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HANDOUTS
- Agenda, October 16, 2003
- July 17, 2003, Community Liaison Council (CLC)
Meeting Minutes Draft
- NIH Access and Perimeter Security Plan
WELCOME
Dr. Gallagher welcomed CLC members and
guests and thanked them for relocating to Wilson Hall
for this meeting. He provided an overview of the agenda,
which included information about a gas line leak in
August, Campus parking, fence and security updates,
and a Metro/pedestrian survey completed in October.
Dr. Gallagher mentioned the amount of hard work that
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association,
had dedicated to the survey, and he thanked Ms. Hildebrand
and other community volunteers who participated in the
planning and execution of the survey.
Dr. Gallagher welcomed Harvey Eisen of Edgewood Glenwood
Citizens Association, who has returned to the Council
after a long absence. He introduced Stella Serras-Fiotes
and asked for her update.
PRESENTATIONS
Update on the Master Plan and Storm Water Pond
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities
Planning (DFP), Office of Research Facilities (ORF),
Office of the Director (OD), NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes asked Ronald Wilson, Division of Facilities
Planning (DFP), about the schedule for the Master Plan.
Mr. Wilson said that comments from outside reviewers
had been received and that the DFP is working with the
consultants on our updated schedule.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes reported that the storm water pond
is now at the 90% design phase. She anticipates the
final design will be presented to the CLC very soon,
and construction is to start in June 2004. Dr. Gallagher
asked how long the project would take. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
responded that it would take a year to complete the
pond.
Ms. Hildebrand asked whether she might look at the rendering
for the building [the Neuroscience Research Center]
being constructed at the corner of Lincoln Drive and
Old Georgetown Road. She said at this stage of construction
the building is ugly and she feels like she is living
in an industrial wasteland. Ginny Miller, CLC Co-Chair,
agreed, specifically citing the smoke stacks as being
unattractive. Ms. Serras-Fiotes recalled that a renowned
architect had designed the building, and its design
had been presented to the CLC and approved by the National
Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). Although the smoke
stacks will still be visible upon completion of the
building, she added, the building is only partially
completed and will look much better when finished. Ms.
Serras-Fiotes said she would show Ms. Hildebrand the
artist's rendering and the elevations that were submitted
to the NCPC.
NIH Response to Campus Gas Leak
by Arturo Giron, Deputy Chief Security Officer, Office
of Research Services (ORS), OD, NIH, and NIH Emergency
Response Officials
Dr. Gallagher introduced Arturo Giron of the NIH Office
of Research Services (ORS) whom he said had contacted
Charles Leasure, NIH Deputy Director for Management,
to report the gas line rupture on August 15, 2003. At
the time of this call, Dr. Gallagher was in Mr. Leasure's
office and immediately visited the site to assess the
situation. He reported that the appropriate entrances
had been blocked by the emergency response personnel
and the incident already had been mitigated by the time
he was able to gain access to the area.
Mr. Giron introduced NIH personnel: Major Ophus Robertson,
NIH Police Branch, and Fire Chief Gary Hess, and Deputy
Chief Jonathan Mattingly of the NIH Fire and Emergency
Response Section, Division of Public Safety, ORS, NIH.
Deputy Chief Mattingly showed a slide presentation that
included an overview of the NIH Fire Department, a timeline
of the response to the leak, and personnel, equipment,
and organizations that were deployed to handle this
situation. He reported that within 3 minutes of notification
by the fence construction crew, all NIH apparatus had
arrived at the site and Washington Gas was contacted.
He added that within 6 minutes' time, his team had made
an initial on-site assessment and developed an action
plan to handle the break in this 10-inch line which
supplies natural gas to the National Navy Medical Center
(NNMC). Montgomery County Police and Fire departments
and the NNMC Fire Department were contacted, and Washington
Gas was notified while NIH Fire Department personnel
evacuated two residences on Roosevelt Street. He said
the incident was terminated 2 hours and 23 minutes after
the initial report.
