FOREST
NEWS
A Publication of the Bellevue Forest
Citizens’ Association
December 2001
PRESIDENT: Pete
Tyler VICE PRESIDENT: Dan Radke
EDITOR: Kim Smith
Pete@BellevueForest.org
Dan@BellevueForest.org
Kim@BellevueForest.org
(703) 525-9085 (703) 528-2870
(703) 527-0294
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Seasons Greetings to all…
Another
year has come and gone and Bellevue Forest has been having a banner year of
activity. I would like to thank all the
volunteers who have helped me during the past several months.
Thanks
to Astrid Weigert who organized and led the Fourth of July parade. Great
job!!! I know you spent a great deal of time organizing and planning. Thanks to Dan Radke for
standing in for me as Grand Marshall. I
heard all the participants had a great time.
Thanks
to Doug and Jacqueline Mow for organizing the Corn Roast. Many families participated and everyone had
a great time. And thanks to the many
other volunteers who assisted in the setup and breakdown of tables and
equipment.
During
the year a number of our residents doubled as delegates to the Arlington Civic
Federation. Our delegates are Doug
Mow, Tony Taylor, Tom Connally, and Kim Smith. Alternates are Greg Carbone, Jacqueline
Mow, Gil Kline, and Gail Klein.
These meetings are sometimes long.
Thanks to each of you for volunteering your time.
Dan
Radke, our vice president, has been working on our web page. I know he has spent long hours putting
together our site. Thanks Dan.
Abby
Raphael has been trying to decipher the new zoning proposals the
county board is entertaining. From the
information she has received and studied the new proposals appear to preserve a
neighborhood like ours from being over-built with town homes or similar
projects. The citizens’ executive board
in Bellevue Forest is leaning toward favoring the new zoning ordinances, as
they are currently being proposed, but there are still unanswered
questions. Thanks Abby for your time
and expertise.
And
lastly, I would like to thank Kim Smith.
She has been the center of communications for the entire
neighborhood. Without her the
association would not run smoothly. Kim
has been a great help to me. She makes
sure the news is posted by email to all residents who are on line and she sends
out the newsletter. Kim has also
completed the new directory with assistance from others and she has filed the
conservation report with the county.
Onto
the new activities coming up… Each year
on or around the weekend before the 25th of December, The Bellevue
Forest Garden Club has sponsored a holiday lighting and home decorating contest. We plan on continuing the competition. The judges, yet to be named, will be looking
at the decorations of all homes in the Forest.
So put up your best lighting system.
We will also be looking at natural decorations as a second category.
Neighborhood
Watch is in the process of being revived.
Rosemary Padberg has been organizing this movement. She has had a number of volunteers for the
positions of block captains. She needs
more volunteers. Please contact her,
Kim, or me if you want to volunteer. We
need one block captain for each group of ten homes.
In August a
toxic chemical runoff, discovered by Stream Monitor and BF VP Dan
Radke, occurred when Washington Golf and Country Club used chemicals to
kill all of the grass on the golf course prior to a heavy rain. The resulting run-off killed all the fish
and some small animals in Donaldson Run and Gulf Branch. The chemical run-off resulted in a Hazmat incident after several
neighbors had walked through the areas along with children and pets. An investigation is underway by several
governmental agencies. The president of
Washington Golf and Country Club has assured me he will stay in contact with me
and will devise plans to avoid similar incidents in the future. Hopefully we will receive information from
the golf course when they are using chemicals so we can provide the information
to all our neighbors. See update elsewhere in newsletter.
MORE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As a
result of the tragic events in September, we saw for the first time in forty
plus years clear skies and heard no noise from planes over Bellevue
Forest. What an unbelievably eerie
difference! Since that time we have
seen a resumption of some plane traffic but most of the traffic is east of the
Potomac. Several observations were made
during this time. There was the
difference in the sky color, gray to blue.
I noticed I no longer had to wash my car every week to keep it
clean. I called our County Board member
who is supposed to be up to date on the changes. Ms. Favola said her staff
would look into the pollution factor created by the 900 plus flights
going in and out of National each day.
