More than 65 neighbors attended Arlington Heights Civic Association's meeting on Tuesday, April 24, the largest in our history. We covered many topics:

County Parks Department director Toni Hubbard and Sports Division chief Janis Wood came to discuss the proposal to convert the fenced-in Thomas Jefferson Center upper field into an NCAA-class soccer facility with seating for 250, in partnership with Marymount University. The proposal stirred extensive discussion on our e-mail list and dozens of calls and letters to County Board members.

At the meeting, Ms. Wood announced that, earlier in the day, facing what she called "significant community opposition," County Board member Chris Zimmerman asked the County Manager to withdraw the proposal, and the other Board members concurred. The proposal for TJ is now dead, and Marymount and County staff will look elsewhere in the County for a suitable location. The Arlington Journal covered the story on Thursday, April 26; see our website for a copy.

Ms. Hubbard and Ms. Wood's presentation then became a cordial, open discussion of community use of TJ, parking overflow, and environmental considerations, e.g., dust from the lower bluestone field.

Our area's new residential code inspector Wilfredo Saavedra described the various types of code violations: broken windows, more than four unrelated persons in a household, overgrown grass or weeds, peeling paint, unlicensed or unregistered vehicles, and yard debris. Arlington requires code violations to be remedied within 10 days, with an automatic 20-day extension on request. After 30 days, a code violation can mean a court hearing.

I thank Mr. Saavedra for walking the southern half of our neighborhood with five neighbors on Thursday, April 26, Mr. Saavedra identified and wrote code violation notices for several houses. Since the Columbia Pike Blues Festival on May 12 showcases our neighborhood and since spring in Arlington Heights is just beautiful, many neighbors are busy with clean-ups, fix-ups, and garden projects. Sometimes, however, code enforcement is needed to solve a problem.

The County also inspects commercial establishments. If a neighborhood restaurant improperly stores food wastes in the alley between Columbia Pike and 9^th Street, those wastes attract rodents. If you see any problems with rodents, call Arlington County's code inspectors (703-228-3232) immediately.

County staff periodically reviews use permits for restaurants and other businesses. In April, the County Board reviewed Coco's Restaurant and decided to discontinue Coco's permit for live entertainment until at least next year. Now, the County seeks neighbors' comments on El Puerto Restaurant (3007 Columbia Pike) for live entertainment and Town Car Repair (301 S. Glebe) for a tire store and inspection station. These permits come before the County Board on Saturday, May 19. Contact Reggie Nixon (703-228-3529, rnixon@co.arlington.va.us).

Thomas Jefferson Middle School PTA President Mark Dorfman spoke about the car crash at 4:20 pm, Monday, April 23, when a 6^th-grader ran into the side of on oncoming car. According to witnesses, speed was not a factor, since the boy darted from 7-11 between parked cars into oncoming traffic. AHCA voted unanimously to ask Arlington County Police to provide speed enforcement during arrivals 7:30-8:10 am and departures 2:30-4:30 pm. AHCA and TJ PTA are also both on record in past meetings asking for crossing guards at TJ at those times at 2^nd Street and South Old Glebe Road. Currently, Swanson is the only middle school with a crossing guard, at Washington Boulevard and Patrick Henry Drive.

I sent a strongly-worded letter to the County. Alice Morris and Roy Austin of Arlington County Police responded the very next day. I thank them for quick action. A police task force met Thursday, April 26, and decided to deploy speed enforcement starting Friday morning, April 27. Ms. Morris also sent me applications for School Crossing Guard, a professional police job. The Police Department has five vacancies in that position. One Arlington Heights neighbor applied for the position on Friday morning, a true example of community policing. (This Josie is no pussycat!) Please ask me for an application form.

Despite stepped-up police presence, TJ students still found that Friday's commute dangerous. Here's why: In response to AHCA's requests, Arlington County is installing a stoplight at 2^nd and South Glebe. Once complete, southbound Glebe will have a left-turn only signal onto eastbound 2^nd, and westbound 2^nd will turn left on green onto southbound Glebe. A construction vehicle in front of 7-11 blocked 2^nd eastbound during arrival time that Friday, while a fiber-optic company vehicle blocked 2^nd westbound. Cars heading both east and west at 2^nd and Glebe had to cross the center line to get anywhere, and our schoolchildren had no safe way to cross 2^nd.

I called Arlington traffic engineer Terry Bellamy, and he agreed to order construction vehicles to arrive after 9:00 am on school days for now on.

Not quite complete: Sidewalks on Columbia Pike and Glebe Road after MCI's excavations in February. Some asphalt patches remain. VDOT inspectors return soon to make sure MCI and its subcontractors finish the job to our satisfaction.

