Dear Ward 8 Residents, 

The holidays are upon us and with them come family gatherings and social events that are both fun and festive.

These gatherings are the perfect time to engage in intergenerational activities, connecting the elders to the youngest ones in the family. What better time than the holidays to capture the stories of loved ones about their favorite childhood holiday memories?

Multi-generational conversations are a great way to share family history and traditions, connecting both generations to the past and present.

Children are often curious about what it was like when family members were their age. The adults can turn to ask the youth about their dreams and aspirations. 

This holiday season, I encourage you to have meaningful discussions with your family and friends. Put down the cellphones, disconnect from the TV, and sit around to reconnect to one another. 

Enjoy the holiday season, 

Trayon White, Sr.
Councilmember, Ward 8 

This week, the Council will not hold a legislative meeting. At last week’s legislative meeting, Councilmember White introduced temporary and emergency legislation to ensure that the Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight (OIJJFO) will remain open for the remainder of the fiscal year. The OIJJFO provides important publicly available information regarding safety conditions and events at juvenile facilities managed by the District.

On Wednesday. November 15, the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs held a public hearing on the following bills:

• B25-0133 – Weekend Equal Access to Swimming Amendment Act of 2023
• B25-0199 – Department of Parks and Recreation Program Priority Registration Act of 2023

The “Weekend Equal Access to Swimming Amendment Act of 2023” calls for the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to increase access to indoor swimming pools throughout the District. 

The “Department of Parks and Recreation Program Priority Registration Act of 2023,” which was introduced by Councilmember White, calls for DPR to allow for residents within a one-mile radius of a recreation and/or community center to have priority in registration for DPR programs at their local center.

On Thursday, November 16, the Committee held an additional meeting to markup the following bills:

• PR25-0192 – Board of Library Trustees Maria Peace Confirmation Resolution of 2023
• PR25-0421 – Director of Department of Parks and Recreation Thennie Freeman Confirmation Resolution of 2023
• B25-0427 – Fairness in Use and Negotiation (FUN) for All Recreational Property Act of 2023

The Committee voted in favor of all three pieces of legislation. The first two resolutions will be voted on by the Council soon, while the “Fairness in Use and Negotiation (FUN) for All Recreational Property Act of 2023” has been referred to the Committee on Business and Economic Development.

The DC Public Library reached a new milestone this year with more than 2 million digital items borrowed by customers in 2023 so far. This record high reflects significant growth in digital borrowing through the Library's online services.

"District residents are demonstrating an increasing reliance on our online offerings," said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, executive director of the DC Public Library. "This trend was evident prior to the pandemic but grew dramatically in 2020 and 2021. What we're seeing is less of a shift in use and more of an expansion in how libraries are used, requiring that we focus as much on the needs of those who visit us online as those who visit us on site." 
 
Customers access the digital collection through the Libby app and OverDrive platform. These services allow convenient browsing, borrowing, and reading of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. Digital titles can also be sent to personal devices like Kindle eReaders.
 
As online engagement remains strong, the Library will keep monitoring digital trends and adapting to meet the evolving needs of the District's readers - through both online services and Library locations.