I later received a letter from her stating that no one monitors the
planes’ air pollution and the closest air monitoring station is at 23rd
and S. Hayes. I also sent a letter to Jim Moran expressing the same concerns
about plane air pollution. He replied
saying they are in the process of reopening the airport with safety as a main
concern. He also stated the airport
supports “10,000 jobs and produces five billion dollars in economic
activity.” I guess that is each year. I will be pursuing this further.
I
previously mentioned the Neighborhood Conservation Report has
been submitted to the county for preliminary review. One of the resulting bonuses is the county will produce several
signs for Bellevue Forest after the report has been accepted by the county. Before the signs are made, we need to have a
unique design. If you have ideas for
the signs, please call Kim or me.
The
new neighborhood directories are in.
If you did not receive one, it’s because you may owe dues. Please send in your dues to Joe Schifrin. A phone directory will be sent to your
home.
Let
us all remember the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that
occurred on September 11th. This single
day of events has changed the lives of all Americans. We look at the world from a different perspective. Never did anyone dream that terrorists would
be bold enough to carry out a plot that would take the lives of thousands of
innocent Americans and foreign civilians as many of us watched TV as the events
unfolded. Many of us either knew
someone who perished or are related to one of the victims of the attacks. I send my condolences to each of you. I would remind all our neighbors to keep
the American Flag flying in support of
all the servicemen and women who are serving our county either at home or
overseas, carrying out a mission designed to destroy the terrorist
organizations responsible for these cowardly attacks. Bellevue Forest continues to be
one of the best kept secrets in the Metropolitan Washington area. When some of our neighbors decide to leave
Bellevue Forest, they are able to quickly sell their homes obtaining premium
values for the same. Let’s continue to
hold the values high in our neighborhood by being good, considerate neighbors.
I
look forward to meeting many of you in the coming year as we work together on
neighborhood projects. If you have any
questions, concerns, or ideas that would make our neighborhood a better place
to live, please call me or e-mail me and voice your ideas or opinions. As a group, we are always looking for more
volunteers to help improve our neighborhood.
To
each family, I wish a happy holiday season and a great new year.
CIVIC FEDERATION NEWS
The
Civic Federation has had a busy four months.
September hosted Candidates Night and a special session on Zoning;
October focused on public safety — support of adequate staffing,
OSHA standards, and equipment. November
saw the legislative package debate—and the selection of the top five
legislative priorities for the year.
These were
Mandatory instant background
checks for gun purchases; Extend 21-Day Rule to 3 Years; Opposition to changes
to I-66; Repeal Va. Stadium Authority - oppose use of public funds; Prohibit
state agencies from overriding zoning authority.
Also
at the November meeting, the Federation, in response to citizens’ requests to
do something tangible to thank our public safety officials whose performance at the Pentagon was outstanding,
(as it is each time they answer a call) established the Federation 911
Higher Education Scholarship Fund for the children of uniformed/ECC public
safety personnel. The Fund will be administered by the Arlington Community
Foundation. (United Way 8143—911 Fund)
Donations from the public are welcome.
December’s
meeting will focus on school issues, and the School Board will be our
guests for the evening. Delegates and
alternates will ask a series of questions, some of which have been submitted to
the Board in advance.
To
learn more about the work of the Civic Federation, go to our Web Site at www.civfed.com.
Recent resolutions, the legislative
packet, questions asked of the County on emergency preparedness, and the
pre-meeting questions for the School Board are all available for review.
FOREST HAPPENINGS
CORN ROAST — DELICIOUS AND DELIGHTFUL
Under warm and dry September
skies, and under the able leadership of Jacqueline and Doug Mow, a good
portion of Bellevue Forest residents celebrated the coming Fall season with our
annual (barring drought or hurricane) Corn Roast.
In
addition to the Mows, special thanks goes to Pete Tyler, Marilyn
Castaldi, Hank McEntee, Tom Connally, Dan Radke, Howard
Singer, Kim and Jim Smith, for taking turns on the grill; to Abby
Raphael for preparing an overview of the county’s efforts to alter zoning
ordinances, and to all who joined us for good food and fellowship.
FOURTH OF JULY
Record numbers turned out for the
Forest’s Annual Fourth of July Parade.
Bedecked bikes, wagons, pets and children (most especially children),
paraded down Roberts Lane to the delight of lots of spectators!
