The Barcroft News
October, 2000 - Volume 98, Number 2
BSCL Meeting: Candidates’ Night
Come and join your neighbors on Thursday, October 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the Barcroft Community House, 800 S. Buchanan Street to meet some of the candidates for local political office and to learn more about the current issues that affect our neighborhood, Arlington County, and Virginia. Further details were not available at press time, but as always the discussion promises to be lively.
The BSCL’s President’s Priorities
Here is President Mark Wigfield’s wish list for the BSCL’s 2000-2001 year. Remember, these are
wishes, not promises. Please feel free to give a hand in making any of them come true.
- Construct a handicapped ramp to community house
- Raise $40,000 to complete interior renovations
- Move forward on neighborhood traffic calming plan
- Begin assembling volunteers to rewrite our decade-old Neighborhood Conservation Plan
- Develop neighborhood position on Columbia Pike redevelopment
- Oversee redevelopment of Roy Roger’s site and improve traffic problems at S. Buchanan and Columbia Pike.
- Continue great community dinners, concerts and dances
- Find new president to replace him – along with the entire slate of officers – when our two-year term limit comes up in May!
Do you have anything to add??
Vice President Needed
Responding to the demands of three growing children and their PTAs, Vice President Marie Korn has had to
step aside from her BSCL post. We’re looking for someone to take over. The primary responsibility: organizing
the monthly meeting. This is a great job if you have a few ideas for interesting programs and a little time
to make some phone calls to set things up. It’s a great chance to get involved and learn meeting organization
and speaking skills. You don’t even need ideas: Just steal a few from these web sites, which list programs from
the past two years from other civic associations. The addresses you need to know are
www.civfed.org or www. Call volunteer coordinator Scott
Royal at 703-553-0909, volunteers@bscl.org or BSCL President Mark Wigfield at
703-979-0339, mark@bscl.org
Dances at Barcroft
Please join us for a new series of monthly dances at the Barcroft Community House, featuring dances
from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Most of the dances are done with a partner with a
large group of other couples with a caller. Dances will be held on the fourth Saturday of the month, with the
exception of October. Times: from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. Beginners can come at 7:45 to pick up a few tips.
Admission is $5. Questions? Call Dottie Beck at 703-671-3240.
Volunteers Needed to Build Playground
The Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool will be building a new playground over a period of four days,
from Oct. 26-29. They need volunteers and donations. Send donations to the Friends of the AUCP Playground,
4444 Arlington Blvd. Contact Amy Mellin at 703-532-2054 to volunteer or with questions.
Columbia Pike Plan Raises Questions
September’s meeting on Columbia Pike redevelopment left the large crowd that attended with more questions
than answers about the future of the Pike. Granted, the county’s redevelopment plans are in an in-between
stage now. But some residents voiced disapproval of concepts showing higher density development along
Columbia Pike, while others asked for more time for neighborhood input. Others felt that we should not
delay the process, but should continue participating in the next round of community planning meetings,
set to start sometime in late October, early November.
For those who haven’t been following the issue, the County has been soliciting input from the wider for ambitious plans for improvements on Columbia Pike. Ideas range from improving streetscapes to economic development meant to jump-start business activity. A broad consensus from neighborhoods is that the Pike needs improvements in appearance, sidewalks, transportation and shopping. But no one wants to increase congestion. Tentative plans call for increasing density at key intersections like Glebe, George Mason and other crossroads.
A local developer has bought the Roy Rogers site, but Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Executive Director Tim Lynch couldn’t yet reveal who. CVS and Bank of America had both looked at the site for facilities with drive-throughs, but abandoned the idea after they getting little encouragement from planners and others. And maybe they saw how hard it would be to drive through a site like that.
The third phase of Columbia Pike planning won’t begin until a house and community services forum is held at the Arlington Mill Community Center. These forums will explore demands for affordable housing and services on the corridor. Unfortunately, dates for these events weren’t available in time for our newsletter deadline. Watch for e-mail or call the CPRO at 703-892-2776.
New Volunteers
Several new volunteers have stepped forward this summer to take over key positions in the Barcroft School and Civic League.
