Over the Fence
News for Neighbors
from ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION
October 2000
http://www.geocities.com/~ahca
AHCA QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, October 17, 7:30 pm
Patrick Henry Elementary School, 701 South Highland Street
See Agenda
AHCA October Family Movie Night
Saturday, October 28, 7:30 pm
Patrick Henry Elementary School, 701 South Highland Street
Wear costumes, eat popcorn, watch movies - FREE

WHAT HAPPENED AT 6th & GARFIELD?
by Jay Jacob Wind

The "secret passageway" at Garfield and 6th became less secret in September after Arlington County workers leveled landscaping to install a 6-foot sidewalk and 8-inch water main.

In 1999, AHCA asked the County to replace the deteriorated asphalt path between the 500 block of Garfield and 6th Street. Before starting work, County engineers discovered that water mains on Garfield and 6th did not connect, resulting in low flows. Since they were already installing a sidewalk, they decided to connect the two mains with 8-inch pipe under a 6-foot concrete sidewalk. During excavation, they dug up landscaping planted many years ago by Fred Abbott and maintained by neighbor JC Walters-Byrnes and others as a labor of love.

The day after the demolition, AHCA president Jay Jacob Wind complained to County engineer Dave Hundelt about lack of notice that the landscaping would be leveled. Hundelt agreed to restore the landscaping once the construction was complete.

On September 12, Wind met with Byrnes, Hundelt, and County engineer Jim Allen. They agreed that Byrnes would draft a landscape design, review it with neighbors, and provide Hundelt a final design.

Arlington County would then follow the agreed-upon design and replaced the landscaping as soon as possible after the construction was complete. Byrnes's design includes arbor vitae and attractive, easily-maintained varietals, on-line at geocities.com/ahcawebsite/garfield.gif. By the time you read this, some landscaping should already be in place.

The person most upset was 9-year-old Ross Kinsman, who spent many hours building "forts" among the rocks and bushes. According to his father, David Kinsman, "he was just beside himself twice daily as he went through the path and declared, 'They ruined our forts. I want them to put things back.'"

MEMO TO FUTURE AHCA PRESIDENTS: When other projects like this come up, always call a meeting with neighbors and County Staff before the design begins. Avoid after-the-fact recriminations.


Thanks to AHCA Volunteers at the County Fair!

AHCA volunteers included Bob Dannemiller, Pattie DeLoatche, Mary Ellen Finn, Jim + Joan Gill, Juliet+Mark Hiznay, Colleen Horn, Carole Lieber, Sean Meehan, Karl Schwartz, Jennifer Schultz, Betty Siegel + John Merck, Kimberly Sumner, Jay Vennett, Jay Jacob Wind, and Paul Wind.
 
RENT*A*KID -- Hire our neighborhood's young entrepreneurs!
Codes: A=Lawn Mowing B=Baby Sitting C=Pet/plant Sitting D=Odd Jobs/Errands E=House Sitting F=Leaf/Yard Raking

Danielle Cook (703-279-3227) 
Caitlin Dykema (703-527-0624): BC
Juan Martinez (703-920-9165) A
Jeff Parry (703-920-7521) C
David Rivera (703-521-8318) ACDEF
Cami Roa (703-486-0992) BCF (cats only)
Julianna Wind (703-920-5193) BCE
Paul Wind (703-920-5193) ABCDEF
Rosalie Wind (703-920-5193) CE

LOOKING FOR A SIGN?

Please help weed near the Arlington Heights signs at 2nd & Garfield, 7th & Glebe, 9th & Irving, and Route 50 & Irving.

GOT BRANCHES?

Special pick-ups of branches or yard waste are free. Call Arlington County Solid Waste office (703-228-6570) by 4 pm on every other Thursday. You do not need to bag or bundle branches. Special pick-ups of appliances cost $25.00.

GOT NEWS?

Please send articles for the next OVER THE FENCE to Pattii Rosensteel (703-979-4555 pattii@aol.com) by November 1. AHCA Officers: President Jay Wind (703-920-5193 jay.wind@att.net); VPs Jay Vennett (703-920-1832) and Pattie DeLoatche (703-979-0484); Treasurer Bryan Sieling (703-486-2439); Secretary Betty Siegel (703-892-1959); Neighborhood Conservation: Jim Gill (703-685-1760) and Dan Perch; Social Monique O'Grady (703-521-5631);Social Action Lydia Nuñez (703-979-7499); Newsletter Distribution Bahar Hess (703-521-8528).

