Oh, there we go.

Good morning.

I am Ward for Councilmember Janice Lewis George.

I am chair of the Committee on Facilities.

It is 11 a.m.

on Monday, March 27, 2026.

And we are holding this budget oversight hearing for the Department of General Services and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Today we'll be hearing from public witnesses only, and government witnesses will testify and answer questions during another portion of this hearing on Thursday, May 7th.

This hearing is also being broadcast live on the council's website as well as genieswort4.com backslash live.

Here are some brief reminders for witnesses who are participating virtually.

All witnesses participating in the Zoom webinar are currently listed as attendees.

When it is your time to testify, we will promote you as a panelist.

Please uh select the button to be able to uh come on as a panelist.

Um and we would ask that you activate your video while you testify.

Um and to do that, you got to click the button at the toolbar at the bottom of your screen that looks like a camera.

If you have any technical issues during the hearing, please notify the stack committee staff either the V via the QA function on Zoom or by sending an email to facilities at DC Council.gov.

If you have any technical issues during the hearing, please uh let us know as quickly as possible.

We will be monitoring throughout.

Um, public witnesses from bona fide organizations will be given five minutes to testify.

Public witnesses from those same from the same organization will be given three minutes to testify.

All other public witnesses will be given three minutes.

When your time is up, I exit you please conclude your remarks so that we can stay on schedule.

If you are ANC commissioner, please identify yourself as ANC commissioner so we make sure you have the right and correct allotment of time.

Um I ask uh witnesses uh if you don't mind to share pronouns if you're comfortable doing so before you begin your testimony.

So my colleagues and I do not misidentify you.

It is not our intent to offend anyone, and so if you could let us know beforehand, we would really appreciate that so we can uh make sure we do that correctly.

Um all testimony and pre-hearing documents that have been submitted are available now on the council's hearing management system.

I always encourage the public to look at those documents.

Um it has the answers to all the questions we asked the agency and all of their responses, and you can find a lot of good stuff there.

Um and it's helpful for us when you look through it too, so you can verify that those answers we got back from the agencies match your lived experience and what you're seeing on the ground.

Um witnesses are reminded to also submit your written copy of your testimony for the record by either uploading it to the uh council's hearing management system or emailing it to facilities at DC Council.gov, and then we will upload it uh to the hearing management system.

The record for this hearing closes on 5 p.m.

on Monday, May 11th.

Again, uh Monday, May 11th on 5 p.m.

However, remember the government uh witnesses are coming on May 7th, and we're gonna have a conversation.

So if you can get everything into us by May 7th, we would appreciate it because we use that testimony to ask questions of our government witnesses.

So the deadline is May 11th, the preference is May 7th, or May 6th, so that the night before he has time to actually do the work.

All right.

I am going to save my opening for government witnesses so that we can get right to the testimony of many of our public witnesses.

Um both DPR and DGS are currently listening in and watching uh live as well.

Um, given the large number of witnesses, I may not ask every witness or panel questions, um, but I encourage everyone to highlight what specific information you'd like DGS and DPR to know today, and what information you'd like DGS and DPR to be ready to share during their their hearing testimony on May 7th.

Okay.

Um with that, uh, I don't see any of my colleagues currently present.

I know a few of them said they were going to hop in uh later on.

And so with that, we're gonna begin with our first panel of witnesses.

Uh and if I mispronounce your name, please just let me know and charge it to um charge it not to my heart.

Uh Joshua McComas, public witness, Teresa Ann Smith, uh George Georgia Murphy, Alanor Westrum, uh, and Amira Bun.

And if you were in person, just please come have a seat at whichever uh seat is available.

And don't forget to turn on your microphones.

In this instance, red actually means go.

Joshua, I see you online.

You are first up, and we can see you.

So thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Morning, Councilmember.

My name is Josh McComas He Him, and I am the managing director of operations at Lee Monitory Public Charter School.

We operate two campuses, one in Ward 5 and one in Ward 8, serving nearly 600 students.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I want to share about the recent facilities upgrades we've made at our campus in Ward 8 in the Fairlawn neighborhood.

Over the last five years, we've invested in purchasing our existing building, expanding by adding nine additional classrooms, and building a new playground on a previously underutilized portion of the property.

All these upgrades have given us amazing new opportunities to serve even more students, and our growing enrollment every year is a testament to the importance of this investment.

However, funding for this past work and future work that we're still planning is almost entirely out of our per pupil funding and facilities dollars.

As a public charter school, we don't have a separate capital expenses budget, which means we have to be meticulous about our spending.

And we are.

All our recent capital facilities projects have been on budget, and both campus buildings have achieved lead gold status, demonstrating our commitment to energy efficiency.

Because of the facilities funding gap that already exists between charters and DC public schools, we have to be meticulous with our spending.

We don't get to have it all.

We regularly have to choose between facilities upgrades and teaching staff because our allowance from the UPS FF is not enough to cover all of it.

But that's not a trade-off we should have to make.

Unfortunately, the mayor's FY27 budget proposal does not address the trade-off.

It exacerbates it.

By simultaneously freezing the planned 3.1% facilities allotment increase and offloading all DC public schools utility costs to the Department of General Services.

This budget proposal will create an even wider gap between what DCPS receives and what public charter schools receive.

I urge the council to reject the proposal to move DCPS costs into the DGS budget, allowing their dollars to go further, and restore that funding to the formula so that it reaches all public school students equitably.

Additionally, I ask the council to change the budget support act provision, freezing charter facilities allotment through FY2030 and restore the annual 3.1% increase.

Help us serve our families, students, and educators well by giving us a fair chance to have the same high-quality facilities and well-paid educators that other schools across the city already have access to.

Thank you for your time today.

I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you so much.

Next we will hear from Teresa Ann Smith.

Greetings.

I'm Teresa Ann King Smith.

I do use my maiden name and she award eight residents since 1966, probably more years than you've been on this earth.

I've participated in many community organizations, including Senior Wellness Centers, especially Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, as well as DC Cameo Club 2021 runner up for Miss Senior DC, Friendship Bench, and many others.

What I would like to speak with you about today, Madam Chairman, and per our conversation on April 12th, are some of the areas that are important to seniors, especially in the wellness center and Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center.

I want you to know that we help DGS, Department of General Services budget by doing little small things around the center, as well as things in the community.

We volunteer in the community senior wellness centers.

We teach, we do uh mural of things.

We help in daycare centers, schools.

So we want you to help us help you help us.

And by this, I mean doing these following small things for Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center.

First, the security door.

Do you know our security door has not been uh fixed in over three months?

People can walk in or walk out, except that we have security staffs.

Second, we have a broken window.

During the sub zero weather, we had a lot of people get codes, et cetera.

That's a windowpane.

We can actually just collect money and have it done, but I don't think that's proper.

88 toilet seats.

Do you know it's the same size as some of the daycare centers, and we're getting older, it's harder to stoop that low.

Gym equipment.

A few years ago, Elasta Judt Sutton Jr.

demonstrated to the council how he could actually walk after using the gym and facilities.

Please note William Richie and staff completed the correct forms.

And we did give this information to um councilwoman bonds at the DACL performance hearing.

I want you to know that it's needed.

And it's been a long long time coming, but I know this change needs to come.

And for all the councilmen that are listening, we're our councilman that.

We're councilman that right now.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Um we'll have some questions for you.

Um next, uh, we'll have Georgia Murphy.

Hello, Councilmember Member Lewis George and Chairperson on Committee for Facilities.

Uh my high school is often recognized as one of the most academically rigorous and prestigious high schools in the DC area.

My name is Georgia Murphy, and I am a senior at school without Walls High School.

I'm here to speak with you about the long-standing and pervasive issue of our school's HVAC system.

We are ranked the 69th public high school in the country by U.S.

news.

For many reasons, I'm incredibly proud to attend walls for its reputation.

When Mayor Miral Bowser came to our school to congratulate us on our recent U.S.

news ranking, she noted that our school is beautiful.

The entire assembly silenced when Mayor Bowser told us this because we know the poor state of our school building.

From my entire high school experience, the classrooms have been unregulated in temperature, stuffy, and generally uncomfortable.

Rooms are either often either blistering blisteringly hot or intensely cold.

Over the fall, the poor regulation led to black mold growth in the choir room, only addressed multiple weeks after the issue had been discovered.

The atmosphere the atmosphere at school without walls is not only unpleasant but dangerous for student learning.

It is absolutely unacceptable for students to be living in those conditions.

There is simply a lack of urgency and concern for something that has been happening longer than I've been a high school student.

The city needs to take more stake and interest in the funding of its public school system.

Schools need to be provided the resources to deal with complications like these in a timely manner.

There are already some steps being taken to address this this issue by Wells administration, but they need support from the government at large.

This issue was not solved in my time as a DCPS student, but it is absolutely inadmissible for seniors next year to say the same.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will hear from Amira.

Oh, Eleanor Weststrom, sorry.

Hello, Councilmember Janice Lewis George and Chairperson Committee on Facilities.

My name is Eleanor Westrum, and I am a current senior at School Without Walls High School.

I've attended WALS for the past four years, and over the past four years, I have rarely felt physically comfortable in my classrooms due to the poorly regulated temperatures.

Classrooms are constantly too cold or too hot due to our broken HVAC system.

These conditions make learning frequently challenging as I'm more concerned with my physical discomfort than the content being shared in class.

Over the winter, I, along with other students, wear heavy-duty winter jackets inside and occasionally add on gloves and a hat.

Further, on more than one occasion, my lips have begun to turn blue due to the frigid temperatures of the classrooms, and I know I'm not alone in this.

This is an issue.

No student should be so physically uncomfortable that their health is at risk and their learning is inhibited.

As the 69th ranked high school in the entire country, I'm disappointed that there's a lack of attention given to our facilities.

We're constantly praised for our academics and even told our facilities are lovely, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser.

How can a school without a gym, without an auditorium, without a field, and without a functioning HVAC system be considered lovely?

We're supposed to be known for not having walls.

Further, the facilities that we do have are not up to standard.

Beyond the broken HVAC system, which has resulted in supposedly temporary window units, the black Moldener music room and gas leaks should also be noted.

No student should come to school worried about their comfort and health.

No student should have to advocate for years for change to be made.

And that's why I urge you to please ensure that the school without Walls High School receives adequate funding for the 2026 to 2027 school year to get a new functional HVAC system and ensure the process is seen through this summer so that not another school year is not hindered by a broken HVAC system.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And now we will hear from Amira Bun.

Amir, are you one of our youth mayors?

Am I correct?

Yes, ma'am, but I technically can't say that since it's a government thing.

So I'm here at school without one student.

I can say that.

Oh, okay, okay.

Good morning, chairperson.

Imagine trying to focus on a test while sweating through your clothes in a classroom that feels hotter than outside, or sitting in the cold, unable to fill your hands as you try to take notes.

For students at school without walls, this is not an occasional inconvenience.

It is a daily reality.

My name is Amir Bunn, and I'm a senior at school without laws.

I'm here today to speak on an issue that directly impacts students' ability to learn.

The lack of reliable functioning HVAC system in our school building.

Heating ventilation and air conditioning is not a luxury.

It is a basic condition for a safe and effective learning environment.

This issue is not new.

For years, students at school without walls experienced recent repeated disruptions to their academic due to extreme classroom temperatures.

HVAC systems create a feeling of inconsistency in a building that is supposed to be a student's consistent environment filled with educational resources and support.

This year the situation has gotten worse.

It was treated as another inconsistency we had to adjust to.

It didn't seem urgent until we were forced to evacuate the building in the middle of the school day due to a gas leak.

According to district reports, dozens of schools have faced closures or early dismissals in recent years due to HVAC failures.

I believe change is possible.

We already have the awareness, the data, and the voices of students and educators calling for action.

We have leaders in this room who I hope understand the important importance of educational equity.

Every student in Washington, DC deserves to learn in a classroom that is safe, comfortable, and conductive to success.

A functioning HVAC system should be the standard, not suit not something students have to advocate for year after year.

So today I'm calling for two things.

First, we need a clear commitment in this budget cycle to fund the replacement and repair of HVAC systems in school without walls and DC public schools.

Second, we need accountability, a design authority or oversight mechanism to ensure these projects are completed efficiently with transparency and urgency.

We need a champion with authority to make this happen to ensure that the proper checks and balances are in place.

As Camp Council members, you work in a building that are consistently comfortable and fully functioning, and all students deserve that same basic standard.

It should not take years of advocacy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

All right, Sean.

Are we going to show you?

That's it.

That's it.

Okay, great.

Okay.

Thank you so much to this panel of witnesses.

Um, Joshua, thank you so much for your testimony.

I know some of your charter colleagues will also be testifying on this same issue.

Um, and I'll be speaking with the chairman and the committee on the whole about the impacts of the proposed changes and funding and the budget support act and how it'll impact charters this year and in the out years as well, which is also pretty concerning overall.

Um so I don't have any questions for you, um, but I will be following up with um you and and many of the advocates around what a solution is that I'm working on coming up with with Chairman Mendelssohn.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, Miss Teresa, thank you so much for highlighting the ongoing facilities issues at Congress Heights.

Um, my first question is this is the security door uh is that's that's the front door of the facility.

Yes.

Okay.

And it's switched to open.

So we have a security guard there and usually a staff around and make sure that no one comes in that will harm us.

And does it have an uh automatic component to it?

Meaning can people press the button and it opens that's broken too.

That's broken as well.

I was that's why I was trying to get a sense of okay.

So it is it is a secure it's a security door, it also has it's it has an ADA function.

Uh and that 88 function is broken.

Yes.

Okay, got you.

And then the ADA total ill issues are self-explanatory, so we'll get ODR, our Office of Disability Rights out there as quickly as possible to just assess that as well.

Um The broken window and the broken window.

They told me uh we have assembly next Wednesday, and one of the ladies said maybe we should take up a collection.

I said, no, no, I'm going to see council person uh little.

What when it what day is the assembly?

Uh next Wednesday.

Next Wednesday, okay.

At 10 a.m.

Uh yes.

And whenever you come, I will make sure that you get in and out or DGS.

You know, actually, when I first became physical chair, we visited Congress Heights Senior Center.

Was that the last time I was there?

Was 2023 was the last time I was there.

So I I owe you, I owe coming back in in general.

I appreciate that.

And then so we're gonna get office disability rights on two of those things, and then I'm gonna work with DGS to try to see if we can get the window replaced in time before the assembly.

That would be fantastic.

Um then what was my other question for you?

The gym equipment.

Mr.

Sutton is actually in the next room in the DACO hearing, but he he's using a walker now.

At first, he was in a wheelchair for uh long period of time, and between the instructors and the equipment, he moved from uh wheelchair to another type of wheelchair to a walker, and he started using a cane, but things were breaking down, so he couldn't keep the progression going.

Gotcha though.

Okay.

We'll reach out.

We we're having a persistent issue with gym equipment across the senior centers.

Uh so it sounds like this is another one where we're having that same uh issue.

Okay, well, let me get my boots on the ground.

Thank you.

Um and uh get over there and figure out what we can do.

And and um I know DGS is listening in, so we'll work together to try to bring some resolution quickly to these items, and then I'm also tagging it for the Office of Disability Rights because at the end of the day, these are ADA violations, the American with Disabilities Act violations, and so therefore they have to be addressed with urgency.

One of the things we did as a facilities is create a new work order that actually can identify something as ADA, which is supposed to move you up the list to a priority high priority work order because of the fact that it has legal ramifications.

So let's see if we can uh make sure it's tagged as such so that ODR and and BGS can work together to fix it.

And I commend you on that you mentioned it before, but I'm happy that you mentioned it again so that it's on the record and in the record, and so that the other council persons that's listening will be um totally aware that we're voting.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Um my fellow School Without Walls penguins, thank you all for being here as a fellow penguin.

I'm always proud to see us continuing in our um legacy of of standing up and and advocating for our communities and ourselves.

Um I you know always say students shouldn't have to spend time as advocating for basic facility needs.

Um I had one of my former teachers reach out, uh, who also um Mr.

Ackerman.

Mr.

LC.

Mr.

Ackerman is not getting in trouble.

They don't know what Ms.

Ackerman.

Mr.

Ackerman did reach out um to me, who was my you my history teacher as well about the persistent issues that are happening.

It sounds like the issue the HVAC issue within school without walls is like a very like a systemic issue, like building a building-wide issue.

Yes, so it's the issue between the new building and the old building HVAC system, and that's where the inconsistencies on the third floor versus the basement show up.

So, yeah.

Okay, that's what I was wondering.

And what if what of any information have the teachers been told or you all have been told about sort of HVAC, the HVAC maintenance issues?

There hasn't been much.

Um, when there was the issue of like the top floor being out of power and like not having any HVAC, it was just being told that um fans and um window units were being brought in.

Um, but that's about it.

Um we always see people or like people in our building coming to work on something, but there's never anything effectively done in my opinion.

Okay.

I don't know if they can say the same.

Yeah, about a month ago, I saw two gentlemen coming in, um, and they were just sort of looking at the ceiling and kind of like assessing the situation.

So it doesn't seem like there's any active maintenance happening, it's more like maybe planning something.

Um yeah.

Yeah, and not to like say anything about our administration, but I know through DCPS there is limited things that they can tell us.

So we don't know much until maybe a couple days after.

So like the gas leak happened and we were evacuated, but our parents weren't notified until like the week after like if you knew about the black mold, it wasn't an email sent out.

So it was something that like people who knew in the class knew, but that was it.

Yeah, where was the black mold located?

That's what I'm going to ask.

In the you know walls.

Um you know where the cafeteria is.

The room directly to the left.

Yeah, so it's mainly the choir room and music room that we use it for, but there are other classes in there.

Um I know my choir director like said that he was sick after knowing it.

Oh, okay.

Okay.

Oh that he was sick after knowing, uh, after like feeling, or he was starting to feel sick, and that's when the discovery of the mole happened.

Um we were told multiple times that like it wasn't black mold, but I it was never any confirmation of what it was.

So I could also add that I think that teachers are generally not totally sure of the status of things.

Um the communication issues, I think also there's lack of communication between even administration and teachers.

Um, for example, when we were evacuated for the gas leak, there were a lot of teachers that were also unsure as to what was happening um and are still just telling students in regards to the HVAC system that it's like a work in progress and they're working on it.

Gotcha.

Um, yeah.

Okay.

And then I'm gonna look, I want you all to know.

We when I first became facility chair, we created something that was called the HVAC watch list.

Um, and I want you all to um also I was gonna say I want I'm I'm gonna go in here and look in a second to see where where school without walls is on the HVAC watch list, but um if it's not there, we'll we'll take a look, but I want you all to remember that because they're supposed to have it updated um because that's a public dashboard where students are supposed to be able to get the transparency they need around their HVAC.

So it's on DGS's website.

Um I'm checking, we're checking now.

We don't see you all.

I don't think that's something that our school was aware of.

Even like even Mr.

Ackerman and Elsa, if they were like we've had so many people make surveys or um talk out about this.

So I'm glad you told us about that.

We'll talk and put implement that into our school and surveys so we can have those things up there and recorded.

I do not see you all on the HVAC list, not the red, yellow, or the green.

So that is an issue.

So we're gonna figure out with DGS where you all actually are, because right now your system is not appearing on that list, which means it's not currently on the radar for um some fixes, which means you'll have continued HVAC concerns.

So we have three tiers is red, yellow, and green, and red is like it's a major disruption, and yellow is there it's impacting the school, but not fully and it'll be monitored and green is just random, you know, just some concerns are there in like less than five spaces around the school.

So you should at least be on one of showing up on one of these lists.

So we'll reach out to we'll impact with DGS to figure out what's going on.

But it sounds like probably between the modernization of the school when they did the new and the old, there was something that wasn't connected there, and so we need to figure out what would actually happen and what the systemic fixes overall to fix that and bring those the two buildings into um together.

Thank you so much.

We'll we'll spread that about the HVAC watch list.

Thank you.

Thank you guys so much for advocating.

Thank you.

Thank you for being a youth mayor and for your service and um as you and I guess your term is ending upon graduation.

Yes, ma'am.

Well, it ends at the end of the summer, so I have until July.

You still got some time in your term.

Okay, well, good luck in you finishing out your term as mayor.

Um, thank you all.

Where are you guys going next year for school?

Undecided.

Oh, I'm going to Ohio State.

Ohio.

Going to University of Virginia.

Okay.

And uh called to have that.

Okay, you want to dackle?

Yes.

All right.

You hold it down there.

Thank you.

I'm going to University of Michigan.

Nice.

All right.

Good luck, y'all.

All right, bye.

All right.

We're gonna have our next panel of witnesses.

Sabrina Rhodes, community organizer in Power DC, Sean Taylor, Leah Lake, Alan McCarthy, Salim Adofu, Adopho Colleen Hawkinson.

I can bring Eric up.

Um, Eric Goulet, Ward 3 representative, DC State Board of Education.

And Shaira Davidson.

Commissioner ANC 1A.

Great.

Thank you.

All right, Sabrina.

Good to see you.

I appreciate you all you always testify, and I really appreciate that.

You always show up for empower.

So good to see you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning, Chair Janice Lewis George, Council members, staff and witnesses.

Again, my name is Sabrina Rose, and I'm speaking as a resident and a community organizer with Empower DC.

And as someone who spends real time in a community with families and young people.

Including one of my young neighbors who just graduated high school last year.

Even as numbers shift, families across the cities are still grieving.

At the same time, we are cutting or underfunding the very things that help keep young people safe.

We're talking about reductions to school recreations and critical services through agencies like the DC Department of Behavioral Health and the DC Department of Human Services, systems that families rely on every day.

And then we're offering curfews as a solution.

That's another another thing that I want to address at another time.

But the juvenile car curfew is not working.

And because a curfew doesn't address why young people are outside in the first place, it doesn't create safe spaces.

It doesn't build trust and it doesn't deal with the trauma trauma our young people are carrying.

What I'm seeing, and what many of us are seeing is young people outside, not because they want trouble, but because there's nothing consistently pulling them in.

The design was has won the award from the American Society of Landscape Architects in New York and the Potomac Chapter and the Potomac Chapter, and it's getting noticed throughout the East Coast.

But we can't implement anything without the transfer.

So it's just a design on paper, instead of it being a scientific scientific open green space and uh used as mitigation of flooding heat, air pollution, and karma area.

This is a two million dollar project, which some of the projects can be implemented now by applying for grants with the help of Trust for Public Land and Howard University.

We are ready, but the park, which has no housing on it, is under the housing authority.

It needs to be transferred as soon as possible.

So while Pramel is getting renovated, we can work on the design of the Lewis Crow Park.

This is an opportunity to expand STEAM, STEM and Arts and Humanities programs.

So young people have outlets to create and grow.

And with that, when that's the mindset, we shouldn't be surprised at what we say in.

Well, we could change that.

Um, if we show up for them, invest in them and create real opportunities, they will respond.

So the question is, are we ready to create something better?

Thank you for allowing me to testify, and I'll be here for questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um next, we will hear from Leah Lake.

Great.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chair, Lewis George, and the committee.

My name is Leah Lake.

She they pronouns.

I'm award one Columbia Heights resident, testifying in my volunteer capacity as a community organizer with DC Community Wealth Builders.

And thank you again for this space to speak today.

Uh DC Community Wealth Builders is a community effort to equitably collectivize DC's wealth and put that wealth to work for the betterment of the district as a whole.

Uh today, my ask is that the FY27 budget include fiscal support needed to create a DC land bank.

To make that DC land bank a reality, I'm specifically asking that the Department of Government Services budget include the funds necessary to support an additional full-time employee tasked with updating the numbers and analytics from the district's previous land bank study.