Scott Royal of 129 S. Abingdon Street will be volunteer coordinator, the first time we've had someone in this position for some time. Scott brings with him a very close-knit block on Abingdon and a lot of new blood to the organization. Scott is especially interested in recruiting volunteers to help those in the neighborhood who may need assistance with simple tasks around the house.
Scott's first job was to recruit a replacement for Tom Palance, who has done a great job managing community house rentals for several years, but needed a break. The job will be shared by Steve Riess, who lives with Scott, and their neighbor across the street, Lori Fitchett. This is a critical job and we're grateful to Lori and Steve for taking it on.
At the Fourth of July parade, JoAnne Barnhart responded to a plea for a volunteer to raise funds for continuing community house renovations. We still need to raise up to $40,000 to finish the job. JoAnne is a fundraising professional, and we're most grateful to her for taking the job on.
Thanks to all volunteers for pitching in to make Barcroft a great community.
Columbia Pike Bridge Rebuild
The Virginia Dept. of Highways has begun rebuilding the Columbia Pike bridge over Four Mile Run. The project will take 6-8 months. Construction equipment and trailers will spill out into our park. There are no plans to change the intersection of Four Mile Run Drive and the Pike, just to rebuild the bridge. We might see more cut-through traffic while the project ties things up, but most cars will be using George Mason instead to reach Route 7.
The rebuild will widen the sidewalk on the south side, but not on the north (our side) where most of the pedestrian traffic is. It seems that the two sides of the bridge are more or less separate structures. The south side will be rebuilt, giving VDOT the opportunity to widen the walk there. The north side is just being repaved. VDOT believes that widening the walk there would require an elaborate and expensive cantilever add-on, so we'll have to wait until our side is rebuilt to get an adequate sidewalk there. That's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Fortunately our BSCL project to renovate the park there is just in the planning phase. We should be ready to start actual renovations about the time VDOT's construction crews leave. By Randy Swart.
Childcare Offered:
Seeking part-time position taking care of children in the afternoon or evening.
Your home or mine. Excellent references. Jessica,703-521-7839
Parade Magic
Unlike last year, we actually managed to get this year’s 4th of July parade to go down the correct street and had manageable temperatures to boot. With the backdrop of the newly landscaped community house and red white and blue bunting hanging over the new fence, this year’s parade was picture perfect. It would have made a fine scene in some Norman Rockwell painting.
I want to thank everyone that makes this event happen so successfully every year. Here goes: This year Dave Michaelson got a much needed break as Scott Peterson and Frank Schneider and Bruce Atkinson kept the burgers and dogs hot for the celebrants. Thanks nonetheless to Dave for buying the bulk of the food. Thanks to all others who contributed to the food. Ed and Helene Foley were invaluable keeping the food line humming and the kitchen from turning into a disaster zone. Tom Palance, Jack Turner, and Kathy Kerr organized the musically gifted amongst us and filled the air with stirring sounds. Bruce Nunnally made a very convincing Uncle Sam and thanks to his daughter for driving her Grand Marshall car…I think he lost 10 pounds under that costume! Thanks to Marcia Oresky for her command of the parade start as parade director. Thanks to Cub Scout pack 104 color guard and the Girl Scouts and Brownies for leading the parade. Thanks to all who participated in the parade. Thanks to Cecilia Cackley who graced the crowd with her beautiful singing of the national anthem. Thanks to Bill Nehrke and his sons for setting up the sound system so we could all hear Cecilia. Thanks to Mark Rom and Jeff Bramsen and all others for sticking around to clean up. Thanks to the gracious offer from the Women’s club to use their parking lot. Thanks to the Arlington County Police and Fire Departments for their professionalism and their willingness to have some fun as they go about their duties. Thanks to the Barcroft PTA board members who served as this year’s reviewing committee (not bad duty under the tent with chairs and water bottles) Thanks to Randy Bassset who set up the tent borrowed from the Swart family.
And although the magical genie enchanted the children and adults with his show, the true magic is in how the neighborhood joins together for this event and how many cherished memories are created for all participants. Thanks to all.
Andrew Hunter, Parade Chairman
Renovation Update
Continued renovations at our historic community house got a boost when the Stambaugh Foundation, chaired by County Treasurer Frank O’Leary, raised $9,000 at the County Fair’s pig-kissing contest. The money will be used to make community facilities in Arlington accessible, and the Barcroft Community House will be the first recipient of these funds. The check will be presented during a picnic at the community house on September 30 from 11-1. Come and show your gratitude for this gift, which will be used to construct a ramp to make the building accessible to the handicapped.
