The Barcroft News
October, 1998 - Volume 96, Number 2
Barcroft Parks
Barcroft's October meeting could be called "parks night" as we hear plans for completing one
park in Barcroft and discuss ways to spruce up another. As always, the meeting is the first
Thursday of the month, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the community house.
County landscape architect Chris Munson, along with members of the committee of Barcroft
neighbors who helped design it, will present final plans for the Arlington Hall park, one
block north of Fourth Street at Taylor,. Plans call for swings and other playground equipment,
benches, a picnic shelter and an enclosure for porta-potties. The civic league will take a final
vote on the plans so it can move forward toward construction.
Next, Steve Coffee of Arlingtonians for a Cleaner Environment will present an interesting
idea for Barcroft's adopted park along the W&OD bike trail near Columbia Pike. His plan: an
exhibit focusing on Four Mile Run as a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay. Interpretive signs
would be placed in the corner of the park nearest Columbia Pike and the bridge, visible to
both trail users and people walking along the Pike. A loop trail would lead to the signs and
meander along the top of the stream bank back to the bike path.
These and other changes could make the area safer and less isolated. The park would also be
more appealing for the many runners and bikers who turn around at Columbia Pike. Come to the
meeting to hear Steve's ideas and give him some feedback.
Ice Creamed
Thanks to all those who attended the Ice Cream Social. We had much fun, ate many toppings,
broke one window, and raised $80 for the community center.
Barcroft to Join New Arlington-Douglas Park for Candidates Night
Barcroft and New Arlington-Douglas Park will be merging their candidate's night this year. The debate between County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman (D) and challenger Michael Lane (R) will be held on Thursday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Randolph Elementary School, 1306 S. Quincy Street.
New Arlington-Douglas Park is our neighbor to the south of Columbia Pike. It shares Barcroft's concerns with the Pike, and is the currently the neighborhood where Demeter House, the shelter for women recovering from drug addiction, is located. Demeter will be moving to S. Sixth Street in Barcroft later this year. Both Zimmerman and Lane should be well equipped to answer lots of questions about problems and concerns affecting both neighborhoods.
To get to Randolph Elementary, take Columbia Pike east to S. Quincy. Turn right, and go one block to the school, which will be on your right. Turn into the first parking lot entrance. The debate will be in the cafeteria. See you there!
Neighborhood Day
On October 3, 1998, please join the Barcroft School and Civic League, Alcova Heights Civic Association, Arlington Forest Citizen Association and Barcroft School as we co-sponsor an Open House and potluck lunch to celebrate Neighborhood Day. The event will start at 11:00a.m. at the Barcroft School, with a tour of the school followed by lunch at noon. To coordinate what dish to bring contact Beth Lodsun at 979-1104. Please attend even if your not interested in lunch and see what is up at your neighborhood school. We have been working hard to integrate the school into the community. Recently the school has received new carpeting and volunteers working with the students have been transforming the grounds. We would love for you to come and see the native plant and butterfly gardens. We also would encourage you to come participate or watch the countywide parade, which will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the parking lot across from Fresh Fields on Clarendon Blvd. All activities planned for Neighborhood Day are being spearheaded by one of your Barcroft neighbors, Mr. Randy Swart. So get out to the school, the parade, or look for information on some of the other exciting happenings planned for Neighborhood Day.
Demeter House Likely to Open By New Year
Demeter House, the controversial shelter for women recovering from drug addiction, has received
funding to begin renovations to its house on South Sixth St., reports Daphne Miller, the
neighborhood's liaison to the center.
Demeter is still seeking money for the extensive landscape plans it presented to the neighborhood
some months back. It's not yet clear the extent to which Demeter can afford to follow its
landscaping blueprint outlined at a BSCL meeting. That's unfortunate because landscaping
is an important component of making the facility less intrusive to its neighbors.
Finally, Demeter inadvertently listed its Sixth Street address in the phone book. That's
technically a violation of the facility's use permit, which required that the address be
kept confidential. Bell Atlantic is to remove the listing from next year's phone book.
Around the Neighborhood
with Kathy Kerr
Welcome to new Barcrofters Eric Parker and Nancy Galib. They moved into their new home on S.
Abingdon St. at the end of June, just in time for the Barcroft 4th of July parade! Longtime
Arlingtonians, Nancy works at the Treasury Department. Eric, a native Virginian, works for
the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. They enjoy gardening and walking
their beagle, Milo. Eric is active with Arlington Dogs, an organization devoted to the
preservation and expansion of dog parks. He is also interested in the related ecological
issues.
Congratulations to Paul Bothwell and Mary Ellen Gallagher on S. Taylor St. whose new baby Mary
Kathryne was born July 5th. Older son, Paul, Jr., age 2 ½ loves his new sister. The family
has lived in Barcroft since 1995. Mary Ellen is in medical school and will finish next year.
