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Community Liaison Council Meeting
Minutes
March 16, 2006, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Visitor Information Center, Building 45 (Natcher Building)
National Institutes of Health
HANDOUTS
- March 2006-NIH News in Health
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
By Dr. Marin Allen, Deputy Director, OCPL, NIH
Dr. Allen announced a tour of Building 33 for the Council
at the next CLC meeting on April 20 beginning at 4 p.m. and
lasting until approximately 5 p.m. The building will be formally
dedicated on May 2 and will be named after Congressman C.W.
Bill Young (R-Florida). Ms. Eleanor Rice wanted to know if
other members of her community could go on the tour. Dr. Allen
answered that only CLC members can attend the tour and others
can see the building through an online “virtual tour”
that is being prepared. All communities will be informed about
the facility, and the virtual tour will be available. Dr.
Allen also mentioned that Suburban Hospital was starting its
own community council, on which she would be serving, along
with CLC members Mr. Ralph Schofer, Mr. George Oberlander,
Ms. Ginny Miller, Ms. Marilyn Mazuzan, and Mr. Stephen Sawicki.
PRESENTATIONS
General Updates
By Ron Wilson, Acting Director, Division of Facilities Planning,
ORFDO, OD, NIH
Mr. Wilson had a follow-up on the status of the removal of
the temporary parking lots. Lot T-16 had been closed at the
end of November 2005, and the remaining lots had closed on
February 24, 2006. Removal of the gravel and the retaining
fabric has started and is ongoing. No more parked vehicles
are allowed in T-17, T-38, T-45, T-41C, or the former staging
area for the perimeter security system. All cars have been
removed, and work on the other lots is starting. Mr. Wilson
said that all would be finished by July this year. As soon
as the lots have been closed, the process of restoration will
begin and the areas will be returned to green space. Mr. Wilson
showed a photograph of the employee parking lot near Cedar
Lane, which was closed some time ago and has been restored
to open space. It previously contained 550 parking spaces.
Grass and trees have been planted, consistent with the Master
Plan, as part of the buffer zone. Other sites will be treated
in a similar fashion, he assured the Council. Mr. Wilson also
pointed out that the temporary mock-up building, used to stage
and test equipment for Building 33, will be removed in July,
when Building 33 is completed. The structure will be removed
and the space restored by planting trees and shrubbery to
help screen MLP-10.
Mr. Wilson reminded the Council that NIH had decided to remove
the diseased crab apple trees near the National Library of
Medicine on March 4. Approximately one week later, new flowering
crab apple trees were planted.
Mr. Wilson announced that the temporary light at Wilson Drive
and Rockville Pike has been removed, and the new permanent
street light has been installed. Mr. Wilson said that Mr.
Tom Hayden, Ms. Amy Blackburn, and Ms. Sharon Robinson had
all been very helpful on the project. Mr. Oberlander asked
if the new light glares onto the roadway, and Mr. Wilson assured
the Council that the light shines straight down.
Mr. Wilson mentioned the progress of the Building 36 demolition.
Pieces are coming down, the crane is in place, and a large
waste container is being loaded with debris. Building 36 will
be replaced by the second phase of the Porter Neuroscience
Research Center. Mr. Sawicki mentioned the very loud jackhammer
noise associated with the demolition. He said it went on continuously
all day and wondered how long it would continue. Mr. Sawicki
expressed concern that with spring coming, people would want
to open their windows, and the noise from the jackhammers
would be too loud. Mr. Wilson explained that the demolition
is scheduled to be completed by the end of September and is
occurring from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dr. Allen mentioned that this
demolition and new building project were part of the Master
Plan. She said the NIH would be happy to look at the noise
problem, but there were tradeoffs with the attempt to take
the building down piecemeal rather than in one large explosion.
Ms. Miller was surprised at the long hours and felt that 13
hours is a very long time to listen to a jackhammer. The community
needs to know how long this is going to go on and what to
expect. Mr. Wilson said he would contact the Project Officer
and find out more about the possible duration of this noise
for the Council. Dr. Allen suggested that the hours probably
had to do with the legal window allowed by Montgomery County.
She thought that if they were shortened, the time needed for
the demolition might be extended. Mr. Wilson was sure that
NIH was complying with Montgomery County rules and reminded
the Council that because research is ongoing in nearby buildings,
they have taken extra steps to reduce noise and vibration.
Mr. Schofer suggested that Mr. Wilson could gather more information
and report back to the Council at the next agenda meeting.
Noise Abatement
By Kenny Floyd, ORS, OD, NIH
Mr. Floyd updated the Council that the consultant is compiling
a list of noise-generating sites on the main campus, in priority
order. Mr. Floyd said they plan to begin mitigation action
as soon as the list arrives, which is expected to be at the
end of April. He will present a map of the sampling sites
and an overview of the current information at the next meeting.
