COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING

1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

VINCENT C. GRAY Committee Member:

Ward 7 Councilmember Business and Economic Development
Chair, Committee on H o s p i t a l a n d Health Equity Judiciary and Public Safety

March 15, 2024

The Honorable Muriel E. Bowser

Mayor of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL

Dear Mayor Bowser:

I write to request that a series of citywide initiatives and important Ward 7 investments be
included in your proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

When I returned to office as Ward 7 Councilmember, I was laser focused on improving the
quality of life for the residents of the Ward in public safety, education, economic development
and especially healthcare. During my tenure, I have been able to make several significant strides
on behalf of the communities that I represent.

I set out to establish a comprehensive healthcare system for the East End of the city. It has been
extremely gratifying to work with you and to see the above ground evidence of that system, with
the ongoing construction of the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, the opening of the urgent
care center in Ward 8, and to now know that the Ward 7 Freestanding Emergency Department
(FED) will be coming to the Fletcher Johnson site. I commend you and your administration for
these successes as well.

We have been able to achieve these accomplishments in the face of a global pandemic. Across
several sectors, we are still having to navigate the impacts of the pandemic and new fiscal
challenges – funding WMATA, inflation, a struggling downtown and commercial real estate
market, and disappearing federal pandemic funds, to name a few. These are combined with a
continuing public safety crisis, on top of already existing and exacerbated gaps in the quality of
healthcare, education, and the lived experience in our communities.

With these challenges, I expect the District to still strive to have safer, healthier, stronger
communities, an improved public education system, a skilled local workforce able to
successfully compete in the local job markets, and stronger neighborhoods. We cannot afford to
compound the negative impacts the challenges have and will have on some of our most
vulnerable communities – our children, seniors, underserved, low-income, housing unstable
neighbors – with a budget that does not meet their needs.
Doing so will not only harm lives but will also unnecessarily push the costs to a future District of
Columbia that will have its own untold challenges. With this budget, there are present
opportunities for the District to again show itself to be a world class leader. We just have to
prioritize the provision of funding for the vision.

Therefore, I strongly urge you to consider each of the following Ward 7 and citywide initiatives
for funding in your proposed budget. This is our opportunity to improve public safety, address
generational health inequity, commit to systemic equity across sectors, and improve educational
outcomes. That is the path to living in a District of Columbia that is stronger than ever before.

I. Continue Efforts to Address Health Inequities in the District

I have identified four key factors which I believe will have far reaching financial, health, and
safety benefits: Childhood development, Mental Health Care, Education Access, and Food
Access.

A. Invest in the Most Critical Developmental Years of Our Residents’ Childhood.

The District’s childcare system has been nationally recognized for its critical role in producing
positive outcomes for child and family health, and ensuring young children and families have
access to a variety of physical and behavioral health supports and services. However, during this
economically challenging time, families continue to need your commitment to making childcare
more accessible and affordable for all District families. Similarly, the First Time Mother’s Home
Visiting Program continues to successfully provide evidence-based home visiting services
exclusively to eligible first-time mothers in the District. Yet, the benefits of this care can be
diminished by something as simple as continued lead and mold exposure to a child, leading to
long term health issues such as asthma, learning disabilities, and diminished mental health. It is
imperative that we steward the development of our children from every possible angle afforded
to us.

• I ask that you increase funding to $528,000,000 annually, for Birth-to-Three for All DC
Act.

• I ask that you maintain funding for the First Time Mothers Home Visiting Program.

• I ask that you increase funding for the CFSA Home Visiting Program.

• I ask that you increase funding for the DC Health Home Visiting Programs.

• I urge you to fund the implementation of the Residential Housing Environmental Safety
Amendment Act 2020.

• I ask that you preserve funding for the Pay Equity Fund and add additional recurring
funding to solve the current problem of insufficient Child Development Facility (CDF)
Payroll awards for FY25.

B. Additional support for the School-Based Behavioral Health (SBBH) program,

and Community-Based Behavioral Health Services.

