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Community Liaison Council Meeting
Minutes
June 17, 2004, 4–5:50 p.m.
Natcher Conference Center, Room D
DRAFT
HANDOUTS
- Agenda
- CLC May 20, 2004 Meeting Minutes
- CLC Member Roster (as of June 17, 2004)
WELCOME
Tom Gallagher, Ph.D., Director, Office of Community Liaison
(OCL), Office of the Director (OD), National Institutes of
Health (NIH) and Co-Chair, Community Liaison Council (CLC),
welcomed members and guests.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Agenda
Dr. Gallagher reported that the Agenda Subcommittee had suggested
cutting back the number of CLC meeting presentations to allow
adequate time for members to present items, make announcements,
and voice concerns.
Map of Neighborhood Associations
Dr. Gallagher mentioned that he wanted to resume identifying
homeowners associations near the NIH. He said that NIH Intern
Amy Blackburn, who recently became a permanent member of the
OCL staff, would be assigned to this project. Dr. Gallagher
said that he would contact and invite CLC representation of
associations within a one-mile radius of the NIH. Tom Robertson,
Parkwood Residents Association, suggested that Dr. Gallagher
obtain a copy of the map of neighborhoods prepared by the
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC).
Dr. Gallagher said that the map provided by the M-NCPPC showed
the area neighborhoods within a one-mile radius of the NIH
campus. However, he wished to update information on the area
served by each association and obtain the association president's
name. He noted that the circumscribed area reached nearly
to Friendship Heights on the south. Several members thought
that distance was greater than one mile. Dr. Gallagher believed
that the map showed a one-mile radius, but thought that perhaps
the map scale should be checked.
Perimeter Fence
Dr. Gallagher noted that the perimeter fence would not be
closed before August 2004. He shared with members the news
of a "good neighbor program" that was under consideration
and might offer regular NIH volunteers a badge to access the
campus. He said there were legal issues under review and that
the program would depend on the establishment of security
clearances and processes.
Schedule of Public Review of the 2003 NIH Master Plan
Update (MPU)
Stella Serras-Fiotes, Office of Research Facilities Development
and Operations (ORFDO), OD, NIH, announced that the public
release and official submission of the MPU to the National
Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) would be delayed until
September 2004. According to Ms. Serras-Fiotes, this document
would be posted on the Web for public review and she would
announce the timetable for the public meetings of the M-NCPPC
and the NCPC.
Noise from the Porter Neuroscience Research Center
Ms. Serras-Fiotes announced that consultants had completed
air-balancing and tests of the fans in the Porter Neuroscience
Research Center and that the system required further measurements
by the engineers, who would then propose corrective actions.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes was not able to give a timeframe for resolving
the noise problem; however, she felt it could be improved
by September. Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association, commented
that the noise was "horrendous." Further, Ms. Hoos
reported another noise issue apparently associated with Building
37. She said that her neighbor, Dr. Jonathan Ashwell, an NIH
employee, and Dr. Gallagher had visited the area together
to review the situation. Dr. Gallagher thought the sound seemed
to bounce from a concrete wall near Building 37 toward the
neighborhood across the street. Ms. Serras-Fiotes suggested
that these two noise problems differed and recommended that
the building engineer be involved in analyzing the noise associated
with Building 37.
PRESENTATIONS
Presentation on the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility
and the Gateway Project
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF)
When the security plan was developed and the perimeter fence
designed, Ms. Serras-Fiotes explained, traffic planners determined
that most commercial vehicles approached the campus proceeding
south on Rockville Pike from the Beltway. Louis J. Slade,
P.E., P.T.O.E., Vice President and Principal, Gorove/Slade
Associates, concurred with a point-of-origin survey indicating
that 90 percent of commercial vehicles approached the campus
from the north. [Gorove/Slade Associates provides transportation
management services, coordinates temporary roadway and parking
plans, and implements and monitors transportation demand management
measures.] Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that these vehicles would
turn right from Rockville Pike into a queuing lane between
North Drive and Wilson Drive and proceed to the CVIF. Ms.
