Text Box: PARK AVOIDS RESOLUTION OF OXFORD RD. OWNERSHIP By Carlotta Anderson and Dave Chitwood The National Park Service has responded to an Aug. 14 letter from the town attorney requesting written confirmation within 30 days that Oxford Road is a town road by saying that “a response was not possible within the timeframe you requested.” It stressed that it wasn’t clear why the town “seeks this definitive investigation of the question of ownership” and that since both the park and the town need access to Oxford Rd., it seemed “our resources might be better used to determine how best to maintain and share that access.” Two years ago, the town was advised informally that the NPS had concluded that Oxford Rd. was a town road and that a written confirmation of this conclusion would be sent. That confirmation has never been received. The town has always maintained that Oxford Rd. became a town road when the 1891 plat of Glen Echo was laid out. The road has been maintained and regulated by the town since the earliest years and has been paved by the town for more than 50 years; the town has also regulated the traffic on it. Mayor Debbie Beers indicated at the October town council meeting that she would not respond to the letter until she had discussed the issue with town attorney Norman Knopf. Councilmember Matney suggested that Representative Chris Van Hollen and the two U.S. senators from Maryland should be informed. The Mayor agreed to forward the letter, although she expressed doubt that any action would be taken by the congressman. Text Box: BIDS FOR STREET REPAIR PROJECT TO BE SOLICITED WITH ADS By Dave Chitwood A.Morton Thomas, the engineering firm hired by the town to manage the street improvement project, is drafting an advertisement to solicit bids, Councilmember Robin Kogelnik told the town council last month. She added that in Friendship Heights, only one bid was received for a similarly sized project. Therefore, A. Morton Thomas may use other means of advertisement, such as the eMaryland Marketplace. The stop sign at Oxford and University was the centerpiece of much discussion. Mayor Beers stated that the sign was obscured from the top of the hill by overhanging branches from Glen Echo Park property. Councilmember Kogelnik commented that the nursery school temporarily housed at the park has greatly increased the amount of weekday traffic on Oxford Rd., especially between 7:00-10:00 in the morning and 3:00-6:00 in the afternoon. Although a traffic calming device will be installed when the town's street repair project finally begins, Ms. Kogelnik questioned whether something should be done now. She has inquired of A. Morton Thomas about temporary solutions. Examples of immediate solutions she mentioned include a speed bump and a thin stop sign installed in the middle of the road. She distributed to the other council members an illustration of the latter. Councilmember Matney inquired about the possibility of asking the Glen Echo Partnership to distribute fliers to the Nursery School patrons. The Mayor indicated that previous behavior indicates that this would be unlikely. Therefore, Mr. Matney suggested the idea of ticketing violators. A few other solutions were proposed but deemed unsuitable for various reasons, such as oversized stop signs. Ms. Kogelnik asked if she should ask A. Morton Thomas for an estimate of the cost of a temporary speed bump. The mayor agreed that this would be a good idea, as well as hiring a police officer for a day or two to issue tickets.