| |
Latest News
Press
Releases
Keep up to date with current press releases.
Articles
See our support through news articles written about
Klingle.
Radio
Hear our debates.
Gallery
Enjoy our gallery of pictures.
TV
Face on Klingle.
|
DC Council Hearing on Klingle
On March 13, 2002, the District of Columbia Council
held a hearing on two Klingle Road bills. The bill sponsored by City
Council Chair, Linda Cropp, and the Chair of the Public Works Committee, Carol
Schwartz and co-sponsored by Adrian Fenty, Jim Graham, David Catania, and Vincent Orange requires the D.C.
Government to fully repair Klingle Road, NW.
A bill introduced on behalf of the City's Mayor seeks authority to
partially repair the road for use as a "hike/bike trail." Both plans
rely upon federal funding. Chairperson Cropp elicited testimony from the
Federal Highway Administration that, whichever bill is passed, the FHA
will defer to local interests. She obtained National Park Service
agreement that, as long as there is no additional taking of national
park land, NPS will respect the bill which is passed by our DC
Government.
Bolstered by a legal opinion from the City Council's legal counsel,
Council Member Adrian Fenty and Ms. Schwartz, demonstrated that the
Mayor's plan constitutes a "road closing," that can only be authorized
by the Council under applicable law. Chairpersons Cropp and Schwartz
also exposed assumptions underlying the Mayor's cost projections that
can only be described, charitably, as reckless disregard of reality.
In sum, the Council's examination of federal and DC government witnesses
was a splendid and significant exercise of our limited form of home-rule
government. Prior to examining government witnesses, the Council
patiently and respectfully accepted six and one-half hours of testimony
from over 100 DC residents, much of which was passionately delivered.
Rightly so, from the perspective of this supporter of the Cropp/Schwartz
bill. From 1885 until its partial collapse due to city government
neglect in 1991, Klingle Road functioned as part of the D.C.
infrastructure.
Pushing non-Klingle Road agenda, such as closing Rock Creek Park to all
automobiles and preventing residential development in Cleveland Park,
hike/bike path supporters are attempting to exploit the District
Government's mendacious neglect of its responsibility to maintain and
repair this infrastructure component.
All DC citizens should rally to support the City Council's responsible,
deliberate and professional effort to rectify the Mayor's abdication of
responsibility.
Prior to hearing, Klingle Coalition
supporters from Wards 1, 3, and 4 begin gathering in Council Chambers
|
|
