Community Liaison Council Meeting Minutes
September 30, 2004, 4–6 p.m.
National Library of Medicine, Visitor Center, Room 38A
National Institutes of Health
DRAFT

HANDOUTS

• Agenda
• Bethesda Master Plan 2003 Update/Draft Environmental Impact Statement Schedule
Parking Gains/Losses

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dr. Gallagher invited Morton Goldman, Sc.D., Luxmanor Citizens Association, to the podium to receive a thank you plaque in “grateful recognition” of Dr. Goldman’s contributions to the CLC and its Agenda Subcommittee and Working Groups. From the time of his arrival at the NIH, Dr. Gallagher said that Dr. Goldman had assisted him by providing a historical perspective on issues addressed by the CLC. Dr. Goldman accepted the plaque and said that serving on the CLC had been challenging at times, but for the most part, it had been fun. Although he no longer would be available to serve on the CLC, he remained willing to participate on short-term projects.

Dr. Gallagher shared the news that Lucy Ozarin, M.D., Whitehall Condominium Association, and former NIH researcher, was celebrating her 90th birthday. In honor of the occasion, he invited the CLC members to celebrate with refreshments after the meeting.

PRESENTATIONS
Fence and Metro Access Update
by John Datolli, Director, Division of Physical Security Management, (DPSM), Office of Research Services (ORS), OD, NIH
Dr. Gallagher said that nearly three years earlier, when he first met the Director of NIH, Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., he had inquired about imminent issues before the OCL. Dr. Zerhouni identified the disruption to neighbors that would result from the loss of cross-campus access to the Medical Center Metro Station when the NIH perimeter security fence was constructed. Dr. Gallagher said that the NIH and the community had offered many proposals, and that even Representative Chris Van Hollen [and former Representative, Connie Morella], of Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, had become involved in trying to resolve the issue.

Dr. Gallagher noted two solutions that had been initiated to assist pedestrians and bicyclists to reach their destinations on opposite sides of the NIH campus. Dr. Gallagher said that the first solution was to install a hard surfaced pathway outside the entire perimeter of the NIH security fence. The second solution was to allow the community to use a free NIH perimeter shuttle bus, beginning at and returning to the Metro station, with a dedicated route and stops on streets bordering the campus, including Battery Lane. Dr. Gallagher announced that a recently decided-upon third solution was to construct an additional Visitor’s Center on the west side of the campus at the South Drive and Old Georgetown Road entrance.

Dr. Gallagher introduced John Datolli, Director, DPSM, ORS, OD, NIH, to provide information about the operation of the gates and the security process at each of the proposed Visitor’s Centers.

After the Inspector General conducted a threat risk assessment and recommended that NIH construct a secure perimeter fence, Mr. Datolli said that the NIH’s Chief Security Officer was responsible for NIH’s security. Mr. Datolli explained the safety and security features of the perimeter fence and gates. When the security fence becomes operational, Mr. Datolli explained that visitors would be allowed to enter the campus either at the Visitor’s Center near the Metro or the one at South Drive on the west side of the campus. After presenting and scanning driver’s licenses for identification, he said that visitors would have any carrying bags searched, pass through a magnetometer, receive a printed badge, and then be permitted to enter the campus. Mr. Datolli added that information and relevant data from scanned licenses would be stored in the security system, and that new badges would be generated at each visit. He noted that with this procedure, it would not be necessary to have security guards at each building to screen and issue visitor’s badges. Mr. Datolli said that visitors could either walk or ride the interior shuttle bus from each Visitor’s Center to their destination.

Visitors who required a vehicle on the campus would undergo a security inspection only at the entrance on South Drive at Rockville Pike. At this entrance in the future visitors also would be able to park in an underground garage outside of the perimeter fence and enter the Visitor’s Center to be processed before entering the campus.

Mr. Datolli remarked that NIH employees would be able to access the campus at other gates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for the West Drive gate, which is reserved solely for Clinical Center patients. Because commercial vehicles posed a potential larger threat, he explained that these would be checked at a new Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility, currently planned near the North Drive entrance at Rockville Pike.