Deputy Chief Mattingly recounted the types of response
teams and apparatus brought to the scene. These included
a hazardous materials unit; a decontamination unit;
an environmental protection unit [to monitor the air
for gas]; operational personnel with 3 fire engines,
a ladder truck and an ambulance; and Washington Gas.
In addition to the two residences, the NIH Division
of Environmental Protection ordered the evacuation of
personnel in a nearby group of trailers and of 30 infants
in the NIH Day Care Center. Within an hour of the incident,
he said, buses from the NIH's Transportation Branch
had evacuated the children. Deputy Chief Mattingly reported
that Washington Gas arrived in just under an hour from
the initial report and completed a sleeve repair in
the gas line in less than an hour and a half.
Stephen Sawicki, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association,
asked if Montgomery County Police had evacuated any
other neighborhood homes. Deputy Chief Mattingly said
there was no gas detected by the monitors used in the
residential area and there was no fire present. Scott
Matejik, alternate member from Edgewood Glenwood Citizens
Association, said that the odor pervaded another 3 or
4 houses and outside workers were asked to leave the
area. He added that Montgomery County had done an admirable
job handling the situation on the residential side.
However, Mr. Matejik wondered about the location of
the construction backhoe, since the digging was 10 feet
from the fence/pathway location. Deputy Chief Mattingly
explained that the hole being dug was for posts to mount
the cable barrier that reinforces the fence and protects
the pathway. Ms. Serras-Fiotes added that additional
barriers are to be installed where any type of vehicle
could gain access.
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association, recommended
that NIH contact Miss Utility to locate underground
lines before digging projects. Anthony Clifford, Director
of the Division of Engineering Services, ORS, NIH, reported
that NIH had long ago granted a property easement to
Washington Gas to run this gas line from Old Georgetown
Road to NNMC. He said that NIH had not installed the
line. He also noted that plastic lines are difficult
to locate underground and that Miss Utility does provide
maps for crews. Mr. Sawicki thought the surface marking
of the gas line had not been done correctly. There was
spray paint on the ground where the hole was being dug,
and he wondered who had marked the location. Mr. Clifford
agreed to check the maps to see if that gas line is
marked.
Debbie Michaels, Glenbrook Village Homeowners Association,
remarked that this was the second leak near the Campus
to which Washington Gas had responded slowly. She wondered
if the NIH could work with Washington Gas to improve
its response time to such incidents. Mr. Clifford and
Deputy Chief Mattingly explained that the special crew
members who responded to these events were pulled from
various jobs and locations. Dr. Gallagher said he would
contact Washington Gas to ask how many special-response
teams they had, the average time it took to resolve
incidents of this sort, and how many occurred per month
or per year. Ms. Miller was disturbed to hear that the
NIH Fire Department had not known the location of this
gas pipe. She emphasized that after two months it should
already be known why this had happened and how the neighbors
were being protected.
Mr. Matejik wondered if the gas supply should have been
shut off and whether there were adequate valves to do
so. Deputy Chief Mattingly said that the NIH Fire Department
could have closed the valves in the gas line had that
been warranted. Instead they had determined it was better
to let the gas vent. Tom Robertson, Parkwood Residents
Association, confirmed with Deputy Chief Mattingly that
NIH could shut off valves or deal with emergencies as
required by the situation. Mr. Sawicki said he felt
comfortable with the NIH response but he was concerned
about the venting of gas into the air. He reported that
Washington Gas had told him this was a high-pressure
line and that the situation could have been very dangerous.
Deputy Chief Mattingly said that according to his information
this was not a high-pressure gas line, and the decision
was made collectively by supervisors on-site to reduce
the gas pressure a few pounds by letting it vent.
Dr. Gallagher thanked Deputy Chief Mattingly and the
officers for attending the meeting and providing an
overview and a minute-by-minute account of the response
to the gas line break. He agreed it was imperative that
NIH be able to identify these lines. He said that he
was pleased the incident had been resolved so thoroughly
and quickly.