Astrid
Weigert again led the effort, and designed brand new and lovely signs
advertising the event. Joining her
this year was Laura Wiberg who provided patriotic
decorations along the parade route; , Dan Radke as Grand Marshall, Bill
and Mary Rowland for providing tables and patriotic music from their
backyard; Bill Baragar and Lillian Trippett for providing refreshments
and cookies; Keith and Linda Tarr-Whelan for being the judges, and
Astrid’s husband Hal Malchow and her son Alex who helped decorate
the route and get the little trinkets and gifts for the kids — as well as lots of other Foresters. At the
conclusion of the parade, prizes were awarded and refreshments were served on
Mary Rowland’s Kenmore side yard.
Thanks
to all who worked, marched, and munched!
DIRECTORIES ARE OUT!
Bellevue Forest’s neighborhood
telephone directory has finally been launched.
Special thanks to master proofer/addresser Pat Chatten for
spending hours making certain the directory was as correct as is humanly
possible!
The
Executive Board, after reviewing the expense of this every-three-years
publication, decided to provide copies to all households who had paid their
dues ($8.00 annually, due in May).
Soooo,
if you didn’t receive a directory and want one, please check your records to
see if you’ve paid. If not, send a
check (BFCA, $8) to Joe Schifrin, our Treasurer, and one will promptly be
delivered.
For
those who want more than one, they can be purchased for $2.00 (we got a good
deal this year). Please let Joe or Kim
Smith know if you are requesting an EXTRA copy.
If you are new to the neighborhood,
we’ll do periodic updates in the newsletter.
Contact Kim Smith at 703-527-0294 or jadam@erols.com
to be included.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION
The
first draft of our Neighborhood Conservation Report is now in the hands of the
County. They will spend the next six
months (approximately) circulating the document among relevant departments and
reviewing our needs and concerns.
Following
this, the draft will be returned to us for suggestions/corrections. At that point, the document will again be
made available to the neighborhood for review.
A final draft will be submitted, a presentation made before the County
Board, and we should be ready to act!
Once
again, thanks to Ken Danforth (editorial guru), Hank McEntee, Dan
Radke (for advice since he’s been through this once already!), Pete
Tyler, Walter Evans, and much of Quincy Street (the
families Micali, Griffen, Wilson and Raphael) for review, suggestions and
corrections.
The
draft is on the Web Site for those who are interested.
COMING EVENTS/DEVELOPMENTS
WEB SITE FOR THE FOREST
Bellevue Forest has joined other
Civic Associations in developing and offering a Web Site for its residents.
Dan
Radke has been doing yeoman’s work to develop a site that will meet our
needs — for sharing information, for history, for calendars and reports. The final (until new suggestions arrive)
format is now ready for unveiling.
Please check out your site at www.BellevueForest.org. If you have suggestions for additional features, please let one of your officers or delegates know!
We
hope you enjoy it!
WANTED: RELIABLE TRADESMEN
Need a good plumber, electrician,
handyman or contractor? Finding someone
who does quality work in a timely fashion can be a challenge!
Bellevue
Forest now has a listing of “tried and trues”, individuals who have actually
done work in the Forest and have pleased (or displeased) those for whom they
worked.
Neighbor
Paul Weinschenk has assembled a compilation of neighbors’
recommendations on a wide variety of workers, from those who perform minor
repairs to major renovations.
If
you have someone you’d like to recommend, please contact Paul at
remodelbellevue@aol.com. If you need
someone, check out the Web Site or, if you’re not on-line, call one of your
officers and we’ll send you a hard copy.
NEIGHBORHOOD
WATCH WITH A TWIST
Reactivating Our Program
BFCA is re-instituting the
Neighborhood Watch program. This program
promotes neighborliness and a greater awareness (and prevention) of crime. The timing seems especially right for this
program to begin (between approaching inclement weather and September 11th).
Our area
has what is termed as a “passive” watch because it does not involve
patrolling. It requires neighbors to be
aware, and for a Block Captain to be responsible for communicating with
approximately ten houses.
