Civic Association Meeting Tuesday 18th June

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The next meeting of the Douglas Park Civic Association will be held Tuesday 18 June 2013 at 7.30p in the downstairs meeting room at Firehouse Nr 9, South Walter Reed Dr at 19th St South.

On the agenda:
1. A presentation by County staff on the 16th St South ‘Green Street’ bioretention project (links to more details below).
2. Recap of plans for our 31st Annual Fourth of July Parade and Picnic.
3. Other business.

All are welcome to attend. The Douglas Park Neighbor News will be delivered to your doorstep the weekend of 15/16 June. The digital PDF copy is here.

Links to more details on the 16th St South ‘Green Street’project on the Arlington County website:

Main project website
Project plan [PDF]
Drainage area for the project [PDF]

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Streetlamp Conversion to LED Technology

The County is converting streetlights to LED technology in order to modernize the overall streetlighting network, reduce costs, minimize energy use and environmental impact, and improve safety and visibility for vehicular and pedestrian traffic on County roadways. As part of the LED Streetlight Conversion Program, streetlights on the following streets in Douglas Park are slated to be converted to LEDs in the next few months:

  • S Monroe St (from Columbia Pike to 13th St S)
  • S Glebe Rd (from 12th St S to 14th St S)
  • S Kenmore Cir
  • 12th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 13th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 14th St S from S Quincy St to S Walter Reed Dr)
  • 16th St S (from S Taylor St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 17th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • S Taylor St from 16th St S to the cul de sac)
  • S Quincy St (from 14th St S to 18th St S)
  • S Pollard St (from 14th St S to 18th St S)

The retrofitting/conversion process takes approximately two weeks for each street. During the conversion installation process, streetlights will remain off, and crews will work to minimize the traffic impact in the area. This process also includes testing of the initial operation of the newly retrofitted lights and the implementation of the remote dimming capability. Each light must be individually programmed for dimming purposes.
A detailed fact sheet regarding the new LED technology and conversion process is available here. This information can also be found on the County’s website at www.arlingtonva.us by searching “Streetlight Conversion”. For specific questions regarding the upcoming installation, please contact Santosh Neupane, Streetlight Engineer, at sneupane@arlingtonva.us.

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Street Sealing in Douglas Park

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The 2013 County Street Slurry Seal preventative maintenance program will begin around 8 July and end sometime in November 2013

We have been advised that the following streets in Douglas Park are currently scheduled for sealing work this summer:

  • South Quincy Street from 16th Street South to South Walter Reed Drive
  • South Stafford Street from 16th Street South to 18th Street South
  • 18th Street South from South Stafford Street to South Quincy Street

Slurry Seal is a water-based, emulsified asphalt mixture spread one-eighth inch (1/8″) thick over the street surface. It protects streets from water penetration, provides a new surface with improved skid-resistance, and is a quick and economical repair method between full resurfacings.

The operation requires street closures and parking restrictions for 4-8 hours depending on weather.

A notice will be mailed out to affected addresses 4 week in advance on the affected streets and is followed up with door hangers. These provide information about the planned activities and suggestions for residents. A detailed area map showing the proposed work locations can be accessed via the Internet at: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/StreetSlurry.aspx.

More details will follow as available.

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Arlington Transportation Development Plan Forum Set for Sat 1 Jun 2013

County staff will be hosting a Transportation Development Plan Forum on Sat 1 Jun 2013 from 9:30a to 12:30p. The meeting will be held in the Navy League Building at 2100 Wilson Blvd. Attendees will be asked to suggest ART and Metrobus service changes for this fall’s annual update to Arlington County’s Six-Year Transportation Development Plan. More details available here.

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Overnight Lane Closures on Glebe Road

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VDOT crews will perform alternating overnight lane closures on southbound Glebe Road (VA Route 120) from Wilson Boulevard to 24th Street South. These closures will take place from 9.00p to 5.00a on Tuesday, May 28 – Thursday, May 30, 2013.

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Local Chorale Presents Spring Concert

The NoVA Lights Chorale presents their Spring concert Voices of Freedom: 150 Years of Emancipation Saturday 9 June at 4p at the Arlington Presbyterian Church, 3507 Columbia Pike. Details on the chorale website here.

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Recap of 30 April Civic Association Meeting

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Approximately fifteen people attended the Civic Association meeting on Tuesday evening 30 April at Firehouse 9.

The agenda included:
Shannon Early, Landscape Architect for Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation reviewed the current status of the Doctors Run Park Trail lighting project.
This project was approved by the County Board in February 2011 using funds from the Neighborhood Conservation Program. The project will install 6-8 LED lighting fixtures along the trail from the rear of Randolph Elementary School to South George Mason Drive, to enhance the safety of children walking between the school and Barcroft Apartments. In addition the project will:

  • Realign parts of the trail, especially to reduce the grade descending to and from South George Mason Drive.
  • Widen the existing trail, replacing the current asphalt surface with the County’s softer bike path paving.
  • Remove existing asphalt swales and install bioswales.
  • Install concrete steps on the approach to Randolph Elementary School.
  • Remove one tree.
  • Install a wood pedestrian bridge along the branch of the trail connecting to South Randolph Street.