Serras-Fiotes showed a map of the NIH and pointed out the
entries designated for the CVIF and also the proposed Gateway
Center, where visitor security inspection and processing would
occur. Clinical Center patients and their families would be
processed at West Drive and Cedar Lane.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that designs for these inspection
facilities had been discussed and planned with NIH's security
and traffic consultants, including Al Hinton, Chief, Department
of Police, NIH; John Dattoli, Director of Physical Security
Management; Tom Hayden, Division of Travel and Transportation,
NIH; and traffic consultants Erwin Andres and Lou Slade of
Gorove/Slade Associates. Mr. Slade reported that joint planning
meetings had been held with NCPC, State of Maryland, and Montgomery
County staff. He said that the CVIF design had multiple inspection
lanes and adequate capacity in the 500- to 600-foot lanes
for vehicles approaching the facility. Peak numbers would
be 55 trucks arriving in the morning.
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association,
thought of two scenarios in which trucks might cause a traffic
jam in the southbound lanes of Rockville Pike, especially
in the morning rush hour. He noted that both employee vehicles
and trucks would need to move to the right lanes to enter
the campus at the CVIF entrance. He thought vehicles turning
into these entrances would slow traffic. He also speculated
that trucks arriving from the south would block traffic while
turning left and maneuvering there vehicles into the drive
aisles. Mr. Oberlander felt it was unfortunate that there
would be no median barrier or traffic signal to prevent trucks
from making left turns at the CVIF entrance.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said there would be adequate signage from
both directions indicating the specific entrance for commercial
vehicles. Using the campus map, Ms. Serras-Fiotes indicated
the distance between employee and commercial vehicle entrances
and pointed out the length of the queuing lanes for cars at
the new employee entrance drive from Rockville Pike, located
just south of the Rockville Pike/Cedar Lane intersection.
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association, and Mr. Oberlander
requested more data on truck length and width, entrance and
queuing lane width, stacking area, time to complete inspections,
the height of the canopy, and the exit route from the CVIF.
Mr. Slade said that NIH had studied trucks entering the campus
by category, size, and number. Mr. Andres described the CVIF
inspection area as 185-feet long with a 20-foot-high canopied
area. Four inspection lanes, and a pull off lane, are located
under the canopy. Two large 18-wheel trucks will fit underneath
the canopy, bumper-to-bumper, in each lane. Mr. Andres explained
further that most vehicles entering the campus were box trucks
30-feet in length. The 1,000 linear feet of stacking area
in the queuing lanes could accommodate 33 of these box trucks.
Mr. Oberlander said that the width of the truck entrance differed
from the width of the queuing lanes. Mr. Slade and Mr. Andres
agreed to recheck their data and to provide updates or corrections
if the results differed from what they had presented.
Mr. Andres said that any rejected trucks would proceed to
the signal exit at Wilson Drive and Rockville Pike. Chief
Hinton added that the gate used by trucks to enter the campus
after completion of inspection was manually controlled. He
noted that in the event any truck were rejected, security
personnel would control traffic at the Wilson Drive entrance
to allow officers to escort the truck off the campus.
Mr. Robertson and Mr. Schofer were concerned about the safety
of pedestrians and cyclists crossing the proposed entrances.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that the projects are being designed
to allow pedestrians and cyclists to be able to cross campus
entrances as safely as possible. In some instances, this involves
the actual pedestrian crossing point further from the turning
lanes at the Rockville Pike entrances. Mr. Robertson and Deborah
Michaels, Glenbrook Village Home Owners Association, noted
that the crossing and curb cuts at North Drive had been nicely
reworked.
Gateway Project
Ms. Serras-Fiotes noted that visitors who used public transportation,
walked, or arrived by driving and parking in a new underground
parking facility, would be checked-in at the Visitor's Center
at South Drive. They would then either board an internal NIH
campus shuttle bus or walk to their destination on campus.
