The Barcroft News
September , 2001 - Volume 99, Number 1
September Meeting:
Legislative Update
PLEASE JOIN US on September 6, 7:30 p.m., at the Community House, for this season's first monthly meeting. State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple and State Delegate Karen Darner will present us with a report on the Commonwealth's latest very lengthy legislative session. After their presentation and an opportunity for Barcrofters to ask them some questions, we will have updates from Committee chairmen on the many projects that have been worked on diligently throughout the summer.
There will be a vote on the installation of a 4 way stop sign at 3rd Street/South Pershing Drive/Wakefield intersection as requested by a Barcroft neighbor and deemed to met requisite parameters by the Arlington County Department of Public works.
New BSCL Membership Year
Our membership year starts with September each year and runs through August of the next year.
So, this being September, it's time to renew your membership - or join if you are not yet a member. Dues are only $3 per adult or $6 per couple. The membership form is printed as a page in this newsletter.
Membership shows interest in your neighborhood. Only members vote on important issues. The larger our membership base, the easier it is to represent the neighborhood in dealings with county or other officials.
Last year 41.5% of the households in Barcroft were members. That's great! Maybe this year we can make it 50 or even 60%.
Most everything within BSCL is done by volunteers. The more volunteers, the easier things get done. The membership form provides several opportunities. Perhaps you'll find one that interests you.
Once again we ask for your continued support of the Barcroft Community House Fund. Through your generosity, much has been accomplished. However, much still remains. Any contribution you can make will help to complete the total effort and will be very much appreciated.
Last year we printed a new Barcroft Neighborhood Directory. It lists everyone in the neighborhood, but was distributed only to BSCL members. Some copies are still available. These will be given to new members that join this year.
Barcroft Needs You: Recording Secretary
New in town? Old in town? The BSCL needs a recording secretary.
Duties:
Perks:
o Knowing what's happening in our community
o Influencing events a little
o Gaining a place on the reviewing stand at the July 4 parade
o Finding the company of others who care about our community.
Contact Pat Williamson 703-521-1082, pwilliamson@weta.com, or
Sue Tenenbaum, 703-979-0054, anniesgarden@starpower.net
to find out a little more.
Barcroft Needs You: NEWS Editor
Imagine yourself a media mogul? Aspire to be a Katherine Graham or Rupert Murdoch? The first step on the ladder to influencing the elites is to become the Editor of the Barcroft News.
The Editor is responsible for compiling and editing the articles for NEWS and then putting them into the nifty NEWS format. (It takes me about a half day a month to do this.) After three years on the job, I'm retiring to the south of France, or perhaps sailing around the world on my yacht.
Training is provided. Honor is earned.
Please call Mark Carl Rom, 202-213-8767 or romm@georgetown.edu if you are interested. Thanks.
Barcroft Needs You: NEWS Publisher
The NEWS does not show up on your doorstep by magic. Someone -- the Publisher -- must pick it up from the printers, divide it into bundles, and deliver it to the deliverers.
After almost three devoted years, Lisa Rom is taking a well-deserved break from her duties. We need a new Publisher. Can you help us?
Please call Lisa at 703-486-2983. Thanks!
Calm Traffic
At the June 4, 2001 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee (NTCC) meeting, Barcroft's Buchanan and Wakefield Streets were approved for Traffic Calming Projects. A Barcroft Working Group was formed and conducted their first meeting on June 21 to work the Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Process. On October 29, Barcroft will present its community-supported project to the NTCC. If recommended by the NTCC, our project will be presented to the County Board in December. If approved by the Board, the County will fund the construction of the traffic calming measures within Barcroft. It should be noted that, from the time the Board approves the plan, construction might not occur for nearly a year and a half.
The NTC program targets resources to neighborhood streets with the highest speeds and traffic volumes, along with high accident rates and proximity to parks, schools and other public facilities. These objective standards are assigned points and streets are ranked accordingly. Based on the traffic counts that the County performed between Dec 1999 and May 2000 throughout the entire neighborhood and information provided by our neighborhood, Buchanan and Wakefield Streets were approved for Traffic Calming Projects because they had 112 and 78 priority points respectively. Unfortunately, other streets submitted by Barcroft (Abingdon, 3rd, and 4th Streets) did not obtain the priority points necessary to be approved for traffic calming for this round.