The anticipated timeline:

  • Finalize plan and contracting draft (2 months)
  • Review and approval by various County departments (2-3 months)
  • Bid process (two months)
  • Construction (two months)

Completion is currently scheduled for Spring 2014.

No changes are contemplated to the trail between Randolph Elementary School and its eastern terminus at South Quincy Street and 12th Street South.

The Civic Association members present at the meeting were in general support of the project with a few reservations:

  • The ‘lights out’ time on the trail is currently set for 6.00p. A time of 6.30p or 7.00p is requested due to after-school programs, including extended day-care which runs through 6.00p.
  • No time was given as to ‘lights on’ in the morning.
  • Concern was expressed that the project be reviewed by the Arlington Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) as the site was once a Civic War campground.
  • A request was made to remove the curbing at the South Randolph Street junction of the trail to facilitate bike use. Staff advised that the request was outside the current project scope.

A PDF overview of the project may be found here.

 

We discussed possible cleanup projects around the neighborhood. Suggestions included:

  • Weed/replant islands along South Highland Street
  • Continued cleanup around neighborhood entrance signs
  • Investigate repainting the information kiosk in Douglas Park
  • Increase participation in Marty Neilsen’s invasives removals in Douglas and Monroe Parks
  • Gauge the feasibility of a neighborhood cleanup day where residents could dispose of junk not normally picked up by regular refuse collections (Al Fox to investigate)

We discussed redoubling our efforts to update Douglas Park’s Neighborhood Conservation Plan. The current plan was approved in 1998. We have been working on the revision intermittently since the end of 2009. Two volunteers have stepped forward to update three sections of the document; we could still use assistance on other sections. To learn more or to volunteer, please contact any board member. An updated Neighborhood Conservation Plan is essential to participate in funding for various neighborhood projects such as the Doctors Run Trail Lighting project. Our goal is to complete our revisions by the end of the year and receive County Board approval early in 2014.

Douglas Park resident and Phoenix Bikes Executive Director Henry Dunbar presented a preliminary overview of new facilities for Phoenix Bikes. Phoenix Bikes is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that teaches youth teamwork, hard work and entrepreneurship through bike maintenance and education programs. The bike shop is currently located in Barcroft Park. The new facilities are proposed for the northeast corner of South Walter Reed Drive and South Four Mile Run Drive, just across from our neighborhood in Nauck. Further details will be forthcoming as plans are developed.

The next Civic Association meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, 18 June 2013 at 7.30p in the basement meeting room at Firehouse 9.

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Civic Association Meeting Tuesday 30 April

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The next meeting of the Douglas Park Civic Association will be held Tuesday 30 April 2013 at 7.30p in the downstairs meeting room at Firehouse Nr 9, South Walter Reed Dr at 19th St South.

On the agenda:
1.  An update presentation by County staff on the Doctors Run Trail Lighting project.
2.  Discussion of  a possible neighborhood cleanup day.
3.  Discussion on proceeding with the update to our Neighborhood Conversation plan.
4. Other business.

All are welcome to attend.  The Douglas Park Neighbor News will be delivered to your doorstep the weekend of 27/28 April.  The digital PDF copy is here.

 

 

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26 February 2013 Civic Associaton Meeting Recap

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The Douglas Park Civic Association met on Tuesday 26 February 2013 at 7.30p at Café Sazon. At that meeting:

• We agreed to contribute $100 to the Phoenix Bikes March fundraising event.

• We agreed that the Association supports removing the recycling dumpsters from the area by Columbia Pike and the bike trail, provided we are assured removal would not interrupt recycling service for parts of the surrounding neighborhood. (If all have curbside recycling or pickup at their buildings, this would not be a problem.) We are looking for folks interested in helping to plan a park or other pleasant usage for the area. Please contact John Snyder at jvsnyder54comcast.net if you are interested.

• Regarding the 12th Street South traffic issues. We agreed that the best approach would be for neighbors on South 12th Street to develop a consensus approach on the measures they would like to pursue to slow down and limit traffic and provide for pedestrian and resident safety. The civic association will then support and collaborate with those neighbors to achieve those measures with County government.

• We agreed that it would be wise to pursue 501(c)(4) registration as a not-for-profit entity to ensure that we are properly organized. Since the civic association engages in advocacy, we would not be a charity.

• Elections: Chris Worden was re-elected as vice president, Annette Pigott as secretary and Al Fox as treasurer. Many thanks to each of them for stepping forward. No one was elected president, as no one agreed to be nominated—yet. Immediate past-president John Snyder will work to transition the office. If anyone is interested in running for president, please contact any DPCA officer.

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