Relatedly, I'm also asking for an enabling budget support act subtitled to remove legal barriers so that the mayor can move this idea forward, which would empower this employee at DGS to collaborate with other agencies to make a phase-in plan that includes answers to any open questions around the development of options for government governance mandates and necessary legislative changes to make the land bank operational.

A DC land bank would serve as a transparent container for our land-based assets and city-owned wealth.

Initially, assets of this sort would include vacant city-owned land and tax liens, and could eventually expand to include city purchases such as land acquisitions from the federal government.

Currently, DC has over a billion dollars of vacant properties as well as tax liens on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of properties.

A DC land bank would facilitate easier transitions of these assets into productive use for community development needs, temporary outreach activations, grocery stores east of the river, and more housing.

Importantly, with the streamlined asset disposition process that a land bank would provide, these land-based community improvement projects will transfer onto the DC local local DC tax rules quicker without the waste of political corruption enabled by privatized processes.

Ultimately, I want to see our district government get creative in collaboration across departments.

So I will highlight that the most transformative local infrastructure improvements would be a combined implementation of a DC land bank as I've described today, along with a public bank that would have the power to leverage our massive cash reserves.

I lost my spot.

Just a second.

So that's related to the public bank component.

Um closing, part of protecting and expanding DC home rule is asserting our rights to steward our land as would best serve our residents and community ecosystem.

Therefore, I ask that the Department of Government Services budget include funds necessary to support an additional full-time employee to update the previous land bank study and support administrative changes needed to create both a DC land bank and a DC public bank.

Thank you for your time, attention, and consideration today.

Thank you.

Next, we will hear from Commissioner Selima Dofo.

Okay.

All right.

Next we will hear from Eric Olay, our Ward 3 State Representative on the DC State Board of Education.

Uh, good morning, uh Representative Gulet.

Good morning.

I'm just having trouble getting off uh mute here one second.

Can you hear me, Councilmember?

Yes, I can hear and see you.

Okay.

And my apologies.

Uh I've had some uh computer issues my hard drive uh which was only a four year old hard drive crashed and it's trying to be rebooted.

So I will submit my written testimony as soon as that gets fixed.

So I apologize that I didn't submit that before the hearing.

So uh I'll start my testimony here just uh wanted to say good morning uh councilmember Lewis George and Council staff my name is Eric Oulet Ward 3 representative for the DC State Board of Education and I'm testifying in my individual capacity today and not on behalf of the collective board as vice president of the board.

The uh two topics I would like to discuss today one affects the FY26 supplemental and the second would be for either 26 or 27 both of these issues cross over with the committee of the whole and we've spoken at the chairman's hearing on it as well.

So the first issue involves a relatively small amount of money it would be 38,000 that's needed to be able to upgrade the uh the IT equipment in the council chambers at 441 currently the situation in the fall was that uh the equipment was antiquated uh but it began failing uh during state board of education hearings and we were no longer then able to have uh virtual testimony with either the public uh or with experts across the country uh the building is owned by DGS uh Octo priced out the cost of replacing uh the IT equipment to be able to do virtual hearings at 38,000 uh DGS doesn't have the money in its budget uh so we were sent an invoice if we wanted to do the work and uh our agency uh very small agency doesn't have 38,000 dollars to do uh renovation of that sort so we've had to suspend uh any sort of virtual meetings uh which is disappointing because we do like to get experts from across the country to testify and it's been a real uh popular uh feature for the public to be able to have that so in the uh FY26 supplemental we'd respectfully ask for 38,000 dollars to be able to uh do that upgrade uh to the 441 council chamber and that will benefit the entire DC government who uses that facility not just the state board of education uh the second issue uh involves the Whittle uh school former Whittle school InLSec campus uh which is right next to UDC uh this campus presents a once in a century opportunity uh to get that into the district's inventory and to use it to create a citywide resource uh for students uh particularly in their junior and senior years to connect to careers uh it's right next to the city state university it's a absolutely beautiful campus uh council member matt fruman uh myself and then our ward four representative T Michelle Colson on the State Board of Education uh just took a tour a week ago of of the facility and it would really be something that as we struggle still with issues of chronic absenteeism students maybe not knowing what their direction would be uh to create a hub of workforce development career connections on this site and I I think it would provide the spark a lot of our students need to be able to uh connect to a passion and to a career uh that allows to see themselves uh in DC uh with it uh in bankruptcy court right now and the ability of the city to buy the property I think the timing is absolutely perfect to do so I I know the city's budget is tight but if there was a way to allocate the capital funding uh either in fiscal year 26 or 27 uh to purchase this property I think it would have a variety of really productive uses uh that the city could use and would be a uh a source of inspiration for our students to connect to careers like nursing uh technology teaching uh you name it in connect in conjunction with UDC I think there's also opportunities for student housing on the site which we would really be uh useful as UDC looks to expand into uh a model that really makes our state university uh a flagship for the city and something that uh you know attracts not just students here but students from across the world to be able to come and attend our university so that concludes my written testimony uh I'll submit the written testimony later that concludes my testimony and uh I'm available to answer any questions you may have today council member thank you so much uh next we will hear from uh Commissioner Davidson A and C 1A excuse me just one moment I bring up my testimony um correct can you hear me okay yes great um thank you so much Chair Lewis George for the opportunity to testify my name is Sherry David

Uh next we will hear from uh Commissioner Davidson, ANC 1A.

All right.

Excuse me, just one moment.

I bring up my testimony.

Um you hear me okay?

Yes.

Okay, great.

Um thank you so much, Chair Lewis George, for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Shear Davidson, and I'm the advisory neighborhood commissioner for SMD 1A08 in Columbia Heights.

My testimony today is short.

I first want to express sincere gratitude for the funds that have been proposed for allocation to the Columbia Heights Mount Pleasant cluster of community parks and plazas.

Columbia Heights is among the most dense neighborhood in the district.

We are a commercial corridor featuring DC USA and one of the top ten most highly trafficked metro stations.

However, for years we've remained overlooked in budget considerations and policy implementation conversations.

Recently, the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant Vision Framework for Public Design was finally published.

The framework calls for major reinvestments in the public realm, streets, plazas, and parks to shift Columbia Heights from a place people pass through to a place people stay, gather, and thrive.

This study reinforces what those of us who live in this neighborhood already know.

Public public spaces are overcrowded but underdesigned.

People move through but often do not linger as infrastructure is highly inadequate for the current density and use.

Our public spaces are in need of investment.

Key gathering areas, including the Civic Plaza and Metro surrounding areas are in need of cleaning, redesign, and upgrading to enhance safety, comfort, and economic development.

Capital funding is needed to increase available seating, maintain waste infrastructure, upgrade insufficient public amenities, and facilitate expansion of green spaces and tree canopies in our urban heat island of Columbia Heights.

There's ample opportunity to convert excess page space into usable public realms.

As when public spaces are neglected and not maintained, surrounding businesses pay the price.

According to a MATA ridership data, our metro, Columbia Heights Metro, sees up to 11,400 people a day.

Our public spaces are used at a district-wide scale, but funded and maintained below even a neighborhood scale.

Please use this allocation of funds for community parks and plazas to put life back into our most loved spaces, such as the 14th and Gerard Street Park, which is in need of significant maintenance.

Again, I'm grateful for this allocation of funds, and I hope that in the future investments can reflect Columbia Heights as a self-sustaining, vibrant, and wholly distinct neighborhood that it is without the splitting of funds and resources between Mount Pleasant.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.

I will stand for questions at the appropriate time.

Just clarifications.

Representative Goulet.

You mentioned is it the Whittle School?

Yes, it's a former Whittle school, which was a Chinese immersion school that went bankrupt during COVID.

Also was the former Intel SAS site.

Okay, that's right.

Okay, it's the former Intel Cell site.

Okay.

Yes.

I agree with you and Councilmember Fruman and your efforts to for the city to try to do something there.

I agree we can make it good public use.

And I think it's a great opportunity for DC government to utilize it.

Um we'll see we'll need capital funding, of course, but there's more actually more room in capital funding than there is in the operating budget, as you know, as a former budget um person.

Um I had a question as far as Ward 3 schools within this DC in this budget coming up.

Um there any changes that you all are advocating for that would impact DGS's, this DGS side of the budget capital spending.

The issue that I always advocate for that I think we need is more space, particularly in our elementary schools to really achieve universal pre-K.

Right now we don't have pre-K3 anywhere in the ward, uh just due to school overcrowding.

So I think the thing I always put at the top of the list would be to try to see if we can add either an elementary school uh somewhere in the the Chevy Chase area, perhaps, or or try to add uh capacity at the Whittle site eventually if we if we move there.

Because I really want to see uh the Ward 3 schools also be able to enjoy universal pre-K, which we've you know set the goal of doing for the whole city.

So that would be the top thing I would always put on the list would be trying to address that issue.

Okay, great.

Um, thank you so much.

Thank you for your continued advocacy of Ward 3 schools and your service to uh DC schools and educators.

Well, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

No problem.

Um, Leah, I wanted to come to you.

Okay great um thank you so much thank you for your continued advocacy of Ward 3 schools and your service to uh DC schools and educators thank you for the opportunity to testify today no problem um Leah I wanted to come to you the ask is for a FTE within DGS correct okay and the role of that FTE would be to update the to update it the update on the study that was completed in February of 2020 or at least published okay and why is it important that we do have an updated version of this study uh just to get an update on the um the assets that are eligible okay you know it's been time sal uh want to get an update on uh the land assets that will be eligible for uh holding in a DC land bank uh that is the primary reason yes and how would the public bank be informed from the I guess the data in the updated land bank how would the public bank be informed yeah um well the public bank um would be informed by this employees additional role in like developing your uh phase in plan okay so with the options for government governance that I mentioned and all that yeah um does that make sense that makes sense no I appreciate it um commissioner Davidson yeah um you 14th and Gerard Park that's currently it that's currently designated as district land yes okay so this is district land that needs um additional funding support for um all the paint is peeling in the park as well there's two bathrooms that have not been maintained okay there's insufficient um shade there's a a um splash pad that is non-functioning and doesn't work um just oh and landscaping as well um which it's not been maintained so it's harboring a significant rodent infestation okay and then when you refer to plazas were there any is there any specific plazas you were noting in your area um yes civic plaza in Columbia Heights it's uh 14th in park 14th in Kenyan also has not had landscaping in a number of years it also has a splash pod that is not functional or it is being clean um maintained but needs ongoing maintenance okay while there's insufficient seating um it's not being cleaned and just generally not activated as a as a community asset okay and then the plaza around the Columbia Heights metro on both sides on both sides yeah okay thank you for the additional information and um so miss rhodes just um coming back to you um what was what were some of the things you were suggesting that we add to the funding this year for specifically added towards um youth uh yes the Lewis Crow Park here in Abbey City yes the project is two million dollars and if we can add that to the budget we can start implementation of the Abbey City resiliency strategy plan okay that the community has spent years working on that that would if we can get something now we can implement at least uh updated playground okay and some shade trees and some shade okay but it needs to be transferred over to DPR because we don't have a the the director is gone um it has to go through hood and all of that all of that process has to be done before we can do anything to the park.

Okay got you okay we'll try to get I want to get some updates and I'll talk to director freeman and everyone about sort of what that would look like for a transfer over to DPR but to try to get something as soon as possible is I I hear what you're saying is there's an urgency there.

Yes the playground is outdated we have nails sticking up through the rubber that the when the kids fall there's nails sticking up the the sliding board is metal and it's just completely outdated and it it has to go.

It has to be very no it's not sounds unsafe it says it also sounds like it's not compliant with the a number of district laws someone needs to come and look at it okay we'll we'll figure out a time to come out and look at it as well to assess thank you so much.

Uh Kevin Paj, Afsney, uh Claire Mills, DC Campaigns Manager, CAN Action Fund, um David Whitehead, Chapter Director for Cierra Club, Laura Levinson Energy Committee Chair, Sierra Club, District of Columbia, Susan Shore, Sierra Club, Matthew, public witness, uh Samuel Bonar, Policy Director for DC Community Wealth Builders, Caroline Meyer, DC Community Wealth Builders.

Okay.

Yolanda Corbett, DC Community Wealth Builders.

Max Broad, Executive Director for DC Voters for Animals, and Steven Schaff, co-founder and chairman of the board, community finance academy.

Great.

Awesome.

Okay.

Uh good uh morning, Mr.

Podge.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, uh Chair Lewis George and Council staff.

Um my name's Kevin Pogge, and I serve as the president of ASME Local 2091, representing the dedicated men and women who keep the District of Columbia running every single single day.

Our members are the backbone of the city.

They are the workers at the Department of General Services, DGS, the technicians, and the frontline staff across the district's most vital facilities.

We are here today because the FY 2026 and revised FY 2027 budgets must reflect the reality of the work we do and the rising cost of the living in the city we serve.

Our members of DGS, DG at DGS facilities, are responsible for the safety and upkeep upkeep of our public spaces.

For too long, we have operated with doing more with less as the standard.

We are calling for an increase in the maintenance budget to ensure that the facilities we that we manage are not just functional but safe for both workers and public.

We urge the committee to reject any proposed cuts to vacant positions, constant understaffing leads to burnout and increased overtime costs, which is is a disservice to the taxpayers and our members' well-being.

As we look toward the revised FY 2027 budget, we must address the affordability gap.

Our members are being priced out of the very district they serve.

A budget is a statement of priorities.

We are looking for a commitment that keeps wages competitive with the soaring costs of housing and health care in the DC Metropolitan Area.

And with an aging workforce, we're asking for a clear cut pathway to retirement.

Also, the district cannot afford to lose seasoned skilled union laborers to surrounding jurisdictions simply because our budget doesn't prioritize worker retention.

Local 2091 stands in solidarity with all of AFSME Council 20.

When we talk about budget ad backs and mock-up, we are talking about the difference between thriving workforce and a demoralized one.

We support the efforts of our partners and the labor labor movement to ensure that every district employee is treated with the dignity and financial respect they deserve.

In closing, I want to thank the committee for the opportunity to testify.

We are not just asking for numbers on the spreadsheet.

We are asking for an investment in the people who make the district a world-class city.

We look forward to working with you throughout this process to ensure that the final budget supports working families of local 2091.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will hear from Claire Mills.

Good morning, Jefferson, Louis George, Council members, council staff.

My name is Claire Mills.

I live in Ward 1, and I'm the DC campaigns manager for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund.

Our grassroots nonprofit aims to turn the entire Chesapeake region into a leader in climate justice and has worked for 20 years to advocate for policies that move us towards a clean energy future.

Mayor Bowser is keeping DC in a vicious cycle that we must break out of.

In recent budgets, including for fiscal year 2027, she has consistently rated the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund to cover utility bills for the Department of General Services.

Meanwhile, DGS is blatantly overspending and violating district law to fill the gaps, even after sweeps cut funding from critical programs run by other agencies.

At the same time, the mayor is delaying implementation of net zero energy standards and building energy performance standards.

These very standards would help to lower DGH's energy bills by improving energy efficiency.

But every year, the excuse is the same.

Budgets are tight, there are no funds for capital improvements needed, and so the mayor delays sweeps and cuts.

And yet massive capital projects of many other flavors find plenty of funding.

The mayor is intentionally choosing to delay the district's mandated climate laws despite extreme weather from January snow creep to April heat waves, knocking on our doors to remind us of the stakes.

It's an abandonment of leadership, and the council must fill the gap.

This year, the mayor swiped 10 and a half million from sustainable from the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund to give to DGS.

I urge this committee returns that funding and more if possible to the SETF and the programs is it is intended to fund.

Last month, PEPCO issued over 1,300 electricity shutoff notices more than twice than the month before due to this winter's skyrocketing bills.

Now more than ever, SETF funding must go to the affordable home electrification program that helps lower bills for struggling Washingtonians.

Further, DC currently has access to $60 million in federal matching funds for our energy programs, but we've only spent an easily three million because of local cuts to the SETF.

DC must not waste our opportunity to spend these federal funds before they expire in 2029.

We must restore SETF funding in this budget to stop falling behind on the spending of federal funds.

DGS continues to lag in complying with requirements.

Further delays are not the answer.

Tackling the problem is so we join the Sierra Club in commending DGS for entering energy savings savings performance contracts to move forward energy efficiency upgrades, and we recommend additional funding to implement building electrification measures along with these energy efficiency upgrades to improve compliance.

And I urge continued investment in capital projects that bring both DPR and DGS at facilities in line with net zero standards as outlined by the Greener Government Buildings Act.

Finally, touching on DPR briefly, our city's green spaces are critical community hubs that inspire DC residents to become more responsible stewards of our environment and climate.

We must continue to invest in those green spaces so that every resident, no matter where they live in the district, has access to safe and beautiful green spaces.

I'm happy to see the allocation of funding to restore and improve leader gardens in Ward 7, a community garden that's a critical resource for that community, and we encourage the protection of this funding and further investment in other DPR spaces east of the river, such as Ox and Run Park.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next, uh, we will hear from David Whitehead, uh Sierra Club.

Good morning, Councilmember Lewis George.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify, and thank you for your leadership on environmental bills, including the Shine Safely Act and the Polluter Pays study.

My name is David Whitehead, and I'm the chapter director of the DC chapter of the Sierra Club, and I'm presenting our chapter's official testimony.

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential environmental organization with millions of members and supporters, including 7,000 DC residents.

New this year, we are a proud member of the Fair Budget Coalition.

In this testimony, I will touch on the energy and zero waste issues inherent to DGS's portfolio.

My colleagues will go into further depth on each issue.

Before we get into our environment and climate testimony, the DC chapter joins the course of concern about DGS's overspending.

Just last week, the DC auditor released a report highlighting a pattern of agencies routinely overspending the budget set for them by the DC Council, and then withdrawing from DC's reserves without council approval to cover those costs.

Out of the $2 billion of withdrawals detailed in the auditor's report, DGS was responsible for $263 million.

This agency has a pattern of vastly overspending its legislative budget.

DGS does important work, but we have concerns that about what appears to be a lack of spending controls and budget discipline.

Over the past two years, the mayor has shifted over 150 million dollars from clean energy programs directly into DGS, essentially to pay the government's own energy bills.

These transfers are a blatant disregard for the intent of our clean energy policy, and the money comes from the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, which is funded by small fees paid on the utility bills of all DC residents, businesses, faith institutions, and even the Federal Government.

To know that this money is being translated transferred away from its legislative purpose is bad enough.

But considering it is being used to fill budget holes in an agency with a documented history of irresponsible spending just adds insult to injury.

We asked the council member and members of this committee to enforce spending discipline on DGS and the misuse of all of our collective fee money and return these funds to the programs that they were meant for.

Last year, the council acquiesced to the mayor's proposal to transfer more than $70 million from the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund to pay the district's district's utility bills.

In the proposed budget in FY27, the Mayor increases the rate on the SETF by 10 and a half million dollars.

We urge the Facilities Committee to reject this transfer and restore this $10.5 million and more, if possible, to the SETF.

As you know, the SETF directly funds programs that help DC residents who are who are struggling with high energy costs.

Please reject this attempt to take that money away from DC residents.

The SETF's clean and affordable energy programs are largely implemented by the DC sustainable energy utility.

The proposed sweep by the mayor will significantly reduce funding for DC SEU, likely causing staff layoffs.

DC SEU is a vi is vital to providing utility relief and home retrofits for DC families.

Slashing it at any times is backwards, but doing it now at a time of sky-high utility bills is unthinkable.

Even if funding for the DCS DC SEU goes away in future years, it will take time to rebuild the knowledge and expertise lost with these staff.

Furthermore, currently DC has access to $60 million in federal matching grants for our energy programs.

Those funds will expire in February 2029, only one full fiscal year away.

DC has woefully underspent these Federal grants because of our chronic lack of local funding.

To date, we have only spent $3 million of the invadable grants.

Slashing DC SEU and yet again defunding these programs imperils our access to all of these federal grants.

While district budgets are tight, leaving free money on the table is negligence.

Your committee has the opportunity to undo this move by the mayor, and we ask you to lead here.

Another issue pertinent to our chapter is DGS compliance with zero waste policy.

In short, we believe that district law is clear.

Composting is no longer an opt-in service, and DGS should now be required to compost at every DC public school.

DC code requires universal composting in all district facilities once the mayor has established a compost collection program, and such a program was fully established in 2024.

Yet, during the DGS performance oversight hearing, witnesses indicated that if they are only providing composting in five to six public schools.

The mayor's proposed FY27 budget shows an increase of $5.5 million for waste management.

This department includes composting and sanitation education.

And while this increase looks promising, we just don't know if those funds will be allocated for other waste management services other than composting.

We ask that you and this committee explore how much funding for compost services and public schools is included in the mayor's budget.

The district must just do better.

Funding only five public schools is woefully and is insufficient.

DGS has done expansive composting in budget years before.

Ten years ago, DGS provided composting to 61 schools.

DGS's own website celebrates 252 tons of organic waste that were diverted from incinerators and landfills in fiscal year 2015.

We should not be moving backward.

DGS should step up to ensure that composting education begins in our schools.

Not only is it the right thing to do, it is required by DC code.

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis George, for convening this hearing and for the opportunity to testify.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from Laura.

Thank you.

This is additional Sierra Club test mate testimony on energy issues.

We oppose the proposal to delay the net zero energy standards for new and renovated buildings by a year from the end of calendar year 2026 to the end of 2027.

The executive claims more time is needed after creating this problem by failing to take any action since the law went into effect in 2022.

We recognize that the proposed delay falls in the jurisdiction of another committee, but we mention it here because the mayor seems to be trying to informally delay compliance with net zero requirements for government buildings in the Greener Government Buildings Act.

The council has allowed some exemptions from the GGBA through emergency legislation.

We recognize the need for flexibility in some cases.

We urge this committee to stand firm in requiring that new or renovated DC government buildings adhere to net zero energy standards, especially the prohibition on combusting fossil fuels inside buildings.

DGS continues to lag in complying with the building energy performance standards to make energy efficiency improvements to existing government buildings.

Given budget constraints, the most viable pathway for energy efficiency improvements is through the use of energy savings performance contracts, and we again commend DGS for pursuing this approach, as Claire did.

We asked the facilities committee to provide some additional funding to DGS to implement building electrification measures along with the upgrades under the energy savings performance contracts.

The upfront costs of measures such as adding additional geothermal heat pumps to a building system will pay off in substantial savings over the longer term.

After about a decade, without any large-scale solicitation of solar power purchase agreements or PPAs, DGS is having an excellent year in FY26 for deployment of solar.

We congratulate DGS and urge the agency to finalize additional solar PPAs swiftly so that the price can reflect the value of the soon expiring federal tax credits.

We are opposed to cuts in the maintenance of government facilities.

CFO Glen Lee's budget transmitted a letter states the following quote in FY 2026, local funds for Department of General Services facility maintenance was reduced significantly compared to FY 2026.

The result of this decrease in funding could result in reduced janitorial services, HVAC inspection, testing, and maintenance, unquote.

This is a sustainable energy issue because less maintenance means lower energy efficiency, as well as is higher water use.

Furthermore, modern, highly efficient buildings require more sophisticated management, not reduced maintenance.

Surely maintenance is not a place to cut, especially with significantly increased cost for utilities projected for 2027 in the DGS budget and proposed to be paid with funds from the SETF that should be dedicated to energy sustainability.

And Councilmember, I know you've sat through a lot of hearings and heard a lot about inadequate maintenance, and it's just simply shocking that this is even a concept in this budget.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from Susan Shore.

Thank you.

Councilmember Lewis George, thank you for the opportunity to testify at this budget hearing on the Department of General Services, and thank you for your leadership.

My name is Susan Shore.

I'm the co-chair of the Zero Waste Committee of the DC chapter of the Sierra Club, and I'm presenting more details on the zero waste section of the chapter's testimony.

