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October 2000 B
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Bluemont Civic Association BCA Officers and Representatives Join the Halloween parade! Sunday October 29 - 1:30 p.m. The fun begins at 1:30 p.m. with registration, McGruff the Crime Dog, dedication of the new Lacey Woods Tot Lot, the Swanson Middle School Band, prizes, refreshments and other activities. Last year over 170 children participated, so be sure to come early to register. And this year we have Jon Spelman to get us in the Halloween mood with stories around the fire circle starting at about 3:30 p.m. Bring your camera! A very special thanks to this year's Halloween Parade sponsors:
Meet the Candidates: October 25 Mark your calendars! The Bluemont Civic Association (BCA), in conjunction with the Leeway Overlee Civic Association and other groups, will again sponsor a Candidates Night in advance of the November election. The evening will features incumbents and challengers for U.S. Congress and three important Arlington County offices. This is a great opportunity to meet the candidates in person and judge them without having to depend on the mass media. Wednesday, October 25 Reed School multipurpose room (corner of McKinley St. & Washington Blvd.) 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Candidate schedule: U.S. House of Representatives James Moran (D), incumbent Demaris Miller (R) Ronald Crickenberger (Libertarian) Rick Herron (Green Party) Arlington County School Board Libby Garvey, unopposed Frank Wilson, unopposed Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur (D), incumbent John Baber (I) Elmer Lowe, Sr. (I) Arlington County Board Barbara Favola (D), incumbent Scott Tate (R) Joszet Hudson (I) Each candidate in the contested races will give a three-minute introductory statement and then answer written questions offered by the audience. Refreshments will be provided courtesy of the sponsoring civic associations. Those driving may park either in the lot behind the school at 18th Street North and North Madison Street or at the Westover shopping center. Improving Arlington's Environment Elenor Hodges, executive director of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment will give a presentation for the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) about environmental improvement efforts in the County, with a special focus on the Bluemont neighborhood. The presentation will be part of the BCA's general meeting on Tuesday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Arlington Traditional School on Edison Street north of Wilson Boulevard. Discussion will follow the presentation. This is an excellent opportunity for residents to learn and exchange views about water quality, air quality, trees and other important environmental issues in our neighborhood. BCA Approves Wilson Blvd Safety Efforts Members of the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) at their September 27 general meeting voted to seek Arlington County consideration of a range of measures to slow down speeding traffic and make it safer to walk on Wilson Boulevard. Attending the meeting were Arlington County chief traffic engineer Terry Bellamy, Arlington County pedestrian and bicycle coordinator Ritch Viola and Lt. Mary Gavin of the Arlington County Police. Each of these officials has expressed willingness to work with BCA in follow-up meetings that would consider specific proposals on traffic management and pedestrian safety. Measures for Wilson Boulevard suggested by BCA include
In sum, these measures are intended to improve safety without unduly affecting vehicle flow. The Bluemont Neighborhood Conservation Plan - approved by Bluemont residents in 1999 - calls for making Wilson Boulevard more of a traditional "Main Street" that pulls together the neighborhood. Bluemont resident Robert Waffle (358-9448, rwaffle@erols.com) is the chair of the Civic Association's Wilson Boulevard working group. Bluemont History Did You Know? In 1739, the Bluemont area was included in the second largest land grant made within the confines of today's Arlington County. The new owner was a tobacco planter named John Colville. In 1754 he received permission from the Fairfax County Court to build a mill on the land, known as Lubber Tract. Meanwhile, the crossroads of the "Road from Falls Church to Awbrey's Ferry" (Wilson Boulevard) and the "Road from Alexandria to Little Falls" (Glebe Road) had been developed with a tavern. After the American Revolution, the Lubber Tract was divided into lots and sold at auction. Some of the lot lines survive today as Carlin Springs Road, Wilson Boulevard, 11th Street and 16th Street. |
BCA to work with St. Ann's on building project A Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) subcommittee is studying St. Ann's plans to build a new church. The subcommittee expects to work with the parish on several issues of serious concern to the neighborhood in the coming months. Primarily, some nearby residents have been concerned about the parish's plan to construct a parking lot in place of the existing green space area and church building at the corner of North Frederick and North 10th Streets. Since that location is considered by many to be the visual cornerstone of the neighborhood, there are concerns the change would not only spoil the aesthetics of the area, but would also create new traffic pattern, safety and lighting problems. Other concerns have been voiced about the planned structure's height and impact on neighboring streets. The BCA subcommittee began working on the issue several years ago when St. Ann's originally announced plans to demolish the current church and build a new one. The panel stopped its work in January 1998 when Bishop John Keating told the parish it should instead preserve and renovate the existing structure. Most nearby residents had no objection to the renovation plan since it would not change the character