Over the FenceNews for Neighbors
Over the FenceAs I write this, we are 36 hours away from Hurricane Isabel. Hopefully we will all remain safe and she will be a distant memory when you receive this. This has been a very busy last quarter for AHCA, with lots going on. We are happy to report that the gutter and sidewalk project on sixth and Jackson is complete, as well as completion of the construction project at our park, which has now been restored. We successfully lobbied against the erection of two temporary trailers at Second and Irving, and also negotiated with the County for traffic flow concessions in conjunction with the new Fenwick Center. We also met with county officials on the proposed synthetic field at TJ to learn more about the initiative, and also have been involved in welcoming the new Pike ride to our neighborhood. Our neighborhood was host to another successful County Fair and we will soon be visited by the First Annual International Music and Arts Festival. We have many active volunteers who have assisted with a variety of projects, from NCAC to streetscape projects, to garden tours and yard sales. These many activities and active volunteers weave the fabric that is our great neighborhood of Arlington Heights, which is fast becoming one of Arlington's hottest real estate spots.
I hope that you will join us at our upcoming meeting to learn more about what is coming down the Pike, as we are very honored to welcome Paul Ferguson, Chair of the County Board, to meet with us and answer questions we may have regarding many neighborhood initiatives. Please plan on coming on time as Chairman Ferguson can only stay until 7:30 due to another commitment.
I hope you all had a great summer and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meeting, if not sooner at the festival!
Carole Lieber
President
Mark your calendar for Sunday October 5, Noon to 6:00 p.m. at the Columbia Pike festival site (Walter Reed Dr. between Columbia Pike and S. 9th St.) for the first annual Columbia Pike International Music and Arts Festival. The next big thing on Columbia Pike, the festival will include music, art and food from around the globe at your favorite street festival venue. This is the latest addition to our Columbia Pike festival schedule that includes the Blues Festival, the Uncommon Market Festival and now Music and Arts. Make sure to stop at the Farmers Market before hand. It will be open at its usual time from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We are still looking for volunteers to help staff our booth. If you are interested, please contact Carole Lieber at 703-892-0362 or carolelieber@hotmail.com.
Wakefield High School will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. A fun-filled weekend has been planned for 7 & 8 November 2003. For general information, contact 703-892-4780 or wakefieldalumni@aol.com. Proposed Agenda
AHCA thanks Jay Jacob Wind for serving as our webmaster and congratulations on his new job! We now welcome Richard Bullington-McGuire as the new guru — from now on, send stuff for our website to rbulling@obscure.org.
Many residents have reported problems with graffiti in our neighborhood. President Carole Lieber spoke with Lt. Jim Daly of the Arlington Police and informed him of the problem and he asks that we report all such incidents to the non-emergency police at 703-558-2222. Please do not assume someone else may have already phoned it in to the police, if you see the graffiti, please report. Lt Daly informed us that the police will usually take a photo in order to catalog the type of markings, as different gangs use different tags, and that often police out on patrol will note the graffiti and catalog it; the police also often clean up the markings if possible, or they coordinate with public works to do so. As such, it is important that the graffiti be reported and photographed prior to removal.
Jim and Joan Gill once again organized the AHCA Garden Tour held on Saturday, June 21st. The Tour started with breakfast provided by the Gills, and progressed around the neighborhood, showing some really impressive gardens! Thanks to the Gills for hosting the event, to the gardeners for showing off their tender loving care, and to the 17 neighbors who participated! I'm sure we all got lots of ideas for our gardens!
AHCA Christmas Caroling will take place on Thursday, December 11th at 7pm. Lyrics and accompaniment will be provided. Meet at the parking lot next to the TJ Tennis Courts (across from Ivy Street). Come spread some holiday cheer!
Thanks to all those who helped out at our booth at the County Fair. Special thanks to Jay Wind for arranging the schedule.
Write to AHCA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to get e-mail about construction, lost cats, meetings, and other fun stuff.
We are pleased to welcome new ART Bus Service, 73, servicing stops in Arlington Heights and Columbia Pike with service to Pentagon City Metro. The schedule, posted on ww.commuterpage.com, only reflects a stop at TJ, however, the bus will stop wherever an ART sign is posted in our neighborhood. Final schedules will be contingent upon levels of ridership, so find your closest bus stop and travel in comfort on the ART to metro. Buses will run beginning at 6:22am from TJ, with the last scheduled return at 7:40pm from Pentagon City. We will have brochures with maps of the new route at our meeting.
Over the last year, AHCA member Betty Siegel has put together lists of contractor and service people who have been recommended by our neighbors. To add mode comments, please write Betty Siegel at access@Kennedy-Center.org. Inclusion on this list does not imply an endorsement of any kind by the Arlington Heights Civic Association (AHCA). The opinions expressed here represent those of the individual AHCA resident who posted them.