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Community Liaison Council Meeting
Minutes Draft
HANDOUTS
Janyce Hedetniemi, Director of the Office of Community Liaison (OCL), welcomed Community Liaison Council (CLC) members and guests to the meeting. Ms. Hedetniemi introduced Sharon Robinson, her new program assistant, to the members and guests.
John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center (JEPNRC) The agenda for the meeting was primarily focused on reviewing the distributed material and how it fits in, and translates to, the design and appearance of building and environmental specifications. Ms. Serras-Fiotes put up display boards showing drawings of the Master Plan implementation—a compilation of the 1995 Master Plan and 1998 Amendment to the Northwest Quadrant. She then reviewed the history of the Center. Dr. Gerald Fischbach, former director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), discussed his vision for the center about a year ago with CLC members. He envisioned a center that consolidated all neuroscience research on the NIH campus. Although Dr. Fischbach has left NIH, his vision has remained and expanded to incorporate scientists from 10 institutes. NIH investigated several sites on the Master Plan for the JEPNRC. It became evident that no available site was adequate to accommodate this facility. NIH chose to demolish the existing Building 36, which currently houses NINDS, and Building 35, a day care facility and cafeteria that sits in front of Building 36, and construct the new neuroscience center in two phases—the first phase on the site of the demolished cafeteria; the second phase on the Building 36 site. Rafael Viñoly Architects won the competition for the building design; their submission was also the one that most satisfactorily met the specifications of the NIH Master Plan, including maintenance of the 250-foot buffer zone on Old Georgetown Road. The entire design for Phases 1 and 2 has been submitted to National Capital Planning Commission with a request for preliminary approval of the concept and final approval of the site work required to begin construction of Phase 1. Review of JEPNRC Design Mr. Bargmann said three issues were critical to the building site design: the necessity of maintaining the 250-foot buffer-zone setback prescribed in the NIH Master Plan; the need for the building to ascend in height away from Old Georgetown; and the need to connect the building to the central campus mall. Mr. Bargmann then described the design and basic functioning of the JEPNRC. At the center of the building will be common space accommodating an auditorium, conference rooms, a coffee shop, and other shared facilities. Laboratories are ringed around this central atrium. The building entrance will be into the atrium on the campus side. Servicing will occur from the south, from the Building 37 loading dock, which is located below grade and accessed from the existing road serving Buildings 35 and 37. The building site is bounded on the west by Old Georgetown Road, on the south by Lincoln Drive, on the east by Convent Drive, and on the north by Buildings 37 and 40. Viewed from Old Georgetown Road, the building will have three above-grade levels and two below-grade levels. On the Convent Drive side, there will be four levels above grade, one at grade, and two below grade. In the 250-foot buffer zone, 116 trees now stand. Plans call for the removal of 45 trees prior to construction. One hundred and ten (110) trees will then be replanted to enrich the buffer zone and set it back further. Mr. Bargmann and Ms. Serras-Fiotes responded to questions from CLC members. It was noted that about 30 feet will separate the new building from Building 37. This was necessary because of the constraints on the building site imposed by the need to maintain a 250-foot setback from the road and to make the building low-rise. However, the fact that the new building is low-rise should minimize any perceptions of "a dense mass of buildings" by passers-by on Old Georgetown Road. The new building will make extensive use of natural light and ventilation and incorporates many energy conservation features. No clinical facilities will be provided in the new building. Ms. Serras Fiotes said demolition of Building 35 will take place in October 2001; children in the day-care center will be moved to the East Child Care Center now under construction adjacent to the Natcher Building (Building 45). Anticipated completion of Phase 1 is in 2003. At that time, employees from Building 36 will be relocated to Phase 1 and Building 36 will be demolished to make way for Phase 2, which is scheduled for completion in 2007. The facility will have an estimated total population of 1,100 NIH employees, of whom 1,000 will be relocated from other campus buildings. The net population gain on the NIH Bethesda campus as a result of this new building will be about 100 employees. Summary of Initial Findings of JEPNRC Draft Environmental
