As the moving van slowly pulled away from North Stuart Street on March 19th, we bid a fond farewell to Rich Layman and his family. Rich has been a stalwart in our community for the past several years. He has been our main voice in the Washington-Lee High School projects since the Quincy Park days.

Thank you Rich, for all your hard work on our behalf. May your new community realize what a treasure they are getting. You will be missed. Please keep in touch.

Dear friends and neighbors:

As some of you may have noticed, we recently put our house up for sale. The response was great, last week we accepted a contract, and next week we go to settlement. March 19th the moving van shows up. My head is still spinning, this is happening so fast!

Anyway, since I am moving outside the boundaries of the BVSCA, the association needs somebody, or somebodies, to take over the few tasks I have been doing. I have already spoken with Dan Corts about him becoming the BVSCA representative on the NCAC. He has agreed and I am certain he will do a great job. Good luck Dan! Now he will need somebody to be his alternate.

Also, even though the W-L High School project's been quite lately, the BVSCA still needs to be vigilant. A new representative is needed for the W-L Building Level Planning Committee, as well as a main contact person for the related stadium upgrade project.

Lastly, I'd like to thank the BVSCA for allowing me to be its representative on these several fronts. I have really enjoyed the experience (well, most of the time anyway!) and the support so many of you have given me.

Thank you, and good luck BVSCA!

Rich Layman

County staff launched public review of their draft recommendations for revising residential zone permit parking with a "Citizens Forum" at GMU’s Arlington campus on March 12, 2005. About ten BVSCA’ers attended the afternoon session which lasted 4 hours.

Hot-button issues in the March 10, 2005 Draft Report include: 1) proposed limits on the number of residential zone parking permits that would be issued to a household and imposing annual fees for each permit; 2) restructuring the visitor pass portion of the program to limit the duration of a visitor pass and imposing additional fees for visitor passes; 3) permitting on-street zone permit parking for selected multi-family dwellings where the developers had previously put in less parking than the County zoning ordinance requires; 4) providing zone permit parking on residential streets for older business establishments, with civic association recommendation; 5) placing parking meters on residential streets with exemptions for permit holders; 6) revising zone parking permit hours into six uniform categories; and, 7) decreasing the size for some parking zones and keeping them within civic association boundaries.

On a number of items, our members’ comments expressed the need for crafting regulations on a case-by-case basis for the particular neighborhood, rather than imposing a set of non-flexible rules county-wide. The staff professed a strong interest in hearing from the community and involvement of civic associations in the zone permit process. To what extent the public input will be reflected in their final recommendations of course remains to be seen.

The Staff’s "Citizens Forum" schedule on the draft proposals also includes four evening meetings elsewhere in the county scheduled later in March. County Staff plans a final recommendation to the County Board in June 2005. BVSCA gets briefed at its March 29 meeting by Sarah Stott, the County Parking Manager.

- by Lew Gulick and Rohan Samaraweera

On Thursday, March 10, 2005 the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee had a meeting with neighborhood representatives, alternates, guests, and county staff at the NRECA Building, 4301 Wilson Blvd. at 0730. Arlington County has approximately 56 neighborhoods with about three of those "inactive" at this time. Our representative, Rich Layman, will be moving to a new neighborhood this month. We will miss his energetic presence in the group. BVSCA President Dennis Burr and I (an alternate representative) attended this meeting. After the roll call of neighborhoods, with any brief reports, approval of previous meeting minutes, a presentation was given by County Board chairman Jay Fisette.

The Chairman detailed his priorities for the group. They center on managing the refinement of our urban community: a. grow smart, b. be inclusive, focussing on affordability and facilitating small businesses, c. a healthy environment allowing for walking, bicycling, safety, etc., and d. ensuring value for tax money through audit committees and program evaluation. Mr. Fisette responded to questions regarding "building to the limits," organizing mass transit, organizing parking, and zoning restrictions. Walking Town Meetings with County Board Members were announced for upcoming dates May 24, July 21, and September 13. If interested, please verify these dates using the County website.