Barcroft formed a Traffic Calming Working Group (TCWG), which met several times between June 21 and July 19 to determine appropriate traffic calming measures that could be applied along Buchanan/Pershing and Wakefield. As a result of these meetings, a list was presented to the NTCC for review and approval at a meeting on July 23. This list consists primarily of a series of speed humps and designated crosswalks. Through much discussion within the TCWG, a traffic circle at Pershing/3rd/Wakefield was also included on the list. Rounding out the list of measures proposed by the working group are gateway treatments at the entrances to Barcroft and extended nubs/chokers. Two new measures were added during our discussions with the County: electronic speed indicators (currently in use on N. 16th Street between Glebe and George Mason) and parking lane edge lines (currently in use along Pershing between Glebe and Fillmore).
Pending approval from the County, the Barcroft traffic calming working group with the help of the NTCC will begin an intensive neighborhood survey to gain approval of the selected measures. The County's traffic calming guidelines require a minimum of 60 percent approval (depending on the measure, that approval percentage may be higher) by the residents in the "impacted area." The impacted area will be determined by the NTCC with our input, and can be fairly limiting. The TCWG will seek to gain approval from the entire civic association; however, more weight is given in this process to the impacted area residents.
After the traffic calming measures have been constructed, the County will study the neighborhood again, to assess effects of the measures on Buchanan and Wakefield as well as to determine what (if any) affect the measures will have on traffic throughout the rest of the neighborhood.
Through the efforts of the Barcroft executive committee, we have won a concession by the County to address Barcroft's concerns about cut-through traffic. Jeff Sikes, from the Department of Public Works, will design a study to be carried out by Barcroft volunteers after Labor Day to collect data on cut through traffic. County staff will train Barcroft volunteers and then take the collected data and analyze it. Mr. Sikes tentatively sees the study taking place around the third week in September. Due to limited staff at the County, Jeff has indicated that about 20 neighborhood volunteers may be needed to assist the County. More information will be forwarded as the study becomes formalized.
Barcroft Elementary School
Barcroft Elementary School recently received two favorable articles from the Washington Post. You can check them out on the Web:
It's Not All About the Money: Barcroft School Passes the Test
"Barcroft Elementary School has met Virginia's tough Standards of Learning requirements for full state accreditation, the first ethnically and economically diverse school in Arlington to do so." The rest is on the Post Web site.
and
Good Principals Keep Good Teachers
Jay Matthews, for the Washington Post
"All parents want their children to have good teachers. How do we make that happen? ... Why would skilled, experienced instructors want to come to Barcroft rather than any of the dozens of other disadvantaged schools around the Washington area begging for help?
Those who have seen a good school in operation know why. At Barcroft, the answer is a dark-haired, five-foot former P.E. teacher, a whirl of energy on both the basketball court and the school hallway. Her name is Miriam Hughey-Guy. For the last eight years she had been Barcroft's principal."
Crab Feast Sept 9
Demeter House
Demeter House, the residential treatment center in Barcroft for women recovering from substance abuse, is likely to ask the County Board to expand its program.
Management of the center is hoping to get neighborhood support for the request. Demeter broached the idea in August with the neighborhood advisory committee formed to monitor management of the facility.
Demeter's use permit from the county currently allows 18 residents, only 14 of whom may be adults, with the remaining four slots to be filled by children of the adult residents. Administrator Maryln Goins-McCants says two more slots are needed to address the heavy demand for services and to make the non-profit center more economically viable.
The increase would allow up to 16 adults and a maximum population of 20, counting children. No additional staff would be needed, which means no additional traffic in and out of the facility. The impact of the change would be invisible outside the walls of the house, Ms. McMcants says.
Ms. McCants cites the facility's excellent track record in the neighborhood since the program began operation here in May of 1999. The initial six-month review included a few minor complaints, all of which were addressed. Virtually no complaints arose at subsequent reviews. Given the facility's excellent performance, the Barcroft School and Civic League last year agreed to increase the interval between use permit renewals from one to three years, with the caveat that an immediate review could be held should any serious problems arise.
Demeter's entry into the neighborhood was hotly contested when the board initially approved it in October 1996. In a compromise, the allowable size of 24 residents was scaled back to 18. The question before the neighborhood now is whether the facility should be held to that level in perpetuity, or whether it has been a good enough neighbor to be allowed to expand by two to meet demand for services.
Demeter's location is kept confidential as a condition of its permit. It operates a six-month residential program meant to get former substance abusers, many of them mothers, back on their feet. It includes intensive counseling, life skills and job training, child care and other services. Clients are screened for their ability to operate in what Demeter describes as an ``intensive, highly structured, yet unlocked environment.''
