BVSCA Newsletter November 2000

• November 28 Meeting Agenda
• Minding Our Business
• Have a Heart
• Eye on I-66
• Miscellaneous News Items
• Editor's Prerogative
• Membership Information

November 28 Meeting Agenda

Please refer to the newsletter for a summary of agenda items. Also, note the location for our November meeting below.

7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting
7:30 pm Full Membership Meeting

• Ballston Partnership
• Hearts 'n Parks
• General Discussion

BVSCA dues paying members may participate as observers in meetings of the BVSCA Executive Committee. On November 28, BVSCA will be meeting in the community room of the Ballston Park Condominiums at 1050 N. Stuart St. behind The Nature Conservancy. We are grateful to Ballston Park Condominiums for offering space to us. However, please be advised that there is limited on-street parking available. Paid parking is available at the garage adjacent to the Rio Grande restaurant, on N. Taylor St.

BVSCA Membership Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of alternate months from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. The BVSCA newsletter is published six times per year in advance of the monthly meeting. Our next meeting is January 30, 2001.

Minding Our Business

The Ballston Partnership is a public/private initiative designed to stimulate livable development with offices currently located in Ballston Mall. In May of this year, the Ballston Partnership named Debra Jenkins as its new executive director. Ms. Jenkins has a background with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Columbia University, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Ms. Jenkins will attend our November 28 meeting. Join us to learn about Ms. Jenkins' goals for the Ballston Partnership and to discuss with her our neighborhood priorities, neighborhood business objectives, and opportunities for collaboration with the civic association.

Have a Heart

Arlington is now a Hearts n' Parks community. In partnership with the NIH National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Recreation and Parks Association, Arlington is working to increase the number of children and adults engaging in heart-healthy behaviors. Arlington County's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources was selected to pilot this new national education program. The Hearts n' Parks program focuses on encouraging Americans of all ages to engage in regular physical activity, to follow a heart-healthy eating plan and to aim for a healthy weight. Arlington has recreation centers, classes, parks and an extensive trail system available to help citizens work towards these goals. There are also elementary after school programs and playground camp programs as well as senior adult programs from which to choose. Gary and Julie Middleton will make a presentation on the Hearts n' Parks pilot program in Arlington at our November 28 meeting.

Eye on I66

The Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation (ACST), a broad-based citizen's group, has announced its opposition to a proposed engineering study on widening Interstate 66 inside the Beltway. The $5 million preliminary engineering study proposed by Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board, a panel that allocates Virginia Department of Transportation funds, would be the first stage in a major road construction project. ACST President Miriam Rollin said ACST opposes the study because: 1) widening I-66 inside the Beltway has not been approved by any of the regional transportation decision-making bodies, like Northern Virginia's Transportation Coordinating Council, or the Washington region's Transportation Planning Board, or by the Virginia General Assembly; 2) the study considers only one of many options for solving the I-66 transportation woes; and 3) the study violates federal transportation planning regulations, which require a road project to be included in an official regional transportation plan before the state allocates federal dollars for preliminary engineering.

Miscellaneous News Items

Virginia Square Sector Plan Review Update. The County Board will determine before the end of the year which of three pending sector plans will be first to be updated. If the VSSPR is selected to be first as per county staff's recommendation, it is likely that the plan update could be completed by the end of calendar year 2001. If you are interested in learning more about the plan, please contact Ed Rea, at 703-528-1224.

Passed Over. On October 19, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) presented its plans for the replacement and widening of the Glebe Road bridge over Route 50. Current plans call for the addition of a single dedicated lane for cars seeking to turn left onto Route 50 west from Glebe Road. Other improvements will include improved signals, sidewalks, curbs and gutters." The current estimated cost of the proposed reconstruction is $3.1 million. Though construction was originally scheduled to begin in late 2003, because of a "reprioritization" of funding of state road projects, construction is now not scheduled to begin before late 2005.

Cast a net. Looking for an on-line source showcasing Arlington? You can visit www.UptownArlington.com to find where to live, shop, work, learn and be entertained.

'Tis the Season. McEnearny Associates, Inc. realtors is continuing its support of the Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots campaign. Beginning Friday, November 24 and continuing through Friday, December 22, new, unwrapped toys for children up to the age of seventeen can be dropped off at the McEnearny Associates office at 4720 Lee Highway in Arlington. For further details, contact Ann McClure at 703-790-8580.

Listserv. BVSCA members are invited to subscribe to the BVSCA listserv to receive periodic updates on issues of neighborhood interest, as well as the monthly newsletter. To subscribe, send an email message to the list coordinator, William P. Jackson, Jr. (Bill), at wpj@translaw.com advising that you would like to join. Include your name and post office address in your message along with the email address(es) from which you will be sending messages. When you are added to the list, you will receive a "Welcome" message with details regarding how to use the listserv. Remember that a message sent by a BVSCA listserv member to BVSCA-L@rootsweb.com will be relayed automatically to all listserv members. To prevent senders of unsolicited commercial email from using our list for unauthorized purposes, only listserv members may send messages to the mailing list from a subscribed address. So, if you use more than one email address, include all of your addresses.

Editor's Prerogative

Congratulations to those who braved long lines and cool temperatures to exercise their right to vote on November 7. We all owe thanks to the many volunteers who worked at the polls in such a professional and patient manner. Wouldn't it be nice to have more than five polling booths in our voting district?? On the bright side, at least the ones we have are electronic! All five bond issues were approved by Arlington County voters, including the $5 million bond for the GMU expansion. We look forward to working with GMU to ensure that the GMU Phase II expansion plans contribute positively to our community.

DeAndra Beck
Newsletter Editor

Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association 2000-2001 Executive Committee

Michael Chircop, President
P.O. Box 1434, Arlington, VA 22210 703-525-9518, Ext. #1, Fax Ext #8
Ben Axleroad, Vice President
David Ryan, Secretary
Jeffrey Green, Treasurer
1050 N. Taylor St., #502, 22201 703-276-2723
Theresa Smith, NCAC Representative
DeAndra Beck, Alt. NCAC Representative
Dennis Burr
Ken Hughes
Tom Sawner

How to Join the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association or Renew Your Membership

All individual persons who are residents of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association's area or who in their individual capacity own residential property located therein, shall be eligible for membership in the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association. For the purposes of this organization, the boundaries of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association are Kirkwood Road on the east, Glebe Road on the west, Wilson Boulevard on the south, and the I-66 right of way on the north.

If interested in joining the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, please complete the BVSCA Membership Application Form below and send your application and dues to Jeffrey Green, Treasurer, Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, at the address below.

Dues are payable when first joining and are renewable each year on or before the annual anniversary of that date. New members and members who have not paid their dues within the three preceding Association years must pay their dues 30 days before they receive voting privileges. Former members who have been members in good standing within any of the three immediately preceding Association years may be reinstated as voting members by paying their dues for that year.

All members of the Association are volunteers. Dues are used to help fund the Association's activities and sponsored events. Please join the Association today, or renew your dues paid membership. Visit us at (http://www.bvsca.org)

Please make checks payable to BVSCA.