Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee

Minutes

Old Naval Hospital

May 28, 2008

 

Present: Bill Glasgow, Angie Brunson; Eric Snelling (for Barbara Eck), Monte Edwards, Larry Gallo, Ken Jarboe, Tom Kuchenberg, Richard Layman, Robin Eve Jasper (for Dan Tangherlini), Donna Scheeder Absent: Chuck Burger

 

The meeting was convened at 7:15 p.m.

 

1.      New EMCAC Member

 

Ms. Scheeder announced that the Mayor has appointed a new representative to the EMCAC Board: City Administrator Dan Tangherlini, a longtime Hill resident to replace Ellen Opper-Weiner.  She said that Ms. Opper-Weiner has been notified, and that Robin Eve Jasper, acting director of the Office of Planning, was attending the meeting to represent Mr. Tangherlini, who could not make the meeting.

 

2.      Agenda

 

Motion: Mr. Kuchenberg moved/Mr. Edwards seconded a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. Mr. Jarboe asked to have the issue of trash placed under the Market Manager’s report. Mr. Edwards asked to have the issues of locks and latches and roof coating for the East Hall added to the Capital Improvements Subcommittee report. The motion, as amended, passed unanimously.

 

3.       Minutes

 

Motion: Mr. Edwards moved/Mr. Kuchenberg seconded a motion to approve the April minutes as presented.  Mr. Jarboe requested that it be noted that his absence from the April meeting was because of a special ANC 6B meeting.  Mr. Glasgow asked that his comments on the temperature in the East Hall be amended to show that it was 85⁰ in the morning. The motion, with the amendments, passed unanimously.

 

4.      Tribute to Ellen Opper-Weiner

 

Ms. Scheeder announced that there would be a public tribute to Ms. Opper Weiner to mark her years of committed service to EMCAC, and an appropriate memorialization of her tenure.  Mr. Edwards mentioned that in cleaning out the basement, four Plexiglas signs were discovered with the Market’s operating hours.  He suggested that one of those, mounted with a plaque might be a suitable tribute.  Motion: Ms. Scheeder moved/Mr. Kuchenberg seconded a motion that

Whereas, Ms. Opper-Weiner served as the first chair of EMCAC and held that position for several years, and

Whereas, during that time she made many contributions of her time and energy to resolving issues facing the Market

Be it resolved that EMCAC recognize her publicly for her efforts on behalf of the Market and thank her for her service. with a token of EMCAC’s appreciation in the form of a  plaque using a original Eastern market  Plexiglas sign..  The motion passed unanimously.

 

5.      Office of Property Management

 

Status of the Management RFP

 

Matt Hussman, of OPM, reported that the Office of Contracts and Procurement (OCP) reviewed the RFP and has made changes, and wants further clarifications of certain of its provisions.  It will be returned to OCP, after which it will receive a final OPM review and then be forwarded to EMCAC.  He said he expects this will happen “shortly” but says there may be a lag in completing all the reviews, and they are working on drafting a contingency plan for the RFP. Mr. Kuchenberg asked when the RFP was originally expected from OPM.  Ms. Scheeder said that the expectation is that it was going to be within the next week.

 

East Hall Temperature Control

 

Curtis Clay announced that a fourth air conditioning unit has been installed. Mr. Glasgow added that it seems to be working pretty well.  Mr, Clay said that they have explored tarp options to cover the roof, but there has too many issues that have to be overcome.  Mr. Edwards said that EMCAC has been told that there are code restrictions on roof coatings, but he cannot locate such restrictions in the Code.  He hopes OPM will continue to look at reflective coating, which is a green solution because it will keep heat from coming in, rather than have to run air conditioning to remove the heat after it gets in.

 

Renovation of South Hall

 

Mr. Clay said that the basement has been cleared, and that by June 2^nd, the North Hall would be cleared. 

 

He said the window installation is complete, and the plywood will be replaced. 

 

He said that Forney is working with PEPCO and WASA on the vaults, which are not large enough, and PEPCO has to increase their size.  Forney, he said, is committed to fixing up the street for the weekends so as not to negatively impact weekend business.

 

He said they would try to keep the viewing area open.

 

Ms. Scheeder asked whether the construction managers would have a timeline, saying it would be helpful to share it with EMCAC and merchants.  She asked whether there is a phasing schedule.  Mr. Clay said that the original schedule had been rejected, and a new schedule should be available within a few weeks.  The schedule should be submitted with the invoices.  He said there will be a baseline schedule.  Mr. Gallo added that a schedule is important for the vendors, because customers keep asking about the schedule.  He again said that removing the scaffolding is critical for weekend business, and Mr. Clay said that the scaffolding will be removed when the roof is completed.