As David already noted, district law requires compost collection in all public schools.

DC law does not designate public school compost collection as an opt-in service.

DPW establishing a compost collection program in 2024 triggered the requirement that all district agencies and facilities source separate compostable materials.

During the DGS performance oversight hearing, however, DGS testified that it only provides composting in five or six public schools that have opted in to receive this service, and we appreciate that you, Committee Chair Lewis George, requested GGS to make efforts to further fund composting services in the fiscal year 27 budget.

So we note with interest that there's an increase by uh nearly 5.6 million in the DGS waste management budget line up to 8.4 million.

While potentially promising, we are aware that waste management funds can be used to provide a range of services to the many agencies serviced by DGS.

For that reason, we attempted to clarify with DGS prior to today's hearing whether the but this budget increase will result in the expansion of composting in public schools.

Unfortunately, DGS was not able to meet with us, so we do request this committee to explore how much funding for public school composting services is included in the mayor's proposed fiscal year 27 budget, determine how many public schools will benefit from compost.

You know, move the conversation board, as I already said.

Um, and I'll get more into the put DC's wealth to work.

Our cash reserves, this assets that might be less than that now.

Well no, and all agreed, especially when it comes that includes how to housing finance authority budget.

Um, testify.

I'm an architectural disease by not just the highest bidder for almost nine years from 2015 to 2024.

Speaking as a former resident, there is a clear need for improved communities say when it comes to built works, putting city-owned wealth and land assets into an entity that is scalable and accountable to resident input is necessary for safeguarding the future success of DC's residents.

In my capacity as a DC-based designer, I followed a variety of projects through permitting and construction administration and noticed a stark difference in the way high profile projects are overseen and facilitated by the city.

We need improved transparency and agency for just strict residents when it comes to built works and land use.

As part of this asks, the numbers from DC's 2019 land bank studies should be updated to reflect current conditions and opportunities.

Rapid expansion of high density developments have failed to appraise and accommodate the needs of DC's residents, have contributed to mass displacement over the last two decades, and have stiphoned public space.

Large privately funded land purchases displaced families and communities in order to make way for commercial and not quite affordable multifamily projects, leaving vacancies that remain undeveloped for years as investors wait for the most profitable time to build.

This destroys the culture, vibrancy, and safety of surrounding neighborhoods by manufacturing blight.

The system that allows well-financed projects to pay for expedited permits comes at cost.

Not only with regard to housing stability for those who are most vulnerable, but also in the form of building code violations that cause real harm to the health of DC's residents.

Tight timelines create pressure to fast track larger works, which leads to a lack of oversight on the quality of construction.

I have observed firsthand and seen reports of low-quality new build construction threatening the health and safety of the very occupants that such projects were ostensibly designed for through issues such as black mold and poor ventilation.

The need for improved community say extends into the means and methods of construction, which have direct impacts on public health.

A DC land bank in conjunction with a public bank would create an avenue to help offset the scope creep of projects or abuse the system by putting control into the lands of the people, granting DC's residents the ability to have improved oversight on the types of projects that are implemented, oversight on the standards that apply to these projects, and oversight on the management of completed projects.

I believe in DC community wealth builders' mission to provide a greater degree of agency to the city's residents who must be empowered to have authority over land use and standards for built works.

Empowering DC's residents to have a say in how their communities are designed is necessary in order to protect their collective right to life, safety, welfare, and dignity.

District residents must have improved influence over the quality and care afforded to built works and land usage.

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis George, for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

What is your members' response to the budget that the mayor has has laid out?

Um there are a number of issues I I I we are concerned about as a council freezes, so people are not going to receive any coal increases, the cut of it within paid family leave that could impact uh many government workers.

This is e this is leave that they have earned, they've worked for.

This is you know what I mean.

So I um and I know you mentioned vacancy cuts.

So, you know, um what is what right now, how how would this current budget, if left in the current state, how would this impact your members?

Um, this is thank you for the question.

Thank you for the question.

Thank you again.

Um I'm gonna be honest and I'm gonna speak from the heart.

It's hurtful when you know you work for the district, you do your best for the district, but you have to come to work and not be compensated.

You know, we we we're right now uh 30 days uh uh uh our contract ended September 30th.

And we've been in limbo with our contract being renewed with uh dealing with the with the mid and it's it's it's demoralizing.

It can hurt it it it's kind of hard to keep the morale up around the workplace when you know that you were one of the first that she cut and said wouldn't have uh uh a raise or anything for that's how they feel.

Yeah.

And I don't know if you if you know um when we look at the cuts to I mean, I know members are rely on coal increases and um for their expenses.

And so when the cost of living increases, but the wage doesn't increase.

Utilities go up, everything goes up, uh health care, child care, everything goes up except your pay.

Yeah.

Um but again, like I said in my testimony, we've been asked to do more with less for so long.

You know, it it can it can really hurt.

Yeah.

Um do you know and have members uh previously utilize any of their pay family leave, and what would the cuts to the medical leave mean for your members?

That that definitely would really hurt our members.

We have our uh a lot of our members uh have family care of uh the wash homes in their fathers and they use their leave to be able to take care of their families and to be able to take care of sick children.

It would really crush them.

Yeah.

And I know you all are dealing with some vacancy cuts.

What would the what would happen with the vacancy cuts?

You you wouldn't be allowed to hire any new additional support or what what what's the impact of those vacancy cuts on on your workers?

So we we've been fighting different agencies because they will have the vacancy up.

They all have the vacancy up.

Okay.

And then it'll disappear.

It'll go away.

You can't find it anymore.

And then we're trying to find out where but you remember now that's that's doing more with less because a crew may start out with five somebody may retire.

So if they can retire, somebody may get hurt.

So now you're down to a three man crew.

And that three man crew when you you ask for them to hey put those other two jobs on so you don't burn the other three out.

Right.

Yeah those two disappear they just did they just like they never existed.

So yeah that hurts.

So more work on your members.

More work.

Less money.

Less money aging workforce yes ma'am and less benefits.

And less yes.

Okay.

I don't even need to say anything you've you've laid it out pretty clearly what how this current budget if left at at this current rate would do it.

Now your contract ended September 30th are you all currently in contract negotiations?

Uh we're at a standstill right now.

Okay.

We we're at a standstill right now we've had one session and we're just at a standstill.

We actually were told before the budget was announced that uh they were not at liberty to talk compensation with us.

Got it.

And then you found out why yeah yes mate.

Then you quickly learned why that was the case got okay.

All right thank you so much for representing your members and thank you to you and your members for all the work you do to keep district government running.

We really appreciate it.

We'll do we're gonna do our part within our committee budget and then within the greater budget to figure out how we can um undo some of the harm that is impacting thank you so much thank you.

Okay Claire Claire, David, and Matthews you all mentioned are you all referring to the same fund when you all are testifying about money we're leaving on the table and I've been talking about this for months federal dollars left on the table that's $60 million in matching that's in reference to the inflation reduction act am I correct are you all referring to the same source?

Okay.

And so and and I'm correct and we've only spent we've only utilized three million of what what is potentially 60 million and that expiration is 2029.

Yep 2029 okay got you okay and then whose and that money would be matched if we gave if I if we are able to find money to give back to it has to be through it within the sustainability fund.

Yeah.

So it's it's three or the SETF.

Okay the uh DOE or the SETF.

Okay got you okay yeah and Matthias can talk more about this but there's multiple SETF funds that it that support both residents and businesses.

That was my question.

Yeah.

That was my next question.

Talk to me about SETF supports as for residential and businesses and what not having not utilizing those dollars what impact that is for the district and what kind of money we're wasting money we're leaving on the table as a result of not utilizing it for that purpose.

And I'll pass it to him I'll just say something beyond just not spending the dollars it's like the capacity to spend the dollars the cuts this year in particular that again are coming out of the transportation environment and coming into this committee are like I what we heard last week is that that that's going to result like it's very likely going to result in staff cuts at DCSU and so whether or not we can line up enough projects to spend that money depends on do we have the staff available to look go make the connections to businesses, the homeowners to multifamily units and like line all that up and so if we're cutting staff now and we only have a little over like one one fiscal year left to spend fiscal 57 million dollars.

I just I don't know how that happened.

So that's I think there's a both uh how do we maximize the match I mean we are literally leaving over 50 million dollars on the table that that we have our fingers on right now and then the you know in that time period how do you maintain the infrastructure in place to spend it.

But Matthias do you have a little uh more and just the specific funds yeah so there's two programs that are being supported through these IRA grounds one is uh energy efficiency program that you know helps people's homes to uh you know being better air sealed have more insulation um get a window upgrade repair broken roof potentially these are all funds that are dedicated for low and moderate uh income residents and then there's another uh program that's uh the home uh electrification program that helps people upgrade their aging uh polluting uh uh appliances uh water heaters uh space heaters uh stoves and again that's also dedicated money for low uh income and moderate income um DC residents and um that requires local matching funds it's it's roughly uh requires a fifty percent uh co payment from local funds essentially

And then there's another uh program that's uh the home electrification program that helps people upgrade their aging uh polluting uh uh uh appliances, uh water heaters, uh space heaters, uh stoves, and again, that's also dedicated money for low uh income and moderate income um DC residents, and um that requires local matching funds.

It's it's roughly uh requires a 50 percent uh co-payment from local funds essentially.

Okay.

Okay.

And then when we look at our team looks at district uh spending on utilities, it is more than we have a chart actually that literally from fiscal year 24.

We are at 65.8 million.

And now fiscal year 27, we are at 133.3 million in utilities for district government buildings.

Which brings me back to Laura and Susan.

How could the district be cutting that amount that we're spending in moving towards compliance with Net Zero Greener Government Buildings Act and Zero Waste and supporting overall how much how much money how can we be saving by actually implementing many of the programs that we have not been implementing over uh and legally obligated to implement actually?

Sorry, you're Laura's trying to talk.

Oh, sorry.

Certainly on the energy side, the best way to reduce utility bills is through more efficient use of the gas or electricity or water or steam or whatever it is that's being provided.

And that's um that's something that um you know there's a there's a small effort to do so through the energy savings performance contracts, but it's still pretty limited.

And and the the utter failure to implement the building energy performance standards, that's what that program is for.

It's about increasing the efficiency of existing buildings.

And um the you know, the mayor hasn't found any money really to put into that and uh DGS lags far behind what the law passed by this council in 2018 required in terms of uh uh building energy efficiency.

Yes, utility bills are going up, but man, those are those are pretty massive increases that they're they're predicting, and it it it just seems to me to show there's an awful lot of waste going on.

Yeah.

And speaking of waste, um if we're not if we're not sending if we can keep the compostable materials out of our waste stream, it means we're not sending those materials either to polluting landfills or incinerators.

And my understanding, at least with DPW is everything that they pick up from our private residences that's not recycling and and not composting is going to the Lorton incinerator.

Um and so it is polluting our nearby neighbors with with harmful toxins uh that can you know can cause asthma and particularly you know hurt children.

So we can avoid doing all of those things too.

Um, you know, the local compost companies like Compost Crew and Compost Cab, they're they're keeping that material local and it's being turned into soil that can be used for gardening, uh stormwater runoff prevention.

It has all sorts of benefits.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And uh Laura, I wanted to come back to you, wanted to ask about net zero um.

As you know, um finalizing legislation, we are to update our net zero standards without any council action, all public and private buildings will need to abide by appendix Z, which determines how buildings should be achieved net zero.

But given the need uh for this delay is entirely of the executive's making.

Uh I'm uncomfortable giving the executive its blanket delay it is seeking, which among other things would allow the use of fossil fuel combustions in buildings designed over the next two years.

Why is all electric actually the most important and most achievable component of net zero?

And what would be the harm of allowing fossil fuel combustion in buildings that won't be finished for five or even ten years?

And Claire, you can weigh in if you would like to as well.

We we do hate to downplay any of the key elements because they're all important.

But the issue is that when you put a new fossil fuel combustion system, you know, a gas boiler into a big building uh to heat water to heat space, it's going to be there for literally decades.

So it will continue to generate indoor air pollution to some degree, but definitely outdoor air pollution, uh carbon pollution, but also pollution that you know lands in our lungs locally.

So facilitating building a new building or a significant renovation with those fossil fuel burning systems in them is is just not beneficial for us locally or or for the clan of for the planet globally.

But I do want to emphasize it's also about our health the health of people who work in these buildings, the health of people who who walk outside these buildings.

But the of course the efficiency components are really important too because the more efficient the building is the less the less electricity or any kind of fuel it will use.

So it's really best to combine um combine those things.

But you know there's maybe a better chance my cat wants to join the action here sorry.

Maybe a better chance that a building could get efficiency upgrades later, but it's it's gonna be hard to uh to make that conversion from a massive gas boiler or steam you know gas driven scene system to uh you know two electric later on we're getting panel here.

Sorry the whole yeah and I just want to add that um on the delays of net zero or building efficiency and performance standards part of the way that these laws were written is to was to set standards out far in advance giving us time to figure out the implementation and that certainty is part of what also sort of like arranges not just government action but businesses, residents, the industry that performs this work it sets a whole sort of um series of events in motion to get us ready.

And so consistently changing those timelines, delaying them messes with that entire sort of industry the industry signals that we're trying to set up here in addition to creating problems down the line.

If you install now, you know, as Laura was saying a boiler in a building that's a problem we're gonna have to deal with later rather than just doing it the right way the first time.

And to go back to your previous question about the um increasing costs for utility bills um for DC government um just want to make the connection that a lot of that cost comes from the current um electricity rate case that's being reconsidered by the public service commission right now particularly the rate class that um government buildings fall under it's different than what residents are um the rate class that residents fall under although we saw rate increases across many rate classes it was particularly high for the rate class that the government falls into that's part of why we're seeing such a massive increase technically it could change if the multi-year rate plan is adjusted um after it was thrown out by the courts we will see what the commission decides and not incredibly hopeful there but um that's a connection to look out to in the future of um the impacts of approving these multi-year rate plans where um these rates sort of get set in stone over many years and we have less ability to adjust um as they start to get implemented and we see the actual impacts of them.

Yeah.

I mean sorry let me just jump in really quick and say that I just want to emphasize the importance of um handling just a few million dollars to DGS to complement the energy savings performance contracts they really would be able to do a lot of uh good work toward electrification uh with just a little bit of additional funds I know millions is not a little bit but you know in DGS terms relative perhaps doables.

I I mean I don't know what the amount would be that they would need that's something DGS would have to inform on but just wanted to emphasize that again.

I appreciate that.

And then Sam and Caroline for our DC community wealth builders team what are what were some of the largest takeaways from the land bank summary that DGS provided um to the council and what would you like to see a BSA subtitle do in authorizing a public bank yeah um I mean the largest takeaways were uh mostly that there's an enormous amount of of um assessed value again a lot of it might have been given away but rough estimates I have someone run said we still have a billion and a half worth of vacant city owned land and that's just what we already have.

Um and you know there's a lot of different models of land bank uh so it didn't really kind of one the the what it what they produced was very a high level thing so there wasn't a lot of details it was just like those top line numbers and like here's some potential ideas and here's some interesting things we could be doing with it.

Um but yeah there's just there's a lot of gaps in it.

Um, and I think uh it didn't really dig into kind of um how it could plug into the other parts of our housing finance ecosystem, um, you know, what initial capitalization would look like.

Again, governance, I think is is one of the hardest things.

Um, didn't really kind of dig into those um opportunities or possibilities.

Um, so yeah, so I think what we'd really want the BSA subtitle to do would be to authorize the mayor in a future, you know, in in the future or whenever to uh be able to one work with the CFO, work with DemPed, work with these other groups to move forward with uh creating local financial infrastructure, you know, that what we're calling the people's bank, the land bank and a public bank.

Um to uh, you know, if we're gonna have a starter version of the land bank, it would just be to create an entity, have it either have super bid authority in the tax lines.

That's kind of the easiest thing to start giving it, um, or just stop doing the tax lien uh option, which we know momdani just did in New York.

Um, uh, because it is been known to have a very uh, you know, it is a it is a driver of displacement.

A lot of uh folks who've owned their homes for a while who are now behind on their property taxes.

Uh, it is a way that they get foreclosed on and lose their homes.

So instead of letting that happen, giving it to the land bank uh and having it have an acquisition, you know, a disposition pipeline to community land trust, um, trusted, you know, nonprofit housing groups that will keep it permanently affordable, uh, those types of things.

Um, and yeah, and then uh a tax-free holding authority so that it could hold these things tax-free without having to pay property taxes on it.

Um, and that would kind of operational operationalize it in a very minimal way, create you know, places where the the things are going to, as well as creating assets that it's starting to own.

Um, that'd be kind of like a very early starter one.

Uh that would be great.

Um, but even more so, there's so many gaps.

We really just want the mayor to be able to like, you know, not have any legal barriers to actually figuring this out, designing it, doing the community engagement process and and working with all the other agencies to start to build it and and phase it in.

Okay.

Uh thank you.

Thank you so much.

Carolyn, did you have anything to add to that?

Uh nothing off the top of my head.

Okay, thank you.

Awesome.

Um, thank you so much in this panel of witnesses.

Please don't forget to upload your testimony.

We're gonna go to our next panel of witnesses, which include Max Broad, executive director for DC Voters for Animals, Neil Neil Flanagan, Treasurer of DC Archives Foundation, Chuck Berger, the chair of the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee, Monty Edwards, Chairman of the Capital Improvements Subcommittee, Easter Market, Laura Fuchs, the president of the Washington Teachers Union, uh Rachel Johnson, the chief of staff to DC of the DC Charter Alliance, Kristen Yokum, executive director of operations at Paul Public Charter School, Justice Semenez, high school student at Paul Public Charter School, Marita Fleming, Director of Operations at Washington Latin Public Charter School, Megan Fowler, librarian and media specialist at Lee Montessori Public Charter School, and Dr.

Marco Clark, uh Richard Wright Public Charter School.

Max is here.

Okay.

Max Broad, you are first.

Good afternoon.

Hello, Councilmember Lewis George and uh committee members and committee staff.

Uh I'm my name is Max Broad.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify about composting, as you know, the Department of General Services is responsible for implementing food waste efforts in DC government agencies, including DC public schools.

Uh beyond the climate benefits of food waste, which are one of the best ways to reduce carbon pollution.

I come with a different angle for getting wise about what we do with our discarded food.

As the executive director of DC Voters for Animals and founding member of DC responsible rat management, I'm invested in seeing the districts separate the food waste that attracts rats by directing the waste into secure facilities rather than commingled open bins.

The city can move toward fewer rats and set an example for how our community can prevent rats as well.

Reducing and addressing food waste is a priority for reducing climate pollution and meeting the goals of the sustainable DC 2.0 plan, an essential for the Zero Waste Omnibus Act.

As the agency looks to implement composting across agencies, I encourage DGS to look at both the climate and rat prevention strategies of zero waste efforts.

I encourage the committee to ensure that DGS has the direction and capacity to maintain and expand composting across agencies and DCPS schools, support schools with the operational guidance needed to manage food waste effectively, coordinate with DCPS Office of State Superintendent of Education and Department of Energy Environment to align composting with broader sustainability and procurement goals and continue integrating compost composting into the district's overall rant management, zero waste and climate strategies.

Thank you for your leadership and for your commitment to building a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable district.

Councilmember Lewis George, I know you've done a lot on uh rat prevention legislation and um and continue to be a champion for zero waste, and I appreciate that.

And I'm happy to support the committee and the agencies in developing practical high impact composting strategies for the year ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next we'll hear from Neil Flanagan.

Hello.

Uh can you hear me?

Great.

Uh thank you again, uh Chiberson Lewis George for the opportunity to testify today.

I'm speaking as Treasurer of the DC Archives Foundation, the official 501c3 nonprofit fundraising arms supporting the District of Columbia's largest and most comprehensive historic resource, the DC Archives.

What we want to discuss today is construction efficiency and cost control in the new archives facility at the University of the District of Columbia.

In the lengthy back and forth on this project, 39 million dollars has already been allocated for this project.

A construction manager uh was awarded a contract, and they have mobilized on site and are conducting pre-demolition repair work.

According to the budget, 11 million dollars has been spent already.

However, further funding will not become available until FY28, and then allocations show a further gap in FY30 2030.

From the standpoint of an architect, these funding gaps are concerning.

When a project is stalled or idled, it costs money to pay a mobilized contract, ensure the project, and secure the construction site with no actual uh work completed.

This is the definition of inefficiency in construction.

More than that, gaps mean delays, and delays mean inflation.

And analysts anticipate that the war against Iran will lead to an unprecedented construction cost escalation.

Uh construction is an energy-intensive industry.

Architectural products, especially uh for complex buildings like this one, depend on global supply chains.

Putting aside the first 30 years of delays to this project, this project has seen a 74% cost increase since the first schemes were developed for the University of District of Columbia campus in 2018.

The vast majority of that change is due to inflation alone.

Sustainability requirements or changes to the size of the project contributed only a small amount.

Uh as the current project is only is 8,000 square foot smaller than the comparable 2018 scheme, and compliance with the Greener Government Buildings Act was primarily achieved through operational innovation.

We understand that DGS is pursuing ways to cost cuts, uh, to cut costs without compromising functionality, and we support these efforts.

However, these will be undone by further inflation, and again, we cannot really predict how severe the cost implications of the Hormood's closure will be.

The most effective form of cost control, therefore, is to enable construction to proceed as quickly as possible.

The more work that can be done and the earlier equipment can be ordered, the more costs can be locked in.

In fact, given that estimated inflation is priced into cut into cost estimates, it is possible that compacting the schedule may provide modest cost savings on par with the value engineering that DGS is currently undertaking with the design team.

We encourage you to ask DGS leadership to estimate the possible savings of a more efficient schedule.

Chairwoman Lewis George, thank you again for your years of work on this project.

Um it is deeply unfortunate how it's dragged on for so long, increasing construction costs while deferring its economic and cultural benefits.

By advancing capital funds to the FY2027 budget and eliminating the FY2030 gap, we can finally break a 30-year cycle of delay and finally honor the history of the District of Columbia with a proper state level facility.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will hear from Laura Fuchs, president of Washington TGG.

All right, hello.

So there are two major issues I'll address in this testimony.

First, the Department of General Services is still not doing enough to accurately communicate the progress on and complete work orders, and this is exacerbated east of the river.

Second, charter schools cannot have it both ways, namely more money with less oversight, especially when over half of LEAs have historically reported using less than the allotted UPS FF facility supplement that they already are allotted.

I'll start with my first piece.

DGS.

But they are still not consistently updated and often are stating what should be done rather than what was done.

It is unclear to the WTU where the issue lies when reaching out to DGS officials and asking them what they need in order to be successful.

They are not forthcoming and instead act like everything is great, and we don't have systemic inequities in how schools are being serviced.

We want to know if they need more staffing to get more build to get to more buildings more quickly.

Do they need more money to buy the parts and expedite shipping?

Or can they even build up a reserve of parts knowing that they need them often?

Can we provide supports for school engineers and foremen taking on smaller projects directly themselves?

And if not, can we get more staffing to make it possible?

But they don't say anything.

In my 10 months as the president of the Washington Teachers Union, I've witnessed the systemic issues with a whole new lens that unfortunately confirms my experience as a teacher for 18 years in Ward 7.

When advocating on behalf of schools in Ward 3, the response is much faster and focused on solutions than when I advocate on schools in Ward 7, which is met with delays, disbelief, and defensiveness.

Anecdotal perhaps, but a living embodiment of what we know still happens.

DGS and DCBS love to point fingers at each other, but ultimately both are under control of the mayor, and they need to do a better job of communicating with those directly impacted in the buildings and coming up with solutions when there are no short-term fixes.