It Happened in Barcroft By Kathy Kerr
It was the first day of school. At about 5 p.m., my three kids and I were gathered in my son’s bedroom
discussing events of the day. It was unusual that we all happened to be in the same place in the house.
We heard someone coming up the stairs. We thought it was a neighbor kid, or perhaps my mother who lives
nearby. I called out. No answer. Heavy footsteps. Then I could see the face at the top of the stairs.
A HUGE old man!
I suspected he was a neighbor, perhaps with Alzheimer’s disease. I said to him "Hey, let's go back downstairs!"
He very cooperatively, but clumsily, went down the stairs with me. I got him to go out the front door. He
decided to sit on the front porch bench.
Then I noticed there was a custom van parked out front that I'd never seen before. Suddenly it occurred to
me—this was not a lost neighbor! I looked at the plates and they were from N. Carolina. I asked the man
his name (Abernathy) and asked where he lives (he pointed to my house and said “here.”) He didn’t recognize
any neighbor’s names that I mentioned nor did he recognize names such as “Barcroft” or even Arlington. And
he thought I was his wife.
The police came quickly and it turns out the man was missing from North Carolina. He was SO disoriented.
It's terrifying to think of him driving, especially on the highway. NOTE TO SELF: Keep your doors latched
even when you are home.
One more scary note: I didn't hear him until he was on the stairs. Later we discovered he left his hat on our
piano. This means he walked around on the main floor before coming upstairs!
The Candidates
Here are some of the debates scheduled for this fall in Arlington, taken from
the Arlington Civic Calendar
at www.civfed.org
October 19, Thursday AAUW/LWV/DKG Candidates Forum 7 p.m., Arlington County Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street. All candidates (except for President and Senate) for office in Arlington whose names appear on the official ballot will speak. Written questions will be accepted from the floor.
October 25 - Wednesday Northwest Arlington Candidates Night Reed School, N. McKinley Road at Washington Blvd. Schedule: Arlington School Board races (7:45), Arlington County Sheriff race (8:00), Arlington County Board race (8:30). Refreshments. Info: Rob Swennes, (h) 703-532-6101 / (o) 703-696-4432
The Civic Federation's live Candidates Debate Forum was held on September 5th. It was taped by cable Channel 33 and is being shown at the following times:
Sunday, October 1, 10:00 p.m.
Friday, October 13, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, October 15, 10:00 p.m.
Friday, October 27, 10:30 a.m.
Around the Neighborhood
with Kathy Kerr
Congratulations to the families of new Barcroft Babies: John Gilbert Puente Cackley was born July 2, 2000. He is the son of Phil and Alicia Cackley on S. Abingdon St. John has two sisters, Cecilia, a junior at HB Woodlawn and Ana, a 2nd grader at Key Elementary. His brother Danny, is a 7th grader at Gunston. The Cackleys have lived in Barcroft for 10 years. Phil served for three years as editor of the Barcroft News.
Nadia Frederika Scharpf was born August 14, 2000. She is the daughter of Ned Scharpf and Tania Odabashian on 8th St.
Welcome to Ethan Novak, born July, 2000. His parents are Michael and Laura Novak on 4th St. S. Ethan’s older brother, Brendon, is two years old and can hold up two fingers to prove it. The Novaks have lived in Barcroft for 26 months. They are looking for someone to care for their boys full time. If you have any ideas for them, call 703-892-2622.