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This year we have continued to see a workforce shortage across all aspects of behavioral health
and the need for behavioral health care professionals to rise. It is crucial that we meet the salary
demands of this highly skilled workforce, and that we both ensure retention and cultivate
recruitment of clinicians and non-clinicians alike. Sufficient funding for licensed clinicians is
critical to the longevity and success of the SBBH program, which is a crucial resource for DC
children and teenagers. DC must continue to fund competitive salaries to attract and retain a
robust and consistent workforce. Similarly, the District must ensure that the SBBH Coordinator
in each school has the capacity, training, and guidance needed to help students, families, and
teachers effectively navigate the behavioral health resources in their school building. Finally, I
ask that you fund a pilot, utilizing the addition of non-clinical staff to SBBH teams to extend the
reach of the program to a majority of students, and allow clinicians to focus on a small minority
of complex behavioral health cases.

• I ask that you sustain compensation for SBBH’s Community Based Clinicians and
Provide Compensation & Develop Guidance for SBBH Coordinators

• I ask that you fund the Pilot for the Addition of Non-Clinical Staff Positions to SBBH
Teams

• I ask that you fund the School-Based Behavioral Health Program (SBBH)

• I urge you to enhance funding for Community-Based Behavioral Health Services

C. Creating Conditions to Maximize Future Opportunity for Our Children.

Educational opportunities and equity continue to be a point of concern for me and for many of
the teachers, students, and organizations who reached out to my office. That is why it is deeply
important to me that we lower financial barriers through the DC Leading Educators toward
Advanced Degrees (DC LEAD) grant program, and by making it easier than ever to save for
College and Graduate School.

• I urge you to fully fund the 529 College Savings Plan Act of 2024.

• I ask that you invest in additional funding for DC LEAD Scholarship program.

D. Invest in Food Access Within the District to Ensure that no Resident Goes
Hungry.

Access to healthy, high-quality, and clean food is a fundamental prerequisite for good health. I
ask you to continue to work with us to bring healthy food options to the District, which can be
accessed by all residents. This is why I believe strongly in the power of universal healthy school
meals for our school children, who should never have to learn while hungry. Similarly, it is
paramount that more awareness of local food programs is created for our residents.
Right now, many residents who need access to these services continue to miss them, because
they were not aware that they could seek help from their own local government.

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 • I ask you to fully fund "No Senior Hungry," improve agency coordination and education
on existing resources, and add home-delivered meals and medical nutrition therapy to
covered services under the medical waiver for elderly persons with disabilities.

• I urge you to fully fund Give SNAP a Raise.

• I ask that you fund improvement to grocery access with affordable and quick car rides,
through the DC Grocery Access Program and by reinstating the Taxi-to-Rail Program.
Additionally, I ask that you make efforts to improve awareness of the existence of these
programs to District Residents.

• I finally ask that you fund Healthy School Meals for All.

II. Funding Programs to Support Safe Neighborhoods

Law enforcement is a crucial part of our approach to public safety, while it cannot stand on its
own. We must engage public health-focused approaches, including the provision of human
services, to address the underlying root causes of crime such as unmet critical needs.

With increases in crime, particularly violent crime, and challenges to residents’ sense of safety,
we know that we have more work to do to improve public safety in the District. Sadly, we have
seen our youth playing an outsized role in some of the crimes that have been committed. This is
a clear sign that we need to invest more in our youth. I ask that you increase funding in your
budget for proven youth violence prevention programs, particularly on the East End of the city in
Wards 7 and 8.

A. Bolster Victim Services.

As we have seen a rise in crime, victims of crime have an increased need for support. I ask that
you increase funding in your budget for victims’ services, especially for service provided to
those impacted by domestic violence so that we can more effectively and comprehensively
respond to the increased prevalence and severity of domestic violence.