The
responsibilities are four-fold. The
first is the typical Neighborhood Watch goal: safety and crime prevention. Through better communication, we hope to
keep on top of problems before they become a serious concern. (Safe as we have
been, we were also the prime target of Bernard Welsh, the silver burglar, in
the 1980’s).
Providing
a safety net, particularly for seniors, is the second objective. Some may need a little assistance when snow,
ice or power failures occur.
Communication
is the third objective. Many of us are
on-line, but some are not. (See article on Emergency Prep.) Block captains would be able to assess which
neighbors have e-mail, and, for those who don’t, could bring them hard copy of
updates on events in the Forest.
The
fourth objective is a mini-Welcome Wagon.
When new neighbors move in, we provide them with a Directory as a
“welcome to the neighborhood”.
A
fully-staffed watch program would require approximately 40 Captains. We plan to start in January with all
volunteers who step forward. Please
contact Rose Mary Padberg at 703-351-8060 or rp65s@nih.gov
if you have
questions or want to join.
We all
realize that a big benefit of our location is the neighborliness that is
offered. We hope you can join us in
making our neighborhood even better and safer.
HOLIDAY LIGHTS
Each year, the Forest decorates
itself (with a little help from residents) for the Holiday Season. Several years ago, the Garden Club developed
awards for the most interesting/lovely/unusual/creative displays.
Two
years ago, the Citizens’ Association joined with the Garden Club to sponsor this
event. Those judged “best” in each of
the four categories are given a sign (created by our resident artistic wizard Jill
Martin) to post in their yard during the holidays.
We
hope all who can will join us again this year in making the holidays sparkle. The categories are Best Use of Lights; Best
Use of Natural; Most Whimsical; Most Dramatic.
This year,
judging will take place on or around December 18th (depending upon the
weather—it’s tough to judge in a downpour!).
PROPOSED NEW METRO LINE IN ARLINGTON
Our
President, Pete Tyler, received this communication from the County
recently. We encourage you to consider
the proposal and to provide input to our County leaders. If you have questions that you want the
County to answer, and get answers, please share them with the rest of us. We’ll put them out in e-mail for the widest
possible audience.
November 16, 2001
Dear Civic Leader:
I
am writing to you in my capacity as Arlington's representative on the Metro
Board of Directors.
As
you may know, Metro staff have recently completed an analysis of the "core
capacity" of the rail system, and made preliminary recommendations for
improvements. This involves many key
issues, such as the ability to operate eight-car trains (currently the longest
trains operated in the system are six-car), improved connections between lines,
and the capacity of maintenance facilities.
As part of the
study, staff also made some entirely new proposals for future expansion of the
system. (If you click on the following
link to the Washington Post -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/daily/oct01/metro101901.htm
-- you
will see a map showing the proposed expansion.) Among these are a proposed new line in the District of Columbia
from Georgetown to Union Station; another segment from Union Station across
Anacostia to Largo, Maryland; and a new crossing of the Potomac. Also included is a proposal for a new line
that would run across north Arlington, from Rosslyn to East Falls Church. It is on this last proposal that I am
seeking your input.
Under this new
proposal there would be:
·
a new Metro line along the I-66 right-of-way from Falls Church to Rosslyn.· up
to three new stations in north Arlington:- in the vicinity of Spout Run and Lee
Highway;- near Quincy Street;- just west of George Mason Drive.· an expansion
of the East Falls Church station; ·
a new river crossing at Key Bridge.
The intent of
these changes is to ease congestion on the Orange Line, by providing a direct
connection to downtown for the new Tyson's-Dulles extension. Cost for this new line is estimated in the
vicinity of $2 billion in current dollars.
This is an issue
which could have significant impacts for Arlington - all of which I believe
need to be thoroughly identified and explored before we, as a community,
respond with our concerns, questions, and recommendations. As this is a new proposal, not included in
any previously adopted plan either by Arlington County, Northern Virginia, or
the Metro Board, it has not been evaluated in terms of its relationship to
Arlington's Comprehensive Plan. I have
requested that the County Manager have staff perform a preliminary evaluation
of this proposal in terms of Arlington's adopted plans, and provide any
thoughts or recommendations he may have.
When I receive the Manager's response I will share it with you.
I
am requesting your assistance in promoting community discussion of this issue,
while it is still early in the process.