Assessment Mr. Heider summarized the initial findings of the Draft Environmental Assessment of the JEPNRC. He said the new building will be relatively benign; off-campus, its impact will hardly be noticed. An estimated 20 vehicle trips will be added during peak hours. About half of these additional commuters are expected to drive to the campus southbound along either Old Georgetown Road or Rockville Pike. No employee parking will be added. However, new handicapped parking spaces are planned to replace handicapped-accessible spaces displaced by construction. The new facility will not significantly increase the load on campus utilities, and NIH does not need to add to its existing utilities infrastructure to handle the new facility. Construction impact will occur over a period of about six years. Prehistoric Indian archeological artifacts have been found in the buffer zone of the JEPNRC site, Mr. Heider said. Field work is continuing and is expected to be completed by this summer. All issues regarding the archeological site will be resolved prior to construction through coordination with the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office and Maryland Historic Trust. A Draft Environmental Assessment will be published in 7-10 days and circulated to various citizen associations and appropriate federal, state and local agencies for review and comment. CLC members accepted Mr Heider's offer to return to a future CLC meeting to answer questions once community groups have had an opportunity to review the Draft Environmental Assessment. Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Citizens Association, asked why interaction between scientists was important. Ms. Hedetniemi responded that the JEPNRC is one of the most innovative scientific concepts that NIH has realized. The facility will bring scientists together both physically and theoretically to address important biomedical research issues such as Alzheimer's disease, mental illness, depression, brain development in early childhood, and learning disabilities. George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association, asked whether the Draft Environmental Assessment would include an analysis of the impact of the new facility's reflective glass on Suburban Hospital across the street. He expressed concern that reflections from the afternoon sun might be disturbing to patients in the hospital. Mr. Bargmann responded that the position of the sun would rarely make this a potential problem. Both he and Ms. Serras-Fiotes said this issue could be examined if necessary. Ms. Serras-Fiotes stated that issues and questions about
the Draft Environmental Assessment would be discussed further at the
June or July CLC meeting. Ms. Hedetniemi thanked all of the staff
members from Rafael Viñoly Architects who had attended and
assisted in the development of their presentation. Mr. Clifford reported the new Louis B. Stokes Laboratory Building (Building 50), located at the intersection of South Drive and Center Drive will be dedicated on Thursday, June 14, 2001. An indoor VIP reception will be held before the dedication, which will take place outdoors on the plaza. Speakers at the dedication are expected to include former Congressman Louis B. Stokes, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and former Congressman John Edward Porter. About 600 people, including about 130 friends of former Congressman Stokes, are expected to attend. Representatives of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Bush Administration will attend. The event will be the most important ribbon cutting ceremony at NIH this year. After the ceremony, the public will be invited to walk through the main lobby of the new building. Music and refreshments will be offered. Mr. Clifford invited CLC members to attend the dedication and offered to provide more detailed information about the event to Ms. Hedetniemi's office. Mr. Clifford stated that one floor of the Stokes Laboratory is currently occupied. Other occupants will move in one floor at a time. All occupants are expected to be moved in by midsummer. Mr. Clifford reported that a new electrical substation is under construction on Center Drive near Old Georgetown Road. Construction of a new fire station will begin soon. People often ask why NIH has its own fire department, he said. The NIH fire department is needed to ensure safety in the laboratories on the NIH campus, and it also provides essential backup to the Montgomery County Fire Department. For example, in November 2000, the NIH Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Group was called in to assist in handling an incident involving a tanker truck leaking gasoline at a busy intersection in downtown Silver Spring. The incident could have caused a serious public safety hazard as well as major delays and environmental problems, but the crew was able to divert the fuel and prevent it from entering the sewage system. For its assistance in resolving this potentially serious incident, the NIH Fire Department received a citation from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service on May 3. In another incident in early May, a fire destroyed a home at Fleming Road and Grosvenor Lane. Eighty-five firefighters were needed on the scene. The NIH Fire Department responded as a back-up unit and became the primary unit battling the fire at the back of the house. Their efforts prevented neighboring homes from catching fire. Mr. Clifford also reported the formation of a Facility Accessibility Advisory Committee to improve the accessibility of NIH for all employees and visitors. The committee is currently surveying accessibility on the NIH Bethesda campus. A line item of $1 million has been included in the budget for renovations necessary to improve accessibility. The total cost of making all NIH sites, including off-campus facilities in Frederick, Maryland and North Carolina, fully accessible to people with disabilities is likely to be millions of dollars, Mr. Clifford said. In response to a question, Mr. Clifford said some contractual
difficulties have arisen over the construction of the new Clinical
Center. Negotiations are currently underway to resolve the problems.
