I’m a GDS parent but not a DC resident. Can someone please explain to me what these ANCs are and whether they have any enforcement power? Is it just a commission of NIMBYs who bother to run for a council seat that has no power?

I watched the meeting video. Good lord, if this is how DC neighborhoods are run, I’m so grateful to live in MoCo

Did one of the ANC members sing or perform a poem or was that just a neighbor?

The guy who chairs the ANC seems like the exact type of person I imagined would want that job and would seek to run for it.

Some sort of a lawyer who never practiced at a big firm. Barely makes it as a lawyer and therefore the type who has the time to run an election platform entirely based on being against GDS. Because he’s a liberal you know. But he’s not liberal about a school that’s spending millions monitoring its transportation plan. So he’s gonna treat this like the Watergate Commission or whatever he learned at the third rate law school he attended.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

That's definitely a correct reading of the map. And it makes complete sense because there are no actual neighbors on the west side of Wisconsin. It's a super busy road, with a vacant lot, an abandoned car dealership, Steak and Eggs, and other fine dining options. But no neighbors.

You cannot park/stand/stop on the west side of Wisconsin during morning rush hour. It has nothing to do with GDS. The restriction applies to all traffic.

I see cars with blinkers on stopped all the time to drop their dogs off at the soggy day care or to buy bagels from the bagel truck.

"But what about..."

FWIW, Happy Paws has also been approached by an ANC commissioner about illegal dropoffs by customers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

That's definitely a correct reading of the map. And it makes complete sense because there are no actual neighbors on the west side of Wisconsin. It's a super busy road, with a vacant lot, an abandoned car dealership, Steak and Eggs, and other fine dining options. But no neighbors.

The head of the ANC was not just mean-spirited, but simply wrong in vilifying GDS parents who are doing drop-offs and pick-ups on Wisconsin during the last ANC meeting. You would think that he would have reviewed the MOU before going off like he did. And I don't understand why GDS failed to correct the ANC on this point about Wisconsin Ave. in the meeting. Did no one--either from GDS or the ANC--review the MOU before this contentious meeting? Such poor preparation.
Yes, GDS was wrong to not have filed their report to the ANC--someone in GDS administration clearly dropped the ball there--and GDS should have notified the ANC and DDOT of the increased number of students due to unanticipated COVID yield. The excuse "but we were busy with COVID" was weak. But to actually malign GDS as encouraging families to "cheat" is almost slanderous. You would think that the other ANC commissioners, especially the one with the kid at GDS, would have tried to straighten the record and insert some objectivity into the conflict. What a terrible ANC meeting. Disappointing all around.

Totally agreed. The head of the ANC is exactly the type we know who take these roles. A small-ball lawyer with nothing better to do but to foot fault on some reg. this is the DC classic in every neighborhood commission, homeowners association etc.

Here is the video of the ANC meeting
https://vimeo.com/797699219

Here is the resolution passed against GDS
https://anc3e.org/wp-content/uploads/Draft-Resolution-Re-GDS-Violations-V4.pdf

This could have been resolved by a phone call to GDS. This guy instead chooses to call them out publicly.

Neighborhood had better wake up to how their ANC reps are misrepresenting them then.

2 hour rant sessions, telling the school to build a shelter on top of the bike shops, singing poetry in order to run the clock down so no one else can speak, accusing every car on wisconsin Ave or anywhere in tenleytown to be evil gds families morning /noon/night/weekends, ignoring how Covid turned everything upside down yield-wise and cost-wise, bring up River school 10 times (??), not looking at nor using actual data (their own, gds, or go pay up for counters), telling the forum to forgo owning cars entirely “just because”, making threats and nasty accusations to school leadership, etc, is truly bad agent misbehavior.

That call was lunacy. But ANc showed their true colors loud and clear.

+1

Can’t believe they posted the video here. Do they think it garners the ANC volunteers support? They looked and sounded deranged for hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just watched the video of the ANC meeting. What a weird power trip. Unhinged. I can't believe the good people of Tenlytown are actually on board with him on this crusade.

Perfectly put. Unhinged is right. There’s a heck of a lot of crime in Tenleytown to be so worried about GDS. Perhaps the most telling thing is to look at Jonathan Bender’s “campaign” page for his ANC role—it’s all about GDS. Dude is like a dog with a bone, my god. I’m sure the neighbors are more concerned with being mugged or having their car broken into than with GDS.

+1

Very poorly run “meeting.” Very unprofessional tone and slanderous from the volunteer group.

The only action item was voting that GDS CFO, while resigning and relocating, did not inform ANC of final enrollment numbers in a timely manner during the height of the pandemic and uncertainty.

Those are the only takeaways. The handful of “traffic” stories were all over the place and frankly sounded like PPA soccer and Volleyball activities. Morning drop offs are not difficult.

I just watched the ANC meeting video and I apologize to my brain for the damage it has suffered as a result.

There are two entirely different issues on the table: (1) compliance with the enrollment cap; and (2) compliance with the traffic management plan. They need to be considered separately because they are quite different. No one at GDS or otherwise disputes that there was a violation of the enrollment cap. The only issue is what the consequences should be.

The traffic issue is one where there is a dispute about the scope of GDS’s requirements and whether GDS is doing enough to enforce the plan. Based on what was said at the meeting and arguable inconsistencies in the documentation of the deal, I think there are legitimate questions that need to be analyzed about compliance with the traffic plan.

But the meeting was run so poorly — by a chair more interested in catching one of the GDS speakers in a “gotcha” moment than guiding a principled discussion — that the two issues were totally conflated and the conversation collapsed into a Neanderthal debate: “GDS good” or “GDS bad.” Ultimately, I think the feelings of the ANC commissioners (especially the chair) are that GDS’s failure to timely notify the ANC of the breach of the enrollment cap was an affront to the dignity of the ANC and, as a result, “GDS bad.” I think GDS is being punished less for noncompliance with the cap and more for failing to fluff the ANC sufficiently.