B. Promote Justice through Expungement and Sealing.

In our efforts to address crime and public safety, we must also examine our criminal justice
ecosystem. There remain improvements in coordination within that ecosystem that can
significantly help deter and solve crimes. However, when someone has paid their debt to
society, they should have opportunities to live successful lives as contributing citizens. I ask that
you fund Council-passed legislation that establishes an expungement process and amends the
record sealing process for adults with criminal records in the District.

C. Focus on Police Officer Recruitment and Retention.

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Many major cities, including the District of Columbia, are experiencing a critical shortage of
sworn officers. Without a sufficient number of sworn officers, it is increasingly difficult for our
police department to engage in the kind of community policing that many Ward 7 residents
desire. With the shortage across cities, our Metropolitan Police Department has to also compete
against other jurisdictions to attract the best and brightest both locally and abroad that are
committed to protecting and serving our communities. In light of great concern for resident
safety and an historically low complement of sworn officers, I strongly ask you to include in
your budget the necessary recurring funds to strengthen provider and Metropolitan Police
Department training, workforce development, and worker recruiting and retention. I have also
introduced legislation aimed at rebuilding the Metropolitan Police Department back to a healthy
and functional size, and to better protect the residents of our city during this recent wave of gun
violence. The bill would authorize you to provide bonuses equal to one year of salary to police
officers who are eligible for retirement, provided those officers delay retirement by 5 years, as an
incentive for veteran officers with valuable experience to continue to serve our communities; and
it focuses efforts to retain experienced officers and attract new recruits at a time when MPD
ranks are low. It also authorizes you to fund any other negotiated recruitment and retention
incentives for sworn officers.

III. Education Funding and Expansion

Before the pandemic, our public education system suffered from stark disparities in
opportunities, resources, and achievement. The pandemic exacerbated those disparities. With
the District facing a unique storm of fiscal challenges, it is important we still invest in our future
– our children and their education. Students have a high need for investment in their overall
education. Though federal pandemic funds are phasing out, the educational needs of our
students have not diminished, but grown. It is paramount that through your budget, you invest in
neighborhood schools and students most in need and most strongly impacted by the
compounding of historic and current public education challenges in the most direct way possible.

A. Ensure Adequate Funding for Existing Schools and Programs.

In keeping with my previous requests, I urge you to increase the Uniform Per Student Funding
Formula (UPSFF) to not just be commensurate with inflation but also adjusted to enable LEAs to
tackle ongoing challenges due to the lingering impact of the pandemic, and to employ the teacher
and staff they need to provide and manage expanding supports based on their local school needs.

B. Advance and Fund the Modernization of Ward 7 Schools.

I also ask that you allocate additional funding to desperately needed capital improvements and
repairs of Ward 7 schools. Currently, parents in Ward 7 are forced to look to other wards to
address their children’s educational needs. Ward 7 residents have a right to receive a suitable
education for their children in their own neighborhoods. Our schools have the largest
concentrations of low-income students of color in the city, and it is crucial that we equip these
schools and their children with the facilities and academics that will inspire success.

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Part of that success means having safe, attractive modernized school facilities to facilitate
excellent education and development. Ward 7 has a disproportionate share of school buildings
that have yet to be modernized, in addition to schools that seem to have lost their place in line
after receiving incomplete (Phase 1) modernizations. For example, my office has been very
active in trying to improve conditions at the historic Sousa Middle School, which to date is not in
the Capital Improvement Plan. Many of these communities have some of the highest numbers of
at-risk students. I ask that you fund the full modernization of Ward 7 schools.

C. Enhance Educator Early Literacy Capabilities.

The Early Literacy Education Task Force convened by the Office of the State Superintendent of
Education (OSSE) has generated recommendations to improve early literacy. Lessons and skills
are built upon one another, and our students must be able to read to learn in order to master the
material and maximize the educational attainment. Empirically validated instructional methods
based on the science of reading is imperative to adequately support early and struggling readers.
Unfortunately, many of our teachers do not feel equipped to teach to read. I encourage you to
look to the examples of other states, notably Mississippi, to fund our educators receiving
structured literacy training and accompanying on-the-job structured literacy support.