Discussion
Dr. Gallagher and Ginny Miller, Wyngate Citizens Association and CLC Co-Chair, asked about processing badges for children or others lacking official identification. Mr. Datolli said that there would be an age cutoff and processes developed to accommodate these exceptions.

Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association, inquired about the hours of operation for the Visitor’s Centers. Mr. Datolli said that the Visitor’s Center on Rockville Pike would operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; however, he said that the Visitor’s Center on Old Georgetown Road would be open only Monday through Friday [and not on government holidays]. Mr. Datolli said that operating hours Monday through Friday had not been finalized. However, he emphasized that there would be limitations. Mr. Datolli explained that the convenience of Suburban Hospital personnel, the National Naval Medical Center, commuters, and Metro’s operating hours all had to be considered. Dr. Gallagher said that 5:30 a.m. had been the earliest access time requested. CLC members noted that Metro had just introduced an earlier start time of 5:00 a.m.

Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association, and Ms. Hoos asked about the process for bringing a bicycle onto campus. Mr. Datolli said that a cyclist would leave the bike at a designated nearby location and obtain a badge. Then, a security guard would assist in retrieving the bike.

Ms. Hildebrand remarked that residents from neighborhoods south west of the campus would have a long walk to South Drive and Old Georgetown Road. Dr. Gallagher replied that it added a minute and a half to reach South Drive from the Lincoln Drive entrance. He noted that neighbors could either take the perimeter shuttle to South Drive or use the south perimeter path to reach the Metro station.

Melanie McAllister, a guest from a nearby neighborhood, asked whether frequent visitors would need to obtain a badge each day. Mr. Datolli replied that, whether one, two, or more times a day, a new badge would be issued each time a visitor wanted to access the campus. Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont, wondered how NIH security personnel would determine whether visitors had left or remained on the campus. Mr. Datolli said that security guards would ask visitors to place badges in a bin at exit turnstiles. He said that those exiting would be counted by a mechanism when passing through the Visitor Center’s turnstiles.

George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association, asked about admitting pedestrians at the West Drive exit near the Children’s Inn. Ms. Hildebrand agreed that pedestrians approaching the campus from the northwest side of campus would have a long walk, whether entering at the South Drive/Old Georgetown Road Visitor’s Center to traverse the campus or walking along the perimeter path at West Cedar Lane and Rockville Pike. Mr. Datolli said that pedestrian use of the West Drive entrance would pose problems, because this entrance and security had been programmed, budgeted, and planned with deference to patients and patient hours.

Dr. Gallagher stated that these solutions offered a vast improvement over restricting access for those not conducting business on campus. He said that operations and procedures would be monitored and evaluated when the fence was operational. Mr. Datolli added that he would be available to present updated information to the CLC before the fence became operational in January of 2005.

Presentation on the NIH Campus Master Plan Update (MPU)
by Ronald Wilson, Master Planner, Division of Facilities Planning, Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORFDO), OD, NIH
Dr. Gallagher introduced Ron Wilson, Master Planner, Division of Facilities Planning, ORFDO, OD, NIH. Mr. Wilson said that on September 28, 2004, the NIH submitted the Draft Master Plan 2003 Update, Main Campus—Bethesda, Maryland and Draft Environment Impact Statement (DEIS) to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB). He provided a handout that displayed a schedule of review, comment period, and information about the MPU on the Web via a link at http://orf.od.nih.gov [or at http://orf.od.nih.gov/masterplan2003.htm].

Mr. Wilson informed the CLC that the MPU and DEIS would be available on the Web on October 1, 2004. He said that the MPU would also be available on CD-ROM and that a mailing of 200 printed copies included CLC members and others. Mr. Wilson noted that the MCPB would hold its review meeting in November—tentatively either November 4 or 18. He added that NCPC action would take place on January 6, 2005. Mr. Wilson said that CLC members would be briefed on the MPU during the October 21, 2004, CLC meeting.