Adam Denton discussed "Missing Links," a program for correcting gaps in important sidewalks. Limitations are engineering, $100,000 per year, etc., so prioritize requests, considering .5 mile from a school or bus stop/METRO, drainage, re-sidewalk. Thirty days in June is the tentative application period.

Sarah Stott discussed residential permit parking. Changes will be proposed relating to: a. who is eligible to participate in zoned parking, b. what areas may be zoned, c. how the program is managed and enforced, d. visitor passes, and e. hours that zoned parking is in effect. There are currently 22 zones in the county. Draft recommendations can be seen online at www.parkarlington.com. Public meetings are planned in March, and opinions can be expressed on the draft recommendations: email prcr@arlingtonva.us by April 5, 2005.

Selected committee reports were presented. Neighborhood Day plans are underway. Entries by neighborhoods are encouraged. Reports of activity can be presented next NCAC meeting. Neighborhood traffic calming can expect $400,000 for the next three funding sessions. Site Plan meetings are to be held on Monday, March 14 and 28, 2000 Wilson Blvd. at 7 PM. Information about some committee reports, not presented this time, can be seen on the county website. The Arlington County Insider has much information of value.

- by Dan Corts

Neighbors in the Clarenford subdivision of Ballston (bounded on the east by N. Stafford, on the west by N. Vernon, on the south by Washington Blvd., and on the north by I-66) have again been experiencing postal delivery service problems since late October of 2004. The area is on the Postal Service's Arlington route 1032 which is served by Arlington's Main Post Office, which is now temporarily located at 1435 N. Quincy Street, zip code 22207.

Problems have primarily included mis-routed mail (someone else's mail delivered to you) and non-delivered mail (your mail not delivered to you). Several BVSCA members have contacted the U.S. Postal Service with their concerns and complaints.

The planning money for the Central Wilson Boulevard Parks was removed for the FY 2006 budget. Ashton Heights Civic association has expressed concern. The Ballston Virginia Square Partnership has expressed concern and it is hoped that there would be others that will express concern and ask for money to be restored to the CIP funding level suggested last year. $215,000

There are several points to be noted:

Oakland Park is the centerpiece for Virginia Square. It is an essential element of the 9th Street Greenway. Hundreds of folks use Oakland Park daily including pedestrians, dog owners, those who eat lunch in the park, young families with children, and special celebrations that occur at St. George’s Church. Pedestrian walkways and access to Metro Stations are an important part of Chairman Fisette’s focus this year. Oakland Park deserves to get attention this year so that pedestrians can enjoy a more attractive setting as they walk to the Virginia Square Metro station.

The planning money has been part of proposed budgets since 2002 Funding for a staff landscape architect should come from the 2006 Pay as You Go funding.

The construction on the ice rink facility at the Mall has begun. The first six months will be reinforcing the existing structure, followed by the construction of the two rinks and associated facilities. Parking in the garage will still be available but limited at times. The sidewalk on North Randolph Street will be closed for the duration of the project. Completion is expected in August 2006.

Ballston Art Market in Welburn Square – 1st Sat of every month starting in May’05 (10am-4pm)

New restaurants – Caribbean Breeze, Cold Stone Creamery, Panera Bread, Salad ‘n’ Things, Ted’s Montana Grill

Ballston Medical Center is opening at 3833 N Fairfax. Up to seven physicians are expected to see patients there.

Once again El Coro Infantil, the Spanish Children's Chorus, www.spanishchorus.org performed in our Ballston-Virginia-Square neighborhood. This time they were asked to sing at Washington-Lee High School for the "Rolling R" Contest. The contest was sponsored by Simone Contreras. Mr. Contreras teaches Spanish for Educators on Arlington County television. The contest rewarded those contestants who could roll the Spanish "r" for the longest amount of time with gift certificates and monetary prizes. Both native and non-native Spanish speakers of all ages participated in this fun-event. The Spanish Children's Chorus, under the direction of Director Cora Lee Khambatta, opened up the contest by singing several songs in Spanish. Many members of the Spanish Chorus also competed in the contest. El Coro Infantil will be participating in the Neighborhood Day Parade in Clarendon at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2005 www.arlingtonva.us/nd2005/NeighborhoodDay2005.aspx and again on Sunday, May 15th in Ballston for the Taste of Arlington www.tasteofarlington.com .

