Over the Fence
News for Neighbors
from ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
January 2001
New! >>> http://www.geocities.com/ahcawebsite
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Over the Fence News for Neighbors
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Special
Meeting, Tuesday, Jan.16, 7:30 pm
On Tuesday, January 16, 7:30 pm, at Patrick Henry School, Columbia
Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) presents the Columbia Pike Master
Plan to a special meeting of Arlington Heights, Alcova Heights,
Columbia Heights, Douglas Park, and Penrose. See page
3 for more on the plan.
Annual Meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7:30 pm On Tuesday, January 23, 7:30 pm, at Patrick Henry School, Arlington Heights Civic Association hosts its 2001 Annual Meeting. Please help shape our future. On the agenda:
Holiday Caroling & Decoration Contest On a rainy Saturday night, December 16, and again on Wednesday, December 20, warm souls went holiday caroling through our neighborhood. We awarded prizes to most-beautifully-decorated homes and the most-beautifully-decorated block in Arlington Heights. And the winners were:
People We congratulate
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A
New Year's Letter from the President
by Jay Wind (703-920-5193, jay.wind@att.net) Happy New Year! Over the past two years, I have built on the work of Jim Gill and previous AHCA officers to strengthen our ability to make complex decisions. Our e-mail group now has 175 subscribers. Our website give everyone equal access to information. Our membership meetings help us make decisions as a group. Our newsletters cover a wide range of issues. We coped with basements flooded by fiber-optic excavation and restaurant grease-trap malfeasance, with destructive storms, with increasing traffic, and with births and deaths. We built a park at Irving and 9th Streets and plan another at Garfield and Route 50. We installed streetlights on 7th Street, got projects approved for Fenwick, Garfield, Ivy, and 3rd, and put four more projects in the Neighborhood Conservation queue. We hosted two Hallowe'en parties, two winter holiday parties, and two garden tours. Now we face decisions that will test our systems. These decisions cut to the core of our purpose as a civic association. Although the decision-making process begins with two meetings bracketed by the Presidential Inauguration, when many of us would rather be doing something else, I hope many neighbors will participate in the decision-making. The decisions: What are Arlington Heights Civic Association's official positions on the Draft Columbia Pike Master Plan as it affects our neighborhood? For instance, if the Plan proposes re-zoning our stretch of 9th Street for higher density, where do we stand? If the plan envisions townhouses and an open area between Columbia Pike and Ivy Street, rather than preserving the existing duplexes on 9th Street between Highland and Glebe Road, where our neighbors currently live, where do we stand? Those duplexes are part of a dwindling stock of irreplaceable affordable housing in Arlington. Fully implemented, the Draft Plan could increase all our property values. Columbia Pike could have wide sidewalks and destination businesses like Connecticut or Wisconsin Avenues. On the other hand, redevelopment could put at risk small businesses who have advertised in our newsletter and even printed it (Bendecidos and Econopage). I have stated at public meetings that Arlington should preserve existing affordable housing. But I have also promoted measures to increase property values in our neighborhood. Perhaps those two positions are irreconcilable. Eventually, we must make decisions to endorse or approve our little slice of the Pike Master Plan. Those decisions may pit those two positions against each other. We start making decisions at our Special Meeting January 16 and our Annual Meeting January 23. Please join us. Join Our Neighborhood E-mail List To join 175 neighbors on our list, AHCA@eGROUPS.COM,
Keep in touch with neighborhood issues between issues!
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Commit
To Get Fit in 2001!
By Helen Murray (703-228-5933, hmurra@co.arlington.va.us) Manager, Thomas Jefferson Community Center Did you know you had a GREAT community center practically in your own backyard? Get off to a great start this New Year and come join the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (TJCC), located at 3501 2nd Street South! No matter what your level of fitness, you can set and meet your goals in our very user-friendly environment. There is something for everybody, whether you are 16 or 86. We are into fitness, not fashion, so grab your "sneaks" and come as you are because it is time to "commit to get fit"! For your fitness and sports needs, TJCC has everything: q 30 cardiovascular stations, including
ellipticals, stationary bicycles, rowing machines, and more
And the cost well, you won't find a better bargain anywhere! Even QVC can't match these prices: Only $65.00 a year for Arlington County residents! Additionally, we have classes in aerobics, Cycle Reebok, and weight training from 6:30 am until 7:00 pm, for only $3.00 a class. If you want help with your workouts, we also offer personal training. We look forward to your visit! For membership information, please
call 703-228-5920. For exercise program information, please call
703-228-5915.