In addition, she said that a security inspection facility
between South Drive and Center Drive was planned for non-patient
visitors who needed to drive and park on the campus. Mr. Slade
indicated the area where this new entrance and curb cut would
allow visitors either to park their cars at the new underground
MLP facility, situated outside the security fence, or to enter
queuing lanes for security inspection before entering the
campus. He noted that NIH had discussed with the State the
street approach pattern from both the north and the south.
Mr. Slade said that cars traveling south on Rockville Pike
would be directed to turn right into the entrance between
South Drive and Center Drive, and cars traveling north on
Rockville Pike would be directed by signage to make a U-turn
at South Drive and go south on Rockville Pike to the entrance.
Mr. Schofer asked how many vehicles were projected to be making
U-turns at South Drive during peak hours. Mr. Andres said
that 51 U-turns were anticipated. Mr. Robertson suggested
that more time be allowed to accommodate additional demand
for left turns and U-turns at the signal at South Drive. Ms.
Serras-Fiotes said that the signal plan would be refined using
input from the State Highway Administration and the M-NCPPC.
Mr. Robertson asked whether the new visitor MLP facility
would replace current visitor parking on campus. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
noted that most of the campus parking would be restored for
employee use. However, she said that some parking would still
be available for visitors who drove onto the campus. Ms. Michaels
asked how many visitors drove onto campus each day. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
said there were 500 cars using paid parking.
Mr. Andres pointed out that underground garage visitor parking
would be ticketed and require payment. Mr. Schofer asked what
would prevent NIH commuters from using visitor parking. Mr.
Slade and Ms. Serras-Fiotes said the rates established were
intentionally high to discourage parking for more than three
hours, beyond which the full daily rate of $12 would be assessed.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes noted that patients and visitors to the
Clinical Center were not charged for parking. Lesley Hildebrand,
Huntington Terrace Citizens Association, asked if the visitor's
parking garage would be available on weekends. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
said that had not yet been considered.
Mr. Slade said that vehicles passing inspection would proceed
on a new access road that would tie in to Center Drive and
any rejected vehicles would exit onto Rockville Pike. Ms.
Michaels and Mr. Robertson were concerned about traffic exiting
the campus near Jones Bridge Road. Ms. Michaels noted that
some drivers did an illegal and dangerous double left turn
from Rockville Pike to reach Jones Bridge Road. Mr. Robertson
said that because there was no barrier preventing it, drivers
might make a U-turn to go north on Rockville Pike. Mr. Slade
said that there would be signage to indicate routes to the
Beltway. Ms. Serras-Fiotes noted that peak hours for visitor
business traffic were from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and thought this
distribution would help with the traffic at the close of business.
Ms. Michaels asked about the pedestrian crossing at the new
visitor's vehicle entrance. Chief Hinton said that the current
path would be moved closer to the fence to accommodate those
accessing either the Metro or the Gateway. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
noted the need for a graphic to show the new path and approach
to Metro and the Visitor's Center from the south.
Ms. Michaels asked about the design of the surface level
of the parking garage. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that there would
be grass atop the underground garage and around the Visitor
Vehicle Inspection Facility. Mr. Andres added that those parking
would enter the Visitor Center on foot. Mr. Oberlander asked
where the garage ventilating shafts were located. Chief Hinton
said they were near the Metro station.
Presentation on the NIH South Lawn Landscaping Project
by Anthony Clifford, Chief Engineer, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Dr. Gallagher noted the attractive wooded pedestrian path
developed by the NIH on the south side of the campus in preface
to introducing Tony Clifford, NIH's Chief Engineer. Ms. Michaels
described this area as "marvelous."
Mr. Clifford said that his presentation would focus on the
South Lawn Drainage Improvement Project that affects a nice
piece of land that interfaces with residences on the south
side of the campus. Mr. Clifford noted that NIH neighbors
and employees used the grounds for recreational purposes year-round.