- by Denise Parks

- by Mike Chircop

April 6 All the Math You Need to Know to Get Rich

April 12 Creative Ways to be a Savvy Consumer

April 21 Financial Management for Women Part I

April 27 Financial Management for Women Part II

May 5 Estate Planning

May 10 How to Evaluate Stocks

May 21 Secrets to Financial Independence

Taste of Arlington is an annual event that transforms the Ballston area into a lively street festival, complete with local entertainment, children’s activities and of course, lots of food! It is a wonderful event that brings the community together for an afternoon of food, friendship and fun while also helping our neighbors in Arlington by supporting a local non-profit organization, Community Residences.

Last year, 30 restaurants, caterers and beverage providers participated in the event offering samples of their delicious specialties. As always, there will be a mix of ethnically diverse restaurants from the Arlington area and entertainment that will delight young and old alike.

The TASTE attracts more than 10,000 people who live in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

The event will be held on May 15th (12noon-5pm) at the Ballston Common Mall. Ticket books include 8 tastes per book. Cost: $20 in advance / $25 day of the event.

It's true, Neighborhood Day is Saturday, May 14th and NOW is the time to sign up to be in the parade or have an Official Neighborhood Day Event!

The deadline for parade entries and N-Day event registration is Apr 22. This year Neighborhood Day will also promote those great local businesses that make our neighborhoods unique. If you have some, tell them to Eric Sodee of the Sun Gazette Newspaper 703-738-2522.

Always wanted to be in a parade? Have good ideas for people who've always wanted to be in a parade? Have cute kids or dogs you want to show off? Get in touch with Chris Alvord (Penrose, 703-920-1607 or rca_ba@yahoo.com who's coordinating the NCAC entry in this year's parade. The day promises to be lots of fun! See you there!

"Lawns: Clean and Green?" will be held on Monday, March 7, and Monday, March 14, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium at Lubber Run Community Center, 300 North Park Drive, Arlington. On Saturday, March 12, and Saturday, March 19, the course will be conducted from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 South Stafford Street, Arlington, 703-228-6414.

Transportation options for Arlington seniors are outlined in a new brochure called, "Transportation at-a Glance." Available at senior centers, libraries, Courthouse Plaza or by calling the Office of Senior Adult Programs, 703-228-4721.

Researching family roots (Apr 27) - 703-228-0555

Senior Law Day (May 3) - 703-228-4745

America’s Artistic Heritage (Apr 4) - 703-228-5722.

Hawaiian dance (Apr 23) - 703-228-4403

Yarn Crafters - 703-228-5722

Ms Virginia Senior America Pageant(May 14) - 703-4581-1715

NOVA) United Senior Women’s Basketball - 703-228-4721

Health and wellness programs - 703-228-4721

Arlington seniors can participate in all activities at nine senior centers and community centers with senior programs, by registering with the Office of Senior Adult Programs and paying an annual $10 registration fee. Members receive a bi-monthly program guide and are also eligible for trips offered by the Senior Adult Travel office. Call 703-228-4721 for an application.

Open house meeting on Apr 16 - Saturday 9:30am to noon - at the Drew Model School, 3500 23rd Street South. You can review the initial design concepts for the Master Plan, incorporating public input from several of the recent meetings and workshops.

If you are interested in finding out more about this process, please contact Aileen Winquist at 703-228-3610 or awinquist@arlingtonva.us , or view the project web site at www.novaregion.o rg/restoration.htm.

Upcoming events/meetings include Board of Directors meeting (4/7), Real Estate Marketing Group (4/13), Urban Environment Committee (4/21), and Gala Re-Opening of Arlington Arts Center (4/9). For more information, please contact the Partnership at 703-528-3527.

