ANC6B has called a special meeting to discuss and vote on comments on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Virginia Avenue Tunnel (VAT) Reconstruction project.
The meeting is Thursday, July 10th, at 7pm. The location is the National Community Church, 535 8th Street SE (Barracks Row). There is a link to the ANC’s letter on the DEIS in the paragraph on this project on my “Tracking ANC6B Issues: 2014” page.
Personal comment on the July 1 FEIS meeting held by DDOT and FHWA, who are managing the EIS process: Those who are fighting “tooth and nail” to oppose the reconstruction project will use any argument–whether supported by the facts or not–to try to prove their case and, I think, will not at this point believe anything said to refute their claims. DDOT and FHWA spokespersons at the meeting seemed to have been blindsided and did not prove to be especially articulate in defending the FEIS and its preferred alternative in response to the questions thrown at them.
Where is our political leadership? Someone needs to step in, lower the “temperature,” and provide some rationality. Perhaps they (Rep Norton, CM Wells, and CM in waiting Allen) finally spoke but I left the meeting after sitting through an hour of hearing what I have heard many times before during this many years and, alas, still continuing process.
BTW, the comment period on the FEIS has been extended an additional 30 days. The deadline is now August 12, 2014. And, DDOT/FHWA have scheduled a second meeting on the FEIS for Thursday, July 31.