For
information concerning personal training, please call 703-228-5916.
Send articles and ads by February 1 for the mid-winter issue
Pediatric Center Grand Opening, Tuesday, January 16, 4:00 pm Arlington Pediatric Center, 3045 Columbia Pike (the former
Pier 1 store) hosts its grand opening on Tuesday, January 16, from 4:00
to 7:00 pm.
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Calling
AHCA Stay- At-Home Moms!
By Dianna White (703-892-2283, whitehouse21@earthlink.net) A playgroup is coming to your neighborhood! Stay-at-home moms: I know you are out there, but where? I am a stay-at-home mom of a 4-year-old girl, 21-month-old boy, and, believe it or not, a 6-month-old girl. I would love to network the moms in our neighborhood so our children can play together and we can get to know each other. So here's the plan: I have been working with Helen Murray, manager of Thomas Jefferson Community Center on 2nd Street. She is making Room 35 available in TJ on Mondays 9:30-11:00 am for our group to use complete with soft mats, refreshments for the moms and kids (0 - 5 years old), and equipment to play on! All this for the low, low price of $5 a month, $1 additional per month for siblings. I have set up an organizational meeting for interested moms and kids on Monday, January 8, 9:30-11:00 am, at TJ. We will have refreshments, name our group, discuss what we want to get out of our group, set guidelines and responsibilities, and select equipment for the kids. Let's start 2001 right and get to know our neighbors. Mark your calendars for January 8! Any questions? Call me, Dianna White (703-892-2283). Also,
if you are interested, but this day does not work for you, please call
and leave your name, phone number, and names and ages of your children
so we can keep you informed. Also let us know if Mondays will work in the
future and if not, another morning that would work. Happy New Year!
Vanishing Pumpkins and Other Stories In a story about vanishing Christmas decorations on Thursday,
December 13, The Washington Post quoted
AHCA president Jay Jacob Wind about the mysterious disappearance of the
pumpkins Joan Gill placed around our neighborhood sign on Route 50 in October.
The full article below is on-line at:
Taking Christmas And Running With It By Lucinda Fleeson, Special to The Washington Post Thursday, December 14, 2000, Page H01 (excerpt) The suburbs have their problems too. Arlington Heights Civic Association likes to deck out its entrance [signs] with seasonal decor. When its pumpkins were snatched in October, the association leaders responded by wiring a plastic replacement to the [welcome sign]. Christmas wreaths and bells got the same treatment, said Jay Jacob Wind, civic association president. He added that he wished it weren't necessary: "If anybody wants a Christmas wreath or bell, they can call me, and I'll gladly go over to the [Arlington] Hardware store and buy them one." |
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Comes The Draft Columbia Pike Master Plan
by Tim Lynch (703-892-2776, cpro@uptownarlington.com), Executive Director, Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization |
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Hiding behind the bustle of the
unpretentious street
that is Columbia Pike are the makings of a vibrant
new future.
Since last spring, the Pike community has been hard at work developing a plan for that future. Through a process that has engaged business and property owners, residents and community organizations, a vision of the future is starting to emerge. Pedestrian-friendly, it is a destination for workers and shoppers. It serves a commercial niche for small associations and start-up or fledgling e-commerce companies. It encourages and enhances existing businesses while drawing in new businesses and nationally-recognized companies. It fully exploits the fiber optics running its length. It supplements vibrant existing retail with national stores. It celebrates its public open spaces and offers a wide range of housing opportunities. How does all this happen? It happens through the combined efforts of the community, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) and Arlington County. Recently, Arlington County hired Robert (Bob) Rulli as Development Specialist in the Department of Economic Development. Mr. Rulli rounds out the three member Columbia Pike matrix team. The other members of the team are Doug Woods in the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD) and Richard Hartman in the Department of Public Works (DPW). Woods, Rulli, and Hartman are developing the County's strategy for growing the Pike. Based on analysis of community input and their professional expertise, they are crafting a Columbia Pike Plan to bring to the community in January. While the vision may be new, it will likely have a familiar look. The community values the variety of offerings on the Pike. Ethnic eateries, neighborhood services, and the like provide wonderful amenities. But where on the Pike can one buy shoes, buy a suit or stroll through a bookstore. The plan envisions a series of town or village "centers." Located at major intersections along the Pike, the goal is to create urban villages. With retail on the first floor of buildings, the upper floors will include offices or residences. In street walls made of buildings ranging from two to six or eight stories, the Pike will be a series of destinations, each with a unique sense of place. Nearby examples of "place" include Old Town Alexandria, the newly-developed West Bethesda area, and even historic Annapolis. As Rulli said in a recent Washington Business Journal article, "We want a typical main street from the 1930's - retail and office down, apartments up. We are not looking for 18-story buildings along this strip. We want to build critical mass [on Columbia Pike] by developing office space." "This plan has been a long time coming," said CPRO President
Reid Goldstein. "Columbia Pike may be the most studied corridor in Northern
Virginia. Now, it appears, the homework is going to result in winning grades.