D. Support and Promote the Well-Being of DC Teachers.

As your students have had to dig deeper to achieve, so have our teachers. One of our most
precious resources in education is our teachers. We are facing a shortage of teachers in the
District, which also reflects a nationwide crisis. While school districts still struggle to attract and
retain teachers, the demand on those who continue to teach continues to escalate. I ask that you
ensure funding is included in your proposed budget to support and promote the wellness of our
teachers. As an example, your budget should maintain and even increase investments for
flexible scheduling. This investment can help the demands on our teachers be managed and
shared in a manner that better facilitates their mental health and their effectiveness.

E. Provide Dual Language Programming.

Excellent programming is one of the best ways to keep our students engaged and daily attending
school. We have heard from students, parents, school staff and school communities the many
outcries for more and more varied programming in our Ward 7 schools. I ask that you invest in
the expansion of dual language programs and global studies in Ward 7.

F. Invest in Out of School Time Programs.

Similarly, I believe we can win and achieve better student engagement and learning through
programming that occurs beyond the regular school day. Out of school programs enrich our
students’ minds and provide additional educationally productive hours before and after the
school bell has rung. Accordingly, I ask that you fund expanded access to Out of School Time
(OST) programs.

G. Enhance and Expand the Safe Passage Program.

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Learning cannot happen if our students are not able to arrive at school safely. The additional
stress of having to worry about their well-being can prove to be an impediment to learning,
attendance and overall healthiness. In Ward 7, I have heard requests for additional safe passage
routes and well-trained individuals to make sure our learners are safe as they endeavor to fortify
themselves academically. For these reasons, I ask that you expand safe passage zones, consistent
with feedback from both the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the Student Advocate.

H. Fund In-School Conflict Resolution.

Many of our students are in persistent states of crisis and conflict and lack the skills and
mechanisms to navigate complex emotions. Many experience violence and poor conflict
resolution situations both in and out of school, creating unnecessary impediments to learning.
Without a diversified toolbox for conflict resolution, our students miss out on learning valuable
lessons in conflict resolution that will serve them for the rest of their lives in whatever
communities they find themselves. Accordingly, I ask that you fund the implementation and
execution of developmentally appropriate conflict resolution curriculum in all schools.

I. Community Schools.

The District has long invested in the community schools model, recognizing that our schools can
and do serve as valuable hubs of community that community members can use to receive
services. Community Schools create and enhance school and community-based partnerships to
ensure that students and their parents and caregivers have access to programs and services that
help them achieve success in school and in life. I encourage you to continue to invest in our
neighborhood through the community schools model.

IV. Economic Development and Planning

Economic development has been a central focus of mine during my tenure as Ward 7
Councilmember. Our commercial corridors and nodes have great potential and will provide a
tremendous return on every investment. This can be done through strategic support of our
businesses, particularly our small, local, women- and minority-owned business, as well as our
housing stock, and food deserts.

A. East Capitol Gateway Grocery Store.

The market has grown increasingly difficult to attract grocery stores, particularly to underserved
areas and food deserts. I have been working by mandate from Ward 7 residents to bring more
full-service grocery stores to the Ward. I celebrate that Lidl has now come to the Skyland Town
Center, and Safeway continues to operate at East River Shopping Center and Good Hope
Marketplace.

We are now in the midst of eminent domain proceedings for the Capitol Gateway site to give the

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District site control and the ability to bring a new grocery store. I reiterate my support and
request that you make financial, collaborative, and innovative investments to actualize the full
and complete development of Capitol Gateway.

B. Execute the Vision for the Pennsylvania Avenue East Corridor.

We now have Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street, a Great Streets designation, a completed
Pennsylvania Avenue East Small Area Plan, and organized area residents and stakeholders who
diligently work on executing a vision for a better Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. The community has
identified needs and supports that they can use in partnership with the city to create the thriving
corridor that has been desired for years and is now closer to becoming reality. Several of the
requests involve capital investments, which I request be included in your budget. The initiatives
and support mentioned below are requested for Pennsylvania Avenue East but can also be
employed along other Ward 7 corridors.