Presentation on the NIH Ad-hoc Parking Advisory Committee
& Parking Update
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities
Planning, ORF, OD, NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes reported that Dr. Elias Zerhouni,
Director of the NIH, had formed an Ad-hoc Parking Advisory
Committee. This committee is staffed with scientists
and administrators and is chaired by the Deputy Director
for Intramural Research, Dr. Michael Gottesman. The
Committee's charge is to develop a response to the anticipated
loss of 1,700 Campus parking spaces due to the building
construction on Campus. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said the committee
had developed a comprehensive plan that included several
new initiatives and both long-term and temporary parking
accommodations. She related that the NIH has disseminated
information about new parking opportunities through
flyers, articles, messages displayed on electronic street
signs, items broadcast on the NIH radio station, and
maps and locations posted on the Web. She added that
a review of parking space use had shown that all Campus
spaces were filled by 11 a.m. She noted that the Transhare
program has grown to 4,700 users. She reported that
in addition to these measures, the committee is working
on other solutions including alternative work schedules,
telecommuting, categorization of those who should or
should not have parking spaces, and staggered work hours.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes related specific locations and a timetable
for the new parking measures. She said that in September
NIH had leased an additional 200 parking spaces at the
Mid-Pike Plaza to serve as a satellite parking site.
This 400-space lot is served by NIH shuttle buses. Another
200 spaces were leased in a garage near Twinbrook Metro
Station. From this location, NIH provides employees
a Transhare subsidy for travel to the Campus by Metro.
Temporary gravel-surface lots will provide 500 additional
Campus spaces which, according to Ms. Serras-Fiotes,
are currently under construction near the Stone House,
the National Library of Medicine, and the electrical
sub-station. These lots meet storm water management
requirements. She reported that these initiatives gain
900 spaces. In addition, she noted, the start of the
new commercial vehicle inspection station in the NE
quadrant of Campus would be postponed. Two contracts
were awarded for parking garages, and construction has
begun on one in the NE quadrant. The expected completion
date is October 2004. She said another parking garage
would be started in the NW quadrant near Building 10
in November, with completion in early 2005. To maximize
existing space, Colonial Parking would stack cars in
additional lots. She felt that these measures will enable
NIH employees to get through the next 12 months without
affecting their ability to get to the Campus or overtaxing
the neighborhoods and communities with overflow parking.
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association, remarked
that a neighbor near Linden and Linden Court had complained
of radio playing and horn honking by contract workers
who park and drive nearby. Ms. Serras-Fiotes replied
that Walter Mitton, OCL, OD, NIH, had contacted construction
contractors and asked them to remind their employees
to observe noise ordinances. Later, Mr. Mitton said
the neighbor telephoned the OCL to thank the NIH for
assisting and to report that no one was parking there
at this time.
Mr. Schofer said there is a current issue about unloading
vehicles on major streets from Campus surface lots at
peak travel times. He thought the new parking facilities
would release many vehicles into the street system and
perhaps cause problems that should be addressed now.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that the NIH had looked into
this issue when planning the entrances and exits and
had calculated the capacity, as well as planning for
both the immediate and long-term future garage locations
and sizes. She added that Montgomery County planners
and the State of Maryland are involved in the Master
Plan process. Mr. Schofer mentioned that the left-turn
lane onto Cedar Lane from the northern approach on Rockville
Pike is being extended, and he thought this would cause
more delays at this busy intersection.
Ms. Hildebrand asked if the gravel lots could be plowed.
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said they could not, however manual
clearing was possible. She expected fewer employees
would be driving to work when there was snow. Ms. Miller
was particularly interested in seeing a list of the
temporary parking lots and a schedule of when they would
be removed. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said this information
and a map were available, and she would provide them
at a future meeting. In addition, she said that information
about parking and alternatives is available online at
http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/orf/parking/parkinglots.cfm
and http://parking.nih.gov/nihpark.htm.