Some additional members may be needed for the Demeter advisory committee in the coming months. For more information, call BSCL President Pat Edwards-Williamson at 703-521-1082, or e-mail her at pat@bscl.org, or neighborhood liaison Daphne Miller at 703-920-5681 or daphnem@kinkos.com.
I-66 Widening
By Miriam Rollin, ACST President
On April 18, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved a study proposal from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDoT) regarding widening I-66 inside the Beltway. This has been the most significant action on the issue since adding travel lanes to I-66 was first proposed two years ago, and yet the media has paid almost no attention to it. Fortunately, the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation has not only helped shape the TPB's recent decision; ACST has also mobilized to respond to that decision, and impact all further developments related to I-66 widening inside the Beltway. Here's an overview of some recent events.
In August 1999, Governor Gilmore included plans for the widening of I-66 inside the Beltway in his state transportation spending proposal.
In response, in mid-November 1999, an ad hoc group of Arlington citizens organized a countywide public meeting regarding concerns about widening I-66 inside the Beltway. At that meeting (attended by more than a hundred people), the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation was formed. The mission of ACST has been, since its formation, "to ensure that no changes are made to I-66 unless such changes are part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan and are made with community consensus." Since that first meeting, the following developments have occurred:
December 1999: The Northern Virginia Transportation Coordinating Council approved the final, comprehensive "NoVa 2020 Plan", which proposes $30 billion in regional transportation expenditures over the next 20 years, but does NOT include widening I-66 inside the Beltway;
Early 2000: The Virginia legislature adopted a transportation funding package that does NOT include widening I-66 inside the Beltway;
Fall of 2000: The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved comprehensive transportation plan updates (updates to the "CLRP/TIP") that do NOT include widening of I-66 inside the Beltway;
October 2000: The Gilmore-appointed statewide Commonwealth Transportation Board adopted a 6-year state transportation spending plan that - despite the absence of any regional endorsement of the idea - DOES include $5 million for a "preliminary engineering" study of widening of I-66 inside the Beltway;
February 2001: The Gilmore-controlled VDoT submitted to the TPB a proposed CLRP/TIP amendment for a "preliminary engineering study" of widening I-66 inside the Beltway;
February 2001: The Virginia legislature approved Sen. Whipple's resolution (SJ411) - introduced at ACST's request - that directs VDoT to study a variety of alternatives to widening I-66 inside the Beltway (including reverse-HOV during peak travel hours, and design changes to improve traffic flow) and to investigate the potential impact of widening (including increased air and noise pollution, and the social and economic impact on adjoining communities);
March 2001: The Northern Virginia Transportation Coordinating Council (TCC) adopted a resolution that is even more explicit about the alternatives that must be analyzed in any study of widening (including promotion of Metrochek and telecommuting, and express bus service and bus rapid transit), and the impacts of widening that must be studied (including the effects on public trails and park land and on Metrorail ridership);
April 2001: The TPB approved a VDoT I-66 study proposal (which was altered before the April TPB meeting, to reflect SJ411 and the recent TCC resolution on the subject, and - at Chris Zimmerman's urging, after ACST advocacy - to require a full Environmental Impact Statement).
Without ACST's activism - and the strong support of Arlington elected officials, most notably Sen. Whipple and County Board member Zimmerman VDoT would have studied ONLY adding lanes to I-66, rather than appropriately evaluating ALL the alternative approaches to addressing congestion in the I-66 corridor.
Developments regarding ACST since November 1999 include:
Creation of an ACST website (www.acstnet.org) and an ACST e-mail account (acst@postmark.net);
Development of a database that includes hundreds of supporters;
Development of talking points on the issue of widening I-66;
Production of alerts to supporters and presentations to civic groups; and
Preparation and delivery of written and verbal statements to decision-making entities on the issue.
Much more remains to be done. The study of I-66 widening and alternatives - along with a full Environmental Impact Statement - must now be conducted, and there are many ways for ACST to have an effect on the process and its final outcome. ACST is only as effective as the combined efforts of our volunteers and supporters!