He said that he had discussed this area and its potential
for neighborhood use with CLC member Stephen Sawicki. Mr.
Clifford pointed out the area on a map, northwest of the Whitehall
Condominiums and Northbrook Lane, where drainage would be
improved. Mr. Clifford said that water drained from the NIH
hill to a catch basin near Northbrook Lane where it collects
and sits. He said that improvement to the catch basin would
consist of leveling the site and installing a series of six-inch
underground drainpipe. He noted that this required moving
some trees and installing a new lawn on the 350' X 160' site.
Mr. Clifford said the project would begin in September 2004
and take 90 workdays to complete. Before the project begins,
a temporary chain-link fence would be installed to enclose
the South Lawn site during the earth movement, installation
of the underground drain lines, and reseeding. He said access
to this area would be from Northbrook Lane. Mr. Clifford has
instructed the construction crew to work on this area without
creating dust. Further, he said that all permits and requirements
of the Maryland Department of Environment would be met regarding
sediment control and stormwater management. Mr. Clifford offered
to announce the project start date by placing signs in the
area and by sending e-mail to the CLC members. He said that
both the residential and NIH communities would have a nice
area to use in the fall when the project was completed.
Lucy Ozarin, M.D., Whitehall Condominium Association, asked
whether the current pathway would be affected. Mr. Clifford
said that the project would not disturb the pathway. He indicated
on the map where the stormwater project and the path were
located. Dr. Ozarin told Mr. Clifford that her neighbors appreciated
the NIH's and his efforts to improve this area.
There were questions from members about the old existing chain-link
fence and the NIH perimeter fence. Mr. Clifford described
the erosion from the parking lot at Building 41 and proposed
repairing the damage underneath the perimeter fence caused
by water drainage. Mr. Clifford reported that no new fencing
would be installed and that the existing chain-link fence
delineating neighborhood property lines would remain. Mr.
Schofer asked whether the sycamore trees would be affected.
Mr. Clifford said that those trees were west of the project
area. He noted that Lynn Mueller, NIH's arborist, had evaluated
all existing wild shrubs in the area of the catch basin.
Dr. Ozarin said that one tree on Maple Ridge had been taken
down. Harvey Eisen, Ph.D., Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association,
said that one tree had lost a large limb and that five other
trees were lost due to storm damage. He noted another area
where water collects due to poor grading and drainage. Dr.
Gallagher asked for the specific location of this area, which
he thought to be a County drain area. Dr. Eisen offered to
meet Mr. Clifford to point out the area and to determine whether
installing drainpipes would alleviate the problem. Subsequent
investigation has determined that an additional drain line
will be added to the South Lawn Project to channel storm water
from this 18-inch County storm drain line to the storm drain
outfall near Northbrook Lane.
J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association, asked where funding
for this South Lawn Project would originate. Mr. Clifford
said that he had reserved $250,000 from this year's Workplace
Enrichment Repair and Improvement account for developing an
employee-friendly area. He said other project justification
was based on a federal mandate to improve safety and the environment.
Mr. Clifford said that any work done in the area identified
by Dr. Eisen would require a different contractor and schedule.
CLC ROUND-ROBIN
Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont, asked about a wooden structure
located in the northeast corner of campus near Cedar Lane.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that this was installed temporarily
to protect the perimeter fence during construction of the
MLP facility.
Mr. Schofer said that the president of his association asked
about a walkway located between Buildings 31 and 33. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
and Mr. Dattoli said this was a temporary walkway to access
Building 31C, and the area was being used to park police vehicles.
