Tired of playing Frogger

I don't know about you folks, but I'm getting mighty tired of of taking my life into my hands to exit and enter this garage. There is invariably a truck, a car, or some big honking SUV double-parked in front of the building obstructing the view coming out of the garage.

This causes you to have to inch out of the garage to peer around the double-parked vehicle looking for; oncoming traffic; tenants walking themselves and/or their dogs across the street; or heaven forbid, all three! It's tough enough just seeing around the parked cars in front of the building. How about a break folks?

I've almost had the front end of my vehicle taken off several times in the last couple weeks by someone speeding down I street, obscured by a double-parked vehicle. The postman seems to live out front from about 4:30 to 5:30. Fedex is another culprit, as are Peapod, Safeway.com, and every other Escalade and Navigator in Southeast.

If you're having a friend pick you up, tell them to park near the loading dock entrance or across the street. It's not going to kill either one of you to have to take a few extra steps--though the presence of their vehicle double-parked might!

Dust Dilema

Proposed post question from Nimrod,

 

The question is one about dust.  I have an unusual amount of dust in my small one-bedroom apartment.  At times I can write my name in the dust on my end tables.  I have been doing some things to combat this and I still have a great deal of dust. 

 

I try to dust and vacuum every week. When I first moved in and for at least 8 months my vacuum canister  would completely fill up with dust and carpet fibers every time I vacuumed.  I now get about a half full canister per vacuum.

  

I change my furnace filter regularly and use a good hypoallergenic one instead of the cheap fiberglass ones the building folks use. 

 

In addition I only run the heating and cooling briefly in the morning and evening and shut it off during the day and night.  I live alone and leave for days and sometimes weeks at a time with the heating and cooling off.  I never open a window and I never drag dirt or dust into the apartment. I do not have any pets. 

 

I have checked out the dryer and it is vented properly and that little room is the most dust free room in the apartment.  

 

The only explanation for the incredible amounts of dust is that the building air intake is bringing it in (perhaps laced with the fine power plant emmitients next door) and/or the very cheap carpet is creating the dust situation.

 

Anyone else having an issue with large amounts of dust? 

 

Nimrod    

A Post Request from a Resident

I wanted to write to share my thoughts with you on the current visitor ID policy.  I was moved to do so by a recent comment on this blog that the ID policy is a “pain in the ass,” but that "policy is policy."  I cannot argue with this statement.  But an equally true statement is that “policy is not law,” and it stands to reason that there must be some bounds on management’s ability to unilaterally impose new policies.

As I understand it, and as it has been explained to me by more than one attorney, while management does have some authority to enact and enforce community rules, that authority is not unlimited.  We each have a contract (lease) with management, and that contract lays out the threshold community rules must meet to be binding on tenants.  Assuming your lease reads the same as mine, unilateral changes to community rules 1) must be reasonable, 2) must be non-discriminatory, and 3) must not substantially alter the arrangement between the leaseholder and management.  A few brief notes on each point:

1) While there is no universal definition of reasonableness, I would suggest that, at minimum, a “reasonable” policy must a) have a substantial likelihood of achieving its stated objectives and b) have benefits that outweigh the costs.  Since a person with any imagination whatsoever could easily get into the building without showing ID, I don't think it can be argued that the policy even achieves the objective of requiring visitors to show ID, much less any objective related to building security.  Furthermore, many seem to agree that the costs are too onerous for residents to justify any marginal benefit.  For these reasons I do not believe the policy qualifies as reasonable under this definition. 

2) Discrimination may be defined as "the granting of particular privileges to a class arbitrarily designated from a sizable number of persons, where no reasonable distinction exists between the favored and disfavored classes.”  Even when the policy is enforced by the concierge, it has been well documented that guests coming in through the parking garage are effectively exempted from the ID policy.  In this context, then, the “favored class” are those who are able to get a parking space in the building, and the “disfavored class” are those who are not.  I do not think possession of a parking pass is a “reasonable distinction” that should dictate whether or not your guests should have to show ID, do you?

3) Finally, I would argue that the ID policy does substantially alter the arrangement I have with management because it asserts that they have the unqualified right to monitor, register, and even restrict the guests I bring into my home without any reasonable basis to do so.  While I respect those of you who do not find it to be invasive, offensive, or embarrassing, this policy is a substantial departure from what is required at every other apartment building I have ever lived in, visited, or even heard of. Management’s request that I comply with this policy is a request for a substantial change in the arrangement I have with them as defined by my lease, and I honestly would not have signed any lease which included this policy as one of its terms.

One final note: for those of you who still question whether we are bound to comply with this policy under the terms of our leases, consider the fact that management too seems to believe that we are not.  Why else would they ask residents to sign a separate form acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the visitor ID policy?

Let your voice be heard!

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D meets at 7:00 pm on the second Monday of each month. *

See their Calendar for more information about important upcoming meetings. http://www.anc6d.org/index.html

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is an elected body that considers a wide range of issues affecting the Southwest/Near Southeast community, including zoning, liquor licenses, recreation, traffic and parking, police protection and public safety, economic development, sanitation and trash, and street improvement.

The purpose of the Commission is to provide an official link between our community and District government. The Commission is made up of representatives of each of the neighborhoods (Single Member Districts) within the community. Commissioners are elected every two years, and serve as unpaid volunteers.

The Commission presents its positions and recommendations to District government agencies, the Executive branch, and the City Council. It can also present testimony to independent agencies, boards and commissions. By the DC law governing Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, such testimony must be given “great weight” when agencies render decisions.

Your Commissioner. Residents are urged to contact their Commissioner when they have concerns or comments specific to their neighborhood. To find your representative, check the ANC Map to find out in which Single Member District (SMD) you live, then go to the Commissioners page to find his/her name and contact information.

Ours is:

ANC District 6D07

Robert Siegel, 919 5th Street SE Washington DC 20003

202-704-0471

robertbobsiegel@gmail.com

Committees. The ANC has three committees, Development and Planning, Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Community Outreach. They are made up of representatives of each Single Member District, and meet monthly to discuss issues coming before the ANC. The public is welcome to attend the committee meetings. For more information, visit the Committees page of the website.

Citizen comment is welcomed and encouraged, but you must contact the ANC office (554-1795) 48 hours in advance of the meeting to be put on the agenda. Under ANC 6D rules, comment from the audience is also allowed on any topic if a motion is on the floor. All ANC business is done in public (including "housekeeping"' chores such as financial reports and approving official correspondence) so meetings can run late. Time limits for comments are enforced to allow everyone an opportunity to speak. It's often helpful to contact your Commissioner prior to a meeting to discuss your concerns or requests.

*Except August (no meeting) and October (3^rd Monday)