[In addition to the following information, the number
of spaces in each lot and a "Feedback Forum"
are displayed on the second Web site shown above.]
New Attendant-Assisted Parking Locations (effective
9/22/2003)
Several existing surface parking lots will also be
"stacked" to increase parking opportunities
for employees. Attendants will be placed in Lots 10H,
21B, 31B, 41B & C, as well as the ACRF Garage,
P-1 Level.
New Temporary Parking Areas (effective on or about
10/20/2003)
Several temporary graveled areas will be established
around the campus to accommodate vehicles. These temporary
areas will be in place until two new parking garages
are completed (late 2004). To assist motorists, parking
attendants will be assigned to each of these areas
once they are constructed.
Ms. Michaels asked Ms. Serras-Fiotes to
continue to inform residents about Campus construction.
She said it does help when noise and construction are
announced in advance. J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni
Association, asked about the overall impact of adding/reducing
parking on Campus. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that the ratio
after completion of the two garages would be 0.45 spaces
per employee.
Mr. Schofer asked about whether the new conspicuous
parking garage in the NE quadrant could be dug deeper
into the ground. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that due to
the rock base it is prohibitively expensive to go underground.
However, she said that they have improved the elevation
and created simulation models to show how it would look
at night. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that these would be
presented to the NCPC.
Update on the Perimeter Fence Construction
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities
Planning, ORF, OD, NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes announced that fence construction
is nearly completed. She said that the entire perimeter
system would be finished by the end of December or early
in January 2004, when landscape treatments would be
added.
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association, asked about
the cars which line up at Greentree Road at Old Georgetown
Road from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and prevent neighbors from
gaining access to the street. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said
this situation would soon be alleviated. Center Drive
is open for visitors only, at this time, she noted,
but two employee entrances are open, at South Drive
and Lincoln Drive at Old Georgetown Road.
Mr. Sawicki asked if the remaining pieces of chain link
fence, near Maple Ridge and the right of way mainly
on the west side of campus, would be removed. In addition,
he wondered when landscaping would take place. Ms. Serras-Fiotes
offered to have someone look into this with Mr. Sawicki.
Mr. Clifford said that he is familiar with the site
and asked to meet with Mr. Sawicki after the meeting
today. Dr. Gallagher offered to look at the site with
Mr. Sawicki.
Update on the Security Gate Construction
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Director, Division of Facilities
Planning, ORF, OD, NIH
Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that the vehicle gates at South
Drive and Old Georgetown Road, Wilson Drive and Rockville
Pike, and Center Drive at Rockville Pike are finished.
She noted that gates at North and South Drives on Rockville
Pike are under construction until November. She said
the final phase will be the construction of the gate
at Lincoln Drive at Old Georgetown Road and the gate
installation for patients at West Drive at Cedar Lane.
She reported that crews are working on the pedestrian
gates and the boulder and cable barriers, and she projected
that the bike path as well as the boulder and cable
barriers would be completed at the end of October.
Ms. Michaels asked about the little huts placed near
the entrance gates. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said these are
temporary facilities and that all entrance gates will
have gatehouses.
Pathway and Fence Video Presentation
by Walter Mitton, Community Relations Specialist,
Office of Community Liaison (OCL), OD, NIH
Dr. Gallagher said that Mr. Mitton would present a video,
which they had filmed a few weeks earlier along the
pathway, fence, and entrance gates. Mr. Mitton provided
location information as the video rolled. Dr. Gallagher
commented about how the ongoing installation and construction
had further changed the area since the video was filmed.
He explained that in some places a small fence was placed
next to the perimeter fence as a vehicular barrier.
Dr. Gallagher added that this is a pretty walkway and
should be a very nice place to visit when the leaves
change in the fall, and as more lights and landscaping
are added. He said he hopes additional call boxes can
be placed in the more wooded areas along the path. Ms.