Dr. Eisen noted that employee pedestrian entrances were placed
so that it was inconvenient to enter the campus from the south
and southwest. He identified long-existing paths from Northbrook,
Maple Ridge/Glenbrook, and Roosevelt, near the NIH Child Care
Center, that now did not lead to perimeter fence gates. In
addition, he said that the walkway leading from Roosevelt
Street to the gate was hazardous in winter because ice and
melting snow made it too slippery to ride a bike or to walk
safely. Dr. Eisen wondered why there were so few gates in
this area. Ms. Serras-Fiotes explained that the planners had
tried to position the nine pedestrian gates at convenient
locations. However, the fence and gates were fixed in position,
paid for, and completed. She offered to keep the pathways
free of ice in cold weather. Mr. Clifford said that he would
notify the grounds staff to treat the slippery surfaces that
Dr. Eisen had identified. Mr. Clifford remarked that there
had been tradeoffs in configuring the paths and maintaining
the area used by the community in the south and southwest
sides. He noted that the path had been moved to the west to
allow for sledding, and the fence had been located closer
to the Child Care Center to maintain this area.
Dr. Eisen noted that wires were still down in the area where
the five trees were removed. Mr. Clifford said that he would
notify repair crews on Friday.
Mr. Schofer noted that during peak hours the left-turn signal
had been restored to allow vehicles to turn east from Rockville
Pike onto Cedar Lane, near Eleanor Rice's Locust Hill area.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting ended at 5:50 p.m.
ACTION ITEMS
- Dr. Gallagher said he would check the scale of the neighborhood
association map provided by M-NCPPC.
- Ms. Serras-Fiotes recommended that the building engineer
be involved in analyzing the noise associated with Building
37.
- Mr. Schofer and Mr. Oberlander requested more data from
Gorove/Slade Associates about truck length and width, CVIF
entrance and queuing lane width, stacking area, time to
complete inspections, the height of the canopy, and the
exit route from the CVIF. They were interested in the count
of trucks approaching the campus from the south that would
initiate a left turn into the CVIF entrance and the time
involved to conduct a truck security inspection.
- Mr. Slade and Mr. Andres agreed to recheck their results
and to provide updates or corrections if they differed from
what had been presented.
- Ms. Serras-Fiotes noted the need for a graphic to show
the new path and approach to Metro and the Visitor's Center
from the south.
- Ms. Hildebrand asked if the visitor's parking garage would
be available on weekends. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that had
not yet been considered.
- Mr. Clifford will announce the South Lawn Project's start
date by placing signs in the area and by sending e-mail
to the CLC members.
- Ms. Serras-Fiotes and Mr. Clifford offered to notify ground
crews of the need to keep the pedestrian pathways free of
ice in cold weather, and, in particular, to check on the
path near Roosevelt Street.
- Mr. Clifford said that he would notify repair crews on
Friday about downed wires near the area where trees had
been removed.
CLC MEMBERS PRESENT
Lorraine Bell, Palladian Partners, Inc.
Harvey Eisen, Ph.D., Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association
Tom Gallagher, Ph.D., OCL, OD, NIH
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association
Debra Liverpool, YMCA, Bethesda-Chevy Chase/Ayrlawn
Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont
Deborah Michaels, Glenbrook Village Home Owners Association
Walter Mitton, OCL, OD, NIH
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association
Lucy Ozarin, M.D., Whitehall Condominium Association
Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association
Tom Robertson, Parkwood Residents Association
Sharon Robinson, OCL, OD, NIH
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association
Stella Serras-Fiotes, ORFDO, OD, NIH
J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association
Guests
Erwin Andres, Gorove/Slade Associates
Anthony Clifford, ORFDO, OD, NIH
John Dattoli, Department of Physical Security Management,
NIH
D. Douek, Neighbor
Tom Hayden, Division of Travel and Transportation, ORS, OD,
NIH
Al Hinton, Department of Police, NIH
Joan Kleinman, U.S. Congressman Van Hollen's Office
Sandra Miller, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Louis J. Slade, Gorove/Slade Associates
Chris Williams, The Gazette
Ron Wilson, ORFDO, OD, NIH
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