• Provide technical, design, and financial assistance for business improvements. Support
local businesses and partners in accessing opportunities through DHCD's Storefront
Façade Improvements, DMPED's Great Streets Retail Small Business Grant or
Neighborhood Prosperity Fund, or DSLBD grants.

• Support retail development and growth through business promotion and retention for
Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street through the establishment of a retail-oriented
neighborhood branding campaign that makes use of logos, signage, and other means to
promote the corridor.

• Coordinate Black-owned retail pop-up events along Pennsylvania Avenue corridor.

Support Black entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color to establish brick and mortar
stores along the corridor, through support of Black-owned retail pop-up events and
activations along the corridor.

• Support temporary retail activations in vacant or disused storefronts in Ward 7. Initiate

temporary retail activations in vacant or disused storefronts to showcase potential
opportunities or emerging markets along the corridor. These initiatives can be financed
through the effective use of grants, pilot programming, or public-private partnerships.

• Promote façade improvements and use partnerships with local artists, creative signage or
storefront displays, and activation along the corridor through grants or other funding
opportunities.

• Attract more sit-down and outdoor dining along the Penn East corridor. Increase
opportunities for sit-down and outdoor dining opportunities along the corridor by
informing business owners of existing unenclosed and enclosed sidewalk dining and
streatery options and providing financial assistance for implementation.

C. Undergird our Small Businesses.

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The District has a strong economy, but it is not immune to market pressures and shifting
financial landscape. We know from our downtown’s suite of challenges that we need to
increasingly diversify the business industries and revenue sources upon which we rely for
services, employment, and income. The District will benefit from an increasingly home grown
approach that creates, supports, and develops small businesses, particularly those owned by
District residents.

Accordingly, I ask that you facilitate the presence of more businesses in Ward 7. Use your
budget to expand and build a stronger connection to frequent or local customers while
diversifying the types of businesses, in terms of their size, offerings and operators.

I also request that you bolster our existing system of small business support by increasing
funding to our Main Streets organizations, which provide financial support to small businesses
for facade improvements, operational assistance, capacity building and other needed
undertakings; commercial Clean Teams, which will help cover the gap to provide or exceed the
living wage; and our Great Streets program, designed to support existing small businesses, attract
new businesses, increase the District’s tax base, create new job opportunities for District
residents, and transform emerging corridors into thriving and inviting neighborhood centers.

I ask that you also increase funding for Robust Retail (RR) and Dream Grants to help support
existing DC-based retail businesses, and especially Ward 7 businesses, maintain operations and
viability to sustain businesses as they continue to rebound.

D. Invest in our Workforce, Employers and Jobs.

Our workforce does more than make our economy function. Workers are our neighbors,
caregivers, public servants that make life possible for all who depend on them. In our current
volatile economy, we need to make sure our workers, and those who rely on them, can be as
stable and employed as possible, for the sake of building futures. I ask that you make particular
investments in our workforce.

• Workforce Investment Council. Support the District’s Workforce Investment Council

(WIC) and equip it with the resources it needs to create workforce policy, establish the
District’s statewide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) plan, and
develop innovative solutions to address the needs of employers.

• Career Pathways Innovation Fund. Support the capacity building of local adult charter
schools and other qualified high school credentialing programs for adults.

• Adult Services. Fund digital literacy training for adults through the District of Columbia
Public Library (DCPL) system to make sure fewer District residents are caught on the
wrong side of the digital divide.

• Increase the Supply of Healthcare Workers. Healthcare is both a lucrative and in-demand

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 sector. Unfortunately, from mental health services to school nurses, we need more
trained and certified professionals to serve our communities. I ask that you include
funding of programs and initiatives to connect DC residents to jobs in the healthcare
sector.