Abingdon Picnic
Autumn made an early appearance this year and provided a clear, cool Sunday afternoon with not a mosquito in sight. September 17 marked the first gathering of Abingdoners to celebrate their neighborhood residents. A Picnic was organized by a committee of eight for the 60 homes on and 2 adjacent to Abingdon Street, from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. One hundred twenty-two attendees did justice to the array of dishes brought and shared, from Vietnamese egg rolls through luscious desserts, including moist pound cakes and Australian apple pies. Thanks to the County's Office of Traffic Engineering, a permit allowed the street to be blocked from the access road to but not including 3rd street. Drivers were all cooperative and children took advantage of the terrific “hill” for biking, skateboarding, and running. A telephone contact list was compiled for distribution among the neighbors and everyone wore special name tags designed for the occasion. Contributions were collected to defray expenses like table rentals and paper goods and $20 is in the kitty for next year's sequel. Oaktag was tacked up to record special reasons for celebrating: the Birth of John Cackley this summer, Wedding of four couples (Pat Price & Chris Boyd, My Lan & Tam Nguyen, Tina & Peter Tsirigotis, Dawn & John Mealey), two high school Graduations (Sasha Lord and Huy My Nguyen), Newcomers Alison, Larry, and Lauren Roberts, and Ventures like a new job for Cliff Gay at NIH, Eric Parker's Aids Ride from NC to DC, and the start of Kindergarten for Sara Rice and Lauren Roberts. Neighbors going by during the preparations saluted the idea and some said their streets did the same. Quite a neighborhood, Barcroft.
Nanny Offered:
Full time, starting immediately. Professional, from Peru, speaks English moderately well. Call Mark Rom 703-486-2983 for details.
Barcroft School Fundraiser In Progress
Barcroft Elementary School’s Sally Foster wrapping paper fundraiser is in full swing. Once again, the school’s PTA is sponsoring a sale of these fine quality, economical wrapping papers and gifts, as well as Harry London candies. The sale began on September 15, and will end on October 13. If you know a Barcroft student, please contact them to take advantage of your opportunity to purchase these wonderful products, or you can stop by the school for a catalog. Stock up on holiday or everyday wrap and all the trimmings.
This is the PTA’s largest fundraiser of the year, and we hope to raise $7,500 for the school through this effort. Barcroft receives 50% from the sale of each item, and the product is a good value. For example, a $7.00 roll of Sally Foster gift wrap will wrap 14 shirt boxes at a cost of $.50 each, and the school gets $3.50. By comparison, a typical store-bought roll of paper will wrap only 3 shirt boxes, at a cost of $1.33 each! Plus, the school gets nothing and you have to drive to the store to get it. If you have any questions, please call Debra Bass at 920-7620 or Carol Hunter at 979-8247. Thanks for your support of our neighborhood school!
Barcroft Exchange
For Sale: Singer sewing machine in attractive wood desk-type cabinet. Folds into cabinet for storage. Old but in excellent condition. $75. Susan Pratt, 703-521-0731
Dues Reminder
Don't forget to send in your BSCL dues for the new year that just started. The membership form
was distributed with the September newsletter.
Don't forget also that this year we are putting together a new Barcroft Neighborhood Directory. Early return of your membership form and dues will help greatly in getting this done more quickly.
This year's form provides several new volunteer opportunities. These include snow removal for the elderly/disabled; yard work for the elderly/disabled; grant writing; and follow-up membership calls. There is a definite need for help in these areas. Perhaps one will interest you.
In case you didn't know, BSCL members get a preferred rate on Community House rentals. Any questions
contact Peg Lefebvre 703-521-0184 or peg@bscl.org
Let’s Play Ball
Barcroft Elementary School has a precious jewel: a large, flat, green, field perfect for playing soccer or
softball. This field can be used by anyone who obtains a permit, and it is a great place for families to
play…but it is not a place for drinking beer or other adult activities. The next time you are out for a walk,
just drop by and check it out. If you see any suspicious behavior, however, please call the Arlington County
Police. Let’s please preserve this community jewel by using it for family fun.
Trav Fick Can Count
The status of Traffic action in Barcroft is that the “street counts” are done. While some of the volume
numbers in our neighborhood are high, there are other streets in the County with even higher numbers and
pressing issues which rank them ahead of us for consideration. Meanwhile, there is a neighbor statistician
in Barcroft who has offered to analyze these numbers so we have asked the County to give us the raw data on
the street counts. He will review them to see if other conclusions can be drawn in our behalf. We hope to
have a committee report on this at the November BSCL meeting.
Articles for the News?
Your thoughts, news, ideas are welcome. Call newsletter editor Mark Rom 703-486-2983, or e-mail him at
editor@bscl.org Or call Mark Wigfield, BSCL president and Contributions Editor
at 703-979-0339, mark@bscl.org
Also...
Get on the Barcroft e-mail list by sending an e-mail to Mark Wigfield.