I'm eager to get the plan out to the community."
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The County team and CPRO representatives
will
present the plan to the community in small group meetings starting mid-January.
Once people have had an opportunity to review the plan, a series of three
community meetings will give people a chance to share their impressions.
A final wrap-up meeting will show the community a final draft of the plan.
This is Phase 3 of the Columbia Pike Planning Process. Once through Phase 3, the draft Plan will be presented to the pertinent County Commissions before presentation to the County Board for approval.
Arlington Heights, Columbia Heights, Douglas Park, and Penrose will hear the plan at a joint meeting Tuesday, January 16, 7:30 pm, Patrick Henry Elementary School.
Columbia Pike is the southern boundary of Arlington Heights.
The other boundaries are Glebe Road, Routh 50, and Fillmore Street/Walter
Reed Drive. Penrose is on the east, Columbia Heights is southeast, and
Douglas Park is south.
Say It Ain't So ... Nope, It's So ... Strayer University To Move In about two years, Strayer University will move to a new building near Courthouse Metro Station. Strayer has been in Arlington Heights for many years, and its students and staff are customers of many Columbia Pike businesses. CPRO and the County's Economic Development office are actively seeking new tenants for the Strayer location at Columbia Pike and Highland Street. |
| PROPOSED
BY-LAWS CHANGES
By Jim Gill (703-685-1760, jgill@erols.com) and Dan Morrisey (703-521-2985, danielgm@aol.com) |
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ARTICLE II
Section 1. Nature of Activities.
In its activities, it shall be strictly non-partisan and non-sectarian. The Association, however, reserves the right to take a position and to express its views on any legislation, ordinance or course of action which in the judgement of the Association will affect the welfare of its members, and to comment on the actions of individuals and groups whose purposes or actions affect the welfare of the Arlington Heights area. |
ARTICLE II
Section 1. Nature of Activities.
The Association shall be strictly non-partisan and non-sectarian. The Association, however, reserves the right to take positions and to express views on any legislation, ordinance or course of action, which in the judgement of the Association will affect the welfare of its members. The Association also reserves the right to comment on the actions of individuals and groups that affect the welfare of the Arlington Heights area. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 1. Elective Officers, Terms and Qualifications.
The Association shall elect annually No prescriptive reference
a President, a First Vice President, a Second Vice President, a Secretary
and a Treasurer. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 1. Elective Officers, Terms and Qualifications.
The Association shall elect annually,
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ARTICLE IV
Section 1. Elective Officers, Terms and Qualifications.
No provision for filling officer vacancies
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ARTICLE IV
Section 1. Elective Officers, Terms and Qualifications.
Vacancies in any of the elected offices, subject to Section 3 of this article shall be filled at the next regular or special meeting of the Association. Officers chosen in special elections to fill vacancies shall assume their duties immediately. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 7. Removal of Officers.
Provided, that no officer whose removal is under discussion shall preside during the consideration of the motion of removal. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 7. Removal of Officers.
No officer whose removal is under discussion shall preside during the consideration of the motion of removal. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 8. Duties of the Section Chiefs.
The Section Chief shall be a local representative of the geographic section of the neighborhood in which they reside, who will provide continuity in the association from year to year. |
ARTICLE IV
Section 8. Duties of the Section Chiefs.
The Section Chiefs shall be local representatives of the geographic section of the neighborhood in which they reside. They will provide continuity in the association from year to year. |
ARTICLE V
Section 1. Membership Meetings.
The Association shall conduct a regular membership meeting at least once every three months. No requirement for a quorum
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ARTICLE V
Section 1. Membership Meetings.
The Association shall conduct a regular membership meeting at least
once every three months.
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ARTICLE V
Section 1. Membership Meetings.
The membership may bind the Association to any action consistent with its by-laws by a simple majority vote. No exception for NC issues
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ARTICLE V
Section 1. Membership Meetings.