 

Mr. Edwards said he advocated the establishment of a Construction Coordination Group to go over relevant issues, so these issues can be properly coordinated.  He said there should be meetings for an hour at least once every two weeks.  Mr. Clay said that that’s what’s going to be happening.  Mr. Jarboe added that the 8^th Street merchants need to be included, as well as residents.  It should be tied in with the 7^th Street Streetscape group.  He asked whether the need to increase the electricity vaults will affect others on the block.  Mr. Clay said that they have worked up a formal document that will be shared with EMCAC soon.  Mr. Glasgow said that any written document should be circulated to everyone, and expressed the hope that the PEPCO work could be done at night.

 

Ms. Scheeder said that the street should be dug up only one time, and Mr. Gallo added that the work should be coordinated with DDOT.

 

Mr. Clay said that the North Hall roof has been negotiated with Minkoff, and the contract has to go to the Council.  It should be done by the beginning of July.

 

Mr. Edwards asked about installing the ventilators for the North Hall roof, the current design of which has no dampers and no fans like the South Hall.  Mr. Clay responded that Quinn Evans is presenting a package of changes for the North Hall.  Ms. Scheeder said that EMCAC would appreciate knowing what Quinn Evans has in its plans.

 

6.      Capital Improvements Subcommittee

 

Historic Preservation Report Issues

 

Mr. Edwards reported that he had received a call from Mr. Hussman and Mr. Clay about the items stored in the basement, and Mr. Edwards responded he would like an inventory and description to take to CHRS and the Historic Preservation Office to see whether any items had significance.  He was told that a report had been done, and Mr. Edwards reminded them that the Report only addressed the Market Manager’s office. Mr. Edwards and a group consisting of Ron Allen, of the Brass Knob, David Bernhard, a local developer who works on historic projects, representatives of CHRS and CHAMPS and the Historic Preservation Office assessed the things in the basement and moved them to safe places.  There was not much that seemed of great significance to the Historic Preservation Office except some signage, but they found things like an old desk. The original doors, cornices, and other items were removed by the Brass Knob, and will be available to be reused.  He said he was renewing his request for a comprehensive review, documentation and inventory of architectural artifacts, for the North Hall, the Center Hall and the former Pottery Studio which should be undertaken as part of the Temple Group’s work.

 

He said that the conservation report on the Market Manager’s Office would be discussed at a CHRS meeting on June 11^th at Ebenezer’s Café.

 

Interior Lighting

 

Mr. Edwards said that the lighting requirements in the South Hall are different from the North Hall.  He said that there has been a lot of progress with the Historic Preservation decision on the glazing to provide tinted glass in the South Hall and clear glass in the North Hall, but the amount of natural light and artificial light in the South Hall has to be quantified. That quantification will be necessary to work with the merchants in planning the display lighting for their stalls.  There needs to be a solar-activated dimmer system in order to keep the light constant through the day, because lighting is critical to the success of the Market.  Mr. Glasgow agreed, saying the amount of light is critically important.  Mr. Clay responded that each merchant will be consulted and stall lighting will be selected by each individual merchant. It was noted that basic warehouse type light is not good and what is really needed is a consultant that specializes in general lighting for food.

 

7^th Street Paving

 

Mr. Edwards reported that the Tenant’s Council had received a presentation of various types of street paving as with Karinna Ricks offered at the last EMCAC meeting. . They looked at  surface treatments that would replicate brick, and it was determined to be not a replication, but an imitation. Amy Weinstein was at the meeting, and she had previously researched surfaces for the Eastern Market Metro plaza.  A surface consisting of smaller than pea-sized gravel embedded in epoxy will be tried out on a two-foot wide strip on 7^th Street to see how it looks and wears.. 

 

Locks and Latches

 

Mr. Edwards reported that he had asked Mr. Glasgow to share a sample of a lock for the windows, as well as the latches, which the merchants liked.  The merchants thought that the latches were fine, and that locks would be better.  Mr. Hussman said he has started discussions with OPM’s security people as to whether, and what kind, of locks are necessary, Ms. Scheeder said the locks should be considered as part of an overall security plan and Robin Eve Jasper indicated that this was part of a plan.

 

 5.     Executive Committee

 

Parking Task Force

 

Ms. Scheeder announced that the parking task force report would be postponed until the next meeting; in order to give the parking changes an opportunity to work.

 

Meeting on Hine Jr. High School

 

Ms Scheeder said that those attending filled out survey forms, and it was clear to her that coordination with Eastern Market was a high priority in considering the future of the property.  There was a lot of talk about the market, and underground parking came up frequently.