This meeting was a strong argument for rethinking the whole concept of ANCs.

Anonymous wrote:Just watched the video of the ANC meeting. What a weird power trip. Unhinged. I can't believe the good people of Tenlytown are actually on board with him on this crusade.

Perfectly put. Unhinged is right. There’s a heck of a lot of crime in Tenleytown to be so worried about GDS. Perhaps the most telling thing is to look at Jonathan Bender’s “campaign” page for his ANC role—it’s all about GDS. Dude is like a dog with a bone, my god. I’m sure the neighbors are more concerned with being mugged or having their car broken into than with GDS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

That's definitely a correct reading of the map. And it makes complete sense because there are no actual neighbors on the west side of Wisconsin. It's a super busy road, with a vacant lot, an abandoned car dealership, Steak and Eggs, and other fine dining options. But no neighbors.

You cannot park/stand/stop on the west side of Wisconsin during morning rush hour. It has nothing to do with GDS. The restriction applies to all traffic.

I see cars with blinkers on stopped all the time to drop their dogs off at the soggy day care or to buy bagels from the bagel truck.

Just watched the video of the ANC meeting. What a weird power trip. Unhinged. I can't believe the good people of Tenlytown are actually on board with him on this crusade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school takes its traffic measurements on school property. If parents can drop off on Wisconsin right in front of the school their cars would not be part of the traffic counts. Sounds like GDS doesn't want its traffic counts to be accurate.

That's because the MOU says nothing about forbidding drop offs/pick ups on Wisconsin Avenue. Apparently the ANC thinks Wisconsin Avenue is off limits, but the MOU states otherwise. Don't be dense.

We drop off at Dunkin’. It’s delicious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

That's definitely a correct reading of the map. And it makes complete sense because there are no actual neighbors on the west side of Wisconsin. It's a super busy road, with a vacant lot, an abandoned car dealership, Steak and Eggs, and other fine dining options. But no neighbors.

You cannot park/stand/stop on the west side of Wisconsin during morning rush hour. It has nothing to do with GDS. The restriction applies to all traffic.

Anonymous wrote:I just watched this video. It's very clear that the ANC does not want GDS to be in the community. This is crystal clear. I do fear for where this ends up for GDS. It's a bad place to be in where the neighbors are doing everything they can to make the school look bad - falsifying statements, being accusatory, etc. Very bad place to be. The school clearly messed up by not reporting enrollment. But to ask them to disgorge their profits, and to do things that are not in the agreement with the city is beyond over-reach.

Revenue are not profits, first off.

Anonymous wrote:Less than 5 community members have complained about traffic issues in the last year. This is the ANC doing ANC things. Trying to feel important/flexing muscles they dont have

Correct.

Ugly exaggerations

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

It’s a business zone 3 lanes in 3 directions w parking meters. ANC wants to add that to their list of new demands. For which schools, who knows. Not gonna happen anywhere anyways.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how GDS or the ANC can tell people not to park in the metered spots along the west side of Wisconsin Ave. It's a commercial street.

My husband I keep looking at the GDS map that outlines the off limit streets, and unless I’m insane, it looks like both sides of Wisconsin are fair game and you can do what you want. Maybe that’s not honoring what the spirit of the agreement is, but that’s sure as heck what the map looks like.

That's definitely a correct reading of the map. And it makes complete sense because there are no actual neighbors on the west side of Wisconsin. It's a super busy road, with a vacant lot, an abandoned car dealership, Steak and Eggs, and other fine dining options. But no neighbors.

The head of the ANC was not just mean-spirited, but simply wrong in vilifying GDS parents who are doing drop-offs and pick-ups on Wisconsin during the last ANC meeting. You would think that he would have reviewed the MOU before going off like he did. And I don't understand why GDS failed to correct the ANC on this point about Wisconsin Ave. in the meeting. Did no one--either from GDS or the ANC--review the MOU before this contentious meeting? Such poor preparation.
Yes, GDS was wrong to not have filed their report to the ANC--someone in GDS administration clearly dropped the ball there--and GDS should have notified the ANC and DDOT of the increased number of students due to unanticipated COVID yield. The excuse "but we were busy with COVID" was weak. But to actually malign GDS as encouraging families to "cheat" is almost slanderous. You would think that the other ANC commissioners, especially the one with the kid at GDS, would have tried to straighten the record and insert some objectivity into the conflict. What a terrible ANC meeting. Disappointing all around.

Totally agreed. The head of the ANC is exactly the type we know who take these roles. A small-ball lawyer with nothing better to do but to foot fault on some reg. this is the DC classic in every neighborhood commission, homeowners association etc.

Here is the video of the ANC meeting
https://vimeo.com/797699219

Here is the resolution passed against GDS
https://anc3e.org/wp-content/uploads/Draft-Resolution-Re-GDS-Violations-V4.pdf

This could have been resolved by a phone call to GDS. This guy instead chooses to call them out publicly.

Neighborhood had better wake up to how their ANC reps are misrepresenting them then.

2 hour rant sessions, telling the school to build a shelter on top of the bike shops, singing poetry in order to run the clock down so no one else can speak, accusing every car on wisconsin Ave or anywhere in tenleytown to be evil gds families morning /noon/night/weekends, ignoring how Covid turned everything upside down yield-wise and cost-wise, bring up River school 10 times (??), not looking at nor using actual data (their own, gds, or go pay up for counters), telling the forum to forgo owning cars entirely “just because”, making threats and nasty accusations to school leadership, etc, is truly bad agent misbehavior.

That call was lunacy. But ANc showed their true colors loud and clear.