Kirk Peterson Sr. and best friend Jason Valentine started A.Y.A.A. to expose Arlington residents to 75 years of structured youth sports and the scholastic achievement traditions of Pop Warner Little Scholars. The association is in its second year of existence. In 2004 over 150 Arlington County children ages five through sixteen participated in our football, cheerleading and volunteer program.

Please visit www.ayaasports.com to learn the Pop Warner story, game schedules (available in September), registration procedures and how to support Arlington County Youth with your tax-deductible donations.

The Ball-Sellers House, probably Arlington's oldest surviving home and built in 1750, opens for the season on Saturday, April 2, from 1 to 4 pm. The house is surrounded by ordinary neighborhood homes at 5620 3rd Street South in Glencarlyn neighborhood, near Arlington Boulevard and Carlin Springs Road. It will be open on Saturdays until October. Free. Come visit and see how working people lived in the 18th century. For info 703-379-2123 or 703-536-8270.

Arlington Economic Development will hold its first annual BizLaunch Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs on March 31 and April 1, 2005. This event is the first opportunity in Northern Virginia for entrepreneurs to learn the key fundaments of business ownership in just 1½ days.

It will bring together entrepreneurs with experts from the business community and faculty from Northern Virginia Community Colleges to provide intense courses and personalized training on topics ranging from designing a mission statement, to developing a business and marketing strategy, to financial aspects of running a business.

The BizLaunch Bootcamp will meet at the Arlington County Central Library Auditorium, 1015 Quincy Street. Register at www.arlington virginiausa.com/bootcamp or contact BizLaunch for more information at 703-228-0899.

Ninth Annual Arlington Teen Summer Expo will be held on Apr 23, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Washington-Lee High School. Sponsored by the Arlington Employment Center, the Expo is a free event to all participants for teens seeking work and for employers with positions to fill. Besides offering teens an opportunity to connect with participating businesses and agencies and learn about possible summer and post-graduate positions. For more information and to register online, visit www.arlingtonteensu mmerexpo.com or call the Expo Info line at 703-228-1404.

Arlington Farmers' Market - enjoy fresh produce, freshly baked breads, meats, eggs, cheeses, mushrooms, honey, and many other delights at the Arlington Farmers' Market, open every Saturday from 9am until noon at the intersection of Courthouse Road and N 14th Street. On April 9th the market will begin its regular season hours from 8am until noon. 703-228-6417.

• Asian Dim Sum Part I (Apr 2)

• Southern Cooking (Apr 9)

• Asian Dim Sum Part II (Apr 16)

• Thai (Apr 30)

The editor is maintaining a list of businesses that have been recommended by our neighbors. Please send your recommendations directly to tihzho@yahoo.com. Inclusion in this list does not imply an endorsement by BVSCA. The opinions expressed here represent those of the individual BVSCA residents.

Beverage: International Wine and Beverage at 4040 Lee Hwy

Italian/Greek: Mom’s Pizza Restaurant at the corner of Glebe and Columbia Pike

Dry cleaners: Old Dominion Cleaners on Lee Hwy

Towing: Cherrydale Towing

The online guide allows users to search for key features, such as apartment size, rent range and neighborhoods. You also can specify amenities such as dishwashers, find out if pets are allowed or whether the complex has a pool.

At aptguide.arlingtonva.us , you can find the location or get directions to the complex of your choice. Apartment listings include phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses to contact the landlord about applying for a unit. Some include the apartment complex's website. By clicking on the neighborhood name, you can get information about Arlington's Urban Villages.