Please join ACST's efforts:
Come to an ACST meeting; upcoming meetings are scheduled for:
Sunday evenings, 6:30pm, at the Arlington Hospice (going East on Washington Blvd. from George Mason, make a left on Buchanan [before Glebe], and then a right at the "Hospice" sign) on the following dates: Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Dec. 2, 2001
Visit the ACST website (www.acstnet.org), or e-mail ACST (acst@postmark.net );
Send a contribution to support ACST's further efforts on this issue to: ACST, P.O. Box 5574, Arlington, VA 22205.
We look forward to working with you to find sensible solutions to the region's transportation problems.
Arlingtones
Sorry, Cancelled!!!
Enjoy an evening of barbershop singing when the Arlington Chapter, SPEBSQSA,
Inc. presents "A Barbershop Cabaret" at the Ft. Myer Community Center, 8 P.M
Friday, September 21. Light fare and refreshments - Table seating. General
admission $10, Seniors/Students (12 and over) $8. Tickets and information
Local Music, Gone West
Hi. I'm a former Barcroft resident that lived on Taylor street for twenty years. I now live in Utah and have recently released a short album (www.bullfrogsongs.com). Hope you check it out! Sincerely, Loki Mulholland.
Fall Crab Feast!
Sunday, September 9th promises to be a perfect day to join your hammer wielding, claw cracking, mouth wiping, drink sipping, finger licking neighbors at the 3rd Annual Barcroft Fall Crab Feast. We provide all the crabs you care to eat, icy beverages, and other tasty treats. You provide an appetite, a few bucks, and a shirt you don't mind getting messy.
Call David Michaelson at 703-553-3953 or drop him a line at david@bscl.org if you can bring a dessert or volunteer to help. The Feast is a fund raiser for the Community House.
The Fourth of July
The hottest days of summer are long since over…but I can still almost taste those grilled hot dogs, sweet lemonade, and red, white and blue frosted cupcakes. The notes of Yankee Doodle and Stars and Stripes Forever still dance inside my head. The happy costumes, the decorated bikes, the magicians and musicians still linger in my memory.
The July 4th parade, as always, was simply sensational, and simply the gracious, generous work of Andrew Hunter and all the other volunteers. Thanks, Andrew and the rest, for making the Barcroft parade truly worthy of our national Independence Day.
Rom's Reflections
I've always loved walking around our neighborhood, admiring the gardens, assessing the new home additions, listening to the children play. I also imagined the joy in the homes I passed -- births, weddings, families around the dinner table -- as well as the sadness -- deaths, separations, failures. Surely our community is special when we share our joys. We are even more exceptional when we support those with heavy hearts.
Please support our advertisers
Advertisers this month:
- W.H. Saravia Home Improvement 703-538-5076
- Big Guy Little Guy Construction 703-553-TODD
- RE/MAX Horizons - Casey O'Neal 703-824-4196
- Cowboy Cafe 2421 Columbia Pike 703-486-3467
- Taking Care (of elderly family members) Faith Lutheran 703-641-8797
All Barcroft News phone numbers are area code 703 unless indicated.
Barcroft News Staff
Deadlines: 1st (ads) or 10th (editorial material) day of the month preceding the issue month.
BSCL Officers for 2001-2002
President - Pat Williamson-Edwards, 703-521-1082 pat@bscl.org
Vice President -- Eric Harold - 703-486-0993, eric@BSCL.org
Recording Secretary -- Could be you!
Treasurer - - Gary LeFebvre - 703-521-0184
gary@BSCL.org
Corresponding Secretary -- Eric Parker -- 703-486-3649, ericp@BSCL.org
Membership Secretary -- Peg LeFebvre - 703-521-0184 peg@BSCL.org
Board Members
Community House
Facility Managers - Steve Reiss, 703-553-0909 and Lori Fitchett 703-979-3920
Restoration - Jim Kerr, 703-892-6458 jim@bscl.org
Fundraising - JoAnne Barnhart, 703-920-0821
Landscaping - Scott Brinitzer, 703-892-0308 scott@bscl.org
Committees
Traffic /B> - Elaine Squeri 703-920-7014, elaine@BSCL.org
Parks -- Shelley Fichtner, 703-486-0856
Crime - vacant
Arlington Mill Community Center -- Bill Lykes, 703-892-4422
Volunteers - Scott Royal 703-553-0909 volunteers@bscl.org
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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. All telephone numbers are 703 area code unless noted.
Barcroft School and Civic League
800 South Buchanan Street
Arlington, VA 22204
Neighborline: (24 hr. announcements, Community House rentals) 703-521-1116
Email: info@bscl.org
Web: www.bscl.org
This page was last revised on: September 16, 2001.
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