This is especially important with elevators.

We still have too many buildings that go from weeks to months at a time without an elevator.

This is presenting a hazard to both staff and students, especially those with disabilities and injuries.

DCPS is too slow to implement changes and take into account ADA accommodations as well as simple humanity.

DGS is too slow to get the parts they claim they need and communicating sufficiently as to when things will actually be fixed.

We need a comprehensive solution for how to intervene in schools and provide supports when an elevator is broken, as well as faster pipelines for materials, perhaps an inventory, and then purchase a reserve of the parts we most often need.

HVACs are still not being properly managed, including in brand new buildings.

It is unclear if this is a problem with the way the buildings are being overseen when created, like at Woodson, or simply not having a clear plan for how to maintain the buildings once created.

But it is unacceptable to have so many schools that still are far too cold or too hot to function, knowing full well that global warming is only going to make these issues worse.

The gaslighting from DGS officials is also reaching a point where the WTO has been contemplating buying all of our building reps a temperature gun to verify then document what we are experiencing since we are constantly being told we are wrong as we visibly see students wearing jackets and gloves inside the school or melting into puddles when it gets too hot.

On the charters.

Today there will be many testimonies from those representing the charter schools speaking about how unfair it is that DC public schools receive services from the Department of General Services without giving the exact same amount of money spent to charters.

We should not entertain this constant cry for less oversight, less accountability, and more money until we have a way to fully account for how public charters are truly spending their money and who they are contracting with, which is far too often themselves.

There would also need to be a greater rules placed on how facility funds are used, especially if they are to increase to avoid all the double dipping and flowing of money into private hands with limited to no accountability.

When I do submit my testimony, I'm going to include from Valerie Jablot, like the one person I trust would be on a doubt with actually trying to figure out what the hell is going on with charter schools and their money.

That there are over half the LEAs reported saying they don't spend the full facility allotment, that there are charters that have banked over 10 million dollars of the facility funds just hanging out in their bank accounts, that there are countless promises made and not kept, that there is a lot of sweetheart deals from the DC government to privacy public privatized public land into these private hands.

They then release it out to other institutions that are not even educational and make more money than the government is receiving.

The DGS is not tracking the rental income and more.

So there's a lot there.

She is truly the expert.

It is worth reading.

Next, we will hear from Kristen Yokum.

She's online.

Okay.

Kristen, if you're here, you can come off mute and hello, sorry about that.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chairperson Lewis George and members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Kristen Yochum, and I'm the executive director of operations at Paul Public Charter School, serving over 750 students in Ward 4.

I want to begin by acknowledging that we appreciate the district's continued investment in school facilities because high quality buildings matter.

At PARL at Paul, our facility is not just a building.

It is what makes our program possible.

Our science labs, gymnasiums, and shared spaces, allow our students to develop as merit scholars, motivated, empowered, responsible, and independent thinkers through rigorous academics, athletics, and enrichment that keep them connected to school and on track for success.

Our building is also approaching its 100th anniversary.

Generations of community members, those who attended Paul PCS and Paul Junior High before it carry deep pride in this place.

That legacy is not just history.

It's a responsibility we take seriously every day as we work to maintain a safe, welcoming, and high quality environment for our students.

I'm here today to raise concerns about inequities in the FY27 budget.

Paul PCS operates in a DGS managed building, yet we receive no direct maintenance or capital funding from DGS.

We rely entirely on the UPSFF and other charity facilities allotment to cover utilities repairs and long-term maintenance.

That structure requires constant trade-offs.

Right now, we're preparing to spend over a hundred thousand dollars on our 10-year facility study just to understand how many millions of dollars in investments our building will require over the next decade.

That's a hundred thousand dollars that will not go directly to students.

And we have to do this planning to make sure that we're not having to tuck away money for rainy days and emergencies.

This proposed budget would make those trade-offs even harder.

Moving 59.4 million dollars in fixed costs out of the UPSFF and into DGS breaks the funding formula.

When funds throw f flow through the UPSFF, they support all students.

When they go through DGS, charter school students receive nothing.

Because of this, schools like Paul are forced to make choices we should never have to make between maintaining safe functional facilities and investing in the people and programs our students need and saving money for emergencies that may happen.

At the same time, freezing the charter facilities allotment through FY2030 while increasing DCPS capital funding widens an already significant gap.

We understand the difficult fiscal environment we are in.

And we are strong stewards of public dollars.

We make financial trade-offs every day.

And we cannot absorb structural structural inequities in this funding system.

We respectfully ask the council to reject the proposal to move fixed cost funding out of the UPSFF and into DGS, and reject the freeze and charter facilities allotment and restore the annual increase.

At Paul, we believe that every student in DC deserves access to safe, high-quality learning environment and a funding system that treats all public school students equitably.

Thank you for your time and your commitment to DC students.

Thank you.

Justin.

Okay, good.

Justin.

Good new members of the council.

My name is Justin Amendes, and I'm a junior Paul Public Charter School in Ward 4.

The school is more than just four walls.

For us, our classrooms are where our mission comes to life.

But keeping that building running is getting harder.

Because the tight funding in the past, we've used money meant for instructions to fit our heaters that have been running for almost 100 years, which directly affect our kids' ability to learn because of how cold the classrooms will get.

The major's budget moves 59 million dollars for utilities into a fund that only DCPS can touch.

This means charter schools get nothing for these basic costs.

Does electricity matter less in charter classrooms?

Show my school have to choose between keeping the lights on or provide a school events that bring our community together.

This move breaks the promise of fair funding for all DC students.

The class representative who participates in a student government.

I am often disappointed by the limitations we have to tight funding for student events.

This isn't just a budget tweak.

It's a choice to leave charter students like me behind.

We need stable funding to keep our buildings safe and to pay back the loans we use to improve them.

We're doing more with us, but we can't close this gap alone.

We asked the council to put utility funding back into the formula so it reaches every student.

Reject the freeze and keep the 3.1% yearly increase for facilities.

And please don't make our students' education dependent on which building they're welcome to.

As a charter school student, I'm not worth less than a student who would who attend the DCPS school.

Support student, we learn to be motivated, empowered, responsible, and independent thinkers.

I know that I deserve the same funding that is given to a DCPS student.

Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Next up.

We are going to have uh I think it's me.

Oh, Marita, you're here.

Okay, Marita Fleming.

Here I am.

Uh thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Martita Fleming, and I'm Director of Operations at Washington Latin Public Charter Schools.

We serve over 1200 students in grades five through twelve at our two campuses in boards four and five.

I thank the council member for spotlighting the importance of adequate funding for facilities and the punishing FY27 proposals that will move fixed cost funding from the UPSFF into DGS and also freeze the annual 3.1% increase mandated by statutes.

Allowing these to proceed will create enormous hardships for charter schools and jeopardize our ability to maintain facilities that support successful programs.

Washington Latin's campus at 2nd Street, it is in a much beloved hundred-year-old DGS owned building.

Unlike DCPS schools, we are financially responsible for all repairs and maintenance, regularly replacing air filters, checking plumbing lines, inspecting sprinklers, etc.

All of that paid for by our school's operating budget.

There is no central office to call for an HVAC unit repair, which is running about $3,000 and sometimes more, or patches for a roof leak, which this year, thanks to the Snow Creek, has been upwards of $5,000 and counting.

We postpone critical repairs because we do not receive DGS funding for this and must rely entirely on the UPSF for building costs.

DC built an intentional funding structure with the UPSF covering operating costs, the facilities allotment covering rent and debt, and the capital budget benefiting DCPS schools in need of modernization.

The mayor's proposal to move $59.4 million of that money to GGS means it would solely benefit DCPS schools.

Historically, funding it through the UPSFF benefits all public school students.

So charter schools would receive no funding for fixed costs were this money to be moved.

Combined with a disparity in the capital budget, that means that in FY27, the city would direct close to $10,000 more per student to DCPS than to charter schools when charter schools are educating close to half of the city's public school population.

The mayor is also proposed freezing the charter school facilities allotment at the FY26 rate of 3850 through 2030, eliminating the 3.1% annual increase that is required by statute, and increasing the DCPS capital budget by $72 million.

Next year alone, that would give DCPS a modernization and upgrade budget nearly three times that of charter schools.

It is a policy designed to widen the already significant funding gap to the detriment of the city's charter school students, faculty, and families.

Historically, school renovations done by the city at places like Truesdale, Oyster Adams, and many years ago, Duke Ellington have incurred massive overruns.

They end up costing double per square foot what charter schools spend on comparable projects.

And you'll see those numbers in my written testimony, which I'll be submitting shortly.

As a longtime DC taxpayer and educator, I am struggling to understand how this council would consider rewarding that historically less cost-efficient sector with such disproportionate funding for modernizations.

Facilities matter, especially to students, as Justin so eloquently said.

Charter school students are no less deserving of light and heat and safe places to learn than DCPS students.

And I urge you to reject the proposal to move the DCPS fixed cost funding to DGS and return it to the UPSFF where it belongs and where it will benefit all public school students.

I also urge you to reject the Budget Support Act that freezes charter school facilities funding and to restore the 3.1% increase required by law.

I welcome any questions about this testimony.

Thank you.

Next, we'll hear from Megan Fowler, Library and Media Specialist at Lee Montessori Public Charter School.

Megan, you you may go.

Okay, great, thank you.

Good afternoon, uh Chairwoman Lewis George and Council members.

My name is Megan Fowler.

I have been the librarian at Lee Montessori, our Brooklyn campus for almost nine years.

And as a DC resident for over 20 years, I am also the parent of a student who has attended public charter schools for 11 years.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

So in 2014, I chose to send my son to Lee Montessori in its opening year because I believed in the Montessori method of instruction.

I wanted a school that fostered my son's innate curiosity.

And today, as he thrives at school without walls, I know that I made the right choice, and I loved hearing all the wall students testify earlier today about their facilities.

When I became the staff member at Lee in 2017, I began to understand the impact of the ongoing funding gap between DCPS facilities and charter schools, including our own building.

In the nine years I have worked at Lee, I have experienced the following raw sewage seeping into the library from a burst sewage pipe that required the replacement of all furniture and bookshelves and the library unusable for six weeks.

Stormwater flooding into the library nearby offices multiple times after severe rainstorms.

Sewage bubbling up into the sinks and flooding three classrooms, which displaced 90 students from their classrooms for over a week.

A separate sewage backup into a sink next door to the library, which required a 75 decibel industrial high volume fan running constantly outside the library door for two weeks to prevent mold and bacteria growth and limit the spread of contaminants.

A burst heating pipe, which led to flooding and water damage last fall, along one wall in the library, which meant the library was unusable for classes, lending, research, or computer usage for six school days.

So despite these challenges, the library is and continues to be an oasis in our school.

In this space, I welcome almost all of our 300 diverse learners aged four to twelve at least weekly, create a strong culture of reading throughout the building, support student inquiry and research, and build computer and digital citizenship citizenship skills.

A lot happens in this one room.

So as such, just one of the above disruptions is disheartening.

All five together represent an ongoing facilities challenge that our students shouldn't have to routinely endure.

Yet, incomprehensibly, the current budget proposal makes the situation for us even harder to manage.

So I urge the council to reject the proposal to move DCPS's fixed costs into the DGS budget and to restore that funding to the PER student funding formula.

Additionally, I ask the council to restore the annual 3.1% facilities increase.

I know we all here care deeply about public education, and we all agree that our students deserve to learn and play in safe and inviting environments.

So please ensure that our public funding reaches all of our public school students equitably.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from Rachel Johnson, Chief of Staff DC Charter of School Alliance.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Lewis George and members of the committee.

My name is Rachel Johnston.

I'm a Ward 4 resident and the chief of staff at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local advocacy organization dedicated to supporting DC's public charter schools who serve nearly half of the district's public school students.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'm here to speak about the importance of equitable funding for school facilities so that every student in the district can thrive in a high quality learning environment.

School facilities play a critical role in student engagement and academic outcomes.

State-of-the-art buildings with science labs, music spaces, areas for small group instruction, multi-purpose rooms, playgrounds, gyms, and fields help attract and retain families and enable schools to offer innovative programming that enrich students' educational experiences.

A strong body of research supports this connection.

For example, the EPA found that test scores consistently improve as building conditions improve, with increases ranging between 13 and 17%.

Sorry, 3% to 17%.

Facilities funding is therefore not a luxury, but rather a fundamental component of the student success all across public and public charter schools in the district.

But we face a tough reality of the affordability of operating these facilities.

Utilities, both for schools and families, have risen drastically.

In a recent survey, charter schools reported utility costs increasing by an average of 20% from the 24-25 school year to the current year.

While we appreciate a 2.55% increase of the UPSFF, it alone does not cover the cost of teacher raises because schools have to pay these rapidly rising utility bills.

In this environment, school leaders are forced to make difficult trade-offs, choosing between hiring mental health staff or academic interventionists while also keeping the lights on.

The mayor's budget proposal acknowledges this reality by moving $59.4 million to DGS to cover DCPS's fixed costs.

This ensures DCPS schools can invest in staff and programs while keeping their buildings operational.

There is no comparable support for public charter schools.

DGS plays a critical role in managing and maintaining school facilities across the district, including 116 buildings that house DCPS schools and 30 that house public charter schools.

Historically, this role did not extend to funding operating costs like utilities.

These expenses were previously covered by the UPSFF as part of the district's intentional structure to fund school facilities.

The UPSFF supports school operating budgets, including fixed costs like utilities, and the charter facilities allotment provides per-pupil funding for rent, debt service, renovations, and major construction, designed to support similar needs as DCPS's capital budget.

The structure was intended to create equity.

Within this system, charter schools have consistently demonstrated strong stewardship of public dollars, leveraging limited resources to build and maintain high quality facilities.

But strong stewardship should not mean students receive less.

The challenge is that this structure is not being implemented as intended.

And the growing amount of funding outside the UPSFF has created a deeply inequitable system.

This year's budget proposal is one of the most inequitable we've ever seen.

It freezes charter facilities funding at FY26 levels through FY30, while increasing DCPS's capital budget by more than 72 million dollars at FY27 alone.

DCPS is slated to receive $555.9 million in capital funding, three times more than the 187.3 million dollars for charter schools and an additional $59.4 million through DGS for fixed costs.

In total, we estimate DCPS will receive $96 million more in operating funding or about $2,000 more per student.

Across operating and capital budgets, that gap totals $9,675 per student.

How do you explain that to a parent with one child in a DCPS school and another in a public charter school?

Is the child attending a DCPS school worth nearly 10,000 more?

I think we can all agree the answer to that last question is no.

So how do we fix it?

Given the fiscal constraints facing the district, we recommend focusing on an equitable distribution of available funds.

We urge the council to return the $59.4 million allocated to DGS for DCPS's fixed costs back to the UPSFF, the intended funding mechanism for these costs, one that equitably distributes the funds to ensure every student in DC has access.

And two, reject the proposal to eliminate the annual 3.1% increase to the charter facilities allotment.

This increase estimated at roughly $6 million in FY27 is modest, especially compared to the $72 million increase in DCPS's capital budget and is a critical step to affording the rising cost of facilities maintenance.

By taking these two steps, this council has an opportunity to tell charter students and teachers that they are indeed not worth less than their peers in DCPS.

When we asked charter leaders what this funding means to their school, one leader shared that it would ensure they could afford assistant teachers to keep their targeted intervention groups small.

Another leader shared they would not have to cut critical enrichment programming like what languages, arts, sports, and after school activities.

As you finalize the FY27 budget, we urge the council to correct this growing inequity and reaffirm the district's commitment to ensuring that every student, regardless of the school they attend, learns in a safe, well-maintained, high quality facility.

Without making these two adjustments to the budget, we risk jeopardizing three decades of progress that have positioned DC as one of the fastest improving urban education systems in the nation.

Thank you for your time and attention, and it welcome your questions.

Thank you.

And before I ask questions of this panel, I'm going to ask Chuck Berger, the chair of the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee to testify because this we all has public witness under the DGS section and we're moving on to VPR afterwards.

So Chuck, are you here?

I am here, but I have Monty Edwards with me.

Oh, okay.

Well, Chuck and if he could speak first, I'd appreciate it.

Yep, that's great.

Thank you.

Monty Edwards, you are up first.

If you just come off mute, you can all have just come off mute.

You may begin your testimony.

All right, I'm going to just start asking questions in my panel.

Yes.

Okay.

You may come forward.

Yeah, because we're going to end DGS and head to DPR right after this, so thank you so much.

Dr.

Marco Clark.

Okay.

Mr.

Clark, you may begin your testimony when you're ready.

All right.

Good afternoon, Councilmember George and the members of the D.C.

Council.

My name is Dr.

Marco Clark.

I'm the founder and CEO of the Richard Wright Schools here in Washington, D.C.

and Southwest.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your continued leadership and keeping this critical issue at the forefront of the district's education system.

I want to I want to begin by acknowledging the council's focus on school facilities for the 26-27 school year.

This is an important step forward.

However, I must also express a significant concern.

Charter school students will receive approximately two thousand dollars less per student to operate school programs.

As as a school leader with 15 years of experience operating in a commercial building, I can speak directly to the impact of this gap.

Unlike DCPS, we are responsible for covering all facility-related costs, utilities, maintenance, snow removal, and more.

These are not small expenses.

Despite this inequity, we have worked tireless tirelessly to revitalize a commercial building and create a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Our goal has always been to ensure that students we serve in the district have the access, the same access to high-quality opportunities as their peers in DCPS.

For Richard Wright, in order to achieve these items, we've had to seek outside partners to pour into our programs.

For example, to address mental wellness, mental health.

And this is what we've done without receiving the same amount of funding as our DCPS counterparts.

As you know, charter schools operate with greater autonomy, but also greater accountability.

And with fewer resources while serving the exact the same kids.

While we appreciate the mayor's commitment to education, the reality is that many many organizations are under significant strain trying to provide comparable facilities without adequate funding.

Additionally, although it may not be at the forefront of the discussion, our schools are still in academic recovery, and that itself is causing money that we need to put into academic programs and other after-school uh situations to support our students.

Every dollar allocated for a DC student is necessary.

There is simply no room for an equity and funding.

For the for these reasons, a strong financial commitment to fair and equitable facilities funding is essential.

Every child in the district deserves equal investment and equal opportunity to succeed.

Thank you again for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the students of the District of Columbia, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you.

Now we will hear from Chuck Rugger or Monty Edwards.

Okay.

There's a seems to be delayed but I'll proceed.

I was going to uh he was going to take five minutes.

I was planning on them.

I would have three, but uh I'll go through and in any case, uh we have very extensive uh testimony that we'll we will be submitting.

So uh first uh thank you for the opportunity to speak today, Councilmember this afternoon.

And uh I'll be speaking on behalf of uh MCAC, which is the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee.

And I'll be speaking on behalf of uh Susan Orzler, who is in charge of our operations committee, to address the fact that we have some definite issues with our Eastern Market Enterprise Fund.

Eastern Market Enterprise, the fund was created by legislation as a special fund administered by DGS.

All monies collected by the market are to be deposited in the enterprise fund.

The fund is to pay all expenses related to management and maintenance of the Eastern Market special use area, but may not be used for capital expenditures.

The enterprise fund, while it's funded from revenue from Eastern Market, whereas operatings of most other DC organizations are funded from taxpayer revenues.

It is understood that unused tax dollars should be returned to the general fund, but we vet funds provided by Eastern Market should be retained by the market to ensure that remain economically self-sufficient.

This does not happen.

The portion of the DC budget before you request for Eastern Market services, 611,000, which covers basic operational services.

In addition, it's added to a spending plan produced by DGS for contractual services, occupancy fixed costs, and sustainable energy.

This creates total charges of 834,000.

Revenues from the market is projected to be 965,000 this year and last year 974,000.

This discrepancy between revenues and allowable expenditures results in the market that we are not being permitted to use all the revenue that we produce.

In prior years, revenue surpluses were to be carried over to future years.

Act of 2026 has directed that future surplus funds cannot be carried over and must be deposited to the general fund.

Additionally, the mayor has a special fund transfer, which combined calls for FY27 through 30 to literally pull out 162,551 dollars from the revenue market.

This coupled with the spending plan results in nearly a transfer of $300,000 annually from Eastern Market to the General Fund.

This is critical because we are seriously underfunding any unmet needs we have and cannot well, we cannot use our operating surplus.

And this is automatically lost to the market.

And I would notice I see my time, but these funds are very important for the branding opportunity and advertising, and we're in a competitive market with supermarkets and these other DC stores, and frankly, we feel that the market itself is a destination in the district for tourism and for our citizens.

And our goal is to only make Eastern Market to be more self-sufficient and vibrant, thriving, and a gathering place for citizens of Washington.

And we believe this is achievable only if the market is permitted to fully utilize its revenue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Let's see.

All right, Neil, I want to come back to you.

Um I'm disappointed as you are that the archives are not a part of the American 250 celebrations, um, as we were assured for years that it would be.

What examples of the costs of our costs without compromising functionality, and have there been any changes made or considered that would hinder functionality?

That's an excellent question, Councilmember.

I don't know, we don't know what they exact or do exactly doing.

And also from the secretary that they are undertaking this, they insist that there are no compromises to programming.

They're looking for, you know, this might be uh reducing the finishes to something less uh less fancy.

Um this might this might involve uh reducing uh you know altering mechanical equipment or changing certain ornamental elements of the design, um, or alternatively trying to look for opportunities for the foundation to pay for certain things like you know, fit out of a conference room.

We have not heard what that list is, though.

So I think it's an excellent question to ask them to make sure that they are not coming.

Because in the past they have suggested not fitting out the top two floors.

So all right, thank you.

I appreciate that.

Um President Fugs, thank you for your leadership and years of advocacy for the facility conditions of our schools, especially.

Um we've seen issues with resources and procedures and communication that really have plagued DGS building and maintaining our DCPS schools.

I want to get your thoughts on communication, which unlike resources entirely within DGS's discretion and ability uh to change, um, what is it like for administrations and teachers when they want to report a new issue or get an update on an ongoing issue?

Well, I think the challenge is kind of the pointing fingers piece, right?

So, like I'll look up, you know, a work order number if there is one.

Um DGS will often be like, well, where's the work order number?

It's like, oh, you all have it, why can't you look it up?

Or they'll be like, Well, we told DCPS this, and we'll then have to reach out to somebody's like, no, you didn't.

And so then we go to DGS, but they're saying no, you didn't.

Like it's you know, like, it's just like okay, just tell me something, like either just put it on the dashboard, and then I don't have to email anybody, right?

I just go there and look.

But like, for example, we just went through this with Drew Elementary.

They did fix it the day I finally started reaching out.

But like basically they've gone for a month without their elevator.

When my vice president went to visit, they're like, Yeah, we haven't heard anything.

And she was talking to the custodial team, so like they're like, yep, we haven't heard anything, no one's come out.

So I go, like, all right, let me check the work order.

So I go over and look at it, and it was like an aspirational what we should do.

No update on what they did do because they didn't do anything.

So they then showed up the day after we emailed, and it was I think maybe lucky for them, they showed up before I sent the email.

So like they did show up.

But like it was just a month of no contact from everyone's like account.

And you know, that just doesn't happen when I email about award three school.

Like they don't react this way.

Um and so I don't and like they have a the DGS top officials have a tendency to only reply to an email from me, like acknowledge they even got one if they can prove that I'm wrong, quote unquote.

Otherwise they're not giving back to me.

So it's just a very frustrating communication experience.

And I don't even want to be in it, right?

Like I would much rather let's just get done between the people that have to get done with.

Like I'm getting involved because someone finally reached their wit's end and reach out to me.

And I'm usually not my teacher's first move because they know it's a little bit more of an aggressive thing.