Paul works for the World Bank as a team assistant for Bangladesh. He invites Barcrofters to
become informed about flooding disasters in Bangladesh and to donate money to the World Bank’s
Flood Relief Fund. Checks made out to Bangladesh Flood Relief IRBD can be mailed to:
c/o Saravita Choudhry, Operations Analyst for Bangladesh, SASFP MC 10 138, World Bank, 1818 H
St. NW, Washington, DC 20346. Paul has considerable information about Bangladesh. He can be
reached at home at 486-0274.
Deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kent Hall of 4th St. S. who suffered a fatal
heart attack on August 29, 1998. He is survived by his wife Michelle Reilly Hall and two
children, Caiti, age four and Austin, age two. Memorial contributions may be sent to the
Kent Hall Memorial Fund, US Senate Credit Union, Washington, DC 20510 9026.
Community Policing, as seen by Trav Fick
Am I impressed! And revved - but not too fast! In the interests of the Traffic Committee, I
attended an excellent County meeting: well-run, interesting, and efficient. It was the
Community Policing Forum, September 14, at the Arlington Mill Center (site of former Safeway
on Columbia Pike). The idea behind community policing is to avoid problems; the police will
be decentralized, integrated into specific sections in the community, and broadly pro-active
in their efforts and collaborative with residents of their area.
Following the general session, we were divided into smaller working groups to identify our top
three local concerns, outline what we expected the police to do about them, and what we as
citizens could do. The results: We are not the only ones who worry about speeders! Three of
the four groups reported traffic speed and pedestrian safety as their first priority concern,
along with related issues of high density parking and trashing of streets, running traffic lights, and noise pollution. Other concerns involved inappropriate or illegal public behavior (such as drinking, gaming, loitering, drug use, urinating, and littering) in schools, parks, informal social gatherings; graffiti and other gang-related disturbances; and ignored code.
Barcroft is one of about fourteen neighborhoods in District 3 (we are “3D”), and our officer is
Captain Steve Holl, who can be reached at 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, 22201 or at
703-228-4097.
This meeting was the first in a collaboration between citizens and police. Credit for a
successful meeting goes to Chief Flynn, Captain Holl and his staff, and Conchita Mitchell
with her colleagues in Community Policing.
The Barcroft Traffic Committee will meet September 21 with Jeff Sikes at the county’s Traffic
Planning office to suggest six measures for traffic calming here. If these suggestions seem
feasible, the committee will use them as starting points for our neighborhood discussion on how
to slow traffic and make our streets safer.
Town Meeting
A Town Meeting will be presented by the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office and The Citizens’
Crime Prevention Council of Arlington. The Town Meeting will be held on Monday, October 5th,
1998 at 7:30 p.m., at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Theatre, 125 South Glebe Road. All
persons are welcome to attend.
The meeting is titled “Crime & Punishment, Your Sheriff’s Office in Action.” The meeting will
include information and presentations on programs such as “Deadbeat Parents’ Program”
(enforcement regarding child support); “Gang Activity/Issues in Arlington”; “Aggressive
Driving”; “Inmate Work Programs” and other jail rehabilitative programs. There will also be an opportunity for open discussion and questions.
Construction should begin sometime in November, and the women could move in anytime between
Thanksgiving and the New Year. All of the construction will be interior.
County Says It'll Take Care of Grandma During Construction
County engineer Allan Riley appeared to put neighborhood fears to rest about plans to enlarge a
sewer line that cuts through Barcroft's portion of Glen Carlin park, the wooded ravine and hills
around Grandma's Creek, between S. Buchanan and Four Mile Run.
Riley said the park will be largely undisturbed because the county is using a technique called
"pipe bursting." Powerful machinery will actually pull new polyethylene pipe through the old
ceramic pipe. The new pipe will then expand and "burst" through the old. Most excavation will
be confined to a manhole near Four Mile Run, where state officials will supposedly be watching
for erosion that could further degrade that creek.
A temporary pipe will re-route sewage while the work is underway. Riley was less certain about
what kind of disturbance this could cause in the woods.
The new line is needed, Riley said, to avoid sewage backups. While he's unaware of any leaks,
the current line has been pushed uncomfortably close to capacity by growth and incursion of
storm water into the system.
There is no firm start date for the project yet. But it could occur anytime from late winter
to early spring. Construction could completed in as little as a week. The good attendance and
many questions at the September BSCL meeting put the county on notice that we value our park
and will be watching to make sure the construction workers do too.
Neighborhood Conservation Bond Issue
On November 3, Arlington County voters will have the opportunity to express support for four
proposed general obligation bonds. The Streets, Highways and Community Conservation Bond
Issue provides funding for the construction and rehabilitation of streets and highways, bridges,
curbs and gutters, bikeways, sidewalks and other pedestrian ways including neighborhood traffic
calming efforts.
Importantly, this bond issue makes funds available for Arlington County’s Neighborhood
Conservation Program. Since the beginning of the Neighborhood Conservation Program in 1964,
our County has promoted the use of public funds to improve, upgrade and preserve the older
residential areas of Arlington. The program is unique in the U.S. in that it provides dedicated
funding to neighborhoods, which set their own priorities for physical improvements. This is
different from most traditional community revitalization programs, where decision making
typically resides in county or city departments.