 

July 4^th Picnic

 

There will be a picnic in the Hine schoolyard at the conclusion of the parade for July 4^th this year.  The Naval Lodge will sponsor the picnic, and the Capitol Hill Cluster Schools will be the beneficiary of the parade and picnic.  The Naval Lodge already conducts a Fun Fair at Watkins and this is an expansion of their activities.    They have offered to include Eastern Market vendors without any fees.  Mr. Edwards asked whether there is a limit on the number of spaces available.  Sharon  Boesen  of Tiber Creek Associates of Capitol Hill, the Naval Lodge representative, said they would like to maximize the space.

 

 6.     Market Manager

 

Brian Cooke reported that he has to communicate with OPM on changes at the Market. He stated he is interested in brainstorming what can be done to improve communications at the market.

 

He said he spoke with the merchants about summer advertising.

 

He reported that security needs are changing and have to be monitored.

 

He said that the Market finances have improved, and that electrical reimbursement has improved.  He reported that there is $88,000 in the EMV bank account and there is money for advertising.  He said they recently reach “flat” net, after a period of negative net for a while.

 

Farm Vending

 

Mr. Cook reported that the majority of the farmers have returned, with two saying they are not coming, and two returning in July.

 

He said that the increase in arts and crafts vending is causing issues, but he and Mr. Hussman are working on it.

 

He reported that there was 60% participation on the questionnaire he distributed.

 

He said that the people who are cooking and processing food all have Health Dept. permits.

 

Ms. Scheeder said that there has to be a balance between the food and arts and crafts vendors, and that the balance has to be maintained.  Mr. Edwards added that a reminder that certain vendors have “grandfather” status, and they need to be identified.  Mr. Cooke said that he has done a chart, and there is a spreadsheet containing an analysis of who is there now.  Mr. Kuchenberg said he is concerned about who’s there now, but what’s needed is a baseline for when the Market is re-occupied.  He said it’s important to determine when a space is considered abandoned.

 

Mr. Jarboe asked whether the North Hall is still delinquent on its rent and was told that they are three months in arrears.

 

Trash

 

Mr. Jarboe said that trash is blowing from the dumpster and it’s important to be a little more vigilant around the dumpster.  He suggested that EMV speak with the Dept. of Parks and Recreation about keeping the area around the pool clean.

 

Mr. Glasgow said that the porters are doing an excellent job in keeping the East Hall clean.

 

Mr. Layman suggested that the trash be analyzed and it would be useful to look at the trash in a structural way for a week.

 

 7.     Tenants’ Council

 

The report of the Tenant’s Council is attached.

 

 8.     Treasurer’s Report

 

Mr. Gallo reported that there were deposits of $300 in dues, raising the balance in the EMCAC account to $2,656.47, as of May 29, 2008. He reported that organizations with outstanding dues for 2008 are CHANPS, EMPDC, SPNA, the Eastern Market Farmers Line, and, possibly, the Office of the Mayor and Councilmember Wells’ office.

 

Ms. Scheeder inquired about the Enterprise Fund, and Mr. Hussman reported that there is language in the new budget that will allow OPM to spend the funds.

 

The next meeting of EMCAC will be on Wednesday June 25^th, at the Old Naval Hospital, at 7 p.m.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

 

 

Tenant’s Council Report

May 27, 2008

 

 

1.                   Use of Sash Locks in Addition to Latches on Market Restoration

At the request of EMCAC’s capitol improvements sub-committee chair Monte Edwards, the Tenant’s Council polled its members to determine if there were any objections to the addition of keyed window sash locks to the window latches which were presented by OPM to EMCAC at its April 2008 meeting.   The Tenant’s Council received no objections.

 

2.                   Appointment of Representatives to EMCAC

A request has been made to each of the representative for the Merchant, Farmers and non-Food Vendors on how representatives from each group are chosen to positions on EMCAC. Specifically, this would be Bill’s position for the Merchants, Angie’s position for the Farm’s Line and Larry’s position for the Arts/Vending.  The request was for each group meet to discuss their selection process, and for the representative for each group to report its process by Monday June 9.

 

3.                   Streetscape Resurfacing Materials

On May 9, 2008, Mike Berman of the Eastern Market Tenant’s Council attended a meeting to discuss the finish/surface treatment on 7th Street between N.Carolina and PA. Ave. SE.  The meeting was held at Ken Goldings’ office and in attendance was: Phil Sheldon the representative from Integrated Paving Concept (IPC), EMCAC reps Barbara Eck, Monte Edwards and Donna Scheeder, Merchant Row Chair Ken Golding, DDOT reps Rezene Medham and Wasi Khan, architect and past Historic Preservation board member Amy Weinstein.