I would appreciate your encouraging your membership, and any others you
know who might take an interest in this matter, to share your comments with
me. You can help by publishing this
request for comments in your newsletter, announcing it at one of your meetings,
posting it on your website, or any other way which reaches the widest
audience. Comments can be submitted via
a form on the County's website at
http://www.co.arlington.va.us/cbo/news/metro.htm; the County Board email
address at countyboard@arlington.va.us;
by fax at 703-228-7430; or U.S. mail at
the address listed below. As your
representative on the Metro Board of Directors, I will make certain that all
comments received are shared with my colleagues on the Board of Directors at
the appropriate time.
Thank you for your
assistance in assessing what is in the best interests of Arlington as
discussions on plans to expand Metrorail continue around the region. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Christopher Zimmerman
Vice Chairman
CHARITABLE GIVING WARNING
Scams in the aftermath of
events on September 11th
A number of organizations have
been soliciting funds for their activities tying their needs to the tragic
events of September 11th.
Some of the groups are suggesting that money donated is being used to
support families of victims from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. However, in some cases donated money is
being used for other endeavors. As we
well know the United Way has a
list of most legitimate
charities. In this area the Salvation Army and the Red Cross
provided many of the support groups used during the aftermath of the Pentagon
attack.
Different
organizations purporting support of police and fire organizations are also
making pleas for money. Here is a
partial list of police groups and what they represent in Arlington County.
Fraternal
Organization of Police: This is a
social organization in Virginia. In
some states they represent police officers as a union. Money donated to this group is not tax
deductible and proceeds can be used as needed.
The FOP in this area has a reputation of returning money to the
community through grants for youth sport teams, and is the sponsor of the
Special Olympics in Virginia. Donations can be sent to Nova Lodge 35 in Falls
Church, Va.
ACOPS
is a group that represents police in Arlington as a union. They do not sponsor any particular local
activity. They give each donor a decal
which can be placed in the window of your car.
There are two similar organizations that represent the Virginia State
Police and the Virginia Sheriff’s
Association.
They are also similar to unions and will send a sticker to use in the
window of your car. These three groups
will solicit by phone and will send information about their organization prior
to receiving donations. Donations can
be sent to ACOPS, c/o Ken Dennis, 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, Va.
22201. Money donated is not tax
deductible.
Arlington
Police Beneficiary Association, Inc. is a social organization which represents
Arlington County Police only. Officer
members pay for the activities and services which include sponsoring social
events, provides additional insurance for officers and college scholarships for
children of officers. The APBA does not
solicit funds from citizens. However
they do accept donations. Donations can
be sent to APBA, 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, Va. 22201.
The
last organization is Heroes. The is a
non- profit organization that was formed by a number of local businessmen to
provide for the needs of families of police officers and fire fighters who have
lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Heroes” covers the Metro Area including Washington DC, Montgomery
County, PG County, Arlington County, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Fairfax City,
and Falls Church. When a fire fighter
or officer loses his/her life in the line of duty, Heroes contacts the family
through the deceased’s commanding officer and provides funding to the family to
get them over immediate needs including home mortgage payments, burial plots
and funeral expenses. Each year
thereafter each child is sent a gift for their birthday ($100), Christmas
Holiday ($500) and Easter ($500). All
surviving children are provided scholarships for their college education. “Heroes” does not solicit money; however,
they do accept donations. All donations
are tax deductible. “Heroes” is listed
by United Way if you wish to dedicate a gift to them. You may also send a check made to “Heroes”, c/o Detective Bob
Giambronie, Arlington County Police, 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, Va. 22207.
If
you receive a phone call where the organization is asking for cash donations,
always have the group send the request and organization information to you
before making a donation. Be especially
cautious if the group states they will pick the donation up in person. Chances are they are creating a scam. Don’t become a victim of the scams.
One
quick note: I mentioned several
organizations call themselves unions. Virginia is a right to work
state.
The House of Delegates passed a resolution in the ‘30’s which prevents
any and all political subdivisions within the Commonwealth from dealing or
bartering with unions representing employees of counties and cities. In the early 70’s the Arlington Police voted
in the Teamsters Union as their bargaining agent. Subsequently the Virginia State Supreme Court ruled on union
representation in Arlington County and banned Arlington County from bargaining
with any union. The Teamsters quickly
pulled up their stakes and retreated.