Serras-Fiotes said there would be signs posted indicating
that this is a mixed-use path, for both pedestrians
and bicyclists.
Lucy Ozarin, Whitehall Condominium Association, thanked
the NIH for their efforts to make this a very scenic
pathway. Ms. Miller commented that the fence is not
obtrusive and blends in well. Ms. Hildebrand said bike
access, where there had been a hairpin turn, has been
greatly improved along the north near Old Georgetown
Road.
Metro Pedestrian Survey
by Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens
Association
Dr. Gallagher introduced Lesley Hildebrand, who coordinated
a survey to determine the number of non-employee pedestrians
who cross the NIH Campus to reach the Medical Center
Metro station. He complimented and thanked Ms. Hildebrand
for developing a good survey instrument and for organizing
volunteers from the neighborhood to conduct the survey
on October 15, 2003, between 6 and 10 a.m.
Ms. Hildebrand explained that this survey had been conducted
to reconcile differing results of two previous surveys—one
by volunteer neighbors in March 2003 and the other by
a contractor hired by the NIH last year. She said that
Ralph Schofer, Nancy Hoos, Marilyn Mazuzan, and Dr.
Gallagher from the CLC, and others from the community
had been helpful in the planning process. Two of the
most difficult tasks, she explained, were describing
to volunteers exactly where to stand (because some of
the entrances are not at street locations) and arranging
a neighborhood parking spot for volunteers who drove.
Dr. Gallagher and Ms. Hildebrand elaborated that Bethesda
parking enforcers graciously waived ticketing until
after the survey was completed, and waited until 11
a.m. to start.
Dr. Gallagher said there were signs posted next to the
volunteers explaining the purpose of the survey. Ms.
Hildebrand said that people entering Campus at 10 different
locations on the west, north, and south were asked by
a volunteer to deposit a card into a collection box
that was placed at the Metro entrance if they were going
to the Metro. Each volunteer had a supply of color-coded
and 3 digit-numbered papers and a tracking sheet on
which to note the number of handouts at 15-minute intervals
during the 4-hour period. The surveyors asked pedestrians
if they were going to the Metro station, and, if so,
would they deposit the paper in the marked box at the
entrance.
Ms. Hildebrand reported that 150 cards reached the box
at Metro. The 150 non-NIH employee Metro users counted
in this second survey taken by the volunteers marked
a significant decline from the 500 counted in March.
Ms. Hildebrand offered two possible explanations for
this result. First, she said, there are "discouraged
commuters." She described these as people who previously
commuted via this route, but who have by now already
made other travel arrangements. Second, she thinks that
many people do not want to be surveyed and may be resistant
even to this benign method.
Morton Goldman, Luxmanor Citizens Association, thought
that there could be a match made between the cards deposited
and those distributed. Ms. Hildebrand thought that any
difference in the numbers would be in those taken and
discarded by NIH employees. Although many NIH Campus
employees passed by, she said, most declined to take
a paper. Ms. Hildebrand felt that even if Campus employees
accepted a survey card, the results would not be greatly
altered because they most likely would not travel across
Campus to drop the paper at the Metro.
Jeanne Goldstein, Montgomery County Civic Federation,
said she thought Ms. Hildebrand did a lot of work and
was able to get responses from those walking to the
Metro. She added that she has studied survey design
and the statistics of scaling in her profession as a
psychologist. She commented that surveys are notoriously
unreliable predictors of future behavior and even a
good survey does not accurately predict how people will
behave. She suggested that many people give responses
to surveys completely unrelated to what the person doing
the survey wants. Ms. Goldstein also said there is a
perversity factor. She added that it does not matter
if there are conflicting kinds of responses because
none of the survey results are going to be statistically
significant when it comes to predicting future behavior.