Miriam Miller, President of the Opera Guild of Northern Virginia, is searching for a volunteer to join the Guild www.geocitie s.com/operaguild/home.html and develop young supporters of the ARTS. In particular she is looking for someone to help with outreach to school age children including Alternative Ed high school students. If you are interested in finding out more about how you can help bring the arts to children please contact Miriam Miller, President, Opera Guild of Northern Virginia, 4620 Lee Highway, Suite 212, Arlington, Virginia 22207. mcdm@erols.com

The School Board is seeking individuals to serve on two advisory councils: the Advisory Council on School Facilities and Capital Programs and the Budget Advisory Council. Information and applications for these two groups are available at: www.arlington.k 12.va.us/schoolboard/FC-BAC-application.pdf.

The Taste of Arlington is looking for assistance on the day of the event with different activities. For every 2 hours worked, you will be rewarded with 4 Complimentary TASTES. Please call Susan Anderson, Special Events Director, at 703-842-2319 or e-mail suanderson@comres.org.

One BVSCA goal for this year is to increase membership and encourage BVSCA residents to participate in their Civic Association. This includes new members just learning about BVSCA and all previous members who have lost touch. There are several of you - you know who you are. BVSCA needs you. Your experience, knowledge and voice are invaluable to the Association.

The purpose of BVSCA is "to take action to protect and promote the welfare and livability of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association’s neighborhoods in particular, and in Arlington, in general" (By-laws of BVSCA). Only with a large, active and vocal membership can BVSCA be effective in its dealings with the County officials.

Residents can join by filling out the membership application and paying membership dues. You can do this either by 1) coming to a BVSCA meeting, or 2) by mail. The membership application is on BVSCA’s web page and on the front of this newsletter.

Dues are $10 per person. Dues are payable when first joining and are renewable each year on or before the anniversary of that date. New members and members who have not paid their dues in the last three years must wait 30 days after paying their dues before receiving voting privileges. Dues are used to help fund the Association’s activities and sponsored events. Join the BVSCA today!

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the BVSCA’s community room located on N. Utah Street between Gaffney’s Restaurant and the Windsor Plaza condominiums on the last Tuesday of alternate months. BVSCA Executive meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. Full Membership meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. Meetings adjourn at 9:00pm.

Date: ________________________Dues: $10 per year

Name: _______________________________________

Street: _______________________________________

City: _______________________ Zip:_____________

Email:_______________________________________

Send my newsletter via: _____ email or _____ mail.

Phone (optional):_____________________________

I'm interested in volunteering to help: ____ yes ____ no

Mail to: DeAndra Beck
BVSCA Treasurer
1301 North Taylor Street
Arlington, VA 22201

Please make checks payable to BVSCA.

BVSCA Officers and Representatives

Vice President
Ed Parks (ebparks@hhlaw.com)
202-637-6587

Treasurer
DeAndra Beck

Secretary
David Ryan

At Large Executive Committee
Jim Webster
Sandra Kyles
Jennifer Mulchandani

Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee
Representative Dan Corts
Alternate Vacant

Arlington County Civic Federation

Delegates Ben Axleroad, David Ryan, Lew Gulick, Rohan Samaraweera
Alternates Linda Kyles, Edward Parks, Dennis Burr

Ballston Partnership

Representative Jim Webster

The following positions are not appointed positions but rather volunteer positions. They are listed here so that BVSCA members know who they can go to for information on a specific issue. Please inform Sujit Ray (tihzho@yahoo.com) of any changes or additions to this list.

Committee Chairs

Cherrydale Relocation Task Force:
BVSCA Member Ed Parks

Community Preparedness:
David Perlmutter

District 2 Police Committee:
Dennis Burr

Clarendon Task Force & Virginia Square East End:
Dennis Burr
Ben Axleroad

Virginia Square Sector Plan Oversight Group
Lew Gulick
Dennis Burr
Connie McAdam
Ben Axleroad
John Buckley

Condominium Project 10th & Monroe St.
John Buckley

Hayes Park:
Theresa Smith
Maggie Farrell

13th Street Park:
Denise Parks

Building Level Planning Committee:
(Washington-Lee School Project)
Linda Kyles

NCAC Sign Committee
DeAndra Beck

YMCA Strategic Planning Committee
Jim Rosen
Maggie Farrell

The BVSCA Home Page