The ruling was never appealed and stands today. No union has standing in Arlington. To further complicate the issue, any person
who is part of a group that attempts a work related action as part of a union
can be terminated as authorized in the state code.
To check the tax deductible status of an organization, go to
www.guidestar.com.
This site lists
groups which have been granted 501(c)(3) status as well as other charitable
designations.
A FEW IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED
Complaints around the neighborhood.
There are
usually standing complaints in the neighborhood which involve speeding cars,
improperly parked vehicles, trash cans, and dogs running at large.
On
speeding cars… please watch your speed.
The speed limit is 25 mph throughout the neighborhood. With the holiday season approaching along
with cold weather many of us forget about the speed we are traveling because we
are in a hurry. With reduced lighting,
leaves on the roadways, a little dampness, and kids in the street; we are flirting
with disaster. Please travel the speed
limit. Another thought and proposal is
speed bumps. So if you are speeding
just think how Roberts Lane or Pollard Street would be with speed bumps placed
every few hundred feet. Doing the speed
limit is preferable because most of us hate speed bumps - not to mention the
wear and tear on your car.
Parking of
cars on the wrong side of the street is prohibited in Arlington. The only exception is in a cul-de-sac where
cars may be parked with the front or the rear of the car facing the curb. That is only in the cul-de-sac, not the
street leading into the cul-de-sac.
Trailers, mobile homes, and commercial vehicles are not allowed to be
parked on the streets in residentially zoned areas. All of these vehicles are required to be parked in driveways and
all must be behind the front line of the home.
Trash
containers are being put out early and left out on the street several days
after collection day. The standing rule
in Bellevue Forest (and County
ordinance) is that trash containers and recycle
containers should be placed at the curb after dark (no earlier than 5 p.m.) on
the night before pickup. All containers
should be removed as soon as possible after trash pickup, and certainly before
dark on the day of pickup. Thanks for
helping make the neighborhood look better.
Dogs
running at large. There are a few
residents who insist on allowing their dogs to run at large. All dogs are required to be on a leash or
lead when the dog is allowed to leave an owner’s property. The only exception is at a designated dog
park. Dogs on leads should always be
walked in the public area between the sidewalk and curb. At no time should a dog be allowed to roam
onto the property of another. The owner
of the dog is required to clean up after the dog in all areas. Some dog owners allow their dogs to urinate
on neighbor’s lawns as they walk their dogs.
Other dogs tend to use the same spot to mark the area. This results in a brown spot on the lawn and
takes time to repair, especially if the grass is a slower growing variety of
grass.
Some grasses are now dormant and
appear to be straw. Dogs urinating on
these grasses cause considerable damage that appears in the spring. Apparently some dog owners are not aware
they are creating damage by allowing the dogs to use a neighbor’s lawn. Dog owners, please be considerate of the
property of others. Please be aware
that a dog park is located on Old Glebe Road at the Madison Center. The area is fenced and dogs are allowed off
leads and can socialize with other dogs.
Lots of dog owners use this area.
Thanks for being a considerate dog owner.
And
lastly…..Parents please keep the kids out of the street where they can be in
danger of being hit by a car. One young
gentleman apparently waits in (not at) Pollard for the school bus. Lots of kids are enjoying our very large
piles of leaves. If your children are
playing in the leaves, please stay with them — or have a designated spotter—to
watch for cars. This is particularly
true on our main thoroughfares. We have
heard of several youngsters who have had close calls with oncoming cars.
Speaking
of leaves, remember that large piles of leaves are not good parking
places. Cars can cause dry leaves to
catch on fire. And when you pile your
leaves at the curb please put out leaves only.
No grass, tree limbs or stumps.
The leaf trucks only collect leaves.
They will leave behind all other yard trim. Also, if a car were to veer off into the leaf pile and be damaged
by concealed wood or other objects, you would be liable.
FRONT YARD TOYLANDS
More on the children of the
Forest… Children’s toys have a way of
migrating from the back yard to the front yard — putting them in danger of
being hurt by vehicles (or giving drivers heart attacks). Please consider moving the play equipment
to the backyard so that we can keep all our children—and drivers—safe.