So, you know, people are kind of and I just kind of wish the last thing I'll just say is just if a teacher's reaching out to me about a temperature in a building, knowing they could get retaliated against by somebody, right, for like, you know, kind of causing waves and not everyone likes that, then there's something wrong, right?

So just kicking back to me and saying, nah, it's 72 degrees.

No, it's not.

They would not spend all this time emailing me and getting me involved if that was the case.

Right.

It's just not rational.

And so it's just kind of always that like experience, like even if that's what your temperature like systems telling you, they're contacting us because they're saying it's not working.

So like I think it's just and I've tried to communicate with them that you know that starts to get me angry, and then I mean, then I start taking my show on the road rather than just dealing with them.

So I think it's just a matter of making sure we really are trusting the people in the buildings to be telling the truth, and like yes, a point of contact is designated for each DCPS school, but like they're not all created equal.

Yeah.

And so people are eventually gonna start asking someone else, and just to kick back and be like, go to your point of contact, like it's just not that's not a reasonable response.

Yeah.

Have you all seen one thing we focus on in the committee was was elevators and and lifts and ADA compliance across the facilities.

Um we are still getting persistent complaints around elevators, particularly.

What are you all, what are you, and because this impacts both teachers and and staff and students alike, what um have you all seen across the portfolio as far as issues around ADA compliance that's impacting educators and students?

Well, I think like there's a couple big challenges.

Like one, if we do have educators who really either need a lot of extra time if they're forced to use the stairs, or basically can't safely use the stairs, then there's often not a lot of support or empathy coming from our administrators, and they're just kind of like, well, if we can find the staff to walk the class up and down the stairs, we will, but the teachers telling you they can't do it.

And like while the teacher's not blaming the administrator for the elevator being out, they're often being held accountable, being like, Well, you weren't watching your kids.

They literally can't, right?

And it's kind of just this constant like back and forth at some of our schools.

That's just very unfortunate because we would just hope everyone be treated with dignity um and respect and respecting the ADA accommodations, and it's just sometimes we find, and this is the DCPS issue in this sense.

Like, what do you do in the interim?

Like we get it.

You can't control when the parts gonna come in and like we got two months of no elevator, but then come up with a solution and move pretty quick.

If DGS is warning you this is gonna take some time, then it's like, okay, move the classroom.

I don't know, like it's not easy, but do something because like we're like find somebody to walk the kids during transition so the teacher doesn't have to constantly put themselves at risk trying to get kids downstairs that they can barely utilize, right?

So it's just it's not like it's a hundred teachers, it's not that many, but like for the few that it happens to, it's very dehumanizing.

Okay.

Right.

Um thank you for that.

And I know the DGS has been moving to um having less of the actual keys and moving most systems to um the electric electric key fobs.

Has that made an improvement?

Because I used to get a lot of complaints from teachers around keys.

Um, but it seems like the dish the DGS has been moving quickly on trying to replace all of the locks and doors with the electric fobs.

I'm not sure.

That's something that I definitely have to reach out to my members about at the beginning of the school year.

Like if they've made a lot of progress this school year, then maybe if they're claiming they made it before that, then no, because I was getting a lot of key problems at the beginning of the school year.

They've not persisted, but oftentimes I find that's just like they're like, well, I brought it up once, like why bring it up again?

Like if this is gonna keep going.

But it may be that it was fixed, because they often don't tell me hey, it was fixed.

Okay.

Thank you for that.

Um, Rachel, I want to come to you.

Um and um okay, so there's seems to be two issues here that you mainly addressing.

One is the facilities allotment that's currently allotted, which is and what what is the request for full facilities allotment?

What's the percentage?

So the 3.1% increase that's outlined um in the law is what we're requesting since the mayor's proposal flat funded starting at last year's levels through FY30.

That was what her current proposal is.

That's what the current proposal is.

Yes.

So we're requesting the facilities law and the increase be put back in.

And it costs about six million dollars for FY27.

Okay, six million for FY27.

Okay, and do you did you do you have any idea sort of why they decided is it just the budget pressures is what they is the answer that they've given you?

That's what we've been told, yes.

That's okay.

Uh one if you clear about that.

Okay.

And on a on a separate LE LEA level, um Ms.

Fleming and Cioka, and how does that impact you all from the facilities perspective?

Or how would it impact your your particular schools?

Significantly.

Um we I mean, we rely and and you know, plan out our budget expecting those funds.

Um it is better.

We we can't call DGS when something goes wrong.

We need those funds to be able to call vendors to fix systems when they go wrong.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean, um you council member were in our building recently.

You've seen the building, it's beautiful, but it's a hundred years old.

Stuff happens.

So, you know, this year alone, I'm looking at paying five thousand dollars to replace roof leaks based on the snow creep.

And like Christian, I can't call DGS and say, please come by, there's water trickling from the ceiling.

I have to put out multiple bids, I have to go through all the procurement rules, and maybe I have to dip into the in this case literal rainy day fund to pay for this unexpected expense.

So losing that money just pushes us that much closer to not being able to do stuff like that.

And every inch of this building is in use every minute of the day.

So I can't just say, eh, we're down a classroom, we'll just find something else to do.

We we don't have a something else.

We need that space, and without money to do these repairs, you know, we're stuck.

Okay.

The facilities dollars is very important.

I can give you an example of about a year ago.

We in the middle of winter, we had a a uh a big plumbing situation that happened.

Uh where we had to dig, it cost us about $80,000 in the middle of the winter to take care of we had to figure that out.

Uh and so that facilities dollars allotment is so important to the work that we do.

Um it also it helps provide uh you know programs that you because we use every part of the building as uh other colleagues stated.

And so without that facilities allotment, it really hurts our budget.

It hurts what we need to do on behalf of the students that we serve.

Okay.

And it and this is uh Rachel coming back to you.

Is this um does this impact smaller charters more than it impacts larger, or is that felt across like is it fell across the the spectrum?

Good question.

It's felt across the spectrum because it's paid out on a per-pupil basis.

Um and so the the other thing I'll name is that schools are in different stages of their renovating renovation projects, and so for schools that you know may have a little bit of savings, might be able to afford this issue once, and then what happens next time?

Schools that are just finished facilities projects are at very low savings, they're not gonna be able to afford the next thing that breaks that puts out their building, if that makes sense.

So I'm not saying that it like just impacts smaller sites or larger sites, it's everyone, and it really depends on their current facility situation.

Okay.

Um I sort of I understand the the second thing is about the USP the the way that that it's been this time around is different, which is they've moved funding from the UPSFF to DGS's budget to pay for DCPS's fixed cost.

So like uh water, gas, electric, heat, yeah.

And so our schools will still have to pay for that out of their UPSFF, but DG, but DCPS will not, because DGS will then pay for it.

Okay, so it frees up UPSFF dollars for DCPS to provide teacher races, for example, or do enrichment programming or hire mental health clinicians, and our schools now have to make that tough trade-off.

And you heard some of our leaders talk about what that trade-off would mean for their schools.

Um but yeah, they have to keep the lights on.

So you have to pay for that first, and then it's gonna be at the expense of kids.

Yeah, I understand why they would say this.

I know well, I know why they would say this in answering you all about the facilities pressures or like the budget and the facilities pressures.

But for this one, I what is there what has been the executive's response to why they decided to make this change?

I think it's about budget pressures.

It's hard for them to afford for DCPS to be able to afford, for example, the WTU agreement increases and these I mean the rising cost of utilities, we're all feeling it.

And so for them to be able to make their ends meet, this was the solution that she came up with.

Okay.

All right, yeah.

We don't quite understand it yet.

Yeah, one doesn't make sense to me.

Okay.

Yeah.

I I mean I can understand like why they would say that facilities, but this one doesn't actually make that reasoning doesn't make sense.

Right is what I mean.

It would be cost neutral just to put it back through the UPSFF and the overall city budget.

Gotcha.

Okay.

All right, thank you so much.

Thank you to this uh group of witnesses.

Please don't forget to upload your uh testimony to the hearing management system prior to May 7th if uh possible.

All right.

We are now moving to witnesses around DPR parks and recreation.

She's on the first panel.

All right.

All right, uh Maya Kurumoto, Samantha Lupkin, Lupkin, Sean Taylor, Karen Gogliano, Michelle Wolin, Andrea Rosen, and Jonna Crump.

I know I probably messed up some of those names.

Please just correct me.

I am so sorry.

Jesus Christ.

Okay.

Anybody not here that I can add here.

Marsha Lee.

Okay.

Randy Speck.

I'll add you to this panel.

Okay.

No, I'll just visit.

Go there.

All right.

Maya, you are up first.

Good afternoon, Chairwoman Lewis George and members of the committee.

My name is Mia Kurumoto, and I'm award one resident.

I'm here to speak about the multi-purpose court at Mitchell Park and what it means to many of us in our 20s and 30s who live in the neighborhood.

For a lot of us, the court is one of the few truly accessible ways to stay active in the city.

Gym memberships can be expensive, and not everyone has access to private facilities.

This is a free public space that we rely on regularly.

I'm there four to five times per week, and many others are as well.

But what's grown around this court is more than just recreation.

It's a real community.

People from different backgrounds, different ages, and even different countries come together in this one shared space.

It's one of the rare places in DC where you can meet neighbors outside of work or structured settings.

People have formed lasting friendships.

Some have even met their partners there.

At the same time, demand has grown significantly.

On weekends, it's common to see 30 people waiting to use the court, especially pickleball, reflecting how popular the space has become.

That continued demand is placing additional strain on a 12-year-old surface that shows clear signs of deterioration.

Large cracks, uneven surfaces, and drainage issues, all of which affect the quality and safety of play.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from Samantha.

Okay.

Hi.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak and for squeezing me in on an early panel.

My name is Samantha Lubkin.

I'm a 10-year resident of Ward 4 and a gymnastics mom, among other things.

My pronouns are she her.

She started with DPR gymnastics as a raw beginner in January of 2024.

Two years later, as part of DPR's first competitive team in their first competitive season, she came in seventh in her division in the Maryland State Championships, which I find phenomenal.

She and her teammates and her coaches have consistently represented DPR in our city very well at city-sponsored events over the last couple of years.

And it meets around the region this season.

Our strong, confident girls have been showing up, competing fiercely against more established teams and winning medals and trophies.

And this program has been a haven for her.

She calls it her happy place.

So clearly the demand is high enough that the program should be expanded and promoted, not cut.

Wow, time goes fast.

As residents brought up in the meeting, there are a lot of opportunities for savings in the proposed renovations.

And I think that we can demonstrate that there is a need for that.

The popularity of the program speaks for itself.

So either way, please don't take it away from me.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for that testimony.

Next, we will hear from Sean Taylor.

Karen Gagliano.

Okay.

Is this working?

Yes.

Thanks.

Um good afternoon, Chairwoman and uh members of the committee.

I don't know if we have any others listening right now.

My name is Karen Kailish Gagliano.

I'm a Ward II resident.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

I'm here to talk about the multipurpose court as Mitchell Park in Calorama and what it means to those of us who use it regularly, including active older adults like myself, the opposite end of the spectrum from my friend here.

But uh they um it it's a really inclusive place.

Um the courts kind of the cornerstone of our week for a lot of us.

Uh it's it's a mile from where I live, but I can walk.

So I walk over, I walk back, I get my two miles in, and whenever the surface is dry, we know we can show up for pickleball seven days a week in the heat of the summer here in DC or in the cold of the winter.

Um it's become so much more than recreation.

People of all ages and backgrounds come together here.

Sometimes I hear as much Spanish spoken as English, which is tough for me because I was never very good in my Spanish classes.

But it's a really fun group.

Last Thanksgiving, my family hosted several of our international Mitchell Park pickleball players for their first American Thanksgiving.

Uh people have formed real friendships, some have started dating, as Maya mentioned.

Uh, we run into each other around town.

You know, DC's not a big place if you've been here right for a while.

We share rides to things.

It's great.

It's very multi-generational, it's very fun.

Um the friends of Mitchell Park recently had a pickleball tournament, and they did a great job on it.

Um, my much younger randomly paired partner and I made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to the eventual winners.

Yay.

Um, the potluck picnic afterwards drew even more people than the tournament itself.

That's the spirit of the place.

And quite frankly, it's all ad hoc.

Um, we have volunteer organizers for everything.

Um pay for, you know, we come out ourselves and line the courts by the nets and stuff.

Uh there's just a lot of spirit in the place.

So what makes Mitchell Park really special is that it's a shared space.

You show up and there are children's chalk drawings on the courts that uh have appeared during the day.

Basketball and tennis happen on these courts, all ages, many different uses.

But the surface hasn't been resurfaced in over a decade.

There are visible cracks, uneven areas, drainage problems, dead spots where the ball no longer bounces reliably.

On the weekends, it's common to see dozens of people waiting to play.

We've worked closely with the ANC and are aligned with the Friends of Mitchell Park in the request.

They've submitted a letter where they mentioned that oops, better finish.

Oh, we respectfully asked that the DPR include Mitchell Park multi-purpose court in the next package of resurfacing projects for fiscal year 27.

And uh the park got the playground got done recently, but not the multi-purpose surface.

So that was necessary and done last year.

Okay.

Thank you very much for your time.

No, thank you so much.

Oh, and we have a picture of all the people.

There were so many people that came out for the tournament to watch and do the pot luck.

I mean, where in the city do you see this kind of spirit?

It's great.

I love it.

I will take a look.

Karen Michelle.

Hi, my name is Michelle Wolin.

I live in Chevy Chase, D.C.

I am speaking today in opposition to the city's plans to add a large amount of housing to our Chevy Chase Civic Corps, the site of our library, community center, outdoor recreation area, and park.

The current buildings are only two stories tall.

And we have a full-size basketball court that is also used almost every morning and at other times for pickleball, a playground, a DPR summer camp for 100 kids, a play program for preschoolers, and it's the place for community events such as Chevy Chase Day.

It has many mature trees, and it's a green oasis from busy Connecticut Avenue.

But the city has accepted a proposal from Rift Valley developers to add 177 housing units to this small 1.68 acre site, going up likely seven stories tall, and it can go up to eight, with only 54 affordable units.

Two-thirds of the units will be expensive market rate.

This large apartment complex will overwhelm the small site, and the outdoor space will be severely diminished.

In recent ANC surveys, residents have said that the outdoor amenities they most value by far are outdoor seating, outdoor green space, and gardens, and mature trees.

72% said they want outdoor space to be on ground level rather than on rooftops.

So the Rift Valley proposal claims that it will be increasing the quote open space.

But open space is not the same as actual green space with trees, grass, sunlight.

The renderings show that much of this open space is on rooftops, surrounded on multiple sides by the tall apartment walls, or on narrow strips along busy Connecticut Avenue.

I gave many examples in my written testimony.

I'll just say a few here.

The box terrace is one of the larger outdoor spaces.

It's surrounded by the tall apartment walls on the east, south, and west sides.

It will be claustrophobic.

Several architects have commented that the space will be in shadows and shade because it will only get northern light and nothing is going to grow there.

So it will be concrete or a restaurant turf.

Much of the open space they provide is on a rooftop, and we've been told it will only be open when the library is open, so it will be closed on holidays and have very limited weekend hours, exactly when people are free to use it.

We have a lovely reading garden right now, surrounded by trees, buffered from Connecticut Avenue.

That will be gone.

Instead, Rift Valley puts reading benches right along Connecticut Avenue.

Um the flexible sports courts, hard to tell what they're doing.

They appear to provide only a half basketball court.

They may have pickleball courts, but they're so close to the apartment buildings, they will certainly bring about noise complaints.

And the apartment residents will take precedence because they live there.

And there will be no more trees.

It will no longer be a park with trees and an open field, and it will no longer feel like public land that belongs to the whole community.

Every community needs outdoor recreation space and green space, a place for residents to freely gather.

Our community alone should not be asked to give this up, especially since other completely private developments in Ward 3 with no giveaway of public land have provided as much as or more affordable housing than what's being provided here.

Wardman and Wedley Park, 72 affordable, City Ridge, 56, Upton Place, 65 affordable units.

And that's with no giveaway of public land.

And also our whole commercial district is being upzoned, so there will be more housing to come.

Connecticut and Wisconsin are going to be upzoned.

There will be tons of housing, and I believe under the new Comp plant, everything will have at least 15% affordable.

There, so I urge the city, revitalize our library, community center, and outdoor recreation space and park without cramming an overly large private housing complex on this small 1.68 acre site.

The community values this land, it needs this land for other important community purposes.

Don't give it up for housing that can be built in any number of other places.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from uh Johnna Crump.

Can you all hear me?

Yes.

Okay, perfect.

Good afternoon, Chairwoman and members of the committee.

My name is John O'Crump, and I am a UDC law student by day and a studio owner by night.

I am here to formally or dance you to owner by night.

I am here to formally oppose the proposed budget for the Department of Parks and Rike in the mayor's fiscal year 2027 budget.

While this budget has been described as balance, the proposed 8.1 reduction in funds and the 14.8% decrease in staff is a significant disinvestment in the very infrastructure that keeps our youth safe.

My dual perspective as a legal advocate and a mentor of the youth offers an undeniable view of the consequences we face when we fail to provide children with safe, dedicated third spaces to exist.

Currently, the district responds to currently the district is responding to team takeovers with curfews and increased law enforcement.

These are reactionary measures.

Enforcement alone is not an amicable solution to address the why.

The solution lies in community centers.

Yet the budget proposes cutting nearly 160 positions.

We aren't just cutting vacancies on a spreadsheet.

We're cutting mentors, coaches, and advocates who build relationships with these youth.

We have the data to prove that community-based investment works, showing that when we increase the number of nonprofit community organizations, we see a direct reduction in these takeovers and other violent crime.

There are plenty of other cities who have adapted this model, including Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, but most importantly, our neighbors right next door to Baltimore.

Baltimore has converted underutilized spaces into rec-to-tech hubs for digital media, robotics, and extended high traffic centers, and increase the hours until midnight.

I urge the committee to amend the budget to reflect these priorities.

One, restore the 158.5 staff positions and repurpose them as youth engagement specialists to facilitate mentorship and conflict resolution within the centers.

Fund late to fund late night programming, keeping these centers open significantly later, especially on the weekends.

Adapt a modernized approach.

As we know, this generation possesses an accelerated maturity.

So we need next-gen programming like entrepreneurship, creative arts, and intentional marketing strategy that reaches them where they are.

And then lastly, reallocate from ineffective agencies.

And I feel as though it would be beneficial to take some of those funds and reallocate them into the youth who are our future doctors, leaders, and all of those good things.

So reducing the DPR budget narrows this window of opportunity for our youth, and I asked the committee to reinvest into our youth by expanding at the least and or expanding and at the least ref restoring this funding.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your testimony.

Next, we'll hear from Randy Speck.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Chair Lewis George.

I'm Randy Speck, the Chevy Chase resident for 40 years.

I served as advisory neighborhood commissioner for ANC 34G for 10 years.

I've been involved for the last decade at various aspects of planning for the development of the Chevy Chase Civic site, including the Chevy Chase Community Center, and I've testified on behalf of the ANC before the DC Council at least five times on issues related to its development.

I'm a also a founding member of Chevy Chase Forward, a diverse coalition uniting around a bold shared vision of Chevy Chase that bridges divides and builds community within our neighborhood and across the district.

I'm testifying today about DPR's proposed capital budget for the new community center in Chevy Chase.

I have three primary concerns.

First, the proposed FY27 budget is virtually identical to last year's proposal, including all the errors and misstatements that I pointed out in my testimony before this committee last year.

The concerns that I raised last year apply equally to this year's capital budget.

It's frustrating the DPR seems seemingly pays no attention to the facts as they exist today, but continues to replicate capital budget requests that are misleading, grossly outdated, and bear no relationship to current conditions.

Second, the council must act this year so the work can begin to provide badly needed civic facilities and affordable housing for Chevy Chase.

After a decade of planning and community engagement, the mayor is poised to propose a resolution for the surplusing and disposition of the Chevy Chase Civic Corps, consistent with comprehensive plan, the Chevy Chase smaller area plan and recent zoning changes.

The district can build a state-of-the-art community center library and revitalized open areas while also permitting significant co-located housing in the newly available air rights space that the civic facilities have never used and have never needed.

We've waited too long, and the time is now ripe for to implement this essential project.

Third, affordable housing must be an integral component of the Civic Corps project and includes that includes the community center.

This is one of the few opportunities in Board 3 to leverage public land to ensure significant permanent affordable housing rather than simply building the minimum 30% affordable housing as has been proposed by Rift Valley.

Chevy Chase Forward and its coalition partners urge significantly more, including workforce housing.

This objective is feasible and necessary at this important site.

Thank you, and I welcome your questions.

Okay, let me see.

Samantha, I think I've been talking with Councilmember Parker about the deficiencies in the Langdon Modernization Project.

Yes.

Whether the community would rather see this project delayed slash pause and get what they want versus the other half of this, which is keeping the project as it's currently designed, and the community not getting it not being able to meet the needs of now or the future.

I just wonder if you had an opinion on that piece.

So some of some of the things that the community brought up in the meeting were that there are elements to the project that nobody asked for, uh, such as sand volleyball.

Everybody spoke up against sand volleyball.

Um I don't know what the cost of that is compared to a basketball gym.

Obviously, it's probably um not comparable, but there are other places where things could be trimmed to put money toward that kind of a facility.

Um another complaint that the um residents had was that there are a lot of things in the uh the project scope that they have seen installed in the past that have not been maintained and have then become an eyesore in the neighborhood, like rain gardens.

I am personally way in favor of rain gardens, but if you don't maintain them, yeah, we don't have a main.

It's basically a trash pit, right?

So if we take out things that cost money and may not see um a benefit to the community, then we may be able to rearrange the funds.

Um another thing that the residents brought up was um the proposed design has some really large windows, which are expensive, but also create expense by bringing in the sun and heating up the space, so then we have to cool the space, right?

Um and so yeah, there may be tweaks that we can make along those lines as well.

Got you.

So more so let's try to realize some savings in the design overall and do the things the community asked for, not the things the community didn't ask for, right?

To make it happen.

And then just to kind of um address the the idea of maybe delaying the project for the gymnastics community, that could be a real problem.

That's true because installing the gymnastics equipment, which would then need to be uninstalled.

There's been they've had it for a while and they've been not installing it while waiting for these renovations.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Um Parker in Connor's conversation, he did tell me about the meeting and what happened at the meeting, and so we're gonna be working together to try to figure out uh a solution for the community and hopeful that your voices and and his advocacy will lead to some meaningful changes as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Everyone else, I think.

Mia, I'm gonna be following that with DGS on the pictures of the court you share, I think.

And we'll be following up on DGS with that.

Let me see.

It's just the cracks, the structural cracks and things in there.

Okay, gotcha.

Okay.

Um I don't think I have any further questions for this panel.

Everybody's uh testimony was really thorough and straightforward, so we'll be asking those questions to DPR and DGS and try to get some solutions for you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And can I also just recommend that you take a look at the testimony of the other members of the gymnastics community that do absolutely, absolutely.

And good luck to your daughter and congratulations.

My niece is a is a is a gymnast, and so where's the other panel?

Let me see it.

Oh, Monty's back.

Okay.

Monty Edwards for Marcia.

Okay.

Commissioner Davidson.

Commissioner Ashley Russ.

Peggy Raman, the policy counsel, ACOUDC.

Cheryl Court, DC and Prince George's policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

And Scott Goldstein, executive director of Empower Ed.

What's your name?

Huh?

Come on.

Where's Monty?

Can we just move them on?

Okay, I'm gonna just move you up, Monty.

You will.

Okay.

All right, we're gonna start with uh Monty Edwards.

Monty, I'm gonna hear from you at some point today.

I know it.

I just know it.

