President’s Message

/

By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org

I hope you are enjoying the summer of 2022 wherever you might be. I wish I could say that it is our first post-pandemic summer, but new Covid variants are circulating. After 2.5 years of evading it, I finally caught it last week ... and those “moderate” symptoms were quite something.

The primary purpose of this message is to let all of you know that the Burleith Citizens Association has successfully finalized an agreement with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) intended to address the medical waste and other related issues. This is a performance-based plan with both quantitative and qualitative metrics that will continue to be evaluated throughout the duration of the agreement. It will be in force for seven years and you can find it here. I would like to highlight several points:

  • A two-person neighborhood patrol team will monitor and pick up litter from the designated area from 6:30 am–5:00 pm Monday–Friday and 9:00 am–5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

  • If an emailed request to pick up trash is received before 4 pm, the response time will be 30–60 minutes. Any request after 4 pm will be dealt with first thing the next morning.

  • Better communication and more trash cans at hospital exits will be implemented.

  • The hospital will work with the BCA to better understand parking patterns (including possible parking by MedStar employees, visitors, and contractors) and we will work together to encourage the city authorities to take appropriate actions.

  • If outcomes are not satisfactory, MGUH, after consultation with the BCA will undertake other or additional efforts as needed to assure the successful mitigation of the impacts of litter in the area of Burleith covered by this agreement. There is also a mechanism to mediate any disputes, which can involve the Georgetown Community Partnership (GCP).

This achievement comes after extensive negotiations. I think the community has gotten more than we had hoped for a few months ago. I am especially pleased that the issue of parking has been acknowledged. Hopefully, this will represent a turning point in our relations with the hospital.

I would like to express deep gratitude to Ron Lewis, co-chair of the Georgetown Community Partnership Steering Committee, for getting us over the finish line, and to Janice Sims and Nan Bell for their sustained efforts at addressing these issues over (literally) many years.

Have a great summer!