AMERICAN FLAG MISSING
The Smith’s (527-0294)
American flag and pole have been purloined.
If you happen to see one floating around, please give us a call. In the meantime, keep an eye out for those
who might have ill intent!
HAZMAT AT DONALDSON RUN
In
response to Bellevue Forest neighbors’ requests, Arlington County DES employee
Jason Papacosma prepared the following report on what transpired creating the kill in Donaldson Run
and Gulf Branch.
On August 22nd and 23rd,
Washington Golf and Country Club staff applied the soil fumigant Basamid G to
12 of the golf course’s 18 fairways.
This chemical is both a pesticide and an herbicide designed to kill
plants, seeds, and microorganisms in the upper layers of soil in preparation
for re-seeding areas where it is applied.
Because WGCC is private property, County staff had no knowledge of
WGCC’s plan to apply the chemical.
Currently, the County does not have authority to regulate the use of
State– and/or Federally-registered pesticides and herbicides on private
property.
A
rainstorm during the evening of August 24th washed enough Basamid G from the
golf course to kill at least several hundred aquatic organisms, including fish,
eels, and crayfish, in Donaldson Run and Gulf Branch. Several County residents discovered dozens of dead aquatic
organisms in Donaldson Run on August 25th and notified the Arlington County
Emergency Communications Center, which immediately dispatched a Fire Department
Hazardous Materials Team to investigate.
HazMat personnel collected about 100 dead organisms, and staff from a
number of State and Federal agencies collected several hundred additional
organisms. The County Fire Department
used its Reverse 911 capability to notify nearby residents of the incident.
On
August 28, County staff, along with staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the National Park Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland
Fisheries, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
met with staff from WGCC and BASF Corporation (the manufacturer of Basamid G)
to discuss the conditions leading to the release of the chemical and the
impacts of the release.
As
evidenced by the hundreds of dead organisms found in Gulf Branch and Donaldson
Run, Basamid G is toxic to fish, eels and other aquatic organisms. The risks posed to humans and domestic
animals from exposure to this chemical from the air or water include irritation
of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes.
Dilution by the water in Donaldson Run and Gulf Branch, along with the
relatively low environmental persistence of this chemical, should have
minimized the duration of time that any users of these streams could have come
into contact with the chemical. The
results of follow-up sampling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the
week of August 27 should provide information about the amounts of Basamid G, if
any, remaining in these streams. These
results should be available in a few weeks.
At this writing, enforcement actions and restoration remedies are being worked out among the Federal and State agencies that have primary jurisdiction over this incident. The County’s enforcement authority is limited to its Utilities Ordinance, which prohibits the discharge of substances into County storm sewers and streams that are likely to have adverse effects on the storm sewer system or streams. However, the Federal and State enforcement mechanisms are potentially much more effective than those provided by the Utilities Ordinance, which limits fines to a maximum of $1,000 with no provisions for restoration. Instead, staff believe the County’s role should be to work with the Federal and State agencies to encourage WGCC to develop a plan to manage the golf course in an environmentally-sound manner and to prevent such an event from happening again.
Will Proposed Zoning Changes
Affect You and Bellevue Forest?
The
County Board is considering changes to the County’s zoning ordinances to
address the problem of “development projects that are significantly out of
scale and character with a neighborhood,” according to Board Chairman Jay
Fisette.
In early 2002, the Board will
consider changes regarding pipestem lots – those lots where a house or houses
are built behind another house and all share one driveway leading to the
street. The Board also will address proposals to reduce maximum lot
coverage – the square footage of the footprint of your house, compared with the
square footage of your lot. Note that
the footprint does not include the total square footage of your home,
but only the area of your lot occupied by all structures, including driveways,
parking pads, pools and some decks.
Last
summer, the County staff developed proposals on maximum lot coverage, which
would change coverage from a current maximum throughout the County of 56%
(footprint of house can be no more than 56% of total property) as follows:
R-5 District:
45-50%; cap of 2,250 square ft.
R-6 District:
45%; cap of 2,700 square ft.
R-8 District:
40%; cap of 3,200 square ft.
R-10
District: 35%; cap of 3,500 square ft.