E. Establish a Local Child Tax Credit.

Part of protecting and developing our workforce involves making sure our workers are able to
provide for their families and households. The ups and downs of our economy do not impact all
equally. The rising cost of living and inflation have added significant stress to our low-income
and middle-income residents. Funding a child tax credit is a proven way to help lift many
children out of poverty. The idea has broad support.

F. Address the Urgent Housing Needs of our Communities.

I support working cooperatively to address the District’s affordable housing needs. Based on
feedback from Ward 7 residents, I ask you to support some specific housing requests on behalf
of Ward 7 residents and housing stakeholders.

• I ask that you to support workforce housing and home ownership opportunities in Ward 7
to diversify our housing stock, as well as programs to generate and maintain affordable
housing and those that work on the front end to prevent homelessness. Therefore, I ask
that you fund Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP), Emergency Rental
Assistance Program (ERAP), and the Housing Production Trust Fund (HTP). I also ask
that you fund resources, including digital resources like frontdoor.dc.gov that help inform
residents about housing programs and opportunities, rent and utility assistance.

• Invest in Public Housing Repairs and Increased Oversight. Our public housing stock and
the agency responsible for it have been the subject of significant critical scrutiny. The
deplorable conditions found in public housing units are a tragic daily reality for many
who live in the neglected units. Public housing repairs and increased oversight are
essential to improving our public housing. Please include in your proposed budget a
continued and strong investment in public housing repairs to make sure public housing is
safe and up to code.

• Build More affordable By Income Senior Living. Our seniors are a vulnerable
constituency, many of whom have fixed incomes. We want our seniors to be able to age
and in community whenever possible. A big hindrance to that is affordable housing for
seniors that is also sensitive to their unique needs. I have heard repeated requests from
residents throughout the Wards for senior housing. We know that some senior housing is
already planned and/or in development, such as the senior housing coming to the Skyland
Town Center in Ward 7. I ask that your proposed budget facilitates senior housing and
the overall well-being of our seniors.

• Develop partnerships between DHCD's training programs and community-based

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 organizations, faith-based institutions and other Black and people of color led
organizations to engage in regular training sessions in the community about housing
opportunities in the District.

• Explore opportunities for the formation of community land trusts to maintain

affordability along the corridor through acquisitions of vacant properties.

• Leverage tenant opportunity to purchase (TOPA) and District opportunity to purchase

(DOPA) laws as a way to convert apartments to limited equity cooperatives.

G. Protect and Maintain the O Street Wall.

The O Street Wall, which is a retaining wall and District asset now in the Department of General
Services’ (DGS) portfolio, is located in Square S-5542, S.E. in Ward 7. Over the years, the wall
has been subject to soil erosion and poor drainage that caused the wall to crack and shift and
caused a portion of the wall to fail in the 1990s. The wall has been repeatedly enhanced,
repaired, and re-stabilized, requiring millions of dollars. Since the wall is a District asset, I ask
that DGS fund and procure contracts for engineering firms and experts to inspect, maintain and
protect the wall and its water drainage system.

In addition, the District purchased several unimproved lots on O Street, S.E. next to the wall to
prevent any further damage. Unfortunately, unimproved lots remain unacquired by the District,
and construction threatens the integrity of the wall, including its drainage systems. The Council
has passed legislation authorizing the use of eminent domain. I ask that you fund the acquisition
by purchase or condemnation of the remaining unimproved lots adjacent to O Street, S.E.
between Branch Avenue, S.E. and Carpenter Street, S.E., to protect the wall and the improved
properties that rely on it.

V. Invest in Transportation, Recreational Facilities, Parks, and Libraries

Economic development and transportation infrastructure often work in tandem to improve the
quality of life and to enhance the safety and vibrancy of our neighborhoods and corridors. Our
public facilities and parks are invaluable and often free resources for District residents to enrich
their minds and bodies.