Visit the BSCL web site at www.bscl.org
Rom’s Reflections
Driving down Abingdon Street over the summer I started noticing “The Wave”. A couple (or more) residents, sitting
in patio chairs, would offer friendly waves to me, and apparently anyone else driving down the street. My reaction
was to slow down to see who was waving, to wave back, and then to drive home smiling.
Hmmm…..this got me thinking, then doing. Whenever I am in my front yard, I now smile and wave at any car driving by. To my surprise, they usually slow down (no doubt trying to figure out who I am and why I am waving), wave back, and it seems they usually drive away smiling, too.
Interesting. A simple act – waving – produces all sorts of good things. It slows traffic down! Waving seems to be a “traffic calming” technique that is both cheap and easy. It shows we are a neighborhood that is friendly. Friendly places are good places to live. It makes the drivers smile, and it is hard to rage when grinning.
Perhaps Kenny and the others in his self-proclaimed “Old Federal Association of Retired Technicians” group began
waving as a random act of kindness. If we made the act of waving systematic – that is, if we did The Wave when
in our front yards – Barcroft might just be a safer, happier, place.
Insert in the News: Fall Festival!
Saturday, November 4. Bring the whole family to the Community House for pork shoulders, bratwurst, hot dogs, soda, beer,
entertainment and Fun. Starts at 1 PM. Adults $6, children 4-16 $4, 3 and under FREE. If you can
donate potato salad or your favority side dish or dessert please call Anna Peterson at 703-521-8756.
Our Advertisers
Please support these good people who advertised in the Barcroft News this month:
- Annie's Garden - Gardening help - 703-979-0054
- Cowboy Cafe - 2421 Columbia Pike - 703-486-3467
- El Flaco/El Gordo Construction Co - Todd Ottenstein 703-626-8111
- Jazzercise - 703-671-2055
- Casey O'Neal - Real Estate - 703-824-4196
The Barcroft Community House can be rented for your
special event. Call 521-1116 for more information
Calendar
For the most up-to-date listing of Barcroft events, please consult our Web page Calendar.
All Barcroft News phone numbers are area code 703 unless indicated.
Barcroft News Staff
Editors - Mark Rom, 486-2983 editor@bscl.org
Publisher/Mailing - Lisa Rom, 486-2983 editor@bscl.org
Contributions - Mark Wigfield, 979-0339 mark@bscl.org
Advertising Manager - Jim Kerr, 892-6458 jim@bscl.org
Neighborhood News - Kathy Kerr, 892-6458 kathy@bscl.org
Deadlines: 1st (ads) or 10th (editorial material) day of the month preceding the issue month.
BSCL Officers for 2000-2001
President - Mark Wigfield, 979-0339 mark@bscl.org
Vice President - Marie Korn, 521-8069 marie@bscl.org
Recording Secretary - Bruce Atkinson, 979-4868
Treasurer - Gary Lefebvre, 521-0184 gary@bscl.org
Corresponding Secretary - Sharon Tope, 920-2567
Membership Secretary - Peg Lefebvre, 521-0184 peg@bscl.org
Board Members
Community House
Facility Managers - Steve Reiss, 553-0909 and Lori Fitchett 979-3920
Restoration - Jim Kerr, 892-6458 jim@bscl.org
Fundraising - JoAnne Barnhart, 920-0821
Landscaping - Scott Brinitzer, 892-0308 scott@bscl.org
Traffic Committee - Elaine Squeri 920-7014
Parade - Andrew Hunter 979-8247
Columbia Pike - Bryant Monroe, 271-0944
Demeter House Liaison Committee - Daphne Miller 920-5681
Crime - vacant
Parks - vacant
Volunteers - Scott Royal 553-0909 volunteers@bscl.org
**********************************
The paper version of the Barcroft News is printed on recycled paper with
vegetable-based ink by the Stanley Adams Printing Company. This Web page is put
up by Randy Swart using recycled bits and bytes,
and it is not absolutely identical to the paper one, but pretty close.
Barcroft School and Civic League
800 South Buchanan Street
Arlington, VA 22204
Neighborline: (24 hr. announcements, Community House rentals) 521-1116
Email: info@bscl.org
Web: www.bscl.org
This page was last revised on: October 3, 2000.
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