BVSCA Newsletter November 2001
Contents:November 27 Meeting Agenda
Please refer to the newsletter for a summary of agenda items. Also, note the location for our November 27 meeting below.
7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting
7:30 pm Full Membership Meeting
BVSCA dues paying members may participate as observers in meetings of the BVSCA Executive Committee. On November 27, we will be meeting in the community room of the Summerwalk Condominiums at 1029 N. Stuart St. behind the Hunan Gate restaurant. We are grateful to Summerwalk II Condominiums for offering space for this BVSCA meeting; however, please be advised that there is limited on-street parking available. Paid parking is available at the garages 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 29, 2002.
Hayes and Hoes
Ms. Aura Grego, Arlington County's Department of Parks, Planning, and Community Resources, will provide a short overview of the county's process for making improvements to Hayes Park, an initiative recently funded with Neighborhood Conservation resources. Ms. Grego is soliciting community volunteers to participate in the planning team. For more information or to volunteer for this team, please contact Theresa Smith at 703-243-3695.
Capital Improvement
Will Ballston Mall become the new home of the practice rink for the Washington Capitals? Representatives of the law firm of Walsh-Colucci will attend the November 27 meeting to discuss a site plan amendment for a proposed addition to Ballston Mall. The proposal includes an 8th level parking garage, two NHL sized skating rinks for public and private use, as well as retail and commercial space. The Caps have expressed interest in relocating their practice facilities to this location should the proposed site plan amendment be approved. For more information, please contact Ben Axleroad at 703-525-3083.
Quincy Plaza
Chris Brigham of Dittmar, will attend the November 27 BVSCA meeting to present a site plan for Quincy Plaza. The proposed multi-story residential unit would be located on the parcel of land at the southeast corner of the intersection of N. Fairfax Blvd. and N. Quincy St., directly across from Rocklands Barbecue. For more information, please contact Ben Axleroad at 703-525-3083.
Front and Center
The Ballston Center site plan amendment will be discussed at the November 26 Arlington Planning Commission meeting and the December 8 Arlington County Board meeting. The proposed mixed use project covers a site bounded by Randolph, Quincy, Wilson and 9th Street and includes both office and residential buildings with first floor retail, landscape and water features, and approximately 1426 below grade parking places on five levels and some surface parking. The applicants are the Ballston Investment Group, LLC and the Shooshan Co., LLC. A variation of the current proposal was presented and discussed at length at the July BVSCA meeting without significant objections but with concern expressed about residential unit size, rental goals, and traffic/pedestrian impacts. For more information, contact DeAndra Beck at 703-528-5126.
Miscellaneous News Items
Green Thumbs Up. Classes for new Master Gardeners will be held January 15 through April 4, 2002 at the Arlington Extension Office. Registration deadline is December 14. Classes meet from 9-12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To become a certified Master Gardener, candidates complete a 120-hour program and 60 hours of classroom instruction, followed by 60 hours of volunteer service. For more information and an application, call the Arlington office of Virginia Cooperative Extension at 703-228-6400.
Santa's Helpers. The Arlington 2001 Secret Santa Program seeks organizations and individuals to sponsor or "adopt" a family for the winter holiday season. Each year Secret Santa identifies more than 400 Arlington families in need of a holiday meal and gifts for family members. Groups or individuals interested in more information about the program or being matched with a family are invited to telephone the Secret Santa Hotline at (703) 228-6412 or e-mail jcover@co.arlington.va.us for more info.
Under Wraps. The Arlington Street People's Assistance Network (A-SPAN) is seeking volunteers for its holiday gift-wrapping fundraiser at Ballston Mall. Volunteers will wrap gifts for customers in exchange for donations for A-SPAN's homeless services. Wrapping can be done in 2 or 3 hour shifts on Nov 23 - 25, Dec 1, 2, 8 & 9, and Dec 15 - 24. Hours for wrapping are noon to 9:00 pm (Sundays until 6:00 pm). A-SPAN is also seeking donations of winter clothes for men (coats, hats, gloves, underwear, and socks) and toothbrushes, toothpaste and disposal razors. Items can be brought to Opportunity Place, 2708B S. Nelson Street, Arlington, weekdays 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. To volunteer, call (703) 820-4357 x17 or email Broderaspan@aol.com.
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. How? Send an email message to bvsca@hotmail.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.
Editor's Prerogative
Does fall bring "golden leaves" or "gold in leaves?" If you compost, the answer is both! Arlington County provides paper bags to collect leaves for county wide composting. In the spring, residents can load up on composted leaves at various sites throughout the county free of charge. Even if you live in a high rise condo or rental unit, you can turn fall leaves, Starbucks coffee grounds, and kitchen scraps into rich fertilizer for patio plants and landscaped beds. Composting is a good way to reduce the burden on our landfills, recycle nutrients, and enrich the soil. If this hasn't convinced you, even the Chesapeake Bay benefits from composting. For paper bag locations, visit http://www.co.arlington.va.us/des/index.htm. To learn more about composting, visit http://www.mastercomposter.com/.
DeAndra Beck
Newsletter Editor
Ben Axleroad, President
3800 North Fairfax Dr., #205, Arlington, VA 22203
703-525-3083
Dennis Burr, Vice President
David Ryan, Secretary
DeAndra Beck, Treasurer
1301 N. Taylor St., Arlington, VA 22201
Theresa Smith, NCAC Representative
Ken Hughes
Jeffrey Green
Kate Wilson
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)
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Mail to: DeAndra Beck
BVSCA Treasurer
1301 N. Taylor St.
Arlington, VA 22201
Please make checks payable to BVSCA.