Also not complete: County contractor Granja Construction stopped work on new storm sewers on 6^th Street between Irving and Glebe while they finished another project. Granja must complete work before June 11, plus a few days added for bad weather. Granja blocked storm drains and left unsightly gravel piles and outhouses. I reported those problems to County project supervisor Carlos Contreras.

County Fair president Paul Showalter spoke about the event August 16-19 at TJ. As last year, Mr. Showalter and the Fair board want to work closely with Arlington Heights neighbors to minimize and manage the Fair's impact on our neighborhood. This year's hours and plans are similar to last year's, except that duck races will be added to the ever-popular pig races. Mr. Showalter will talk with us at greater length at our meeting July 17.

Marsha Allgaier of Arlington Department of Human Services described plans to move administrative offices into the Charles Fenwick Center building on Walter Reed Drive in 2002. Office space remodeling begins this summer.

AHCA approved the Neighborhood Conservation motion printed in the April Over The Fence, with one nay vote who opposed curbs and gutters on 000-100 South Irving. We received additional petitions from Juanita Zientara and Bridget O'Malley for 700-800 South Ivy, 900 South Irving, and 2900-3200 9^th Street; from Ronnie Bell for 700-800 South Highland; and from Jay Wind for 900 South Highland, 3300-3400 5^th Street, and 500 South Garfield. A petition from Diane Dusten for 000-100 South Highland is a few signatures from completion.

Once we assemble all the petitions, we will be the first neighborhood in the County to have NC projects for its entire interior. Next, we tackle Arlington Boulevard, Fillmore and Walter Reed, Columbia Pike, Glebe, and Old Glebe. I thank Jim Gill and Jon Hansen for leading our NC program. This summer, we revise our NC plan both to reflect our current priorities and to increase our standing for NC funding. Contact Jim and Jon to help on various chapters.

AHCA voted unanimously to adopt the by-law amendments printed in the January Over The Fence, with a small change: persons entitled to vote on NC proposals include all "Arlington Heights residents." I thank Jim Gill and Dan Morrisey for our by-laws amendments package.

Wyatt Weber proposed a further amendment, to be considered at our July 17 meeting, in essence requiring at least 51% of neighbors affected by a proposed change to approve it before AHCA requests it from the County.

AHCA unanimously approved the Pedestrian Safety Committee's report on crosswalks and sidewalk repairs. The committee delayed five other items, e.g., a four-way stop at 6^th and Highland, pending further consideration. I thank Sharon Kinsman, Jon Hansen, Kimberly Sumner, and Jay Vennett for their work.

Post-meeting News: I thank the team from Mount Olivet United Methodist Church for renovating Bob Rainey's house at 404 South Highland Street as part of Christmas and Sukkot in April on Saturday, April 27. Call Jack Weber (703-351-9631) to help with future projects.

Our Social Action Committee needs people to help mow lawns and take some neighbors to stores and doctors. Contact Lydia Nuñez (703-979-7499) to help.

Columbia Pike Master Planning resumes in June. See our website or www.co.arlington.va.us/forums/columbia/concept/vision.htm for drawings, or visit CPRO's new office at 2611 Columbia Pike (formerly Sandy's Bloomers).

Mark your calendars for a return engagement of The Nicki Gonzalez Band at Pike Park on Saturday, July 14, 7:30 pm, at the 2^nd annual Columbia Pike Arts Fair and Jazz Festival. Since her tour here last summer, Nicki hit the big time with gigs all over the area. Don't miss this free concert, supported by Arlington's Arts Al Fresco program. Also that day: Columbia Pike Arts and Crafts Fair 2:00 - 7:00 pm. Call Jill Lewis at CPRO (703-892-2776) to reserve a space. Also: auctioneer Todd Ottenstein, 3:30 pm; and sweet unamplified music from Iona Skye, 4:30 pm.

If you are not yet a member of AHCA, please join for $10 a year. Contact me, or VP Pat Rosensteel, or Treasurer Bob Dannemiller for a membership form. We are now the only civic association in Arlington offering on-line membership sales via secure server from our website -- click on www.geocities.com/ahcawebsite. Our e-mail list may also be Arlington's most vociferous -- to join the conversation, send a message to AHCA-subscribe@YahooGroups.com. The County's decision to drop the TJ soccer field proposal was entirely a consequence of the open discussion of the issue on our e-mail list. We get results!

Finally, I thank Arlington County Civic Federation for the Certificate of Appreciation they awarded me at their Annual Banquet on March 30. Thank y'all!