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2 <br />community, especially Jefferson School alumni and the African-American community. <br />She asked when the public will have an opportunity to provide input on the General <br />Partners. <br /> <br />th <br /> Ms. Ida Lewis, 605 13 Street, N.W., expressed concern about the progress of <br />Jefferson School and said Council appears to be hung up in the process as there have <br />been delays and little or no action. She asked Council to tell the community where they <br />are in the process, who are the General Partners, and how will the community be <br />involved. She said the majority of the General Partners should be African-American. <br /> <br /> Mr. Blair Hawkins, 614 Rock Creek Road, said Council should adopt a plan for <br />the blighted house on Ridge Street that does not involve imminent domain. He said in a <br />true system of government only courts can seize property. He questioned whether the <br />legislative branch of government can authorize the executive branch to seize property. <br />He said the unintended negative consequences of imminent domain outweigh the <br />benefits. He asked why Rochelle Small-Toney has not released the archives of urban <br />renewal as he has requested. <br /> <br /> Ms. Sally Brown, member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, <br />urged Council to make a decision about funding future recreation needs. She said Parks <br />and Recreation are central to the success of seven of the eight vision themes recently <br />adopted by Council. She said facilities need to be replaced and a decision must be made <br />soon about whether to build a central facility or renovate neighborhood centers. <br /> <br /> Ms. Jennifer McKeever, 1140 Locust Avenue, a member of the Parks and <br />Recreation Advisory Committee, thanked Council for their vision themes which she said <br />are bold and decisive. She said the community has a vision and model for a state of the <br />art facility. <br /> <br /> Mr. Louis Schultz, 1809 E. Market Street, asked what is the situation and rights <br />and responsibilities of the City regarding Steep Hill Street. He said he has been told he <br />owns to the center line of the street, but that the City owns the bridge. He asked what <br />does he need to do to get answers about the situation. <br /> <br /> Mr. Peter Kleeman, 407 Hedge Street, announced the transit work session being <br />th <br />held by the Metropolitan Planning Organization on November 29. <br /> <br />COUNCIL RESPONSES TO MATTERS BY THE PUBLIC <br /> <br /> Ms. Hamilton noted that the Housing Authority has had two executive directors <br />since 2005, and the archives requested by Mr. Hawkins are held by the Authority, not the <br />City. She suggested that Mr. Hawkins contact Noah Schwartz, Executive Director of the <br />Housing Authority. <br /> <br /> Mr. Taliaferro said Council has been dealing with Jefferson School for six or <br />seven years and we need to move along with the project. He said we need African- <br />American representation and financial expertise on the General Partners. <br /> <br /> Mr. Lynch noted that Council will be dealing with the issue of General Partners <br />for Jefferson School later in the meeting. Mr. Lynch said Steep Hill Street is an <br />unaccepted street, and one option would be for the City to accept the street. He said <br />streets that are dedicated but not accepted create gray areas legally. <br /> <br /> Mr. Craig Brown, City Attorney, said that the Steep Hill Street bridge was <br />repaired several years ago by the City, and that may have implications about its <br />acceptance. <br /> <br /> Mr. Norris agreed with Mr. Taliaferro about Jefferson School. He asked about the <br />timeline for a decision about Park and Recreation facilities. <br /> <br /> Mr. O’Connell said recommendations will be made in the capital improvement <br />program as part of the budget. <br /> <br />