GOT E-MAIL?

To join AHCA's e-mail list AHCA@EGROUPS.COM, write to AHCA-SUBSCRIBE@EGROUPS.COM


QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING AGENDA - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 7:30 PM New Business:

AND ON EVERY STREET CORNER YOU SEE ...
by Jay Jacob Wind

... Construction equipment, or so it seems. This year, sidewalk, road, and streetlamp projects started or finished all over Arlington Heights. AHCA's goal is to make Arlington Heights as nice a neighborhood as possible, with fine schools (Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Arlington Career Center, Strayer University), fun restaurants and shops, a great theater, live music, sidewalks wherever neighbors want them, well-maintained homes, rising property values, and safe well-lit streets with Carlyle-style streetlamps. Here's a street-by-street Neighborhood Conservation (NC) report.

NORTH TO SOUTH:

Arlington Boulevard (Route 50): Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) began planning reconstruction of the Glebe Road bridge over Route 50. VDOT conducts a public meeting for this project on Thursday, October 19, 5:00-8:00 pm, at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. (Contact Eric Lanman for more information.) AHCA asked VDOT to make Route 50 traffic safer by installing a median strip from Fillmore to Irving and to add curbs, gutters, and better lighting along our stretch of the Nation's main east-west thoroughfare. (Thanks to Jim Gill for initiating this correspondence and for working on all the NC projects listed below.) Arlington County installed an Arlington Heights Neighborhood sign at Route 50 and Irving. (Thanks to Joan Gill for this and the other three signs.)

1st Road South: At AHCA's request, Arlington County moved the sign that formerly pointed eastbound Route 50 traffic onto 1st; repaired sidewalks; and replaced a fallen streetlamp. (Thanks to Rosie Haltigen for making this all happen.) AHCA's current #2-priority Neighborhood Conservation (NC) proposal would install Carlyles from Old Glebe to Glebe.

2nd Street South: The County repaved 2nd just in time for the County Fair and repainted the centerlines and crosswalks just in time for school. AHCA's #2-priority NC proposal would install Carlyles from Fillmore to Glebe. Arlington County installed a neighborhood sign at 2nd and Garfield. After AHCA and Thomas Jefferson Middle School principal Sharon Mondé sent letters, the County announced plans to install a stoplight at Glebe. (Thanks to our Traffic Committee of Bryan Sieling, Karl Schwartz, Mike Braton, Doris Keller; to TJ PTA president Mark Dorfman; to Alcova Heights president Jerry Gideon, and to Arlington County's Joseph Durkee and his staff for meeting and working out an agreement to install the stoplights on temporary overhead wires, to be replaced eventually by permanent Carlyle stoplights.)

3rd Street South: The County Board approved AHCA's NC proposal for Carlyles from Irving to Ivy.

4th Street South: If we can find 4th Street, we'll find a project for it.

5th Street South: The County installed Carlyles from Irving to Jackson. The County Board approved AHCA's NC proposal for Carlyles on the cul-de-sac west of Fillmore.

6th Street South: At AHCA's request, the County replaced the sidewalk in the secret passageway from the 500 block of Garfield to 6th. Not at AHCA's request, the County installed a water main under the sidewalk and tore up the landscaping maintained as a labor of love by JC Walters-Byrnes. The County will soon install new storm sewers and drains from Highland to Glebe to end localized flooding, eliminate Lake Irving and Lake Jackson, and fill missing links of sidewalk and curb at Irving. AHCA's #3-priority NC proposal would install Carlyles from Fillmore (Walter Reed) to Glebe.

7th Street South: In September, the County installed Carlyles from Walter Reed to Glebe. Arlington County installed a neighborhood sign at 7th and Glebe.

8th Street South: Same as 4th Street South, above.

9th Street South: Juanita Zientara is collecting signatures to add to Jennifer Schultz's petition for Carlyles from Walter Reed to Glebe.

9th Road South: The County funded a project for improvements to both 9th Road and our side of Columbia Pike, including Carlyles, but economic development officer William Roberts wrote in the accompanying article that work cannot begin until the County acquires rights-of-way.

Columbia Pike (Route 244): AHCA members participated in every meeting of the Columbia Pike Planning Process. Jay Jacob Wind visited EVERY business on this side of the Pike to invite them to join AHCA and advertise in our newsletter.