A. Restore the Streetcar Funding.

I continue my strong support of the Benning Road streetcar expansion project and its ability to be
transformative. The streetcar extension is a much-needed investment in Ward 7 and will serve as
a direct connection to the H Street corridor for Ward 7 neighborhoods east of Minnesota Avenue
and a critical economic development driver and catalyst to bring more businesses and
opportunities to this community, including grocery stores and restaurants.

The project to extend the streetcar to the Benning Road Metro station also and importantly

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includes the replacement of the Whitlock Bridge, the revamping of the Ethel Kennedy Bridge,
the addition of new ramps from DC-295, all of which will collectively improve safety and
transit, corridor improvements; and transit infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the change in funding made during the FY 2024 budget process moved
approximately $57 million in local funds into the outyears of the Capital Improvement Plan
(CIP) which, in effect, changed the timing for how the transit portion of the project will be
delivered at best, and in today’s fiscal reality, may prove fatal to the streetcar extension.

The streetcar continues to have broad support. The average weekday ridership, total annual
ridership, and average cost per rider are all better in FY23 than they were in pandemic impacted
FY20. The streetcar extension also has the support of Ward 7 ANCs, with 3 of 5 ANCs having
passed resolutions of support within the last two years, including 7D, which is the most impacted
and would contain more miles of streetcar track than any ANC in the city after the extension is
completed. DDOT has completed the design of the Benning Road Bridges and Transportation
Improvements project, but with the funding change, the agency is now considering taking a
phased approach to delivering the project, starting with the bridge replacement and the
interchange modifications. I ask that you get the streetcar project back onto its intended
timeline.

B. Proceed with the Ward 7 Circulator Route.

The last proposed budget cut selected circulator routes, and the planned Ward 7 route was not
funded to be implemented. Ward 7 has long needed a more robust public transportation system.
In recent years, bus routes have been eliminated, and in one budget, both the streetcar and
circulator routes were prevented from occurring. I ask that you proceed with the Ward 7
Circulator route.

C. Modernize Ward 7 Streets.

I request that you provide funding to build, repair, and modernize streets in Ward 7 where there
are no sidewalks and is unsafe for residents with limited mobility and seniors. For example, I
have received complaints from residents of Hillcrest regarding the lack of sidewalks.

D. Transit and Transportation Enhancements for Pennsylvania Avenue East.

The communities and stakeholders along Pennsylvania Avenue East corridor have also generated
transportation infrastructure requests to accompany the aforementioned economic development
requests. Specifically, I request that you:

• Provide funds to establish transportation equity for those living in the Pennsylvania
Avenue East corridor by providing additional modes such as bus routes, circulator, or
other means.

• Study and improve the I-295 on/off ramps to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists,

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 focusing on physical improvements to roadways, including opportunities for enhanced
ADA ramps and pedestrian crossings, and introduction of traffic signals, signs, lighting,
pavement markers, and guardrails.

• Pennsylvania Avenue, SE and Minnesota Avenue, SE Intersection and Twining Square

Improvement. The area calls for enhanced streetscapes, crosswalks, and traffic calming
measures to boost foot traffic and curb appeal. The District should improve pedestrian
safety, connectivity, and aesthetics and reduce vehicular conflict and explore developing
a "transit hub" at the reconfigured intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE and
Minnesota Avenue, SE inside a restored Twinning Square that would include an
expanded bus shelter with digital displays, improved lighting, and direct access to
micromobility such as Bikeshare, DDOT, WMATA. I also ask that you fiscally support
ongoing efforts by the National Park Service (NPS) and DDOT to redesign Twining
Square into a usable park space and better connect the separate park parcels on the north
and south sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.

• Install Sidewalk safety wall along Pennsylvania Avenue East Corridor. I ask that you
fund the installation of a brick retaining wall eastbound from the 3300 block of
Pennsylvania Avenue, SE to the 3800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, similar to the
wall installed at the 3100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE at Branch Avenue, SE to
address a need for sidewalk safety along this portion of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

• DDOT Bus Priority Projects. Extend the Pennsylvania Avenue bus priority across the
Anacostia River.

