R Street NW
- Main Street Update
- Questions and
Answers
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Vote by Mail in
the June Primary
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For the
2020 Primary Election, voting by mail is strongly encouraged. To vote by
mail, you must submit a request to do so before the deadline on May 26. Voters
can request a ballot several ways:
For
someone looking to download the request form, even though the
instructions for the form indicate you must print and sign, you do
not have to do so. If you’re unable to print, sign, and scan the
form, save the completed form as a pdf and email it to DCabsentee@dcboe.org. The
Board will accept unsigned request forms (however, the board will
not accept unsigned ballots).
Voters can check the status of their ballot
request forms and ballots using the Board’s tracker.
If voters do choose to vote in person, the Board is prepared to
safely receive them at any of the 20 Vote Centers, regardless of
their residence. Voters who choose to vote in person must wear
masks and socially distance. Voters who choose to vote in person
are strongly encouraged to use early voting, rather than on
Election Day. Vote Centers will be open for the Primary Election
from May 22 through June 2, except on May 25 for Memorial Day. On
Election Day, they’re open 7 am – 8 pm, and for all other early
voting days from 8:30 am – 7 pm. This means on Election Day June 2, there
will only be two polling places open in Ward 5.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than Election Day but
can be received at the Board’s offices no later than June 9. If a
voter received a mail-in ballot but didn’t put their ballot in the
mail, you can also drop off your ballot at any Vote Center.
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