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Community Liaison Council Meeting
Minutes
April 19, 2007, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Visitor Information Center, Building 45 (Natcher Building)
Conference Room D
National Institutes of Health
CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Community Liaison Director and CLC Co-Chair Dennis
Coleman called the meeting to order at 4:03 and
welcomed members, staff and guests. He made the following
announcements:
- A large
maple tree near in the SW corner of the campus, adjacent to the NIH property
line was uprooted by the recent wind storm and would be removed on Saturday,
April 21. Chain saws will not be operated before 9:00 a.m.
- The Commercial
Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) began operating on April 14. A CLC tour
requires that arrangements be made by Chief of Police Hinton, since the CVIF
is a secure facility. Since the CVIF is a relatively small building with
a single specialized vehicle inspection purpose, an operational tour will be
more informative than a pre-opening tour where there would be little to see. It
will take place this summer or fall after startup procedures have settled down.
Thus far, the facility has generated one commuter complaint about a truck speeding
across a pedestrian walkway. The pedestrian was contacted and the event
reported to police.
- Permitting
work is proceeding for a 250 unit residential development with commercial space
and a large (~1500 space) underground garage to be operated by the County between
Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues. No CLC presentation is planned since the
project is ~2 miles south of NIH, but OCL has additional information if CLC members
request it.
Mr. Coleman introduced the first 3 agenda topics, all of
which concerned noise. He observed that even though
noise has been a long-standing and seemingly intractable
issue, there was common ground in that both NIH staff and
neighbors want progress in reducing it. He noted that
NIH Director Dr. Zerhouni had provided some clear guidance
in a 11/17/06 letter to Rep. Van Hollen. In short,
NIH will undertake every reasonable effort to reduce its
noise impact on adjacent communities, even though measurements
have shown that neighborhood noise is less than limits defined
in the County noise ordinance (65 dBA day; 55 dBA night).
Mr. Coleman suggested that the CLC Noise Committee meet
to consider a quantifiable noise reduction objective and
bring some recommendations back to the full CLC. NIH
staff would work with the CLC to analyze whether the objectives
are reasonable in terms of impact on NIH operations and cost. NIH
staff would bear the burden of producing a “reasonability” analysis
that a consensus of CLC members finds credible. Anyone
objecting to NIH’s analysis will at least have more
specific assumptions and methods to complain about than was
previously possible with a more subjective noise reduction
goal (e.g. neighbors don’t want to hear any noise emanating
from the NIH campus).
Leslie Hildebrand replied that the group
had reviewed all of the related information earlier. It
was not clear to her why the group should repeat this effort. Mr.
Coleman explained that noise reduction has been stuck for
2 or 3 years with subjective goals and relatively little
progress to show for it. If the CLC provides NIH with
a reasonable and quantifiable goal, it would enable NIH engineers
to develop a concrete plan for moving forward and measuring
progress against. CLC Co-Chair Ginny Miller asked
Mr. Coleman to make certain that the committee meets with
high enough levels of engineering staff to actually do some
good.
George Oberlander suggested that the ultimate
goal should be reducing the campus contribution to neighborhood
noise to zero. Ralph Schofer suggested
that a more feasible starting point might be to measure the
noise levels at the edge of the NIH property and near Ms.
Hildebrand’s house, where complaints have been more
frequent. The results could help establish ambient noise
levels and NIH’s contribution to what is heard in the
neighborhoods, which is still not clear due to numerous other
noise sources in this urban area (e.g. local traffic, I-495
traffic, planes, helicopters, police, ambulances, fire engines,
residential AC/heat pumps, Suburban Hospital, Metro station,
pets, wildlife, etc.).
Mr. Coleman added that whatever approach was eventually
adopted, NIH will make a good faith effort to undertake reasonable
noise reduction efforts, as required by Dr. Zerhouni’s
statement. Ms. Miller asked that a convenient time
be established for the subcommittee to meet to consider any
quantitative noise reduction goal. She also wanted
to ensure that the full CLC had a chance to review committee
results. Mr. Coleman remarked that the Noise Committee
is no substitute for the full CLC, and it is well recognized
standard practice for any committee to report its results
back to whatever body constituted it.
PRESENTATIONS
FACILITIES
Building
35 Design
Mr. Coleman explained that the expected report on Building
35 Phase 2 had to be postponed because the architect has
not completed his answers to CLC questions about what noise
standard was being applied and what difference would the
building make in what neighbors can hear.
Noise Generating Maintenance Activities
Mr. Coleman introduced Charles O’Hanlon,
maintenance manager from NIH’s Division of Property
Management, Office of Research Facilities. Mr. O’Hanlon
presented slides identifying scheduled maintenance activities
that generate additional noise relative to normal NIH operations.