Mr. Schofer, who said he had 46 years experience with
traffic, pedestrian, and parking surveys, stated that
the survey was not being used to forecast the future,
but was measuring what happened on one day. He felt
it was a valid survey that was done correctly. His experience
volunteering from 5:30 to 8:00 a.m. was that people
coming through wanted to know about it, thought it was
a good idea, and regretted that they would not be able
to walk directly to the subway. He thought that none
of the objections raised by Ms. Goldstein applied to
this survey.
Dr. Gallagher noted that surveys are generally reliable
plus or minus 10% and that many factors enter in. He
reiterated that he thought this was a well-designed
method that offered good results and information. He
added that it was good to have an idea of the foot traffic
at different entrances along with the times of that
traffic. Dr. Goldman complimented the design and protocol
of the survey and saw no need to repeat it two or three
times, as had been previously discussed. Ms. Miller
said that she had heard about an incident in which the
volunteer had engaged in dialogue and provided misinformation
about the perimeter shuttle to a pedestrian. Ms. Hoos,
another volunteer, also noted an exchange, but she didn't
hear the conversation. Ms. Hildebrand thought it very
curious that this should be the case, because the volunteers
were given instructions. Although she would have preferred
to conduct a training session, she thought that it might
overtax volunteers, who had already put much effort
into the project.
Dr. Eisen wondered if NIH would change its position,
since it was now known how many neighborhood residents
would be inconvenienced by closing their access to Campus.
He thought this survey was a futile exercise. Dr. Gallagher
said that the survey provided data useful for planning
adequate shuttle bus service. He said the NIH had proposed
that neighbors could use the NIH shuttle bus as a convenience,
whereas other proposals, such as access cards and resident
IDs had been found wanting. He reminded members that
Congressional funds to NIH could not be used for items
not related to its mission. Dr. Eisen asked Ms. Hildebrand
if she had hoped for a different response—perhaps
that NIH would take another look at its policy. Ms.
Hildebrand said she was not looking for a particular
number, but she hoped these findings could be worked
with and that NIH would be happy with them. Dr. Gallagher
said he thought it best to approach an institution in
a calm rational way. He felt showing a collaborative
effort among many community groups might not bring about
a different result, but he felt that NIH was being given
information in a favorable way.
Mr. Schofer said that there is another solution to be
considered. He felt it might still be possible to transport
non-employees in closed vehicles and to maintain good
security. He said that NIH had to balance conflicting
issues. It has to protect its interest, its mission,
its laboratories, and its people. Mr. Schofer said that
it might be cheaper to transport pedestrians across
Campus than to run a perimeter shuttle bus. He remarked
that these numbers were useful for planning the time
distribution needed for running a shuttle bus service.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND DISCUSSION OF OTHER
ITEMS
Donation
Randy Schools, Recreation & Welfare Association,
NIH, announced that Lance Armstrong had donated $50,000
to the Children's Inn to outfit a fitness room, which
will hold exercise equipment and memorabilia from his
cycling career. Mr. Schools said that Mr. Armstrong
felt there was a strong correlation between fitness
and recovery from cancer.
Building 33
Mr. Sawicki noted that there had been two public hearings
about the proposed Building 33 Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3)
laboratory. Yet, he felt that the boards of the Maryland-National
Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and
NCPC had not given any reassurance or addressed the
issue of safety and that of locating Building 33 and
its research in Bethesda. Rather, he said the boards
stated that it was not in their jurisdiction to rule
on the use of an NIH building. Mr. Sawicki suggested
asking the Department of Homeland Security to assess
the use of this building and to give some outside oversight.
He noted that Congressman Chris Van Hollen recently
had written Tom Ridge requesting this sort of study
and that he had not yet received a reply. He said he
feels NIH should take the lead in getting a second opinion.
Mr. Sawicki thought having the Department of Homeland
Security involved would go a long way toward reassuring
the community and members of the CLC.
He asked Dr. Gallagher to draft a letter in support
of Congressman Van Hollen's request and send it to the
Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Gallagher explained
that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
has oversight of the NIH. He said he had spoken with
the Department of Homeland Security, and he said they
don't believe that this issue falls within their jurisdiction.