Neighborhood Conservation operates on the premise that the people who know best the needs and
future direction of their community are those who live in the neighborhoods. It is a grass
roots, citizen directed process that allows Arlington residents to set the direction for their
own neighborhoods. While Neighborhood Conservation is part of the County government, decisions
regarding program policy, plan review and funding recommendations are made by the Neighborhood
Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC). The NCAC is the only Arlington County volunteer
commission whose members are wholly selected from the "bottom up" -- each NCAC member is
sent to the Committee by his or her civic association. Each neighborhood has one vote in NCAC
deliberations.
For additional information about the Program, please contact your NC representative or Program
Coordinator Chris Nixon at 228 3820.
Water-Wise Gardeners
In an effort to make homeowners more aware of how improper fertilization and pesticide use can damage local water quality and that of the Chesapeake Bay, the Arlington office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension is offering a free program of information and hands on help to homeowners for improvement of lawns.
The Water Wise Gardener Program teaches homeowners how to care for their lawns and landscapes in a manner that produces a healthy and attractive lawn while protecting water quality. By following recognized university turf care recommendations, any homeowner can achieve an attractive and sustainable lawn.
Fall is the proper time for many beneficial lawn care practices such as soil testing, aeration, over seeding, and fertilization. These topics will be covered in a program on October 4 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Potomac Overlook Park at the end of Marcy Road. A free soil test and home visit advice from a Master Gardener is included.
Rebecca G. Mead, Water Wise Gardener Program Coordinator, looking for homeowners from the Barcroft Association area who would volunteer to participate in this pilot program for one year. You can contact her at the October 4 session.
Spanish Translators Needed
Barcroft School PTA needs translators for the newsletter and flyers. If you can donate few minutes of your time once a month (or even less), please contact Beth Swallow at 703 521 4576 or (202) 721 9227.
Free Yoga Class
Hatha Yoga will be offered in a free class at the Barcroft Community Center, on October 20, at 6:30 p.m. An eight week course will begin October 27. For further information, call Ishwari at 703-998-0813.
Want to Dance, Eat Birthday Cake, or Toast the Wedding Couple?
You can do these things, and more, on a budget,
at the Barcroft Community House
- Large space, small rental fee;
- Sparkling new kitchen & restroom
Call Tom at 979-8366
Special Low Rates for BSCL Members!
Barcroft Exchange
FOR SALE: Simmons crib, white lacquer finish, meets all safety standards, mattress not included, $90. Graco Pak n Play portacrib, $35. REI Tough Traveler aluminum framed backpack for carrying baby and baby stuff, like new, $65. Call Eileen or Alan at 892-1090.
BABYSITTER Corey Hall, age 13, 521-4418, Red Cross Certified, price varies.
Barcroft News Staff
Editors Mark and Lisa Rom 486-2983
Publisher/Mailing Jane Duffy 892-6015
Advertising Mgr. We need your help!
Neighborhood News Kathy Kerr, 892-6458
Contributions Ed. More fun than flubber!
Deadlines:
1st (ads) or 10th (editorial material) day of the month
preceeding the issue month.
BSCL Officers for 1999-1999
President David Michaelson, 553-3953
Vice President Mark Wigfield, 979-0339
Recording Secretary. Vacant
Treasurer Gary Lefebvre, 521-0184
Corres. Secy. Bill Huddleston 920-2011
Membership Secy. Peg Lefebvre, 521-0184
Board Members Scott Brinitzer, Jim Kerr, Tom Palance, Randy Swart
Community House Facility Manager Tom Palance 979-8366
Restoration Jim Kerr, 892-6458
Fundraising Bill Huddleston 920-2011
Landscaping Scott Brinitzer, 892-0308
Crime Resistance Help keep us safe!
Neighborhood Conservation David Michaelson, 553-3953
Signs Manager Jack Turner
Traffic Committee Elaine Squeri 920-7014
Parade Andrew Hunter 979-8247
The Barcroft News is printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based
ink by the Stanley Adams Printing Company. Our Web version uses recycled bits and bytes.
Membership Dues
September marked the beginning of a new membership year, and it is time to renew our Barcroft
School and Civic League memberships. Dues remain the same, still
$3 per adult ($6 per couple).
The BCSL offers events for our community throughout the year.
All work for these events is done by volunteer members. We encourage
you to become one of those people who help make things happen.
The membership form shows several areas where help is needed.
Some of the happenings have been around for a long time, while
others are new areas of interest. Hopefully there is one that
interests you.
Once again we ask for your continued support of the Barcroft Community
House Fund. Through your generosity, major portions of the restoration
have been completed. However, several significant tasks still
remain (e.g., roofing, flooring, the main hall, and landscaping
- which really needs to include a sprinkler system to survive).
Any contribution you can make will help to complete the total
effort and will, of course, be very much appreciated.
Please take a moment to fill out the membership form and mail
it to the Membership Secretary at her home address shown on the
form.
**********************************
Barcroft School and Civic League
800 South Buchanan Street
Arlington, VA 22204
Neighborline: (24 hr. announcements) 521-1116
Email: info@bscl.org
Web: www.bscl.org
This page was last revised on: September 15, 2000.
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