Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B

2011 END OF THE YEAR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On January 2, 2011, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B elected new leaders to create a bold new outlook that would move our commission forward. With a rocky start, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B created 4 major goals;

Reducing unemployment by ghting for jobs Fighting for quality education Creating a scal responsible commission Investing in our communities & xing vacant properties It has been a productive year that has lead to a more efcient and effective commission. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B is a more transparent, open, responsive commission and moving in the right direction. We look forward to a better 2012 as we break ground on exciting new projects and challenge ourselves to rise to the next level.

Creating Jobs, Lowering Unemployment, & Holding Neighborhood Businesses Accountable.

With close to $60,000,000 dollars in DC Government funded projects, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B set out to ensure that our residents who live within blocks of these projects have equal access to getting gainful employment.

The government projects include the following:

Re-modernization of Moten Elementary School Re-modernization of Turner Elementary School Brand new Fort Stanton Recreation Center The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B reached out and invited a number of government agencies such as Department of General Services who oversee these projects and built relationships to ensure that our Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B residents have a great chance of obtaining employment. Currently our Advisory Neighborhood Commission unemployment rate is at 15% or roughly 3,000 residents are unemployed.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B reached out on numerous occasions with the Department of Employment Services, but Department of Employment Services has been acting unresponsively and not communicating. Next our commission created a employment database. An employment database that includes the basic employment history and information of roughly 300 commission residents. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B contracted over 10 unemployed residents to go door to door to conduct employment surveys.

It is the stance of this Commission, that neighborhood businesses need to be more active in hiring locally, keeping the dollar in the community, and being good neighbors. We have hosted a Small Business Summit to encourage them to hire commission residents.

Our next goal is to conduct a multi-week employment training program that train our unemployed residents in life skills, employment skills, and ensure they are employable.

Lastly, with the development of Skyland Town Center heavily underway, though the project is not located in Ward 8, we are the neighboring boarding c o m m i s s i o n . U n d e r D C l a w, A d v i s o r y Neighborhood Commission 8Bis given "Great Weight" and this commission intends to not only use its great weight in terms of obtaining community benets but jobs as well.

Fighting for Quality Education

Advisory Neighborhood Commission set out to improve education for all students. We created a goal of building relationships with school leadership to ensure that we have strong parental involvement, strong community involvement, and we have strong extra curriculum activities that build on the strengths of our students.

I n O c t o b e r, A d v i s o r y N e i g h b o r h o o d Commission 8B had the rst Education Town Hall meeting laying out a foundation for open dialogue on how we can make education better. With over 100 people in attendance, we have started the groundwork of Educate Ward 8! A public private partnership that involves the community businesses, schools, and local leadership to come together and build stronger schools with wrap around services and grants to provide educational tutorial.

We have led the ght for schools to be modernized. The two schools being modernized within the boundaries of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B are:

Moten Elementary Turner Elementary

We look forward to working with DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson in her efforts to improve our schools by holding teachers accountable, lowering teacher student ratio, and providing adequate funding for 21st technology within the classroom.

Creating a Fiscal Responsible Commission

With an annual budget of roughly $38,000, Commissioner Darrell Gaston put in place a nancial reforms that ensures every dollar is accountable for and investment in communities are taking place. For the rst time, Advisory Neighborhood Commission has a nancial guideline to report all monthly expenses that is easy to read, straight to the point, and making them available to the public.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B under the leadership of Chairman Darrell Gaston is implementing ways to make our Commission more scally efcient now and in the future. Chairman Gaston has proposed moving to creating a savings account for a raining day fund. Developing a budget process that is saving the community money while still delivering and advocating for better city services.

Investing in our Communities & Fixing Blighted Properties

The Commission made a bold stance to increase home-ownership within our Commission boundaries. The Commission identied several vacant properties and hold those owners accountable. The Commission sat down with owners worked our agreements to help developers x their

properties.

Chairman Gaston moved to get communities rezoned to help ease the burden of those property owners. There are several zoning hearings being set at the request of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8B to ensure we have safe, livable and vibrant communities.

Because of the Commission support, framework, and leadership there are over 200 affordable housing units being constructed, we are making homeownership and affordable housing a reality. There are another 60 units in the pipe line for development and renovation!

Other Major Accomplishments

Protecting our Neighbors! The commission took a strong stance working together to prevent the saturation of shelters, transitional homes, and group homes. Most recently, the commission worked closely with So Others May Eat ( SOME) in developing an Advisory Board and received a commitment from SOME to hire locally.

Roads, Streets, and Sidewalks! During 2011, the Commission had roughly 40% of our streets and sidewalks replaced and repaved! Though there is much more to be done, we will get more sidewalks replaced and more streets repaved during 2012. Supporting our Seniors! Allen Chapel AME Church has broken ground on a brand new state of the art senior living complex. This complex will have over 90 affordable units, cafe and more.