| Home | Calendar | Headlines | Location | History | Goals | Newsletter & Minutes | People |
| Whats New | Conservation Plan | Community House | More! | Press | Links | Contacts | Search |
Welcome to Barcroft Neighborhood
The Barcroft NewsNovember, 2004 - Volume 102, Issue 3President’s Reportby Eric HaroldWe had an exciting candidate’s forum at last month’s meeting. 8th District congressional candidates as well as candidates for County Board and County school board all attended and presented themselves nicely. Thanks to all the neighbors and friends who attended to learn more about the candidates. It was a very interesting and lively meeting. Many thanks to Annette Osso for her lengthy efforts in corralling the candidates to our community house (a bit like herding cats). The candidates did their jobs, and now it’s time to do ours. Be sure to vote on Tuesday November 2. Please, plan on attending the next meeting on Thursday November 4 at 7:30 pm, with the agenda tentatively to be an update potential changes to the maximum allowable lot coverage on single-family zoned lots in Arlington County or a crime update with precinct Captain David Herbstreit. . We will also vote on a proposed resolution to rename the Arlington Hall park (at the end of Taylor Street just north of S. 4th Street) “Anne Noll Park.” Many remember Anne, a long-time Barcroft resident and tireless advocate for Barcroft and for the County. She served two terms as President of the Barcroft School and Civic League from 1973 to 1975 and was active in the association for many years. Twice she was responsible for reinvigorating the association when it had fallen to low ebb. One final item, I neglected to thank Dorothy Kinsella and the Our Savior Lutheran Church Cotta Guild for their generous donation of $100. They give this donation annually, and we are very grateful for their generosity, and thankful to have such an active church community in our neighborhood. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall we are having. See you all on Thursday November 4 at 7:30 pm. Demeter House UpdateAt the BSCL monthly meeting, held Nov. 4, there will be a presentation by Debby Taylor of Vanguard Services Unlimited to request two changes to the Use Permit for the Demeter House. A vote will be taken at the meeting to decide the BSCL recommendation to the County on these two requests. 1) Vanguard Services would like to modify their special use permit with Arlington County for Demeter House, currently a 20 bed program providing substance abuse treatment and recovery services for mothers and mothers with their children located in the Barcroft neighborhood, to include women who aren’t mothers. 2) Vanguard Services Unlimited would like to increase the number of adults from 14 to 16 while still maintaining the current limit of 20 total beds. For more information, contact Pat Williamson, pwilliamson@weta.com or 887-8514. The Demeter House Adivosry Committee is a group which meets quarterly with Demeter House to monitor adherence to the rules of the use permit.ClassifiedsCLASSIFIEDS Behringer Pet Care Service. We care for most any pet. Call (703)6851071 Custom seamstress available to do alterations, mending, or other sewing through the end of November. Come to my home, or I can come to you. Please contact Jeanette at (703) 486-0009. For sale: One Williamsburg brass chandelier with ivory shades. 35$ OBO. Contact Lisa (703) 486-0009. Wanted: Room to Rent. Retired military, starting civilian career in DC, looking for a room to rent until family can join him in the area. Call David at 202-606-1915 days; 770-330-1346 cell. For Sale: Small wing chair. Traditional style. Light/pastel upholstery, pecan wood legs, brand new. Barcrofters welcome to come over for a look. $175 or offer. 703-920-2424 For Sale: Bundy Trombone - Good condition, great for student $150.00 Futon [50'x78"] Excellent condition. $45 obo Call 703 979-1166 For Sale: Jogging Stroller. Good condition. $45. 703-271-0631 For Sale: Sunroom furniture. Two white wrought iron chairs in good condition $50 each. One round white wicker coffee table with glass cover piece - very good condition $35. One white wicker end table/ magazine holder with glass cover piece - good condition $25. Call 703 920-1845 For Sale: Olympia Deluxe Typewriter, XLS750. A1 cond.; rarely used. $45 ($100 new). Call 892-0329.Water Stewardship ProgramDo you know where your drinking water comes from, or where the water spiraling down the drain in your sink goes? How about the water that runs off your driveway? Although water is critical to our survival, many people do not know much about the water they use. We all live in a “watershed;” which consists of the land surface that drains into a local water body, such as a stream, river, or lake. Our behavior impacts these local water bodies, and it is our responsibility to protect water quality and improve our local watershed. In 2003, an exciting water stewardship pilot program took place in the Four Mile Run Watershed in Northern Virginia. Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), in partnership with Arlington County, Falls Church, and Alexandria, and Empowerment Institute, developed and implemented the Livable Neighborhood Water Stewardship Program. In this program, volunteers recruit their neighbors to form a team, and then team members work together to become better water stewards. A workbook with a menu of carefully crafted actions is available to guide the neighborhood groups. All the actions in the workbook are designed to foster water-friendly lifestyles, with three topic areas: water quality, water conservation and community involvement. The program consists of an initial informational meeting, followed by three program meetings over a two to three month period. Based on data from the 25 teams completing the program to date, each team has reduced their water consumption by an average of 79,372 gallons of water per year. Team members, on average, have adopted six new watershed-friendly actions by the end of the program. ACE and their partners applied for and received additional funding to expand the watershed stewardship team program in 2004. We are currently looking for team leaders, if you, or anyone you know, might be interested! A representative of the program from Arlington County or ACE can come speak to your group about protecting water quality, and give you more information about this program and how it works. The next training for Team Leaders will take place on Sunday, October 17th, 2004. To register for this training, or other volunteer programs, please contact Aileen Winquist with Arlington County at 703-228-3610 or awinquist@arlingtonva.us, or Elenor Hodges with ACE at 703-228-6427 or elenor@arlingtonenvironment.org.LIKE THE NEW SIDEWALK ON S. 4TH AND S. TAYLOR STREETS?by David Michaelson
-- David Michaelson
After 14 years and many volunteer hours Barcroft has been able to complete its original list of 10 priorities for capital improvements to be funded and built through the county’s Neighborhood Conservation Program (NCAC). After waiting five years, the residents at the intersection of South 4th Street and Taylor finally have new curbs, gutters and sidewalks. This improvement completes paved access to the park on Taylor Street and eliminates a long standing drainage problem identified in Barcroft’s comprehensive neighborhood plan. The project was funded and built with the support of neighbors and the county’s NCAC Program.
The Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee is the only County advisory committee that is appointed by neighborhood residents rather than the county board. Currently there are over 50 neighborhoods participating in the program that provides a clearing house of information and access to county bond funds to implement capital improvements in participating neighborhoods with approved comprehensive plans of their neighborhoods. Barcroft’s plan was drafted in the late 1980’s and approved in 1990.
Some highlights of completed projects:
· New Carlyle Style street lights throughout the neighborhood
· Completion of a sidewalk along the curve at the park at Pershing/Buchanan that linked the north and south half of the neighborhood
· New curb, gutters, street lights, paving and drainage improvements on South 8th between Wakefield and Buchanan
· Erection of a retaining wall along Columbia Pike east of Taylor
· Realignment of the intersection at Taylor and South 8th Street with new sidewalks and retaining wall.
· Drainage and street improvements at the end of South 8th Road and 7th Street including the improvements to the entrance of the bike trail at 7th Street.
· Landscape enhancements to the bike trail entrance at Columbia Pike and the drafting of a Comprehensive Landscape Plan for this location
· Installation of signs Barcroft Community signs throughout the neighborhood.
Given that we have completed our entire list of initial priorities, we are currently taking stock of our comprehensive plan and a committee has been formed to evaluate the next 15 years of needs for the neighborhood. WE NEED
VOLUNTEERS. Please take a moment to review the plan, which is located in its entirety on our web site at: http://www.bscl.org/ncplan.htm. Those interested in assisting please contact Eric Harold at: eric@bscl.org.