Um Marcia Lee, public witness.

No, okay.

All right, I know Dolores is here.

I see, I saw her online.

Okay, Dolores Bushon, good to see you.

Good afternoon.

Hello, and good to see you.

Um, and thank you for holding this hearing.

Uh my name is Dolores Bushong, and I have lived in Ward 5 on Hamlin Street Northeast, which is adjacent to Langdon Park Recreation Center for 33 years.

The current building was constructed in 1970, and the community was promised a new facility with funds in place from 2012.

We've met with DPR as recently as November 2nd, 2023, and they asked for our comments and suggestions about the facility, which we gave them.

But then two years later, in September 8th, 2025, we were shocked to hear that there wasn't money to build a new build building.

So in two years, everything changed drastically because there wasn't enough money, that the 25 29 billion wasn't enough.

They never acknowledged that we had met earlier, that we had come up with ideas or really that it exchanged, except what had changed, except there was no money.

But instead, they were proposing that we spend a lot of money on the grounds, which was not something that the community had asked for.

In general, we're very happy with Langdon Park, it's quite a beautiful place.

A cosmetic overhaul of the building was all that they were saying we could do, and then they split us into groups and kind of forced us into saying what we would want in the park grounds, which was not what we wanted, but we had to go to these stations and put what we wanted.

So, in a way, it was like this forced choice you do with children.

So we were so shocked we didn't ask some of the questions we wish we would have asked, at least I wish I would have asked, is why did it change from a new center that could offer activities and classes that the neighborhood wanted to just being upgrading the entire park?

And it looked to most of us like a lot of the money was because different things in the park had not had regular maintenance.

So they were really using capital money to do things that were maintenance, plus throwing in a few things like the bat like the volleyball court, so they could count it as well.

I I hate to sound not very optimistic, but we feel very burned in this neighborhood, and I've lived here a long time.

Um today's after all, what they're proposing would have to last what, 55 years, at least the last one was 55 years.

So if you're saying the new one is going to be 55 years, it needs to be the right one.

So we've made clear at the community meetings what we didn't like and what we did like.

I'm not sure that DPR has listened to it, it seems they haven't, that they've already spent a lot of money on landscape architects proposing things that can't be maintained very easily, like flower gardens, um, instead of looking at what they can do to give us the building we want.

And we would really like that $18 million that we were hoping, and that I know that uh CM Parker has asked for.

Now the the problem is because I just listened to the gymnastics uh presentation, uh, and I have friends who have kids kids in it.

I and I have friends who have killed kids in it.

Great program.

The problem is when this was made into a gymnastics facility, it took away the basketball court, which could also be used for volleyball, for pickleball, and for a lot of other safe places for kids to go.

In fact, they've offered no programming except gymnastics.

Kids can't go from our neighborhood to anything at this recenter presently and haven't been for like the last two years.

None of us understand why.

So now they're trying to force us in a way against each other.

No one's against gymnastics.

It's just that it took away the basketball facility, and no one asked.

It just happened.

So no one wants to then turn around and take it away from gymnastics.

I don't think that's the answer either.

What we are saying, however, is that we really want this facility open to kids who are not in the gymnastics program for other opportunities, such as pickleball, volleyball, and could be even some gymnastics for other kids that don't require a gymnastics gym, but pulling out maps, for example.

The Langdon community needs your help.

Please do not allow DPR to move ahead with their current designs for the parking facility.

As I understand that they have spent I I think almost two million dollars to get architects and landscape architects to plan things that we never asked for, and the community has made clear we don't want.

So when they were showing these things, we could hold it up and say no so they could see it, not just hear our see our heads going back and forth.

No.

Um we know what we've asked for, and we know what we don't want, and DPR seems to be just ignoring us.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Um next, we will hear from Lisa Brown.

Yes, oh, just for the okay, this is my first time doing this, so wonderful.

Um I made it brief because I caught a cold.

So my name is Lisa Brown, and I have been a resident of Woodbridge Langdon, Ward 5 since 2009.

I live across the street from the park along 20th and Franklin.

I can see the library, Chuck Brown Park, and Langdon Elementary School from my back windows.

I had so many emotions, opinions about the situations that we're now facing regarding the rec center, I didn't know where to begin.

However, at the end of the day, it comes to what I need the council to come away with at the end of my testimony.

As a 17-year community member and part of the group that helped get the original 31 million in 2012, which is now down to I think two point, we lost 2.8 million, like 28 million.

We are excited, we were excited to get the new facility to go with the new library and the new Chuck Brown Park.

We were patient and believed various officials when they told us, be patient.

We got you.

You still have your money.

It's not like we didn't ask about the status of our project over the years to the various officials.

DPR was send us to DGS, and other officers sent us to other offices, back and forth.

Nobody's responsible.

Basically the runaround.

Where did our patients get us?

A modernization, renovation that we were told that was inadequate 12 years ago.

We were first given 18 million dollars, I mean 13 million dollars to renovate Langdon Park.

And they added 18 million because we remember they said renovation was not adequate and we needed a new facility.

But now we're back to modernization or renovation.

Um there was an emphasis in the last presentation on the premier gymnastics program that we were never asked for, and that displaces many of the children that live in the area as um Dolores mentioned.

There's no after school, there's no other program other than gymnastics.

And it's limited to six girls.

Um, so you know that's very limited.

And um my neighbors, their kids, her kids.

I found out about it because her kids can't go to after school.

They can't go to the bathroom, they can get water, there's nowhere for them to go after school.

And one of the officials told them to go to Turkey Thicket.

And Turkey Thicket is Brooklyn.

She lives right next to the Rec Center.

So anyway.

Um, and we're not trying to put us against them.

It's just we didn't know about the program.

I know I didn't know about it.

Um the building does not capture what the community wants or needs.

Um, and currently the building is more used as administrative building for DPR than for the children.

It's filled with all the spaces that were for children, a computer lab, the snack room, the game room, is all offices for DPR.

And we were stripped of many programs and don't have the school um program since at least the pandemic.

And it was also used as a shelter temporarily in some of the winter time when the homeless people needed places to go.

They used the Redson as a shelter.

We've only had four meetings with the only four meetings were also with the community with DPR over this 12-year period.

The community provided input, but there were exceedingly long lags between the meetings, and it was very little follow-up.

Like they were going through the most is to check the community engagement box.

The community had no sense of what direction we were going in until the next meeting.

And as some of these were two years apart, you know, 18 months apart.

Now DPR stance is to take is to take it or leave it, but what sounds like the threat in is that if we don't want that if we don't want it, they make we might lose our funding.

Councilman Parker has been very supportive in our fight for what we were promised many, many years ago.

And now we want the DC council to help us to get what we have been patiently waiting for way too long.

This area is growing, and we need to keep up, and the recent is way past its prime.

We have a lot of development on Rhode Island Avenue.

Um trying to get more density, and we need a park that reflects that.

That looks like a park I went to back in the 70s.

Um, we need more capacity either by a new building or adding an additional floor.

To renovate this old building is like putting lipstick on a pig.

It appears that government is so quick to tell us no, to tell our community no, and what they can't do for us, and we're just sick and tired of you.

Thank you so much for the for being a first timer.

You did amazing.

There we go.

Appreciate it.

All right.

Next one here from uh Commissioner Davidson, ANC 1A.

Hi, good afternoon.

Can you hear me okay?

Yes.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, thank you, Chair Lewis George for the opportunity to testify again.

Uh my name is Shear Davidson, and I'm the advisory neighborhood commissioner for SMD1 AO8 in Columbia Heights.

I first want to express sincere gratitude for the funds that have been proposed for allocation to the Columbia Heights Mount Pleasant cluster of community parks and plazas.

Columbia Heights is among the densest neighborhoods in the district.

We are a commercial corridor featuring DC USA and one of the top 10 most highly trafficked metro stations.

However, more often than not, we remain overlooked in budget considerations and policy implementation conversations.

Our parks are crumbling under neglect, our public spaces are dirty and ill-maintained, and green spaces and shade remains sparse.

Recently, the Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant Vision Framework for Public Design was finally published.

The framework calls for major reinvestment in the public realm, streets, plauses, and parks to shift Columbia Heights from a place where people pass through to a place people stay, gather, and thrive.

The study reinforces what those of us who live in this neighborhood already know.

Public spaces are overcrowded but under design.

People move through but often do not linger as infrastructure is highly inadequate for the current density and use and is often not welcoming.

Our parks are in need of investments, increased shade, improved landscaping, additional seating, and flexible gathering spaces.

Capital funding is needed to maintain waste infrastructure, upgrade insufficient public amenities, and facilitate expansion of green spaces and tree canopies in the Columbia Heights urban heat island.

There's ample opportunity to convert excess paved space into usable public realms and green spaces.

Our public spaces see multi-general generational use and are needed responsive design that facilitates play, community gathering, and cultural engagement.

Maintained and activated parks, stimulate business and economic development.

Our facilities, parks, and public spaces have suffered under chronic neglect and disinvestment.

High use spaces require high frequency maintenance.

According to a motto ridership data, the Columbia Heights Metro sees up to 11,400 people a day.

Our public spaces are used at a district-wide scale, but funded and maintained below even a neighborhood scale.

The Columbia Heights Community Center is a beloved neighborhood asset and mixed-use space, with DPR programs consistently filled to capacity almost immediately.

Demand far exceeds supply as the density of Columbia Heights leads to insufficient capacity and resources for the amount of people using the amenities and enrolling in programs.

Parts and recreation staff are not just managing facilities.

They are trusted community anchors and frontline resources.

They create safe, welcoming, structured environments where young people can develop skills, build relationships, and access consistent adult mentorship.

DPR staff also serve as informal support systems, offering guidance, stability, and care that often extends beyond recreation.

This work functions functions as preventative support that strengthens families and communities.

Additional funds are needed to support existing staff, recruit and retain new staff, and expand the reach of DPR programming.

The director of our recreation center, Lorenzo Carter, is a beloved community leader.

He knows the names of hundreds of people in our neighborhood and serves as a mentor to both the staff and children coming through his facility.

When I asked him about the investments needed at his facility, he told me that they were making do despite the broken playground swing sets, the broken elevator, the broken parking garage door, and the infestation of rats.

Director Carter reflects the humility and resourcefulness of Columbia Heights.

While he told me it was his job to make something out of nothing, it is my job to be the voice of our neighborhood and ask that we receive what we deserve.

Our neighborhood cannot continue being expected to make mountains out of molecules.

As such, I'm asking that you allocate funds for the development, maintenance, and activation of parks and public spaces in Columbia Heights, such as the urgently needed cleaning and maintenance at 14th and Georgia Street Park and repairs landscaping and activation needed at Pacific Plaza.

Relatedly, I'm urging counsel in your oversight to require DPR to track and publish facility level usage data so investments can be aligned with actual demand.

There's no easily accessible public data on daily or annual visitor counts, program enrollment by site or metrics to identify overcrowding or limited resources.

I'm grateful for this initial proposed investment in our neighborhood, and I hope that in the future, investments can reflect Columbia Heights as a self-sustaining, vibrant and wholly distinct neighborhood that it is without the splitting of limited funds and resources between Mount Pleasant.

Activated and maintained public spaces and parks are the bedrock of our neighborhoods.

They foster community, stimulate economic development, and improve public safety.

Thank you so much for this opportunity to testify.

I will stand for questions when appropriate.

Thank you so much.

All right.

Next we will hear from Peggy.

Raymond Raman.

Raymond.

Raymond.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chairperson Lewis George.

My name is Peggy Raymond, she her, and I am the policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.

Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony today on behalf of our over 14,000 members and supporters across the district.

Our testimony addresses our recommendations regarding the district's FY27 budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The ACLUDC supports FY27 funding levels for DPR at or above FY26 levels, which will allow the department to continue to invest necessary funds in accessible facilities and programming for all DC residents.

Our recent report, Building Safety Through Resources, A Better Path to Public Safety in DC, outlines a public safety approach centered on prevention and support rather than over reliance on fleasing and jails.

It's well documented that public policy solutions that address the root causes of public safety issues, keep our communities safer and more secure.

The report details ways that the district can invest in community safety and security through prevention and by supporting families, youth, and community re-entry.

Families in the district deserve access to high quality facilities, services, and programming through DPR, regardless of the ward they live in.

When we invest in families, stability and safety, children can thrive.

Unfortunately, for many young people, critical services and supports are offered only after they've already become engaged with the criminal legal system.

Early intervention in the form of well-funded and well-implemented programming facilities and support can make all the difference in a child's development and their ability to thrive later in life.

For these reasons, ACLUDC supports funding levels at or above the FY26 level for DPR and local funds for FY27.

We're disappointed to see that the mayor's FY27 budget proposes an 8.1% or over 6.7 million cut to DPR's operating budget from FY26 funding levels.

This includes a 14% cut to DPR site-based programming.

When fully funded, DPR can create programming and provide places where young people feel that they belong.

Safe spaces where kids can be kids.

Access to these supports during formative stages of brain and social development are critical for a young person's success, especially for those children that have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

DPR must be fully funded to provide programming and facilities designed to meet the community's needs and provide these diversionary alternatives for young people.

This includes the development and implementation of diverse and responsive programming, including youth-centered events like the late night hype series, aquatic programming, food and nutrition services, and community programs are all additional important ways that the department can serve young people and their families.

The imposition of curfew requirements on young people does not make our communities safer.

Rather, they further criminalize youth and put more kids at risk of getting caught up in an already troubled system.

The district should invest appropriate resources in building out its out-of-school time activities and offerings.

Additional funding is needed to expand operating hours on nights and weekends and to develop programming that is age appropriate and responsive to kids' needs.

Great camps and teen programming, including leadership development programs and mobile recreation activities, provide this additional enrichment and recreation for kids, and require stable funding levels from year to year.

DPR must also work in partnership with young people to develop programming that's responsive to their needs and interests.

We urge the council to fully fund DPR to allow it to continue to improve and expand the availability of these offerings that are geared toward our young people and their families across the district.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next, we will hear from Cheryl Court.

Thank you, Chair Lewis George, and um good afternoon, uh Councilmember Parker.

My name is Cheryl Court with the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

We advocate for walkable bikeable inclusive transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

We're here to uh express our support for the capital funds allocated for the new Chevy Chase Recreation Center, along with the new library, civic and outdoor recreation space, and affordable mixed-income homes at the Chevy Chase Civic Core site.

We asked the council to review and approve the resolutions to advance this multifaceted civic core project as soon as possible.

This location is a high opportunity neighborhood that can and should feature these new recreation, other public modernized facilities and mixed income affordable housing.

The selected proposed proposal from Rift Valley originally offered 206 total housing units, with one third at deeply affordable levels, one-third at 80% meaning family income, and one third at market rate.

We urge the council to support the original proposal as the most expedient way to bring the planned new public facilities and more affordable homes to this high opportunity neighborhood and rare publicly owned Ward 3 site.

We are baffled by DEMPED's shrinking of the original Rift Valley proposal that which reduced the number of affordable homes to only 54 and the limited workforce housing.

The Demphead action lopped off a story off the top of the building, even though the original proposal conformed to the new zone for the Civic Core site, which we went through a whole public process to adopt.

The Rift Valley proposal for the site addresses the city's goals of creating housing in high opportunity neighborhoods, progress towards racial and economic equity, building more walkable places, and modernizing public facilities, including the new recreation center.

The Rift Valley proposal was shaped by the extensive public process that included the Comp Plan 2021 amendments, the Chevy Chase Smaller A plan, the rezoning of the Chevy Chase Main Street Corridor, including the Civic Corps in from 2023 to 2025, the 2019 housing equity report, the surplus hearing in 2023, the our RFP process in 2023, the public presentations of the eight proposals for the site in 2025, the public disposition hearing and extended comment period, and years of thoughtful input by previous ANC 34G commissions, often led by Randy Speck, who testified earlier.

We urge the council to act expeditiously to deliver a new recreation center, library, and housing at the site.

This Civic Corps offers a rare opportunity to help address Ward 3's acute need for more affordable housing.

This is an important public resource that we should use to help achieve the district's housing and racial equity goals.

We have lost affordable housing opportunities in Ward 3 before, most significantly the Tenley Town Library.

We should not let it happen again.

We asked the committee to approve the capital budget for DPR for the Chevy Chase Recreation Center and also advance the uh the work on the land disposition and development agreement resolutions with the original Rift Valley proposal that that offered a total of 137 affordable and workforce homes.

We must move these resolutions to deliver the modernized community facilities and much needed affordable housing for this high opportunity Ward 3 neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yep.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I am actually in the middle of a meeting.

Um I actually have the DDA director on hold, but I heard uh neighbors testifying, and I thought it was this important.

I just want to send a message of gratitude to Lisa, uh, to Dolores, to Jeremiah and many other neighbors who are passionately conveying the concerns that I have heard from many months uh that DPR is not uh taking to heart the feedback of the community and reflecting that in the design of this project.

And I'm talking in particular about the Langdon uh recreation uh project.

You have my commitment, and I wanted this to be on the record, and I will come back and have a conversation with the director when the time comes.

We will not allow this project to move forward in the condition that it is right now.

Whether that means we have to delay it by a few months, even a year, ideally I don't want that.

Uh, but it is important to me that this project meets the requests of the community.

And it's not so much that neighbors are just asking for things pie in the sky, but we have had months and months of meetings and intentional conversations.

Uh I have seen the resolutions.

I've seen the feedback that neighbors uh have provided from the ANC to the Civic Association to neighbors that just care about this community, and I have not seen that uh reflected in DPR's design.

And I just would say there's a tension about do we just modernize this building for the sake of it being a nice thing to look at, or do we actually make it accessible uh to community members that it can be a place of recreation?

And so you have my commitment.

I wanted to also thank uh you all for coming out.

And I have a little note here that at least this is your first time testifying.

Um, and I want you to know my team is watching this hearing, um, and I'm jumping in and out, but uh I will leave it there.

Uh I know I'm gonna miss part of your testimony, uh, Mr.

Montague, but my team has taken note, and you have my word that I will be fighting right alongside with you all.

Thank you.

And I just want to know your council member did call me as upset as you all were and advocating already.

So I heard about it before it even happened because he told me so.

Thank you for coming in back to your meeting, and we're gonna work together to make sure that the community is heard uh and that there's some real action here.

Um Scott Gold Senior up next.

Good afternoon.

While I'll be focusing my testimony on DPR, and PowerEd stands with students who testified earlier on addressing their facility concerns, the implementation of a Green New Deal for schools, and the Sierra Club's demands for composting in schools.

I do the work I do because I feel a deep injustice and unfairness between the way I was able to experience childhood compared to the way young people who have been treated in my adopted city where I've now lived most of my life.

Washington DC is full of amazing young people.

I had the incredible privilege to teach so many of them for a decade.

In the past year, it has made me incredibly upset to hear the way young people are talked about faced with efforts to control them rather than empower them to hold them accountable without ever having provided what they need to thrive.

We have adults shaming and attacking young people for running around at 8 p.m.

in empty lots.

Maybe we should think about why that is.

When I was a teenager, I went to high school football games on Friday nights.

In Washington, DC, teenagers aren't allowed to go to those games without an adult chaperone.

I hate to say it, but I can't imagine it being the thing to do in my high school if our parents had to come along.

When I was in high school, we went to the mall to hang out.

DC has very few malls, but places like DC USA ban teenagers from being there without an adult.

We develop places like Navy Yard and 14th Street and then ban kids from going out there at night because we really designed the space to be for well-off adults and see teenagers, most of which are acting peacefully, most of whom are acting peacefully as disrupting adult spaces.

To quote Chantel Watkins, I don't know why it's a hard concept for adults to grasp that if a city does not have enough movie theaters, malls, batting cages, laser tags, arcades, or anything else for teenagers, that they'd be acting up outside.

As Aristotle Teresa said, Navy Yard is maybe two rec centers if you're generous about the boundaries.

It probably has a hundred adult gyms.

So kids occupy the only spaces available to them together, without programming, without infrastructure, without anywhere to go.

And you get what you get, which looks like disorder if you're an adult and looks like a good time if you're a kid.

DPR can't do everything to fix this problem, but they are in a position to help.

To see the uh cut of five million dollars in DPR programming under these circumstances is hard to fathom.

At the very least, this budget should restore those funds and invest in the generous expansion of late night and weekend hours and program programming at DPR locations throughout the city.

DPR should help with transportation to and from events, especially when the city is imposing curfews.

They should continue to listen to young people about what they want as they forward plan for facilities and programming.

They should triple the late night hypes, expand regular hours, and listen to youth about the programming that will attract them and how they can get there and back safely.

I want to acknowledge that DPR has done a lot already.

I hope I don't see any council members voting for this youth curfew and not fighting hard to expand DPR hours and programming in this budget.

Black Swan Academy Youth have demanded expanded DPR hours, creating resource hubs, youth development, apprenticeships, and internship programs, and much more.

And remember that while curfews have focused on late night activity, we're doing far too little in the most common time when youth violence occurs, which is in the hours right after school.

DPR can help with that too.

Well, outside the jurisdiction of this hearing, this budget should also fund the bill by Councilmember Robert White to fund a youth mentorship program, which was passed and never funded.

I hope the members of this committee and the council will find a way, even in this tough budget year to support our youth and community investments through DPR.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And we will now hear from Jeremiah Montague Jr., president of the Woodridge Civic Association.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

It's been a long day.

Yes, indeed.

So my grace to everybody who sat through all this.

I reference my name is Jeremiah Montague Jr.

I'm a former ANC commissioner for ANC5C.

And I'm currently coming to you as the president of Woodward Civic Association.

The Woodward Civic Association represents community.

Yeah, we are.

Thank you.

Alrighty.

The Woodridge Civic Association represents community residents in the area bounded by Eastern Avenue, 18th Street, Michigan Avenue, and Bladensburg Road.

We have many residents that are older, including seniors and people with disabilities dependent on public transportation to reach essential life support services and resources.

Further, many of these are middle end and middle, lower and fixed income households.

An open, embracing, programmatically and functionally acceptable community center is essential for our residents' health and well-being.

Our concerns are equal to in-depth to those that span all corners of the city.

Unfortunately, I come before you with dismay.

For some unclear reasons, this executive and its performing agencies are dismissive of our needs of our community in a most disrespectful manner.

Apparently, you cannot gain a respectful audience unless you threaten the financial resources of all covered facilities, amenities, and resources.

Perhaps all current DPR projects should pause as a matter of equity.

Yes, money is tight, but our indulged patience is exhausted.

No more wink winks, no more passive acceptance, no more broken promises.

Thus, the Woodridge Civic Association and the residents covered within and outside our boundaries come with simple asks of the council to rectify the executives' egregious behavior and plan, action, design, and engagement.

After a 12-year-plus wait, anticipating the construction of a new community center with little sparse engagement, we find ourselves being told that our needs are immaterial or minimized.

DPR acts with a lack of transparency, refusing to provide basic responses to simple questions relating to our project's progress and development.

Our 18-acre park is in disrepair, absence of the basic amenity maintenance, because a new refresh is on the horizon.

Be patient.

We will take care of you, Mr.

Tommy Jones said.

We hear that repeatedly.

Mind you, there are exposed wires, pathways crumbling, a monument defaced and without work and elimination, poor pathway lighting, faltering playground equipment, broken water supply at 18th Street, broken seating, poor trash pickup, plantings that die within a year of placement without attending care.

These are operational issues and operationally funded.

But for some reason, DPR offers that maintenance is such a risk is a responsibility of DGS.

Thus, funds for such a much part of the DC DGS budget, not DPR, but clearly not being expended in Langdon Park.

So we are told that the current redevelopment proposal in various rendings and the like focuses heavily on landscaping and ADA compliance features.