of the neighborhood. However, all plans were put on hold when Bishop Keating died two months later. After Arlington's new bishop, Bishop Paul Loverde, took office last year, St. Ann's asked him to reconsider the demolition and construction project. In recent months Bishop Loverde has told St. Ann's he will allow a new church to be built if the parish, which has raised about $1.3 million, can raise an additional $750,000. A new fundraising drive is expected to begin this fall. Although there is no firm timetable for when construction might begin, the BCA subcommittee has been reconstituted. In recent weeks there have been indications from St. Ann's that the parish would be willing to work with the association to address neighborhood concerns. The panel hopes to share views with the parish in the near future. If you are interested in serving on the subcommittee please contact the chairman, Carl Hallinan, at 703-812-4797, or challinan@aol.com. A Wider I-66? According to local press reports, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf of Fairfax County are progressing in their efforts to widen Interstate 66 through Bluemont and other parts of Arlington. A widened I-66 would result in the loss of a portion of the W&OD bike trail and some adjacent parkland near the Bluemont neighborhood, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. VDOT's long-term transportation plan, announced at the end of September, proposes allocating $5 million for an initial engineering study on widening I-66 inside the Beltway. The study does not consider alternatives to widening, and disregards previously decided regional transportation priorities. Bluemont residents wanting to learn more about the I-66 proposal or raise their voices as part of an advocacy group proposing alternatives to widening may contact the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation at ACST@postmark.net (email), ACSTnet.org (website), or 703-538-7981 (president Miriam Rollin). 10th Street Sidewalk Project Progresses At its September meeting, the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) endorsed a proposal to complete the sidewalks on 10th Street between North Frederick Street and George Mason Drive. Completion of those sidewalks is one of the priority improvements recommended in BCA's Neighborhood Conservation Plan. The affected block of 10th Street gets a large amount of pedestrian traffic. Because it is the only through street on the west side of George Mason between Washington Blvd. and I-66, many people use it to go to and from Metro. Moreover, there is a church and school on the corner of 10th and Frederick Streets. While most of the block has sidewalks, in one stretch there are no sidewalks on either side of the street. Residents of the block have been discussing how to design the project with the county staff. These discussions will continue as the project moves forward. Major issues include the width of the street where sidewalks are being added and whether to put sidewalks on one or both sides of the street. The current proposal is for a 30-foot street width where sidewalks are added; the part of the street where there are already sidewalks would stay at its current width of 36 feet. The proposal now calls for sidewalks, curbs and gutters on both sides of 10th Street. If installing the sidewalks would require removing too many trees on the north side of the street, sidewalks will only be constructed on the south side. The county will consider this project in the next funding round for neighborhood conservation projects. If there are no unexpected delays in funding or project design, construction will start in about two years. Improvements begin for Kensington At its September general meeting, the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) adopted a resolution in support of County plans to install a raised crosswalk where the Bluemont Junction Trail crosses Kensington Street. Work is expected to begin soon. A raised crosswalk is one of several measures that the Kensington Street Project Subcommittee is considering to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and to calm traffic. Other measures being considered are sidewalks and buffer strips of various widths, flat-top speed humps, nubs, street narrowing and gateway treatments. For more information, contact Kensington Street Block co-Captains Carl Hallinan (703-812-4797, challinan@aol.com) or Margo Thomas (703-527-3838). 9th Street Multi-Lot Infill Development The Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) will play an important role in determining whether Arlington County approves a possible infill development proposal for 5129, 5133 and 5137 9th Street North. At BCA's September meeting, an owner of those properties expressed hope of gaining County approval to remove the existing three houses and to replace them with four new single-family houses. BCA membership voted to welcome the property owners to submit a formal redevelopment request, but reserved judgment on whether it would ultimately support the owners' current plans. BCA's final position would depend on the outcome of future consultations involving neighborhood representatives, the property owners and County officials. According to Arlington County staff, the County Board seeks to accommodate the wishes of local civic associations in deciding whether to approve such multi-lot projects, known as unified residential developments. |
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BCA Calendar - Meetings & Events BCA membership costs $12 per household per calendar year. Dues are prorated $1 per month for new members who join after the beginning of the year (e.g., currently, membership is $10 for the remainder of 2000). To renew or join, send a check to: Treasurer, Bluemont Civic Association, PO Box 5134, Arlington, VA 22205 (Please include your name, postal and e-mail addresses, and phone number). |
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