Mr. Wilson said that the DEIS [http://orf.od.nih.gov/docs/EIS.pdf] had been filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on September 24, 2004. After the Plan was published in the Federal Register on October 1, 2004, he said that there would be a 60-day public comment period, until close of business on November 29, 2004.

Discussion
Mr. Oberlander asked Mr. Wilson whether this DEIS included plans for future off-campus growth. He stated that from an urban planner’s perspective, long-term needs for growth should be included in the 2003 DEIS. Mr. Wilson said that this Environment Impact Statement was not a programmatic EIS, and that its focus was on campus personnel and growth. Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities Planning (DFP), ORFDO, OD, NIH, added that NEPA consultants had recommended focusing this report to the Bethesda campus. Ms. Miller asked the year in which the NIH campus was forecast to reach a capacity of 22,000 employees [from the current employee number of 17,511]. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that NIH had made a commitment to review the Master Plan every five years before 2023, the year projected for reaching the 22,000 on-campus personnel capacity.

Presentation on Noise Issues
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities Planning, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that progress toward a solution to the noise emanating from the new Porter Neuroscience Research Center also included progress on aesthetic issues regarding the appearance of unshielded smokestacks on top of the Center. She said that the engineers had checked the source of the noise and proposed options for corrective action. They had found that installing shields for the smokestacks would also provide noise abatement. The shield installation would begin soon with completion expected in Spring 2005.

Ms. McAllister asked whether the lights on the Porter building could be another source of noise. Further, she remarked that when she spoke with the OCL staff about this noise, they had been very nice. Ms. McAllister noted that these lights remained lit throughout the night. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that the lights were not a noise source. She added that these lights remained on for safety, because personnel occupied the building all night.

CLC members had previously identified a second source of noise at Building 37. Ms. Serras-Fiotes had requested that engineers conduct studies and measurement of this noise during the day and at nighttime. She reported that the noise level exceeded limits at Sonoma Drive and the Community Store on Old Georgetown and Greentree Roads. She said the engineers had recommended adding silencers to the fans. Ms. Hoos asked when work would begin on these fans. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that cost and engineering proposals required consideration before a work schedule could be announced.

Recently, neighbors had reported a third noise source to the OCL. Dr. Gallagher said an intermittent noise of steam being released came from the rooftop of the Ambulatory Care Research Facility. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that this issue had already been resolved. Anthony Clifford, NIH’s Chief Engineer, added that there had been a malfunction in the high-pressure steam valve system. Dr. Gallagher said that he intended to return to the campus after 8 p.m. to check on this noise.

Ms. Hoos hoped that such potential problems would be anticipated, detected, and corrected before opening the new laboratory Building 33. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that NIH had learned from these mistakes and would remain vigilant and continue to correct malfunctions. Dr. Gallagher added that shielding the Multilevel Parking Facility (MLP)-10 lights before the MLP opened on October 1 was evidence of this vigilance.

Presentation on Parking Status
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities Planning, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes provided a printed table that showed an inventory of campus parking, including locations, total number of spaces (spaces gained and lost), start dates, and lot type, i.e., temporary, permanent, multi-level. In addition, she displayed an aerial photo of the campus. Tom Hayden, Director, Division of Travel and Transportation, pointed out the areas on the photo referred to by Ms. Serras-Fiotes in her presentation.

On January 1, 2003, Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that there were 8,175 spaces and a 0.46 ratio of parking spaces to employees. She remarked that in about a year’s time there had been a loss of 1,155 spaces due to construction in several campus locations. Offsetting this loss, she said that 501 spaces were available in temporary lots.

Ms. Serras-Fiotes reported that a gain of 1,250 spaces had been realized by the recent completion of MLP-10, although another 577 spaces would be lost before the end of 2004. At that time, she noted that there would be 8,194 existing spaces—the same 0.46 ratio of spaces to employees.