We believe this is diverting money more appropriately applied towards the redevelopment of the community center building.

As an amenity, DPR offers a picnic area or pavilion.

We did not ask for, as well as a boardwalk that somebody thought was just peachy.

They, DPR, heartily patted themselves on the back for this wonderful inclusion.

The ultimate affront is that we have the city's preeminent gymnastics facility, which we did not ask for.

It eliminated the interior basketball gymnasium in use for more for several years.

However, participation is limited, and a few local community youths and few local community youths are involved.

We lost our interior uses of the Lyon Center, the game room, the computer lab, and et cetera, to DPR office space.

The response, just go to the library.

Further, we have recently learned that the gymnastics center will relocate during the building's refresh, not rebuild.

Further insult, it would later incorporate into the planned sports center at RFK at the RFK redevelopment site miles away.

Years of waste and denial.

In presentations, engagement staff clearly is unfamiliar with the site and adjacent streets or community needs.

We are told that the council would need to find an additional 15 to 18 million dollars to expand the facility.

We are unsure how DPR arrived at that amount of money, since they have resisted providing cost details to the public.

DPR now postures itself as take it or leave it, with leave it meaning not in our lifetime as a veiled threat.

So here we are.

We to make our request of the council to support our community.

We ask that you take funds from DGS for its firehouse proposal at 22nd and Franklin and Evar Street and redirect them to the expansion of the Langdon Community Center.

The firehouse is not a community priority as the site selection is tenuous and construction is years away.

We request that the council refer the in for investigation to the DC auditor expenditures on this project from the period from its initial funding and supplemental funding to date.

Thus $2 million missing without explanation and no direct evidence of capital expenditure as a proof of use of those funds.

Our new center, the one we want, should include an additional building with bridges in between if final plans retain the picnic area.

If the plan final plan eliminates the picnic area, those funds should redirect towards the construction funds of providing an additional building either upward or eastward.

We suggest the proposed relocation of the skate park eastward to the pool area results in an amenity similar to the scope that found in Shaw with all necessary stormwater management accompaniments.

Lastly, any plantings, gradings, and topic topographical changes be multi-seasonal, resilient, and sustainable, given full consideration for spring, summer, fall, and winter uses.

We respectfully solicit uh scrutiny of this Langdon Park situation, going to the point of creating a lockbox to avert diversion.

The new facility building is our priority, and we apply upon the council to assist us in making it so.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And you know what I appreciate?

What's that?

You did some real budgeting, even within your letter.

You know, you gave my staff where to look, where to pull the money from.

You know, oftentimes we don't get that in the testimony.

I appreciate you with that extra step to give us some locations where we might find there were other places to go and rob rob uh the bank, but uh I chose to be judicious.

I you know, and I and I and I appreciate that.

We we speak a lot about out years.

Yeah.

But the problem is is that money for this project keeps moving and moving and moving.

And DPR comes back to us and says, well, it you know, the supply chain and things cost more, and this, that, and the other.

At the same time, we're not getting the building we asked for.

Yeah.

Got you.

Thank you so much.

Um, Andrea Rosen.

Thank you.

Um Good afternoon, Chair Lewis George, and council staff.

I'm Andrea Rose and a resident of Word 4.

The co-author of this testimony, retired architect Claudia Russell recently took a deep dive into plans for redeveloping the civic site in Chevy Chase and discovered the public is being shortchanged.

Developer Rift Valley plans to co-locate the community center and library, enabling one facility to make up for a shortfall with space in the other.

A plan that wedges both into a housing development demands the public forfeit space and programming that we currently enjoy in the freestanding buildings.

Demped asked residents in 2023 to rank programs and types of spaces they'd like to see in a new community center.

Respondents ranked space for ANC and civic groups meetings and a multi multi-purpose room first and second.

Among current amenities, the auditorium was the most heavily used.

Housing was not mentioned in the survey.

Yet Demped's RFP for redevelopment of the site urged applicants to maximize housing, and it called for a 40% smaller community center, with quote, 20,000 square feet of indoor space, some of which would be co-located space, also used by DCPL, end quote, even as the city upzoned the area to promote population growth.

DPR explained at a public meeting in February that Rift Valley's 11,000 square foot reduction cures inefficiency in the current 32,600 square foot building.

How then to account for the fact that uses have gone missing?

Public assembly space topped the list of community desires and present uses, yet in Rift Valley's new community center, there is no large community gathering space.

There's a dearth of space allocated to athletics training and performing arts classes.

Similarly, will one arts and crafts room provide sufficient space for the programming we currently have, ceramics, painting, and photography.

Missing is a space for cultural performances, which we now have as an auditorium with a stage.

Missing is the child care use with an indoor play area, and unmentioned the summer camp that enrolls children from across the city.

At the same time, Rift Valley's new library is 500 square feet smaller than the current one, even though the current library ranks second among branch libraries for the number of physical materials checked out.

Yet the plan is to carve out space in the library for quote, multi-purpose rooms for ANC and other civic meetings, etc., end quote, reducing dedicated library space in an already reduced library.

And it is unlikely such space will accommodate large gatherings.

DC's experiment in co-locating rec centers with libraries is in process of being undone.

Here, Rift Valley proposes three-way co-location, with two community facilities borrowing space from one another, sharing digs with apartments, and lacking potential to accommodate future population growth and even current programming.

The needs of a future Chevy Chase community center and library have been sacrificed to the profit margin of a largely market rate apartment building that will be built on free public land.

The DC government has sold the public or bill of goods in not preserving public uses and spaces.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

And Monty, are we going to try this one last time?

Edwards, are you here?

All right.

I am the chair.

You got it.

There we go.

All right.

Good morning and thank you, Chair Lewis York, for your patience and for the resistance of Mr.

Weinman.

I am the chair of the Capital Improvement Subcommittee of the Eastern Market Community.

Advisory Committee.

The DGS capital budget now before the council for Eastern Market provides zero for FY27 through FY 2032, but carries forward a balance of 2,760 that will be expended by at Eastern Market during FY 2026 to replace the hot water piping system.

And obviously that needs to be completed before the 2026 winter.

Also critical importance is the bollard system under contract with the Atmos since 2024.

But the total cost of the bollards will likely exceed the amount of the contract with Atmos.

And the reason for the likely increase is because the final design will depend on yet to be issued DC Bollard regulations.

Over and above the $2,7590 of unexpended prior budget authorizations.

So that Eastern Market can continue to operate successfully into the future.

MCAC is mindful that DC is projected to experience a significant drop in revenues.

Therefore, MCAC today, together with the market manager, has examined M DGS's Eastern Market budget requirement for FY27 through 32 and identified the projects that are less critical and can be deferred, and only included the most critical projects.

Upgrading the security and access of the building, and replacement of the evening heating boilers.

But will depend on the yet-to-be-issued DC bollard regulations.

Additionally, the facilities condition assessment report prepared by the portfolio division of DGS will be initiated and completed this fiscal year.

The report will identify additional projects that require capital funding, but those projects have not been identified at this time.

Presently identified funding needs require minimal but necessary budget requirement for FY27 through 32 of 10,315,000 and 21 dollars as detailed in the attached Excel spreadsheet so that Eastern Market continue to operate successfully into the future.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify and thank you for the accommodations to allow me to do so today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, just some uh quick questions.

Um for this panel.

All right.

Cheryl, my understanding is the Rift Valley proposal what was the original amount of affordable home affordable housing in it.

Uh the uh total amount was um 137 for affordable and the below 80 percent.

Okay.

And they went from 137 to 54 and they dropped the 80 percent AMI housing.

Like by law, they're required to do the 30 and 50 percent and they just dropped because they cut the story off.

They, as in Demped.

Oh, DemPed cut the the additional story off.

Yes, we don't know why.

Is the additional story B because that one additional story to me doesn't make up the difference between 54 and 100 and I don't know because I don't know all of those all of the housing wouldn't have been on that additional floor.

I I just don't know why Dump had changed the original proposal.

Okay.

We're fine, we just build the original proposal.

Okay.

Um even if you had an additional floor, I don't think that would make up all of the percentage of housing that was cut from it.

I don't know.

Okay, it was a third, a third, a third.

The original proposal was 206 units, um, a third at deeply affordable, a third at 80 percent AMI and a third at market rate.

So then dump had chopped off a floor, and we ended up with I think it's 177 units total with um just the third at the deeply affordable level and no workforce housing, and no workforce at all.

We don't know why.

Okay, I was gonna say why, but why we don't know why let's ask let's ask the administration.

We will just ask the administration.

Okay, understood.

Thank you for that clarification on that piece of it.

Um Lisa, I wanted to come to you.

So what are some the one of the asks is so is the there's currently a gym there, and that current gym is being utilized for the gymnastics program in large part.

Only only and then the current new design doesn't have a gym at all.

Just gymnastics gym.

Oh no basketball gym, just like the so it's just a gymnastics, no no other no volleyball, no, gotcha.

They have a multi-purpose room, okay.

But that's not a multi, no, there's not a gym.

Got you.

Okay.

And uh did Dolores have to drop off.

No, no, I'm here.

Okay.

I'm here.

So indoor and and I know in addition to the gym issue of the gym.

What are some of the other space needs that you all are the community would like to see a part of the project that currently is not represented in the project?

Well, an opportunity for kids to come after school and to have a fitness place.

Okay.

Right now, it's only the only thing that's going to be there right now are boxing.

There's been a boxing uh center ever since the ever since it was put in.

Okay.

And now and now it's gymnastics instead of basketball and volleyball and other things.

But right now, there's no programming at all.

And one of the big things, as we've mentioned, is that they're really putting a lot of money into the grounds for it was basically delayed maintenance and things the community has said very clearly we don't want because we we know they won't be maintained.

Gotcha.

That is true.

The there is currently no funding to maintain the rain gardens.

Um and so most of the time community members have to step up and maintain them in different communities, and that's a choice of the community whether that's what they want to do.

But I I have said to everyone until y'all brought them, I think they're a great concept and work well if the city was going to fund maintenance of them.

Exactly.

And I agree with you.

But I can tell you that in various neighborhoods in War 4, we've had the same issue, and the issue is that we never put the funding in the budget for maintenance.

And I've asked every director from the OEE to DPW to D dot, and everyone's like, yeah, no, we don't have funding for maintenance.

So I said, Well, you can't keep building something you maybe about to maintain.

And then say, well, we have friends of groups that do it.

I'm like, so now we're gonna rely on the community to maintain something that we put in infrastructure-wise.

So and I'm a supporter of them, as I've said before, but we gotta have the funds to go with it, or it does become trash and rats and a whole other slew of issues that communities already continue to face.

Yes.

Well, we really appreciate uh any support you can give us in this because it seems like they don't hear us, and that's one of the most frustrating things is to go to meetings and the community's quite clear, and then they don't seem to hear it.

I so we're we're not sure how to make our voices heard, which is why we're here today.

Okay.

Um we have experience with that because in 2012 we were forced to take Chuck Brown Park.

We found out on TV on Fox Five that we were getting Chuck Brown Pop.

Nobody talked to us.

Oh, and one of the issues was maintenance and such, you know.

So we had Chuck Brown Puff, who was nice, we have the community input.

We we came to an agreement, and then we had it for about me almost 10 years, and they moved the uh Chuck Brown activities to another place, right?

And so now Chuck Brown is falling apart.

Because we knew at least once a year, they clean up the park, they clean it, make it nice, yeah.

For the event.

And now they took away the event.

There's nothing happening.

They do paint on it, statues messed up.

The skateboarding along his little mural there, the lights don't work, the equipment is broken over by Chuck Brown.

It's not being maintained because now that activity is gone, nobody's maintaining it, but now we're stuck with it because they want to put it in our park.

That's right.

So we don't want that to happen again.

Yeah.

So we kind of saw that already.

He already saw what can happen.

What can happen?

And also they did say they want to put a fitness center there.

Okay.

A fitness center, the boxing, and the gymnastics.

I asked about the computers room, and I asked about some other things.

Everything's an office.

They said what's in there, but I couldn't see it in their plan.

Is there a youth and is there space?

Is there like a youth or team space?

And is there a place for senior programming?

Is what I'm saying.

Everything, right?

Everything that was there is offices now.

So nothing for seeing nothing for senior programming, nothing for teen programming.

No team, no after school support.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

They put in the demonstration kitchen.

They put in uh um overhead track.

Uh-huh.

Um that wasn't even a considerate Langdon.

They was they just simply said no, that's no, that's you don't need that.

Um, but we we need to make now.

Don't get me wrong because I know I'm gonna get some hate mail when I get home.

Okay.

I am not opposed to gymnastics.

I am opposed to the co-opting of the community center to the exclusion of everything else.

Okay, and that's purely the executive.

When she when it opened, she came for 20 minutes, didn't announce that she was gonna be there, all we saw was the rear of her as she defied.

Right.

Now this center, as Delore said, because she's our green steward, um the problem with DGS and DPR.

What I've heard in the conversation today, the earlier testimony, is that there is an attempt to take capital money and cover operational costs.

That's not allowed.

I know that.

Yeah, it's not but this shell game that's going on, as you said with Chevy Chase, you know, that was a promise.

The promise was whittled away.

It's always the cost, it costs more.

But we're not getting what those communities want.

And the folks who make the decisions are not listening.

They are driving a train that they're driving, and if you decide to get on it, welcome.

They decide not to get on it, lay on the tracks, and we're gonna play Dougley D right.

Okay, I'm gonna run right on over.

Yes.

That sounds harsh.

No, no, it's an overarching thing.

And then it needs to stop, it just flat out needs to stop.

So, like I said, send it to the auditor.

I am sure she would love to go in there and dig into some of these projects to find out how money is being allocated, and where it's being channeled.

Thank you, yes, and who is going back to I'm not saying the words, you know.

I know, okay.

I wanted to, okay.

Um, Scott, um, you're here, and then I know um we we've been talking about, and and Peggy, you brought up youth curfews and youth time, and so um I know you are in conversation both with young people in the city and with you know, um, organizations who support young people in the city.

Uh, one of the interesting things is I mean, and even with the curfew that just passed uh recently with the budget is added DPR programming must be alongside it.

The issue is that these all things are gonna call.

So if we have if we have longer hours, weekend hours, that's gonna be um people, right?

That's FT that's people who have to work those hours, and then we have to have programming there.

Um, then we have the late night hypes, which I think are about 75,000 each to do it every time we do a late night hype, that's about 75,000.

So I wanted to just hear from you all what can we be doing overall to support give young people spaces and places and what is what can DPR do to set up not just I don't want temporary things, right?

What can they do to set up things for permanent infrastructure?

That's what that's the words I'm looking for.

Permanent infrastructure for youth and programming.

I mean, I think you're bringing up something really important, which is that one of the arguments we hear constantly in response to this is that we can do these events, but the people who are going to teen takeovers or the people we're trying to prevent from taking those actions aren't the ones who will go to these events.

First of all, I I don't think that's completely right.

But second of all, I think what the young people who are participating in these are looking for is a sense of community and uh really a sense of agency and belonging to something.

Uh and I think we have organizations in DC that do that incredibly well.

One of the issues has been in terms of long-term solutions that we a lot of the CBOs that have really close connection to young people are not 501c3 nonprofits, and this cannot get government grants directly.

Um and so they have very direct relationships with very local neighborhood-based community organizations in the wards where a lot of people are going out to these events, um, but they are not the ones who can um get grants directly from the government.

So I think one is we need to find ways to get uh money to these uh organizations who have long-term relationships with them.

And I think DPR can explore grant making through the executive to find ways to get money to these very local organizations who have direct relationships with young people.

Um I think there is a lot more DPR can do with programming, and I think we need to figure out how to get things out from under the DMPSJ cluster if we want to trust uh if we want young people to trust the transportation to and from and not that they're being actually hoarded into a police trap essentially when they come out of these DPR events.

So we can do more for events, but I think we have to do more with youth mentorship, like the bill that I mentioned, and then we have to do more to give them control and agency because the young people who are part of things like Black Swan and Critical Exposure, make of a challenge, other youth organizations or athletics and other things are not the are not participating uh in these because they really have a sense of identity and connection and purpose and power, um, and that's really what we need to be looking for.

I echo a lot of what Scott has said.

I think it's uh just to underline that last point, it's so important that DPR is continuing.

And I know that they have been doing some of this, but talking to teens and to kids and really make sure that programming is uh you know responsive and catered to what they will actually do if we think back to when we were all teenagers, you know, you don't want a bunch of adults telling you what to do.

So I think it's so important to involve teens and kids on an ongoing and continuous basis to try to inform this programming to make sure that long-term something that kids and teens will actually want to attend.

And then I just want to respond to your point, uh, Chairperson Lewis George about the cost of this.

We certainly acknowledge that the costs are um considerable.

I think that you know the ACLU DC's position is that where do we want to be putting uh this funding?

And I think that putting it toward you know, programming and facilities like these uh that DPR can kind of you know drive forward.

Um, this is where we want to see our money going in terms of a more holistic public safety approach for the district overall.

Overall.

Okay.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Umrea, I don't have any real questions for you because I understand the pro the I understand everything thoroughly.

Um I just want to know what went down.

I I think I'm just as curious as the community, as Cheryl's communicated, what is what is happening, what happened with the project and what's going on.

Um so I'll be asking those questions.

Hopefully, DGS DPR and DIMBED will also let us know what what's happening here because it's it's really concerning for the whole community overall.

Um Monty, what is that budget ask of your?

What was the budget as?

What's the what's the the budget difference that you all we need to make up?

You're on mute.

I can't hear you.

I'm mute.

Can you unmute them, please?

Just over 10 million dollars over the six-year period.

I'm sorry, say it again.

Say it one more time, I didn't hear you.

What do you say?

10 million 10 million over the six-year plan.

Yes.

Okay.

FY 27 and FY 32.

Uh we have not uh requested any money for FY 32, but with the evaluations that are going on, uh we will likely have some requirements by 2032, but at the present time, that year is zero.

But at the present time, that year is zero.

Okay, and given the large maintenance maintenance needs and the limited resources, how is Easter Market prioritizing which issues and improvements get addressed?

Uh we did it by year, and some of the biggest things we need to do, of course, is with the un expended funds that they've carried over, and that is replacing the hot water system.

Okay, which heats the entire uh entire facility.

The other thing is the uh drainage downspouts at the uh shed market shed, urgently need to be replaced.

The third item I would say is the bollards for security because those were approved in 2024.

We entered into a contract with the Atmos to install them.

However, at that time the various DC agencies decided they had no regulations on bollards installed on city property, although there were bollards on federal property, and it has bounced between D DOD and other organizations, the drafting of those regulations.

We don't know what they will look like, but we are pretty well assured that they will cost more than the present contract we have with the Atmos.

Wow.

Okay.

All right.

I we will be, I guess I'll be working with Councilmember Allen and myself to try to figure out how we can make up this this difference and ensure funding.

I know they did a lot of they did a lot of funky stuff with the out years.

Um we'll focus on this year and then figure out what we can do with some of the out year disaster that is set up there for and and we're share your budget.

And we share your concern about the out years.

That's why you'll notice that for next year, we have a number of things rather than budget for them.

We have evaluation of the condition of the condition of the electric.

Gotcha.

Those are evaluations.

Okay.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

All right.

Um, thank you so much to this panel of witnesses.

Really appreciate it.

Don't forget to upload your testimony if you haven't done so already.

Um, and we will be following up with the agencies about the questions posed today.

So please be looking at our hearing on May 7th.

May 7th.

Yep.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, we are in our last and final panel.

Woo.

All right.

In person, I know we got Katrina Owens, executive director, DC scores.

It's gonna hold down the table by herself.

In person, we got Rachel Clark, Federal City Council, Kelly Collins, Choi, Director of Policy and Land Conservation, Casey Trees.

Robin Betterall, the head of multifamily land acquisition and development at EYALLC.

Uh Tisha Cockroles, the president of the Friends of Riggs Lizal Recreation Center, Joy Taylor, Capital Athletics.

All right.

All right, Rachel, you are up first.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Terrison, Louis George.

Uh, members of the committee and staff.

I'm Rachel Clark.

I'm an independent consultant.

I work on healthy communities, and I'm working with the Federal City Council on its DC neighborhood parks project, which has the goal of creating a high quality equitable park system in DC that advances health and well-being for all.

As you know, our urban parks are essential, public health, climate, and community infrastructure.

They support physical activity, mental health, and social connection, and they provide critical ecosystem services such as stormwater management and urban cooling.

But these benefits don't flow from the mere existence of a park.

They're only realized when parks are clean, safe, and welcoming to the people who live around them.

DC is often ranked as having the number one park system in the country, but for many residents, that ranking does not reflect their daily experience.

Instead, they encounter unusable equipment, broken glass, and poorly maintained spaces.

I want to be clear that this is not a result of DPR's effort or dedication, but about our governance structure.

The district's park system is not set up to produce high functioning, well-maintained parks.

Putting aside the fact that most of our parks are federal, for the local parks the district does control, DPR manages recreation and programming, but does not control maintenance of its own park assets.

Responsibility for maintenance, trash, recycling, trees, natural lands, and capital work are spread across multiple agencies.

From a resident's perspective, this system is nearly impossible to navigate.

Residents often don't know who is responsible for fixing problems, and in many cases, neither do staff within the government itself.

Nationally, this convoluted structure makes us an outlier.

Most high performing park systems have a single agency responsible for park maintenance, planning, and programming.

Where responsibilities are fragmented, cities consistently report coordination failures and unclear accountability.

These structural challenges show up clearly in the district's budget where it's difficult to understand how we're allocating resources for parks.

For DGS's budget, because park-based functions are not separated out from the rest of their portfolio, it's impossible to understand what the proposed budget means for parks.

At the hearing next week, I urge the committee to ask the DGS director specifically about parks and what the proposed budget means for park maintenance.

For DPR, I do want to highlight a few specific concerns in the proposed budget.

First, the level one maintenance team.

This committee has recognized the importance of DPR's in-house maintenance team by adding funding for additional positions in past years.

However, it is unclear whether the positions funded have been filled, whether that funding has been sustained, and what the proposed FY27 budget will mean for the size and capacity of this team.

This lack of clarity makes it difficult to assess whether DPR is actually building the frontline maintenance capacity it is identified as a priority.

Second, the small parks improvement capital project.

The district has hundreds of small parks, triangles, circles, pocket parks that can be very challenging to maintain and activate, but that are very important for communities.

The small parks capital project, which funds improvements at these small parks, was funded at 2 million two years ago, 1 million last year, and is reduced to just 75,000 in the proposed FY27 budget.

This level of reduction raises serious questions about the district's ability to make even modest strategic investments to these spaces.

Together, these examples point to a broader issue that without accountability and coordination, it's difficult to align staffing, funding, and outcomes in a way that consistently delivers well-maintained parks.

In addition to raising these specific concerns, I want to touch on the recommendations I made at this hearing's this committee's hearing in January.

Then I shared the recommendations of the DC Neighborhood Parks Task Force, which is a 35-member cross-sector group representing district agencies, community-based organizations, and advocates focused on strengthening the district's park capacity and centering community outcomes in the park system.

Today I want to highlight how two task force recommendations could be advanced in this budget.

First, the task force recommended the district strengthen and clarify park governance and coordination.

The committee should provide funding to DPR's park planning team to examine how park planning, maintenance, programming, and capital functions can be organized to better serve residents and expand the district's park planning and maintenance capacity and to implement the ready-to-play master plan.

Second, the district should invest in community-based stewardship for small parks.

Chicago's neighbor space program has transformed over 100 small parcels into thriving community assets at relatively low cost to the city.

In this budget, the committee should allocate funding for DPR to begin piloting such a program with Casey Trees, which would lay the groundwork for an expansion that would leverage philanthropic and community resources.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Thank you.