 

The report below is a summary from notations from the meeting regarding the streetscape street improvement, the options presented at the meeting, and the observations of the Tenants Council to what was presented:

 

7th Streetscape issues and background

 

The street currently consists of 2 inches of asphalt over 10 inches of concrete, thus the new paving material is limited to a thickness of 2 inches, which rules out options such as cobble stones.

 

DDOT reports that the street carries approximately 10,000 cars a day.  The Tenant’s Council request clarification of this measurement, as the volume of vehicle seems high.  This perhaps may be a measurement used in transportation to represent gross tonage of vehicles, which would include delivery trucks.

 

DDOT has agreed to provide a differentiated paving material for 7th Street in front of the Market, to better set off the area for times when the outdoor market is operating and to alert drivers they are entering someplace different.

 

Streetprint Presentation

 

Patterned, textured, and colored materials are available through StreetPrint and Imprint. Phil Sheldon, Integrated Paving Concepts (IPC) representative was invited to the meeting to explore alternatives. StreetPrint is an application process that produces realistic-looking brick, slate, stone and other design effects directly onto an asphalt base.   Features include - quick installation, durability, easy maintenance and design flexibility.  StreetPrint combines the flexibility and strength of asphalt with leading-edge coating technologies using unique heating equipment and specialized coatings.  In short, they reheat the asphalt, inject color and stamp pattern. Streetprint is generally used for 3-5000 cars a day.

 

Imprint is a hot applied, synthetic bitumen compound imprinted with a mold to provide a durable, decorative surface for traffic calming schemes, town center enhancements, urban regeneration schemes, pedestrian areas, heritage sites and retail developments.  Applied ½ in to 1 in thick, Imprint simply overlays existing concrete or blacktop surfaces and is available in various patterns and colors.  Suitable for high trafficked areas, Imprint is impervious to water, can be vacuum swept and jet washed, and will not become loose, be stolen or peeled off.  With no excavation, no weed growth, no maintenance and a skid resistance value of 55+, Imprint is the practical alternative to blocks, slabs, setts and cobbles.  With Imprint they pour a pre-colored mold and stamp.  This is for higher traffic but costs much more.

 

IPC Streetprint and Imprint comes in a variety of patterns and colors, it need not look like fake brick (inappropriate) but could look like a tile or cobblestone or other subdued pattern.  IPC and its partner companies do the application.  City is not equipped to do the work; it is special tools and special training.

 

Because maintenance has historically been an issue (the street is constantly torn up due to old sewer pipes and other infrastructure) these patterned and colored prints would be impossible to maintain, as once it is dug up the patch wouldn’t match.  (However, the streetscape plan was presumably to also to upgrade this infrastructure thus vastly diminishing the need for patches, as had been reported from earlier construction presentations.   If that is not going to occur, we need to know why not and when that decision was made).

 

Attendees Conclusions

 

a.       The majority of the group concluded the following:

b.       Neither the Imprint product nor the street print products were satisfactory.

c.       Coloring the asphalt was considered but no conclusion was reached.

d.       Coloring the concrete was also suggested.  An example was done on Dakota Avenue NE by DDOT.

e.       Wasi suggested the possibility of using concrete with epoxy and pea gravel as a possible finish on top of the existing 10″ concrete base and that there were examples of this at the access ramps to the Roosevelt bridge from VA.

f.         Phil Sheldon, IPC, showed us something we thought had potential called “STONEGRIP”, (see attached photo of two types) that could be applied to asphalt; however, Phil needed to find out how it would hold up under heavy traffic. Its appeal was the finish stone was reminiscent of the old stone/gravel treatment that 7th Street used to be according to our historian/architect, Amy Weinstein.

g.       A test site would be done using the STONEGRIP on a 2′ wide strip running E-W across 7th St. somewhere to be determined in the subject area. Phil suggested it also be tested on new asphalt (maybe where the current utility dig is occurring).

 

Tenant’s Council’s Observations on Materials to be used

 

The Tenant’s Council has concerns with the colors and tones used for the paving, especially given the varying use of the space.  The color primarily discussed was a peagravel, however the Tenants council has concerns with the reflective glare such an application would yield.  We are interested evaluating this texture as a walkable, as well as a drivable surface.  It seems bumpy for baby strollers, impossible for women in heels, it appears to be hard to broom-clean at the end of a vending day, and its impossible to mark in anyway for vending.  The Tenant’s council also has concerns over how a peagravel surface would be marked for parking lanes. 

 

 

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