Upon the completion of MLP-9 in 2005, Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that another 936 spaces would be available. With the removal of the 501 temporary lot spaces and 265 spaces in the southwest lot near the tennis courts in April or May of 2005, the number of parking spaces would total 8,364, with a ratio of 0.47 spaces to employees.

Discussion
J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association, asked if the tennis courts would remain. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she did not know whether the courts would remain. However, she remarked that there would be a gain in green surface when the southwest lot was removed.

Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association, inquired about the number of spaces on campus that would be designated for contractors. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that each contracting organization was responsible for providing a transportation plan for their employees. Ms. Rice said that her neighborhood would initiate restricted parking. Dr. Gallagher advised Ms. Rice that applying for two-hour restricted parking would be effective and was a quicker process than applying for neighborhood parking permits.

Presentation on South Lawn Landscaping Projects
by Anthony Clifford, Chief Engineer, ORFDO, OD, NIH

Chain Link Fence
Mr. Clifford reported that the deteriorating portion of NIH’s “legacy” chain link fence, situated behind Whitehall Condominiums, would be replaced with new poles and fencing material. He assured the CLC that no trees would be lost, because the fence would weave around existing mature trees. Mr. Clifford advised Dr. Ozarin that this project would take a few weeks. He noted that construction trucks would enter this area using the Whitehall Condominium parking lot for passage.

South Lawn
Mr. Clifford said that the sloped hill area, located on the southwest corner of the campus at the end of the temporary parking area near the tennis courts, would be undergoing improvement. He said that the slope would be leveled and underground drainage pipes and fill installed. Mr. Clifford explained that this would improve sinkholes and areas under the fence that had been washed out by the flow of surface water. He also said that upon completion, the area would again be available for recreational use by families and nearby neighbors.

Mr. Clifford reported that, while this project was under way, another water problem within the county’s purview, would be solved. He noted that water collects in this more remote area close to North Brook Lane near Camelot Mews. This water and water from the south lawn would flow into the new catch basin’s drainage area.

Mr. Clifford said that there would be a temporary fence constructed on October 12, 2004, to enclose and store the machinery. He said that bulldozing the earthwork on the south lawn would be completed by December 14, 2004. Mr. Clifford noted that there would be noise from the operating equipment. Ms. Serras-Fiotes requested that Dr. Gallagher inform Steve Sawicki, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association, and other CLC members about the start of earthmoving.

Discussion
Dr. Gallagher asked about the plan for the trees in that area. He remarked that Lynn Mueller, Chief of NIH’s Grounds Maintenance and Landscaping Team, had installed 47 trees in this corner. Mr. Clifford said that Mr. Mueller would move any trees that might be compromised.

Mr. Oberlander wondered whether any retaining walls would be installed. Mr. Clifford replied that none would be needed. He added that no dirt would be trucked in because there was a sufficient amount on the existing slope.

Ms. Rice asked if this area was located inside the perimeter fence. Mr. Clifford said that this area was outside the perimeter and that it was an abatement project funded by federal funds.

OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS
Ms. Rice inquired about the storm water pond that Montgomery County planned to install south of the National Library of Medicine. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she would present information about this project at a future CLC meeting.

Dr. Gallagher reported that surplus trucks, which were parked temporarily near the fence by Whitehall Condominiums, would be removed.

Dr. Gallagher said he would notify the CLC members of the October 21, 2004, CLC meeting location, after determining which venue would be appropriate and available.

Dr. Gallagher and Ms. Blackburn noted that in honor of Dr. Ozarin’s birthday, refreshments would be served. Ms. Blackburn led the group in singing “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Ozarin.

ADJOURNMENT
The formal meeting ended at 5:50 p.m. and cupcakes were served.

ACTION ITEMS

• Dr. Gallagher agreed to notify the CLC when bulldozing begins on the south lawn.
  
• Dr. Gallagher said that he would notify the CLC members of the location for the October 21, 2004, CLC meeting.
  
• Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that she would present information about the storm water pond at a future CLC meeting.