Dr. Gallagher said all of the decisions about NIH have
to go through DHHS. He recommended that the Building
33 Risk Assessment Committee should first see the risk
assessment. He noted that Dr. Wilson said the assessment
would be available at the Steering Committee's meeting
on October 23. Ms. Miller asked that the meeting time
be changed, because she would not be available to attend.
She added that she would want to take time to thoroughly
read the assessment before reporting to the Council.
Dr. Gallagher commented about the inflated rhetoric
and inaccurate statements that have been made about
the research and Building 33. He emphasized that the
only other U.S. agency that is working on biohazards
and biosafety is the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, GA. Mr. Sawicki said there was
an article in the Gazette a couple of weeks ago
which stated that only BSL-2 work was being conducted
at the NNMC. He said they found Ft. Detrick to be appropriate
for BSL-3 work. He said this was another concern, that
the Navy believed the up-County area was appropriate
for the research, yet NIH wanted to conduct BSL-3 research
in Bethesda. Dr. Gallagher said the Navy does not have
an installation or a laboratory at Ft. Detrick. Ms.
Hildebrand said that instead of NNMC it is the Uniformed
Services University of Health Sciences that was mentioned
in the Gazette article. Ms. Miller said that
as Co-Chair of the CLC, she is willing to write letters.
Dr. Gallagher reminded the CLC that it took a lot to
get NIH to conduct this assessment and that the CLC
representatives pushed for a lengthy in-depth assessment.
He said he would like to see the results before taking
any further action. Moreover, he would like to have
the NIH fully explain what the process is, how safety
levels are established, and what they are. In addition,
he said he cannot see where it is the Department of
Homeland Security's mission to comment on the BSL-3
labs in Building 33.
Mr. Sawicki thought the risk assessment was supposed
to be secret, and he recommended that the CLC members
see the full risk assessment. Although he felt that
CLC's representatives to the Building 33 Risk Assessment
Committee would review the assessment critically, he
thought the entire CLC should be informed about whether
the building is safe or not. Dr. Gallagher said that
the CLC would be provided a general cut of the report,
and that a private cut of the report would be provided
only to the Risk Assessment Committee. He said that
Ms. Miller and Mr. Schofer would be able to convey whether
particular items had or had not been covered and he
felt they had the discretion to know what could be said.
Mr. Sawicki reiterated his suggestion of writing a letter.
Dr. Gallagher then suggested that the letter be addressed
to Dr. Zerhouni, givng him a chance to respond, and
then write to DHHS. Mr. Sawicki disagreed, saying that
they had already tried that last March when Chris Van
Hollen met with Dr. Zerhouni. Mr. Matejik concurred
saying that the parameters have changed, and there is
heightened risk. Mr. Sawicki felt more reassurance and
oversight are needed. Mr. Sawicki and Ms. Miller agreed
that the assessment does not address the issue of the
location of the building and that the Council should
ask that the laboratories be relocated. Mr. Sawicki
suggested that the CLC prepare a letter to send to the
DHHS about how the neighbors feel about the new labs
in Building 33. Ms. Miller suggested that a copy of
the letter should be sent to Dr. Zerhouni.
Dr. Gallagher said that BSL-3 labs are already situated
on the Campus and have been for 30 years. Ms. Miller
added that the issue of most interest to the CLC is
whether, in view of current terrorist threats, there
should be any BSL-3 laboratories, even though they have
been located on the Campus for 30 years. She said that
many members of the CLC thought using Building 33 to
house these laboratories would put the community at
risk. Ms. Mazuzan said that just because BSL-3 labs
already exist on Campus it does not justify increasing
the amount of that type of lab space. Ms. Mazuzan said
perhaps the basic issue is "enough is enough"
and that the CLC wants to do something about it.