Proposal to Name our Park for Anne NollSome BSCL members have proposed that the park and playground located on Arlington Hall property at the end of 4th Street South just north of Taylor Street be named "Anne Noll Park." Anne Noll was a longtime participant in Barcroft civic life and lived just a half block up 4th Street from the park. She served as President of the Barcroft School and Civic League from 1973 to 1975 and was active in the organization for many years. Twice she was responsible for reinvigorating the BSCL when it had fallen to low ebb, giving us the strength to prevent the County from using the site of our park for a police administrative building. The current Barcroft News format was adopted by a committee she formed in 1986 to revitalize our newsletter. She proposed our first Fourth of July Parade in 1989 and co-chaired the first Parade Committee. She was a tireless worker who never sought personal recognition, a quiet but effective civic leader. In addition to the BSCL, Anne served with distinction in a number of other Arlington civic organizations over the years spanning from the end of World War II to the 1990's. She participated actively as our delegate to the Arlington County Civic Federation, receiving the Journal Cup in 1977 and serving as President for two years in 1979-81. She passed away on July 4th, 1998. The proposed name would preserve Anne Noll's memory in the neighborhood. On November 4 the BSCL will vote on a resolution in favor of the proposed park name.Letter to Arlington Transit Concerning End of Bus Service ART 41 in Barcroft— This letter was sent by Dennis Dimick I am writing to express my dismay at the loss of the ART bus 41 through Arlington's Barcroft neighborhood. I have lived here since 1985, and now for the first time in my 19 years here no bus comes into our neighborhood. For years I have taken my children to school bus stops at 6th and Wakefield and have then caught a bus to work at the same corner. As of today, no more. And children who as recently as last week rode ART 41 to school daily at adjacent Barcroft Elementary School will now have to find alternate means. So much for mass transit that meets needs of those who have nothing else. I rode the now discontinued Metrobus 16X for many years, and was worried that bus service would soon disappear when it was announced that ART 41 would assume that service. Those fears have now come true. When ART 41 began, rush hour frequency through Barcroft was reduced from 20 minutes to 30 minutes, and the Metro bus stops on Columbia Pike at Wakefield were taken out, making it harder to access ANY bus if we walked to Columbia Pike. Decreased convenience made it harder to use the bus, either ART or Metro, partly because the wait was longer in the neighborhood and partly because it was now harder to access buses on Columbia Pike via Wakefield Street. No doubt you have decided that reduced ridership has caused the elimination of ART 41 Barcroft bus service. I would submit that the reduced ridership was caused by a planned reduced service frequency, and by a planned reduced access by eliminating bus stops at Columbia Pike and Wakefield Street. As Arlington Transit and Metro claim that "Pike Ride" has been such a boon for riders, I can say only that your new program has been a total disaster for mass transit options in Arlington's Barcroft neighborhood. When public language is increasingly twisted to mean anything but what it says, "Pike Ride" seems like just another Orwellian scheme where increased frequency" and "better service" really mean "no service" for those of us living in Barcroft neighborhood who are now forced into our cars to get to work.
AnnouncementsLooking for friends to play with? The Barcroft Friday playgroup invites you to attend with your tot, Fridays, 10-12pm at the Barcroft Community House. Pike Transit Open House and Public Meeting: Open house format Nov, 8th, 6pm to 8pm, with a presentation at 7pm. Arlington Career Center, 816 S. Walter Reed Drive. WMATA public meeting to present progress on the Pike Transit Initiative and interim study findings, including alternatives being studied: --No Action/FTA New Starts Baseline --Bus Rapid Transit --Streetcar For info email Roger Millar, DMJM Project Manager at Infopiketransit@aol.com. Nov. 10 meeting, same time but a different location: Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale. WETA Produces Documentary On Arlington: Escaped elephants, beaches, Little Saigon - think you know Arlington, Virginia? Once home to General Robert E. Lee, Arlington has also been home to a world-themed amusement park and Tops Drivette. It was where Orville Wright tested planes and where desegregation was first implemented in Virginia's public schools. WETA TV 26 brings you these stories and more in its new production "Arlington: Heroes, History & Hamburgers." The documentary premieres December 2 at 8 p.m. and airs several times throughout December on TV 26. WETA's 80-minute tribute to Arlington County documents the history of Arlington starting with life on the land 10,000 years ago and concluding in recent times with a look at the county's diversity. FREE VOCAL LESSONS: Free vocal lessons are being offered to women who like to sing by Potomac Harmony Chorus, the 2004 Blue Ridge Regional Champions in Sweet Adelines International.The lessons will be given by the Chorus' Master Director from 7:00PM to 8:00PM on 5 Monday evenings: Nov 15, Nov 22, Nov 29, Dec 6, and Dec 13. Lessons will take place at the Social Hall of Faith Lutheran Church, located at the corner of N. Jackson Street and Route 50. Please arrive between 6:30PM and 7:00PM for registration. Participants will be eligible to sing with the Chorus at a Holiday performance at Ballston Commons Mall on the evening of Dec 15th. For more information call 703-764-3896, see www.potomacharmony.org, or email potomacharmony@yahoo.com. Advertisements
PETRONA CAN HELP YOU!PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICEONE TIME*WEEKLY* BI-WEEKLY*MONTHLY
|
| Home | Calendar | Headlines | Location | History | Goals | Newsletter & Minutes | People |
| Whats New | Conservation Plan | Community House | More! | Press | Links | Contacts | Search |