Next, we will hear from Kelly Collins Choi, Director of Policy and Land Conservation at Casey Trees.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Lewis George and Council staff.

My name is Kelly Collins Choi, and I'm the director of policy and land conservation with Casey Trees.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify today.

I want to start by thanking the staff at DPR for their important work.

Our parks and recreational facilities are vital social and green infrastructure that contribute to the well-being of all DC residents.

TC Trees has a long history of partnership with DPR, planting over 6,000 trees on DPR sites, conducting environmental education programs at DPR summer camps, and engaging volunteers to enhance our parks natural areas.

We're particularly excited about our current partnership at Langdon Park.

KC Trees is working with dedicated neighbors and volunteers to remove invasive plants that are smothering the park's forest patch, thereby giving the trees room to breathe.

This is critical in order for the forest to regenerate naturally, ensuring its long-term health.

We're also supporting local green jobs maintaining the park's rain gardens, all with the support of a DOEE parks maintenance grant.

Unfortunately, over the past two years, DOE's parks maintenance grants, green infrastructure maintenance, and invasive plant management funding were drastically cut and in some cases zeroed out completely.

While not part of the DPR budget, those funds supported Casey Trees and other organizations such as Wright Woods and Rock Creek Conservancy to help maintain our parks natural areas and green infrastructure.

Without those grant funds, that maintenance may not happen.

We urge council to prioritize funding for our parks natural area planning and maintenance in FY27.

We also encourage DPR to prioritize expanding public-private partnerships with organizations like ours that can bring technical assistance and philanthropic funding, creating an integrated web of support for our city's green spaces, which takes some of the burden off city resources, especially in tight budget years.

On our end, Casey Trees is taking steps to formalize our partnership with DPR on forest conservation stewardship.

We stand ready to assist the city in maintaining and improving the health of our forest lands while ensuring they're accessible and welcoming spaces for our city's residents to enjoy nearby nature.

I also want to thank you, Councilmember Lewis George, for championing the Natural Areas Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025.

We hope to see that legislation move forward in the coming year.

I do want to highlight a concern that Rachel mentioned with the severe cuts to DPR's small parks capital budget in FY27.

These are so-called small parks because they are less than an acre in size, but they have an outsized impact on our communities, as they are often the most accessible for residents and seniors to walk to for kids to play and neighbors to meet up.

These are third spaces helping to strengthen the fabric of a neighborhood.

The capital budget for these small parks was reduced from over a million dollars last year to only $75,000 this year, allocated to just one project.

We urge council to restore funding to the small parks capital budget.

Here again, though, is a private public partnership opportunity.

KC Trees is a nationally accredited land trust operating in perpetuity, and we regularly have ANCs and community members reach out asking about an underutilized green space in their neighborhood that they would love to improve and maintain, and that with modest investment could become community assets that improve neighborhood cohesion, resilience, and health.

Key Trees proposes partnering with DPR to develop a pilot program to harness and formalize community management of small parks, leveraging these private and philanthropic resources.

Through our land trust, KeC Trees would empower communities to plan, activate, and maintain these parcels with minimal cost to DC government.

This model would stretch limited resources while reducing long-term maintenance costs and improve community health outcomes across all the awards.

We'd be happy to discuss this proposal further with DPR leadership and council.

The investments made today in our city's parks and green spaces will compound in community benefits far into the future.

It's imperative that we prioritize protecting and funding our city's green spaces for the benefit of our residents and the next generation.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Next we will hear from Robin Beturell.

All right.

Tisha Cockle.

Hello, Council Member and Chair Janice Lewis George and all participating officials today.

My name is Tisha Cockrell, and I'm the president of the Friends of Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center.

We are partnered with the DC Department of Parks and Ricks, and we are here to discuss DPR and DGS today.

We've worked together with several site directors at the ever-changing staff at our community Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center and per our previous previous testimonies from 2019 to present via the Committee on Facilities Performance and Budget Hearings.

We wish to continue our plea to receive funds and assistance with site maintenance, repairs, additions, and new item requests.

Some of our requests have been rectified, such as lighting camera placement and the most recent window blinds.

And for that, we are thankful.

However, I um had a recent visit to the recreation center last week, and what I saw at our recreation center was appalling.

We participated in several calls, meetings, and discussions with the Department of General Services and DPR, and we still have unmet uh expectations, and we received a budget in which we still haven't had uh some of our items rectified.

So I will uh list off a number of things that we would like to ensure that funds will be allocated to the following.

Um, a new environmentally turf field, which is actually on its way in June.

We want to be sure that that project is underway under the budget that we've been given.

Um the conditions of the senior room, I just want to make this point were totally appalling.

uh expectations and we received a budget in which we still haven't had uh some of our items rectified so um i will uh list off a number of things that we would like to ensure that funds will be allocated to the following um a new environmentally turf field which is actually on its way in june we want to be sure that that project is underway under the budget that we've been given um there were the conditions of the senior room I just want to make this point were totally appalling um the window blinds were uh added but they completely tore up the room to do so they had the regular blinds and I'm sorry the regular curtains and rods on the floor um it was just a site I have pictures that I um did not include in the testimony but that I will be sending before the May 7th date um let me see the um outdoor fitness grass equipment on the grassy area we have requested um the Steelers football team has returned and their uh I guess um equipment that they use outside is in terrible disarray um enhanced security at the outdoor restrooms DGS says that only one has been completed that's like I said I'm doing both of them at the same time here um let me see the sun shade for the new playground as you know council member Lewis George we've been waiting on the sunshade for that playground it was only uh $35,000 endeavor and we received three million dollars for all these items and yet we're coming up on a second summer and that uh installation has not been completed hasn't even been started for the playground um one second here uh repla we would like to replace the exterior entrance door as you know last week I testified with ODR and I had received a message from DGS um saying that that door um was being ordered and it should be ordered sometime uh coming up at the end of the spring we just want to make sure that that's going to be happened that's gonna happen and when they order the door that is actually installed and the monies that have been allocated uh via our current budget uh will be allocated for the door um same thing with the HVAC system uh we're expecting a new system it was really hot I understand that there were um some unusually warm days in the middle of the um top of the spring here uh last week but it was extremely hot and there was no plan B to make it cooler I know they haven't switched over from heat to air yet but we're looking forward to this new system um so that we can stop being extremely hot in the summer and really cold in the winter uh we actually are looking to repaint the building interior add a mural to the lobby replace windows in the multipurpose room uh new fitness equipment let me stop right here for a minute there were five broken pieces of exercise equipment in the exercise room that is definitely not acceptable and so we would like um fund more funding on top of the uh three million dollars that we're expecting um to get that weight room in shape and I understand that there is equipment in a storage room for our recreation center however it has not yet been allocated or or sent to our uh recreation center and we need that same thing with um the ping pong and pool tables I think the ping pong table was there um I don't know if it's missing some pieces that it's not in up it's not operable and there's no pool table at all um we were looking for purchase of a multipurpose projector and drop down screen for the multipurpose room not sure if that's ever happened we're working with um about the trash cans uh let me see what else here we need um we need in our budget some um working equipment some more equipment like medicine balls and uh weights for the um exercise room and the computer room which is where the seniors are uh would like to have their classes at rat rather there seems to be not maybe only one uh working computer in that whole room there were seven computers and now it seems that one is only working and um the gym floor resurfacing is on its way so we're glad about that um and again the senior room was just in disarray I want to make that um uh point again because it was a it was absolutely ridiculous what I witnessed um last week and so with that being said while we're primarily thankful for some of our assistance giving to help us rectify and maintain our community center we'd hope to keep the momentum going but instead progress seems to have significantly slowed down while people are talking about programs we have yet to even have our recreation center in um presentable condition again men's bathroom they have promised us that that had been um on their list of um uh uh fixing and I have kept pictures of that as well um the men's bathroom is in terrible shape um and I believe that is the end of my testimony and I look forward to additional questions thank you thank you next we'll hear from Joy Taylor am I on yes good afternoon my name is Joy Taylor and I am very pleased to speak with you thank you for the opportunity um Chairman uh George Lewis that I I think I may got that backwards but George Lewis I really appreciate the time to speak to you and all of the other uh members of the committee and staff at DPR and DGS um

Good afternoon.

My name is Joy Taylor, and I am very pleased to speak with you.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Um, Chairman uh George Lewis that I I think I may got that backwards, but George Lewis, I really appreciate the time to speak to you and all of the other uh members of the committee and staff at DPR and DGS.

Um I would like to um speak about the Riggs LaSalle field and also talk to DGS about um what is going on, unlike everybody else.

I'm actually hoping to talk about saving money with uh the budget.

Um of the problems that I have found is I have gone to so many agencies and talked about how you can save money by doing maintenance with DGS and all of the excuse me, artificial per fields.

Um I am not quite sure what is going on, but I did a sample of doing the maintenance of DGS by going through the DGS process and then asking um to spend 10,000 on two fields that's 10,000 each at Dunbar and at Eastern, and that was 10,000.

And I wanted to compare if we did the maintenance going through the DGS process or doing maintenance by um by using that $10,000 to buy maintenance equipment.

I found that when we just spent the $10,000 for those two or $20,000 for those two tractors or maintenance equipment compared to DGS.

The maintenance was done monthly with giving the money to the athletic directors and the athletic directors would do the maintenance instead of having to wait a whole year for DGS to put the money into basically they only do maintenance once a year, right before the Gmax testing is supposed to um be done just to make sure that everything is safe for the Gmax testing, but it is not safe for the rest of the year.

They should be doing at least three cleanings or three maintenance of the fields every year instead of just one, which is apparently what they can afford.

Um, I had really hoped that I would not be doing this testimony right now.

I was really hoping that um Tevin Howard from the Washington Commanders was going to be able to do this um for for this testimony for you because he's you know much more uh knowledgeable about maintenance for fields.

But last week or 10 days ago, the NFL just came out with a new report with new standards on how to properly maintain fields, and they have this new process, which actually is going to cost less than DC D PR and DGS are spending on fields, and so the with the installment of fields and with the maintenance of fields.

And so the hope is is that I would be able to schedule a meeting with you and or your staff so that we can talk about how you can have a much better field that lasts three years longer than the current fields that you are installing and would actually save with maintenance, which has been a big issue that I've heard throughout the testimonies today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And last but certainly not least, Katrina Owens, executive director for DC Scores.

Thank you.

My name is Katrina Owens, and I'm the executive director at DC Scored Scores.

I'm also a Ward 4 resident and have been working with DC Scores as a teacher coach and on staff since 2002.

We are a nonprofit serving more than 3,500 kids in the district at 68 DC public and public charter schools through our soccer poetry and service learning programming.

We would like to thank Mayor Bowser for the continued investment in OST in the FY27 budget and in our youth through investment in the Department of Parks and REC.

Over our 30 year history, we've had a consistent partnership with DPR in lots of different ways.

Thank you to Director Freeman, who is always looking for new ways to partner and make a positive impact on our young people across this city.

The DPR permitting process ensures we can consistently access high quality fields at the schools and neighborhoods we where our participants live and where they access our programming.

Over the last few years, we've been able to apply directly for grant funding from DPR, which has been critical to meeting demand for our programming.

We know this is a tough budget year, but we are concerned about the line item decrease in the grant dollars for DPR in FY27.

At DC Scores, we continue to see an increased demand for our programming both to expand programming to new partners, school partners, and within our current partner schools and recreation centers.

As private and federal funding is harder for CBOs like us to access consistently, government funding is a critical stabilizing force.

In the future, we would also ask that this grant making continue and the DPR create multi-year grant cycles so that consistent multi-year funding allows us to plan into the future and translates into consistent high quality programming for youth.

I'm going to expand a little bit on the difference that this support makes at one of our middle schools, Ida B.

Wells.

Last fall, the girls' team at Ida B.

Wells won the Capital Cup championship on Audi Field.

Their goalkeeper, Ruth, was named MVP.

Ruth's longtime teacher, Jennifer Schroeder, and DC Scores coach has seen her shine over the years.

Coach Schroeder watched Ruth go from a shy student to someone who competes hard, writes poetry, and walks through the school hallways knowing she belongs.

Ruth first joined DC Scores when she started middle school, and she walked into a new building with new friends, new classrooms, and new teachers.

But the constant was her DC Scores community.

Ruth took pride in walking into the new building, knowing her teammates who supported her on the field and in the classroom.

At DC Scores, our impact begins with our coaches, over 350 DC teachers and community school day staff who train as youth development practitioners.

98% of our coaches feel a stronger sense of connection to their school community.

96% report that DC Scores is increased their students' connection to school.

And our coaches also share that DC Scores increases students' ability to process their emotions.

And 96% shared that DC Scores has improved their students' sense of belonging and self-expression.

Coach Schroeder Schroeder and Ruth are just one example of the powerful relationship that DC Scores fosters between teachers, coaches, students, their schools, and communities.

As a former teacher and DC Scores coach myself, I've seen firsthand the impact that this relationship makes.

OST is more than a stopgap for unsupervised hours.

They're powerful, proactive investments in our child's life, and OSC programs like DC Scores have a measurable impact on children's physical health, academic engagement, and overall well-being.

To demonstrate the power of strong partnerships like DC Scores and DPR, I would like to share a group poem written by our poet athletes at Raymond Elementary School.

It's entitled, What's Going On.

Look around us.

What's going on?

We're living in fear, yet we must stay strong.

Families torn apart, divided by hate.

This is not the way to make America great.

Many have come here searching for home, leaving behind the people they've known.

All they want is a place to feel safe, a place to grow, to dream, to be brave.

We all share this earth, the sky, and the sun.

No matter our stories, we're joined as one.

Let's lift our voices, let truth be our song.

Stand up for injustice, let's right the wrongs.

Change starts with us.

It's time to move on and rewrite the story of what's going on.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That was beautiful.

Um appreciate it.

Um I wanted to ask you.

Okay, let me go back up.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh Kelly, are you still on?

Yes.

Yes, I'm here.

Um, DPR's capital budget was cut 50% and removes 85 FTEs in light of the capital needs of our small parks.

I guess I'm wondering how we're gonna how do you expect these cuts are going to impact the condition of our small parks and the public's ability to use them.

Ooh, that's a big one.

Um yeah, I that is significant, and we need staff to be able to manage and maintain our parks.

Um, you know, uh obviously my testimony I offered KC Trees as um a partner, but there needs to be sufficient um funding and capacity within DPR to also be able to manage and maintain these green spaces.

Okay.

And and I agree, one of the recommendations of the parks task force was to fund DPR's park planning team.

Uh today we've heard testimony about multiple DPR capital projects about concerns with the plans DPR has for indoor and outdoor places.

Rachel, if you can also weigh in here, how do you think a funded planning team could better match modernization and capital projects with the community needs for outdoor and park space?

I mean, right now the planning team is very small, and the way that we do citywide planning, we're so limited.

Um aren't able to really look at all these resources holistically.

Um, and we have all of these great ideas and a comprehensive vision and ready to play, but we don't have any funding to implement ready to play.

So I think that having more resources focused on all of this would help.

Um, and it would help with community engagement as well, like make the overall system more responsive to the community.

Um, Kelly, I wanted to come back to you just for a second.

I know that we have uh in particular neighborhoods along with five and eight and seven.

We've seen significant declines in tree camping over the years, particularly.

Um wanted to hear sort of what can we do around these areas, both from a planning perspective, but from a community partnership perspective to really target these um areas that we know are now heat islands in a very real way.

Yeah.

Um we have lost significant canopy um across the city, and I would say double the rate um in in Ward Space 7 and 8, and we are seeing loss um from a number of factors.

Development uh is a driver um of tree canopy loss.

We've seen that both in private lands um and even in parks and federal lands as well.

We are seeing tree canopy loss just from the poor health of our forests.

Um they need to be maintained and managed just as we do our gray infrastructure, and so working with volunteers, we often go in and um do invasive management, um, but it's not always enough.

There really needs to be more concerted uh and lasting support for the the health of our forests who enable them to continue to thrive for future generations.

Yeah.

And how could DPR be a partner in that work?

So there's a number of ways.

Um there are a lot of forest land on DPR properties.

We've talked about the potential for um additional protections for those forests through conservation easements, or one way that as a land trust that we protect um environmentally sensitive areas in perpetuity, and we look forward to working with DPR similar to the work we're doing in Langdon Forest Patch of bringing our volunteers and our technical expertise to support DPR in the long-term management um of those spaces.

Yeah.

Great.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Um I agree, you know, I agree with both both of you all in the type of planning and the staffing that needs to go into the level of planning we need to do, especially around our many smaller park areas across the city, but also just in in partnership um across the city of uh what we could be doing better to better utilize land and space across the city um overall.

I wanted to come to you, Tisha.

I'm so upset to hear about like first of all, we used to have only one broken exercise equipment, and now it went from one to multiple broken exercise equipment.

We got the one thing fixed and it was fixed for about three days, and then I was broke again.

Um I mean we hear this across the board, but I think DPR, we gotta do a whole thing about broken exercise equipment at the multiple at multiple locations, but especially here.

I think we do actually one of my conversations now will be we need a comprehensive strategy for exercise requirements, so it doesn't take months or even years to get machines repaired or replaced.

I'm not sure what's happening there.

The senior room, we are supposed to be putting money in this budget to update the senior room.

So not only was it not updated, it was literally thrown around in disarray just to replace the window blinds.

Right.

So and I don't I don't even want to talk about the um shade because that's gonna my pressure gonna go up if I talk about that shade that we've been trying to give about for years.

The shade made it worse.

Like we've been waiting for that shade for I don't even like I don't understand it was a small investment, it was but was necessary because where it's located, as you know, the kids then can't use the playground when it's hot outside because they sit in tents.

They yes, they literally are sitting in tents.

Um I don't know, I I do not know what to attribute to what I feel had started out a really pr seeing a lot of really good productive work happening, and then we've sort of hit a standstill across the board at Riggs Lassau, particularly.

Um the funding is there, so it's not a you know it's not a matter of do we put the funding in, we fight for the funding every year, so then it's a matter of why the things that we put in to get funded, which are some basic small things.

It's not even this is not big, these are not big things to do, these are really like small it's a bunch of little things little things agitating things that they make worse and never really made better yet.

Like literally the only new thing we've gotten in six years at this point has been blind.

Um, and if I can interject about the field, like my biggest concern about a new field is because they haven't done a community meeting, and because we've been getting promises and not really, you know, tangible uh uh new new fixtures.

My concern is that they'll put a field out there that doesn't even suit the community's needs, or that's missing something, or that was haphazardly done, like at this point, I'm just befuddled.

I don't know what to think.

If if if what we're doing is all for naught, we've got a lot of promises.

We've got a lot of presentations that have happened with money on the on the board and dates, but what do we have tangible?

Right.

That's that's really the the issue.

So I I'm I'm absolutely curious to hear because these are all small hanging fruits that should have been taken care of.

Um, but I'm very upset to hear about what's happening with the senior room.

So we're gonna probably make some calls to figure out what's going on right now with the senior room.

Um I'll attach pictures to an email, you the pictures will make you feel what I feel.

Okay.

I appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

You're yeah, I'm like your testimony made my blood pressure go up, but that's okay.

We won't I'm gonna go for a walk after this.

Sorry, I had the misery loves company.

That's right, it's true, isn't it true?

That's how we're all in this together.

Um appreciate your testimony and your advocacy um as well.

Uh okay.

Uh oh, Joy.

Um, we look for well my team will schedule a meeting to talk more about the different field options.

Um sounds like that was the request.

So uh my my committee director will reach out about it um discussing, and I know there's been different um conversations about fields and maintenance of of fields, but also some environmental health concerns.

So I think we want to just address all of those in a more detailed meeting about what we're hearing and what what you all know from your work and at um expertise in this particular area.

Well, actually, um DOEE and DOH actually did a report um on the request by the DC council and the mayor about the health issues, the health and environmental issues.

I can send the report.

I think I've sent the report several times, but I will send the report to you, and the report basically just says that grass, organic, and artificial are all basically the same in terms of health and environment, but the main thing is we have to do maintenance, and if you don't do maintenance, then all of those um choices, artificial, organic, and um and natural grass is not healthy, so that you know they have all agreed.

I mean, well, D O E and DOH has agreed that there's really no difference in terms of the environment and health.

It's just the matter of maintenance.

Okay.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Um, and then lastly but not least, uh, Ms.

Owens, thank you for your testimony.

I want to ask about two points that were in your testimony.

First, on the grant um line item decrease.

Has DPR indicated to you all all at all if their intent is to issue smaller grants to the same number of recipients or reduce the number of recipients and keep the same amount.

I we have not heard from them about that.

What we have seen the pattern over time is the grant making amount has decreased over the last since FY23.

So in FY23, we received like a hundred over a hundred thousand dollars and then fifty thousand, seventy-five thousand, and then fifty thousand this year.

So I think the trend has been to decrease the grants and um or or not fund as many organizations, but um it is concerning because there's so many such a great need for more programming, and we're struggling to figure out how do we continue to maintain the programming that we have now.

Um that we just hear from so many families who want DC squares to be expanded and need us.

Yeah, and you mentioned uh out of school time during all this discussion about curfews and takeovers, and you've dedicated programming.

I hear a lot about um the the hype all nights, but not about out of school time.

As you and other witnesses mentioned, youth are more likely to engage or be exposed in criminal activity during our hours right after school than at night, and so we have a lot, but not enough OST across the board.

But there are also been barriers to access accessing OST programs that we do have.

Now I've been encouraged by DME's um new most DC OST portal, bringing more information on where OST is, but how else outside of resources can we ensure youth and families know about and can participate in out-of-school time programs like DC scores that make such a significant difference in young people's lives, um, and also not only improve their character, improves their writing, improves their reading, and improves just their excitement for for school and for for learning and for for growth and sports.

Yeah, I mean, I think you know, one is maintaining the funding that's there, so protecting that out-of-school time funding that's in the bunch budget is critical, number one.

Um, then two, I think thinking about in the future, how do we capitalize on you know, DC scores for every dollar we receive from the government, we quadruple that.

I raise four.

So, how do we continue to create public-private partnerships that are able to increase as the demand increased since government will not be able to support all the need, and then I think the middle school space is particularly interesting because um there aren't as many programs in middle school.

We have a waiting list of schools in middle school, but we also have an outsized impact at that middle school space.

So kids that come to DC scores that are in the feeder pattern, like I to B wells are in every feeder school.

We have a hundred kids um participating in DC scores there there that this spring, and half of them are girls, so we're crushing that national average.

So looking at programs that are working, and how can we either how can we support those programs in maintaining and expanding, either through government funding or government saying this is important, let's find um private dollars to help ensure that these programs continue to expand.

And I think the middle school space is big.

It's not a place that we've been investing over the last 15 years, and I think that can make a big difference.

If they if kids have a safe positive space to be, they will choose to be with us.

That's right.

So I think having programming in neighborhoods where we're connected to the community is critical, not just one off, you know, the one-off excitement is good, but the the long term is really ensuring that right in community we're creating opportunities for our young people to thrive.

Absolutely.

All right.

Well, thank you so much.

Um, I know you all do you have an event coming up?

Yep, our words are city.

Uh May 19th, all right.

Okay.

Well, I look forward to hearing from the students and their uh and hear what they have to say.

Um so thank you so much.

I want to thank everybody for their testimonies.

Um, thank you to this panel and all our public witnesses for both the DGS and DPR.

Uh this concludes today's public witness portion of the budget oversight hearing for the Department of General Services and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Remember the final deadline to submit written testimony is 5 p.m.

on Monday, May 11th, but please do so before the government witness hearing on Thursday, May 7th.

You can do so by uploading your testimony to the council's hearing management system or emailing facilities at DC Council.gov.

Let me know when I can do the second time.