Ms. Miller wondered why the project was taking so long. Mr.
Floyd explained that a comprehensive noise survey simply could
not be done overnight. They had to know where the noise goes
off campus, and the time of year, temperature, humidity, and
altitude are all important variables that must go into the
model to predict where noise is a problem. Mr. Sawicki observed
that it appears the consultant is about two months behind
the initial estimate. Mr. Floyd reminded the Council that
they had received three preliminary reports and the consultant
had to come back an additional time to collect all the campus
data. Dr. Allen reminded the Council that NIH had asked for
some supplemental readings and because of this, more had been
done off campus than originally anticipated. Ms. Rice wondered
if there would be a noise problem with Building 33. Mr. Floyd
explained that a great deal of noise attenuation had been
designed into the building. For example, walls were built
around the roof to deflect some of the noise. He also pointed
out that Building 33’s systems were already online when
the last readings were made, and the consultant had not found
a problem. Dr. Allen mentioned that the parking garage and
a row of trees also serve as a buffer.
Mr. Wilson mentioned that there are no new updates on the
Master Planning initiative. Transportation and parking, as
well as forest conservation, are two areas that continue to
be followed, with input from NCPC and the County. New parking
studies will be done in May to discover if NIH is hitting
its trip generation targets. They are also considering ways
to capture trips further out in the region, such as new park-and-ride
areas and other commuter bus lines. Mr. Hayden was taking
the lead on these initiatives.
The NCPC-imposed forest conservation plan was on track and
NIH has been working with the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources. The NIH plan has been approved and NIH’s
next steps are to implement and continue to follow the plan.
Mr. Schofer asked that they instruct the traffic engineers
to focus on peak times and traffic. Mr. Wilson informed the
Council that the next Master Plan update process would begin
in approximately five years, in January 2010. There are several
issues that will determine if the new plan will be just a
revision of the present plan or if it will require major changes.
South Lawn Update
By Tony Clifford, Chief Engineer, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Mr. Clifford reported that a crew had checked the underground
drainage lines using remote TV cameras and had found them
open and working. He showed pictures of the public works crew
as they ran their TV mole to investigate the underground pipes.
He also has had a meeting with the firm that NIH is hiring
for consultation. He mentioned that this firm had done the
work on Stonybrook Pond. Mr. Clifford showed slides of the
South Lawn from various angles. These showed the problematic
swale, the County’s 18-inch outflow pipe in the SW corner,
and how the water that comes from that line flows under the
fence, between a tree and a rock, and flows around the drain
installed to mitigate the problem. He again mentioned that
the design had been for the water to enter this open-site
drain. He said that one could look at the grass after a storm
and trace where it was pushed down, meaning a heavy flow.
The water goes off-site by way of a cul-de-sac near Whitehall.
Mr. Clifford said he had specifically asked the consultant
to look at this problem first.
Mr. Clifford reported that the new engineering firm that
he has called in specializes in drainage problems and they
will be looking at options. They will return next week to
complete negotiations in terms of the scope of work. He has
made clear to them that his first concern is the drain and
he wants to hear from the consultant before he interacts with
Montgomery County concerning their outflow drain. He mentioned
that the consultant had asked to meet with residents and such
a meeting will be scheduled in the contract. Mr. Clifford
mentioned that from his interaction, it feels like this consultant
already knows exactly what the problem is. Mr. Clifford thinks
it will take about one month to get the contract completed.
Mr. Clifford mentioned the problem of the grass not being
good but said that NIH would not close the field. Mr. Schofer
asked if the pipes have enough gradient for the water to flow
in the right direction. Council members observed that it made
no sense to have water flowing out of the County outflow pipe,
then over the ground, and then back into another pipe. This
does not seem like a good design. Another problem seems to
be that the proposed inlet for the water is higher than the
surrounding ground surface, so water must accumulate before
anything drains. Mr. Schofer remarked that it now sounds like
competence has been brought in, and he asked if the contract
could give the consultant responsibility to supervise the
installation contractor to ensure they follow the design.
He pointed out that otherwise the consultant can’t be
held responsible for any failure.
Ms. Debbie Michaels inquired as to what Montgomery County
was doing to mitigate the problem that their outflow is causing.
She mentioned that it was against the bylaws of the County
for outflow to be allowed on someone else’s land. Mr.
Clifford said he had spoken to the County’s environmental
protection staff and their solution was to plant trees. The
County doesn’t want to make the water simply flow through
a pipe because this would increase the flow at the other end,
which would further erode the stream. Mr. Clifford explained
that he wants professional documentation, facts, before he
tries to deal with them; he wants to have a professional report
in his hand to give them.