Of all the maintenance activities, boiler maintenance generates
the greatest noise. NIH’s five boilers are checked
one at a time, beginning in May and concluding in September. Boiler
maintenance also includes safety relief valve and cogeneration
unit testing. The valve tests cause between four and
eight one-minute bursts of noise over two hours and are usually
conducted late on weekday mornings. The cogen unit
test has no impact on the regular noise level. In response
to questions about boiler checks, Mr. O’Hanlon noted
that OCL is given prior notice. He also stated that
the occasional steam venting noise (reported earlier as coming
from building 35 or 37) is not maintenance, but is
being investigated by other staff.
Mr. Hanlon reported that garage maintenance, including sweeping
and machine-scrubbing, is another scheduled source of additional
campus noise. Each garage is swept every other weekend. Scrubbing
is conducted on a rotating basis during spring and summer
weekends, usually on Saturday evenings. Nancy
Hoos reported that a loud noise, sounding like a
high-pitched leaf-blower, appears to be coming from the garage
closest to Roosevelt Street early on weekend mornings. This
was identified as multi-level parking facility #8. They
agreed that someone from Mr. O’Hanlon’s office
and Ms. Hoos, will monitor this noise on Saturday, April
21 and be in contact if follow up is needed.
Mr. O’Hanlon moved on to present the 2007 garage sweeping
and machine-scrubbing schedule. Mr. Schofer asked why the
scrubbing is done so frequently, but only during six months
of the year. Mr. O’Hanlon explained that this
schedule has been found to be most effective in getting rid
of garage trash and debris that are not uniformly generated
throughout the year.
Mr. O’Hanlon then provided the spring 2007 garage
power-washing schedule. Each garage is power-washed
in the spring and fall. The work is necessarily conducted
after-hours between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. The compressors
are positioned away from the community side of each garage
to minimize noise. Thus far there have been no complaints
from people living nearby.
Grounds maintenance was the last source of scheduled maintenance
noise discussed. To control noise impact, work usually
is undertaken between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on business
days. As per agreement with the neighboring communities,
any projects that cannot be conducted during business days
are scheduled for Saturdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
ENVIRONMENT
Noise Monitoring and Modeling Project
Mr. Coleman thanked Mr. O’Hanlon and introduced Mark
Miller, Environmental Compliance Officer, NIH
Division of Environmental Protection. Mr. Miller
reported that the NIH noise study was nearing completion. He
explained that NIH policy is to:
- Notify neighbors of scheduled noise-generating activities;
- Provide timely explanations for unscheduled noise-generating
events;
- Survey campus noise levels; and
- Use surveys to drive noise modeling and mitigation efforts
Ms. Hildebrand and Ms. Hoos noted that NIH noise is a concern
at night-time and weekends, especially in spring and fall
when residential windows are open. This noise is not
the same as traffic noise, so it stands out. Mr. Oberlander
suggested that the general level of neighborhood noise needs
better characterization to better understand NIH’s
contribution to it.
Mr. Miller listed four possible solutions to the noise problem
and their levels of feasibility. For example:
- Removing offending buildings (35, 37, utility plant & chiller
plant) would definitely reduce NIH noise, but would have
an extreme impact on NIH operations and cost, and is thus
not reasonable.
- Shutting down offending buildings for months to completely
replace offending air handling equipment could also reduce
NIH noise, but would have a major impact on NIH operations
and cost, and is thus not reasonable.
- Dampening, insulating, or shielding offending noise sources
seems feasible, but this has been tried before with apparently
limited results and thus requires analysis to ensure that
further efforts are effective and their impact on NIH is
both manageable and affordable.
- Prevent future noise issues from getting worse by addressing
noise more thoroughly in design and construction of new
facilities, such as designing future buildings to comply
with a lower noise standard than the County ordinance specifies.
Ms. Miller, Mr. Oberlander, and Mr. Schofer emphasized that
new buildings are in the future, so the main issue
for them is better management of current noise. Ms.
Miller observed that the only action proposed by the speaker
was limiting the noise generated by future buildings, presumably because
existing buildings are a done deal and funding is less available
to reduce their noise. Mr. Schofer added that it would
be difficult to develop an acceptable solution to the noise
problem if existing NIH buildings are continually “grandfathered” as
something neighbors have to live with.
Mr. Miller asked whether the CLC was satisfied with the
County and NIH night time standard of 55 decibels. Ms.
Hildebrand noted that other noise studies must already exist
that show this standard does not eliminate noticeable noise. Mr.