EAST TO WEST:

Fillmore Street / Walter Reed Drive: AHCA hosted the Columbia Pike Blues Festival, assisted Patrick Henry Elementary School's plantings, and celebrated Cintia Johnson's award as Arlington's Washington POST Principal of the Year. Neighbors could petition for NC work from Route 50 to Columbia Pike.

Fenwick Street: AHCA's #5-priority NC proposal would install curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and Carlyles from Route 50 to 2nd. The County Board approved AHCA's NC proposal for Carlyles from 2nd to 5th.

Garfield Street: At AHCA's request, the County cleaned up the greenspace at Garfield and Route 50 and patched potholes between Route 50 and 2nd. (Thanks to Karen Laake for pushing for the clean-up.) Karen also initiated a petition to convert the greenspace into a park. AHCA's #4-priority NC proposal would install curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and Carlyles from Route 50 to 2nd. The County Board approved AHCA's NC proposal to Carlyles from 2nd to 5th. AHCA's #3-priority NC proposal would install Carlyles from 6th to 7th.

Highland Street: AHCA's #6-priority NC proposal would install curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and Carlyles from 2nd to 6th. This proposal got a boost when the County Board added Safe Routes to Schools to the Capital Improvement Plan in the Transportation Bond Issue. (Thanks to Monique O'Grady for testifying to the County Board about the need for sidewalks.) The County installed Carlyles from 6th to 7th. Neighbors are petitioning for NC work from Route 50 to 2nd. Neighbors could petition for NC work from 7th to 9th.

Hudson Street: The County installed Carlyles from Route 50 to 2nd.

Irving Street: The County installed Carlyles from 2nd to 6th. AHCA's #1-priority NC proposal is for Carlyles from 6th to 9th. Neighbors are in the process of completing a petition for NC work from Route 50 to 2nd. AHCA obtained a Small Parks Grant for Arlington Heights Park at 9th and Irving, including a drinking fountain, landscaping, park benches, a picnic table, and a neighborhood sign.

Ivy Street: The County Board approved AHCA's NC proposal for Carlyles from 2nd to 5th. The County installed Carlyle lights north of 7th. Juanita Zientara is also petitioning for Carlyles from 7th to 9th.

Jackson Street: The County installed Carlyle lights from 2nd to 6th.

Old Glebe Road: AHCA's #2-priority NC proposal would install Carlyles from 1st to 2nd. At AHCA's request, the County will review traffic safety from 2nd to 3rd.

Glebe Road (Route 120): At AHCA's request, the County and VDOT agreed to install a stoplight at 2nd with temporary overhead lines. Eventually, permanent Carlyle stoplights will replace the temporary lines. The wait continues for left-turns at Columbia Pike, pending right-of-way acquisition. (See below.) Neighbors could petition for NC work from Route 50 to Columbia Pike.



WHAT'S (NOT) HAPPENING ON COLUMBIA PIKE?
by William Roberts, Arlington County Economic Development

For several years, Arlington County has planned streetscape improvements along Columbia Pike from Walter Reed to Glebe and on South Garfield and 9th Road South behind Cinema 'n' Drafthouse and Matuba Restaurant, beside the 7-11. Planned improvements include sidewalks, Carlyle lamps, and undergrounding utilities along Columbia Pike. The projects are funded but await right-of-way acquisitions before construction can begin. The most current projected schedule for construction is now Spring 2001, dependent on right-of-way acquisition. Intersection improvements at Columbia Pike and Glebe include new sidewalks and Carlyle lamps. This project is being managed by the Department of Public Works and funded by VDOT and also awaits resolution of right-of-way acquisition.



Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) and County planner Doug Woods hosted Columbia Pike Planning meetings in July. Citizens reviewed drawings reflecting six levels of density, from very low (current status) to very high (Rosslyn or Ballston). CPRO will soon announce the dates of the next round of meetings.

TRANSPORTATION BOND INCLUDES HIGHLAND SIDEWALK
by Monique O'Grady

A sidewalk on the west side of South Highland between 2nd and 6th was the #1-priority Safe Routes to School Program project in an internal Arlington County memo by Department of Public Works (DPW) director Sam Kem dated July 28. The memo budgeted $100,000.

DPW prioritized the project after determining the lack of a sidewalk endangers students walking to and from Patrick Henry Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and the Career Center. Right now, that stretch of Highland lacks sidewalks on either side of the street. Patrick Henry Principal Cintia Johnson and Career Center Director Dr. William Sullivan both wrote letters to the County Board asking for a sidewalk.

In June, Highland street resident Monique O'Grady spoke before the County board to press for funding and a high priority.