Dr. Goldman recommended seeing the results of the Risk
Assessment before writing a letter. Dr. Gallagher said
he is not trying to dissuade the Council from writing
a letter to Homeland Security; however, he wanted to
make the point that one Federal agency does not have
oversight over another. Ms. Hoos felt it would be beneficial
to go on record with a majority position, so that organizations
the CLC members represent understand that their concerns
are being addressed. Ms. Miller, CLC Co-Chair, asked
if there was a motion to write a letter to the DHHS
and the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Sawicki
so moved. Dr. Gallagher suggested first involving the
DHHS and if there was no proper response from DHHS,
to do as they wished about writing to another Federal
agency.
Ms. Michaels said that Dr. Gallagher made a good point
about following a process, and she felt that he was
not saying the CLC should not do it. However, she said
if the CLC wanted good results, the last thing to do
was to "ruffle feathers." She recommended
going through an established process, such as waiting
until the risk assessment was presented, before going
to the DHHS or the Department of Homeland Security.
She supported doing this logically. She hoped the Council
would follow a collaborative method similar to that
used in conducting the pedestrian Metro survey.
In addition, she wondered how many people at this meeting
knew that the NNMC is receiving helicopters transporting
military personnel from overseas who are carrying a
strain of malaria that does not respond to antibiotics.
Ms. Michaels said that if she were considering risk,
this was a greater risk to her health than a BSL-3 lab.
Ms. Michaels also felt it was important to keep everything
in perspective and recommended looking at the whole
community area and not just one building.
Mr. Sawicki countered that a process has been followed
and that the CLC should take action. Mr. Schofer urged
that the Building 33 Risk Assessment Committee at least
review the assessment before the CLC decided what to
do. Lastly, Mr. Sawicki agreed that the motion be tabled
until after the risk assessment results were reported
at the next CLC meeting.
Dr. Gallagher asked members to review the draft of the
July CLC minutes and to approve them by e-mail.
NEXT MEETING
November 20, 2003, Natcher Conference
Center, Room D, 4-6 p.m.
ACTION ITEMS
- Ms. Serras-Fiotes said she would show Ms. Hildebrand
the artist's rendering and the elevations of the NRC
building that were submitted to the NCPC.
- Dr. Gallagher said he would contact Washington Gas
to ask about the company's special response teams,
the number of those teams, the average time it takes
to resolve incidents, and how many incidents take
place per month or year.
- Dr. Gallagher offered to look at the chain link
fence site near Maple Ridge with Mr. Sawicki.
NOVEMBER 2003 AGENDA
ITEM
A motion to draft a letter to either Dr.
Zerhouni, the DHHS or Department of Homeland Security
was tabled until the November CLC meeting.
CLC Members
- Lorraine Bell, Palladian Partners, Inc.
- Anthony Clifford, DES, ORS, OD, NIH
- Margot Durkin, Stone Ridge School
- Harvey Eisen, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association
- Tom Gallagher, OCL, OD, NIH
- Morton Goldman, Luxmanor Citizens Association
- Jeanne Goldstein, Montgomery County Civic Federation
- Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association
- Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association
- Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont
- Debbie Michaels, Glenbrook Village Homeowners Association
- Ginny Miller, Wyngate Citizens Association
- Walter Mitton, OCL, OD, NIH
- Lucy Ozarin, Whitehall Condominium Association
- Tom Robertson, Parkwood Residents Association
- Stephen Sawicki, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association
- Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association
- Randy Schools, Recreation & Welfare Association,
NIH
- Stephanie Sechrist, National Capital Planning Commission
- Stella Serras-Fiotes, ORF, OD, NIH
- J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association
Alternate Members
Scott Matejik, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens
Association
Guests
- Arturo Giron, ORS, OD, NIH
- Gary Hess, NIH Fire Department
- Joan Kleinman, Staff Member of MD Congressman Chris
Van Hollen
- Jonathan Mattingly, NIH Fire Department
- Ophus Robertson, NIH Police Department
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