Miller will ask the contractor what other studies have been
done. Ms. Hildebrand then observed that a 55 decibel
standard was relatively high when compared with community
noise standards nationwide and that the noise level at her
home continued to pose a problem for her. Mr. Miller
responded that, as suggested earlier by Mr. Coleman, the
CLC should propose a quantifiable goal to guide NIH efforts
to reduce noise in both current and future facilities. In
addition, Mr. Miller offered to visit Ms. Hildebrand’s
home to experience the noise level.
Mr. Schofer noted that NIH is not the only local noise source
and that Suburban Hospital is certainly another one, not
to mention the Navy hospital with its increasing number of
helicopter flights and future doubling of outpatient visits. Mr.
Coleman doubted that other local facilities have expressed
any willingness to do better than County standards the way
NIH has. He suggested that CLC members could easily
verify his statement by asking Suburban and the Navy for
a written commitment similar to the one provided by Dr. Zerhouni. Ms.
Miller added that, given June scheduling of a Suburban to
the CLC, the neighbors should have an upcoming opportunity
to at least try and influence Suburban in regard to reducing
their noise contribution.
Mr. Miller concluded by noting that:
- NIH appreciates that the 55 decibel noise level established
by the County is not entirely acceptable to the community.
- Noise study findings developed thus far will be presented
at the CLC meeting in May.
In response to a request from Mr. Oberlander, Mr. Miller
also agreed to report back to the CLC about when the final
study findings will be available.
TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Coleman welcomed Tom Hayden, Director
of the NIH Travel and Transportation Division. Mr. Hayden
provided an update on roadwork projects adjacent to the campus
and some other transportation issues previously raised by
CLC members.
He first reported that the State Highway Administration’s
project to improve the South Drive & OGR intersection
is now underway. SHA is also slated to begin the Wilson
Drive & 355 intersection improvement project in June. All
improvements include pedestrian friendly features and will
meet ADA requirements, such as curb cuts for wheel chairs.
Shifting to transportation demand management, Mr. Hayden
noted that the goals for Transhare have been exceeded in
that a large fraction of NIH staff (~40%) now uses public
transportation.
Finally, Mr. Hayden observed that:
- The Gateway Center issue of contractors parking in neighborhoods
has been resolved.
- The public transportation committee formed with Suburban
Hospital and Navy Medical Center (TMO) has been funded
$10,000 to produce brochures and promotional material to
further reduce employee reliance on single occupancy vehicles.
Ms. Miller asked what role the hospital would play on the
committee, given that Suburban buses people from the Bethesda
Metro station and does not even use the NIH station. Mr.
Hayden agreed that this was so, but explained that it was
important to include Suburban because it, like Navy Medical
Center and NIH, is a major local employer with definite local
impact.
Members made the following additional comments:
- Ms. Miller thanked Mr. Hayden for ensuring that the requested
white walkway lines were painted at the NIH station and
approaches.
- Mr. Oberlander asked about plans for the local pedestrian
bridge. Mr. Coleman replied that the Navy Medical
Center plan shows the bridge located about 100 yards south
of Center Drive, but this location was indicated in a preliminary
drawing. Mr. Hayden will attempt to provide the CLC
with an update on the pedestrian bridge location.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Southside
Lawn Drainage
Mr. Clifford reported that staff from the
County’s Department of Public Works (DPW) joined CLC
members Deborah Michels and Steve Sawicki, Mr. Coleman, Lynn Mueller and
himself for an April 16th tour of the area affected by the
southside lawn drainage problem. The tour had some
obvious impact on the DPW staff because the ground was still
wet from earlier storms and clearly eroded by excessive drainage
flow. In addition, the County’s assertion that
leaves caught in the NIH fence were causing the problem was
shown by inspection to not be very credible.
The DPW representatives agreed that the velocity and quantity
of water coming from the County’s drainage pipe creates
a problem that cannot be resolved through a simple neighborhood
beautification or maintenance project. Mr. Clifford
is waiting for DPW’s formal response to both the tour
and NIH’s consultant report on the drainage problem. Once
this information is available, DPW will be invited to present
its recommendations for a solution to the full CLC.
Judging from comments made during the tour, Mr. Clifford
said that DPW will probably recommend that a capital improvement
project be undertaken to resolve the drainage problem once
and for all. Mr. Clifford added that NIH will cooperate
to provide a property easement, but funding will come from
the County since the water clearly originates on their property.