If Arlington's voters approve the Transportation Bond Issue on November 7, the sidewalk could be built early next year. Otherwise, the sidewalk is listed in the County's Capital Improvement Program in 2004.

In 1999, Highland residents petitioned for NC funds for the sidewalk and Carlyle lamps. With the backlog of NC projects, no sidewalks would be built for several years. If the Transportation Bond Issue passes and Safe Routes to Schools is funded, the NC sidewalk funds could be allocated to other neighborhood projects.



NEW BUSINESSES IN ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
by Jay Jacob Wind

HELP BUILD A PLAYGROUND IN THE BARCROFT NEIGHBORHOOD
by Anne Miller

Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool (AUCP) at Route 50 and George Mason Drive will construct a new playground on the site of its existing playground on October 26-29, 2000. The new playground was designed by Leathers and Associates, experts in design and construction of community playgrounds for more than 20 years, the same organization that designed the current playground. Like the existing playground, the new one will be all wood, with many mazes and tunnels for imaginative exploration, and will be open to the entire community. The new playground will also feature a play bus, tube slide, spring riding toys, puppet theater, chime wall, balance beams, tire pony, playhouses, and a castle. In addition, it will be handicapped-accessible.

Under the supervision of Leathers and Associates, the playground will be constructed in the old-fashioned barn-raising method, relying upon AUCP members and volunteers from the community to do the actual construction. The preschool is lining up as many as 300 volunteers from all over the community for each of the four days of the build. Food donated by Fresh Fields and childcare will be provided on-site.

If you are willing to volunteer for as little as one shift of the build (4 hours), please contact Anne Miller (703-533-1976). Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs, including skilled and unskilled labor, childcare, food service, and administrative support. No prior experience is required for most jobs. Children between ages 10-13 can volunteer, as long as they work alongside their parents, and those between 14-17 can work on crews without their parents, but cannot use power tools. Please get involved in this project that promises to be both fun and rewarding -- and when you take your children to this fantastic new playground, you can tell them that you helped build it!


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Mike, Brittany, Caitlin, and Monique O'Grady show off their Arlington Heights sweatshirts

BUY AN ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SWEATSHIRT OR T-SHIRT!

Please send to AHCA, c/o Monique O'Grady, 315 South Highland Street, Arlington VA 22204-2053

Name ______________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

City ST ZIP ______________________________________________ Phone ________________________

Adult t-shirt colors: blue shirt, cream lettering, green & gold pineapple.

Youth t-shirt colors: cream shirt, blue lettering, green & gold pineapple.

How many sweatshirts, T-shirts or bibs? [__] XXL Sweatshirts @ $19.00 each $__________

[__] Adult Medium [__] Large [__] Extra-Large Sweatshirts @ $17.00 each $__________

[__] Adult Medium [__] Large [__] Extra-Large T-shirts @ $10.00 each $__________

[__] XXL @ $12.00 each $__________

[__] Child Small [__] Child Medium (10-12) [__] Child Large (14-16) @ $ 8.00 each $__________

[__] Baby Bibs @ $ 6.00 each $__________

Total enclosed $__________

PLEASE JOIN ARLINGTON HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION

Please send to AHCA, c/o Bryan Sieling, Treasurer, 632 South Highland Street, Arlington VA 22204-2435

Family Members _______________________________________________________________________

Children's Names _______________________________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________________________

City, State, ZIP [__] Arlington VA 22204 or ________________________________________________

Work Phone _____________________________ Home Phone ______________________________

E-Mail Address _______________________________________ Add me to AHCA@EGROUPS.COM

Family Membership is $10.00 per year. Membership year is January to December.

[__] Enclosed is $10.00 for this year's membership in AHCA [__] Enclosed is a donation of $ ___________

Business Membership is $20.00 per year. [__] Enclosed is $20.00 for this year's membership



Advertise your business in our newsletter. Please enclose your camera-ready advertisement and payment: *

[__] Business card (2" x 3.5") [__] 1 issue $ 25.00 [__] 3 issues $ 60.00

[__] 2x business card (3.5" x 4" or 2" x 7") [__] 1 issue $ 45.00 [__] 3 issues $105.00

[__] Half-Page (4" x 7") [__] 1 issue $ 80.00 [__] 3 issues $180.00

[__] Full-Page [__] 1 issue $140.00 [__] 3 issues $300.00

[__] Full-Page Inserts [__] 1 issue $ 75.00

* Business members get a $5.00 discount per advertisement.


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