CLC ROUND ROBIN
Mr. Sawicki mentioned that several pathway lights along the
path from Maplewood onto campus are not functioning because
they have been knocked down by lawnmowers, etc. Mr. Clifford
stated he could put in pole lights, which are the same fixtures
as on the walkway around the campus. The lights that need
to be replaced are about three feet above ground and have
aluminum shields to block the lights from the nearby houses.
They were installed as a response to community concerns to
reduce the original light from the pathway, which was penetrating
through community members’ windows at night. Mr. Sawicki
suggested that we install lights that are aimed straight down
so the glow doesn’t spread out. Mr. Clifford said he
had been putting in a lot of effort and resources trying to
keep the existing lights working. He said he thought about
six lights were needed, and they are expensive. He said he
could report more fully at the next meeting. Ms. Miller asked
if the Council had arrived at a consensus on the type of light.
Everyone agreed that the downward-aimed pole lamp sounded
like the answer and that NIH should move forward.
Mr. Oberlander asked if the shuttle bus service was increasing
its ridership. He wondered if the shuttle bus would be forced
to stop operating because of costs. Mr. Wilson answered that
he had no new numbers, but the number of riders was very low.
Mr. Sawicki asked about opening up another pedestrian gate,
suggesting that this might make the shuttle unnecessary. Mr.
Wilson explained that opening another pedestrian gate would
be an extra expense. Mr. Sawicki suggested that this would
be offset if the shuttle was not running. Mr. Wilson agreed
that this might be worth bringing up to John Dattoli. Dr.
Allen informed the group that safety and security had to be
balanced against freedom of movement. She suggested that moving
into a neighborhood near campus did not automatically give
access to campus.
Mr. Schofer mentioned his community’s concern about
the median at North Drive and expressed the opinion that it
should be closed because people try to make a left turn onto
Rockville Pike out of NIH. If they had another option to leave
campus, it could prevent accidents. He wondered if NIH could
talk to the State highway department about closing this median.
Mr. Wilson said NIH had tried to impress on employees that
they could make a right turn only. They have asked the State,
expressed that it should be closed, and made the argument
that it would help the Naval Hospital and lower congestion,
but the State can’t do anything. Mr. Hayden has taken
physical measures to stop left turns, placing bollards; if
people are still doing so, they are overcoming measures already
taken. Ms. Michaels wondered how often traffic is monitored,
especially at 6:30 a.m. She has repeatedly experienced traffic
being blocked by people trying to enter NIH, blocking Rockville
Pike, preventing traffic from going north toward Bethesda.
She wondered if there was a faster way to clear out the intersection.
She said she must frequently wait through two lights to do
the loop out of her community. She said that one can’t
do a U-turn because so many people are going into NIH. Ms.
Miller said there was no way to stop this without ticketing
people. Mr. Wilson said NIH could not direct traffic on Rockville
Pike. This is a State problem. Both of these issues need to
be handled through the Maryland State Transportation Department,
not the NIH.
Ms. Blackburn announced that the Naval Hospital intends to
set up a community council.
ADJOURNMENT
The formal meeting ended at 5:45 p.m.
ACTION ITEMS
- Mr. Wilson will consult with the Project Officer on the
Building 36 demolition project to discover how long the
jackhammer noise is likely to continue.
- Mr. Floyd will compile a report of the specific locations
at which noise monitoring measurements were made and present
it to the Council.
- Mr. Clifford will finalize a contract with the consultant
for the South Lawn project.
- Mr. Clifford will look into installing new pathway lighting
from Maplewood onto campus.
FUTURE MEETING TOPICS
- Campus Tour to include:
- Building 33
- Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility
CLC Members Present
Amy Blackburn, OCL, OD, NIH
Marian Bradford, Camelot Mews Association
John Burklow, Acting Director, OCL, OD, NIH
Anthony Clifford, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace Citizens Association
Nancy Hoos, Sonoma Citizens Association
Darrell Lemke, Bethesda Parkview Citizens Association
Marilyn Mazuzan, Town of Oakmont
Debbie Michaels, Glenbrook Village Homeowners Association
Ginny Miller, Co-Chair, CLC, Wyngate Citizens Association
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association
Eleanor Rice, Locust Hill Civic Association
Lucy Ozarin, M.D., Whitehall Condominium Association
Sharon Robinson, OCL, OD, NIH
Stephen Sawicki, Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood Citizens Association
Randy Schools, Recreation & Welfare Association, NIH
Ronald Wilson, ORFDO, OD, NIH
Guests
Marin Allen, OCPL, OD, NIH
Kenny Floyd, ORF, OD, NIH
Joan Kleinman, Congressman Van Hollen’s Office
Brad Moss, ORS, OD, NIH
Shelly Pollard, OCPL, OD, NIH
Dianna Purvis, SER, OD, NIH
Terry Taylor, Palladian Partners, Inc.
J. Paul Van Nevel, NIH Alumni Association
Chris Williams, Gazette News
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