INFORMATION RESEARCH
Mr. Coleman then provided the CLC with several miscellaneous
OCL information reports. These were compiled in response
to member questions about various issues. The handouts
included:
- A Fact Sheet on Recent Dosimeter Monitoring at the NIH
Fence Line
- An update on CLC Member Contacts, Representation, and
Attendance
- A Fact Sheet on the Montgomery County Noise Ordinance
- A March 23, 2007 Noise Management Letter to the NIH Grounds-Keeping
Contractor
- The Town of Oakmont’s EIS Scoping Letter of February
2, 2007
- Local Project Data from the County Neighborhood News Service
about Ayrlawn and 355 bridge projects, both of which are
expected to take a year to complete
- New content and format for NIH’s Online Public
Bulletin
- A list of NIH Institutes, Centers, and Designations
- Monthly BRAC News Items (Vol. 2: 3/15/07-4/18/07)
Mr. Coleman thanked Marilyn Mazuzan for
providing the Oakmont letter, noted that the NIH Public
Bulletin now has a new look, and explained that CLC
member contact information now includes the URLs for the
neighborhood associations, as well as the number of units
in the various subdivisions. He also noted that attendance
at CLC meetings had held steady and even increased slightly,
contrary to the assertion of some that interest in the CLC
was waning.
Ms. Mazuzan reported that, according to comments made during
the April 12 BRAC meeting, the Federal Government was requesting
an environmental impact waiver for the closing of Walter
Reed Hospital. Mr. Coleman responded that local elected
officials had voiced opposition to this. Ms. Mazuzan cautioned
that those supporting such a waiver were not without power
and urged CLC members to keep posted on the issue. Mr.
Coleman observed that a 4/18 Washington Post article
on this topic is included in this month’s collection
of BRAC news items.
ROUND ROBIN
Co-Chair Ginny
Miller led the Round Robin session. Upon her suggestion,
the CLC agreed that meetings should be cancelled during bad
weather, such as the February ice storm.
Ms. Hildebrand asked whether a representative from Suburban
Hospital was scheduled to make a presentation to CLC. Ms.
Miller said that a Suburban representative will be discussing
the proposed new hospital building at the June CLC meeting. Mr.
Oberlander explained that the building site plan has been
changed to decrease the building “footprint” and
increase its height. He added that the proposed elevation
will block sunlight from reaching parts of the community.
Ms. Hildebrand asked if her association, which opposes Suburban’s
expansion, could make a presentation at the June meeting. Ms.
Miller explained that a CLC meeting is not an appropriate
forum for dueling presentations and that agreeing to this
request would set a troubling precedent. Ms. Mazuzan
explained that CLC meetings are for community information
updates, not debates. Mr. Coleman suggested scheduling
a longer question and answer period to ensure that the hospital
plan is fully discussed. Ms. Michels suggested that
nothing prevents Ms. Hildebrand from taking her objections
to the County’s planning commission, where Suburban
necessarily must go for project approval. Ms. Hoos
added that the CLC can certainly analyze Suburban’s
presentation and ask critical questions about their plan. However,
the CLC’s mission is to collect and disseminate information,
not to serve as an adversarial forum.
Ms. Miller feels Suburban should be the only presenter at
the June meeting to provide ample time for discussion. She
also will ask the hospital to provide speakers with expertise
in key areas, including noise control.
Before this discussion concluded, Ms. Miller noted that
Suburban and NIH have a special relationship that enables
local residents to benefit from medical research advances
in areas such as stroke treatment and prevention. She
also observed that Suburban is ranked as one of the five
best trauma centers in the country, and she asked the Gazette reporter
(Ms. Dutton) attending the CLC meeting to
consider writing a story about this accomplishment. Eleanor
Rice added that Suburban’s expansion will
result in community access to more and better health care.
Hearing no other comments, Ms. Miller ended the Round Robin
session.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
CLC Members Present
Marian Bradford, Camelot Mews Homeowners Association
Harvey Eisen, Ph.D., Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association
Jean Harnish, Whitehall Condominium Association
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association
Kira Leuters, Parkwood Residents Assn.
Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont
Deborah Michels, Glenbrook Village Home Owners Association
Ginny Miller, Wyngate Citizens Association, CLC Co-Chair
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association
Lucy Ozarin, MD, Whitehall Condominium Association
Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association
NIH Staff Present
Anthony Clifford, ORF
Dennis Coleman, OCL
Tom Hayden, ORS
Howard Hochman, ORF
Mark Miller, ORF
Brad Moss, ORS
Sharon Robinson, OCL
Ronald Wilson, ORFDO
Guests
Audrey Dutton, Gazette Newspapers
Joan Kleinman, Rep. Van Hollen’s staff
Susan Tabach, Sen Mikulski’s staff
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