• Install new "Smart" shelters with seats at key locations along the corridor. I request that
you identify bus shelters that would be appropriate candidates for solar power
illumination, and passenger information display screens. Please pay particular attention
to and renovate the bus shelter at 38th Street, SE and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, which is
need of upgraded lighting, repairs to siding, cleaning, replacement of existing gutters,
aligning the downspouts, brick tuck pointing, and power washing the concrete inside the
shelter.

E. Beautification and Placemaking along Ward 7 Corridors.

Ward 7 is home to some of the most used and most majestic corridors that boast beautiful city
vistas and run along expansive park lands and residential neighborhoods alike. Beyond safety,
pride in our corridors engenders and reflects pride in our neighborhoods. In the spirit of Great
Streets, which seeks to beautify our major thoroughfares, I ask that you:

• Identify locations for and design gateway features that highlight both the sense of arrival
to Pennsylvania Avenue East and to visually connect the community.

• Maintain Cleanliness of Pennsylvania Avenue Corridor by funding grants via the Clean
Team Program for litter reduction and beautification projects along our corridors.
• Provide No Littering and No Speeding signs for the Pennsylvania Avenue East Corridor

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 that have been successful elsewhere in the District to keep our main street safe and
beautiful while benefitting the residents, pedestrians, motorists, and businesses along the
Pennsylvania Avenue corridor as well.

• Plant Greenery and Flowers along the Pennsylvania Avenue East corridor in the median
strips on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

• Fund the installation/commissioning of public art and murals in and along the medians on
East Capitol Street, particularly at the intersections with Benning Road to Southern
Avenue.

F. Partner with the National Park Service.

I ask that in your budget, you provide for efforts to keep parks cleaned and maintained along the
corridor in partnership with NPS, and also explore the possibility of a transfer of parkland to
local jurisdiction to allow for community-oriented use and improvements to NPS parcels,
including the Francis A. Gregory Library lot and adjacent parkland.

G. Support Ward 7 Libraries.

Overall, I ask that your budget enhances the programming, access, and staffing. I ask that you
maintain the funding and keep the plans for new Deanwood and Rosedale libraries unharmed in
your budget.

Many Ward 7 residents make great use of our libraries in trying to enrich their lives or to obtain
the next professional or education level. Bridging the digital divide is an essential part of their
success, and our libraries need to be equipped to do that, not just programmatically, but also
through equipment. For example, we have received a request for new computers and equipment
at Capitol View Library.

Similarly, our libraries are literacy hubs and can be utilized to help with adult literacy efforts,
and many adults who struggle with literacy live in Ward 7. As such, I ask you to provide
partnerships and programs within the DC Public Library system to develop an adult literacy
program.

VI. Fund outstanding legislation for tax relief

Finally, I ask that you fund the following measures that have either been approved by the
Council prior to Council Period 25 or are currently pending before the Council, in addition to
legislation mentioned above:

• L24-0313 – High Need Healthcare Career Scholarship and Health Professional Loan
Repayment Program Amendment Act of 2022
• L24-0260 – Whitman-Walker Entities at St. Elizabeths Tax Rebate Amendment Act of
2022
• L24-0238 – Bedbug Control Act of 2022

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 VII. Conclusion

In addition to several specific projects and initiatives that have been previously mentioned in this
letter, as it relates to capital projects, I ask that you do not cut or delay any Ward 7 projects
funded in the CIP or already receiving funding (recurring or one-time).

While I have highlighted several priorities in this letter as the Councilmember representing Ward 7, I
ask that you ardently heed the requests from the Ward 7 community that you have received
directly.

Thank you for considering these requests submitted on behalf of Ward 7 residents, communities,
and stakeholders as you continue the important task of formulating and finalizing the proposed
Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

Sincerely,

Vincent C. Gray

Cc: Glen Lee, Chief Financial Officer

Kevin Donahue, City Administrator

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