It is not expected that the changes will affect the timetable for
completion of the building. ANNOUNCEMENTS New Agenda Subcommittee Member Upcoming Events New Building for National Institute on Allergy
and Infectious Diseases Approval of the Metro Antenna Parking Garage Construction Bethesda-NIH Farmer's Market Transportation Award Natural Gas Transportation Services: Pre-Solicitation
Conference Ms. Ozarin thanked NIH for fixing the path near her building. Ms. Feinberg thanked NIH for the dog waste disposal facilities.
Community Issues Ms. Hedetniemi said that some of the council members may have received an email from Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association, regarding Corsica Cottage, an unauthorized bed and breakfast facility. The owner of Corsica Cottage has rented rooms to patients participating in studies at NIH. The facility has been advertised as a bed and breakfast in the past, posing a problem because such facilities are restricted in R2 zoning areas such as the Maplewood community. Mr. Schofer was concerned that patients are referred to Corsica Cottage by NIH. Ms. Hedetniemi stated that at one time NIH did refer patients to this facility. However, NIH discovered it was inappropriate to do so and with the assistance of the staff of the Clinical Center, has managed to have references to the Corsica Cottage expunged from all literature at NIH. Further, no one at NIH is sanctioned to make referrals to Corsica Cottage. However, people may continue to obtain word-of-mouth referrals, and some NIH employees may not have been informed of the policy change. NIH will continue to do everything possible to comply with the wishes of the Maplewood Citizen's Association and not promote the Corsica Cottage operation. Ms. Hedetniemi said NIH does not wish to promote commercialization for NIH programs in the neighboring communities. Concerned Maplewood citizens went to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the State Attorney's office of Montgomery County to obtain an injunction against the owner of Corsica Cottage, Ms. Hedetniemi said. NIH legal counsel has been working with the County and believes that this is appropriately a county issue and not one that NIH can control or resolve. Community Announcements Housing for Student Scientists
Mr. Oberlander will be added to the roster as a new
member of the Agenda Subcommittee.
Ms. Rice will be added to the roster as an alternative member of the Agenda Subcommittee. Ms. Hedetniemi will provide the Parking Resolution submitted by
the NIH Alumni Association Board of Directors for inclusion in the
minutes of this meeting. Parking Resolution Whereas, NIH staff, residents of neighborhoods surrounding NIH, and members of the NIH Alumni Association are concerned about parking problems on the NIH campus, and Whereas, additional parking on the NIH Campus is important to laboratory and program managers in their recruitment and retention of staff, and Whereas, a parking garage that could begin to relieve the parking problem is included in the Northwest Quadrant Amendment to the NIH Master Plan for development, and Whereas, the Northwest Quadrant Amendment has been reviewed and approved by many groups, including the NIH Community Liaison Council, consisting of neighbors of NIH, and Whereas, the parking garage included in the Northwest Quadrant Amendment is in the President's Budget for NIH for the year 2002, and Whereas, the parking garage is on the NIH list for funding in 2002, therefore Be It Resolved, that the National Institutes of Health Alumni Association Board of Directors urges the leadership of the NIH to make construction of this garage one of its highest priorities for the year 2002. Unanimously approved by the NIH Alumni Association Board of
Directors, May 10, 2001.
The next CLC meeting will be held on Thursday, June 21, 2001,
at 4 p.m. in Room 151 of Building 1, on the NIH campus. Attendees: Guests: |
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