The membership may bind the Association to any action consistent with
its by-laws by a simple majority vote.
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ARTICLE V
Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings.
No requirement for a quorum |
ARTICLE V
Section 3. Executive Committee Meetings.
Three or more members of the Executive Committee will constitute a quorum at an Executive Committee meeting. In the event the Association has received a petition for a special membership meeting, the Executive Committee may not bind the Association to an action related to the stated purpose of the special membership meetings. |
ARTICLE VII
Dues
The membership shall vote on the amount of the annual dues at the
Annual Meeting.
No provision for a budget
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ARTICLE VII
Dues and Budget
Section 1. The membership shall vote on the amount of the next calendar year's dues at the October membership meeting. Section 2. The Executive Committee shall prepare a calendar year budget in January. |
ENTIRE DOCUMENT
Use the spelling "by-laws" as a common noun, i.e., not capitalized. |
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Nominations
for AHCA Officers for 2001
By Bridget O'Malley (703-979-6056) The following neighbors are willing to serve in 2001:
Neighborhood Conservation Report by Jim Gill 703-685-1760, jgill@erols.com) Arlington's Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC) voted on December 14 to recommend to the County Board to fund our project to install Carlyle type street lights on Irving Street between 6th and 9th. The project goes to the Board for approval in spring. If the Board approves, construction should begin next winter. This action capped a productive NCAC year for our neighborhood. The county installed Carlyle lights on 7th from Walter Reed Drive to Glebe Road and on the 600 block of Ivy. The County Board funded our lighting project on Fenwick and Garfield from 2nd to 5th and on 5th from Fillmore to the dead end. The Board also funded our lighting project on Ivy from 2nd to 5th and on 3rd between Ivy and Irving. We have five qualified unfunded projects remaining in the NCAC queue. During 2001, we will work to get some of these projects funded. We will also work to qualify curb, gutter, and lighting projects on Highland and Irving between Arlington Boulevard and 2nd and on Ivy and 9th Streets. In 2001, we should finish updating our NC Plan, work we began
last winter. The NC Plan update can bring together our thoughts on traffic
safety, sidewalks, streetlights, schools, parks, and the Columbia Pike
Revitalization project. Those of you with concerns in these areas are encouraged
to participate.
Financial Report as of December 31, 2001 By Bryan Sieling (703-486-2439, edling@starpower.net) Treasury balance: $1502.98
RENT*A*KID -- Hire our neighborhood's young entrepreneurs! Codes: A=Lawns and Leaves B=Baby Sitting
C=Pet/plant
Sitting
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AHCA
Officers for Y2K were:
Pedestrian Safety Committee Report By Sharon Goldener Kinsman (shagoldk@aol.com) The Pedestrian Safety Committee will meet with County officials in early January to learn of all pedestrian safety measures offered by the county, as well as specific requirements for those measures, i.e., width of crosswalks and their location relative to driveways. Patrick Henry Elementary School has not yet had its safety visit
from the county's Safe Route to School Program. Under the program, county
staff members from Public Works, Police (including Crossing Guards), County
Manager's Office, and Planning Departments visit each school in the county
to identify problems and coordinate solutions.
Traffic Committee Report By Bryan Sieling (703-486-2439, edling@starpower.net) At AHCA's quarterly meeting in October, the membership unanimously voted to decline the County's offer of a four-way stop at the intersection of 7th and Highland. According to the County's Traffic calming guidelines, additional stop signs are generally regarded as ineffective traffic-calming measures. Arlington Heights requested from the County more substantive and effective solutions, such as raised crosswalks, gateway treatments, slow points, or other measures or combination of measures that will calm traffic at this intersection and other locations in the neighborhood. Arlington County responded, however, that Arlington Heights should not expect any traffic calming measures soon, as the County has been flooded with requests considered more severe than ours. On September 19, Jeffrey Sikes of Traffic Engineering wrote, "We have collected substantial amounts of data on streets in your neighborhood ... used to determine the severity of problems in Arlington Heights and to determine the ranking of the neighborhood compared to other streets/neighborhoods in the County. Based upon the data collected, it appears that Arlington Heights will not be among the first neighborhoods to be offered traffic calming assistance. It is difficult to determine at this time when resources will be available to begin work with your neighborhood." |
PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS!
Tell them you saw them in Over
the Fence
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Stay Healthy This Winter - Shop Co-op |
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Call 703-920-5589
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For discount coupons, visit our website www.momspizzarestaurant.com
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