R-20
District: 25%; cap of 5,000 square ft.
The
County Manager asked the staff to do additional research to determine the lot
coverage of existing homes in the County, before any proposals are sent to the
County Board. It is not clear at this
time if the staff proposals will change as a result of its research.
During
the summer and fall, a group of developers took out a series of advertisements
in local papers about this issue. These
ads were designed to convince citizens that they should oppose the County’s
efforts to reduce maximum lot coverage, but they did not provide facts for
individuals to decide how the proposals might affect their property.
To
determine if these proposals would affect you: 1) find what zoning district you
are in (call the Zoning Office at 228-3883 or log on to the County’s website at
www.co.arlington.va.us and click on “Maps,” then “Properties/Boundary Maps,”
then select “Zoning” and click on the area of the map where you live); 2) see
above for the proposal for your zoning district; 3) divide the square footage
of the footprint of your house by the total square footage of your lot to
determine the percentage of your lot that your home occupies.
Once
proposals are sent to the County Board on these zoning issues, the Board will
hold hearings to learn what Arlington’s citizens want done. If you are interested in these
matters, be
sure that you are on our Bellevue Forest e-mail list so that we can keep you
updated. If you do not have access to
e-mail, call Abby Raphael at 908-0387 and she will keep you informed of
developments.
In
the meantime, you can contact our County Board members and offer your views on
these subjects: Jay Fisette, Chairman;
Chris Zimmerman, Vice Chairman; and members Barbara Favola, Paul Ferguson and
Charles Monroe at #1 Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 300,
Arlington, Va. 22201.
BELLEVUE FOREST’S BOUNDARIES
SURVEYORS BUSY ALONG DONALDSON RUN
Some of you might have noticed
surveyors working in the area of Donaldson Run and N. 30th Street. BF neighbor Jacqueline Mow queried them on
their purposes.
Apparently,
the section abutting the Run is destined to get a face lift, specifically curbs
and gutters. It is also a distinct
possibility that a sidewalk will be placed along the Run side.
The area of Military Road that
caved in during a recent flashflood is also going to get major
renovations. It appears that the County
is actually going to replace that section of the road with a bridge instead of
pavement over the culvert.
Further
up the Run in Zachary Taylor park lies another culvert, also in bad need of
repair. The surveyors indicated that
this, too would be the site of a new bridge.
Meanwhile, a sister Civic
Association, Highlands, is working with the County to have a pedestrian bridge
installed to link that area of the Run with the bike path.
Stay tuned
for developments.
MILITARY ROAD
The problem of high rates of speed
on Military Road which have bedeviled most of us and injured a few of us
appears to be moving in the right direction.
Increased
radar stops have noticeably slowed traffic.
The police have increased their monitoring, and the Sheriff’s office,
which entered the area of radar monitoring several years ago, has “adopted” our
stretch on a more or less weekly basis.
Additionally,
the County now has a Task Force on arterial roads and traffic calming attendant
thereto. We are hoping that a
combination of better enforcement and signage, coupled with the possibility of
a stop light, will make it easier for us to exit and enter our neighborhood.
Since
it appears that the process for NCAC is long, some of our neighbors are going
to continue to press for redress in the coming weeks and months, pending a
decision on our requests under Neighborhood Conservation.
Any
suggestions, comments, concerns are welcome.
Call Ken Danforth or Kim Smith if there are points you wish to raise.
THE “WELCOME TO THE FOREST” MAT
a.k.a. Please update your directories
We all welcome David Lloyd to
Bellevue Forest. He has moved into 3106
N. Peary Street, and his phone number is (703) 593-3204. David says he loves living in Bellevue
Forest. (However, he recently discovered
our MANY leaves, so…..)
Please add David to your directory (and remove Mrs. Chambers.)
If anyone
else has moved into the Forest, please let us know. We can announce your presence, get you included in the directory,
get you a directory, and keep the computer files current! Call Kim at (703) 527-0294.
ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTY
INVITATION TO DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE
Join Arlington County Public
Libraries and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment for a screening of the
documentary "Four Mile Run - Reviving an Urban Stream" by Virginia
Village Productions.
* Tuesday, December 4
Reception 6:30 p.m.
Film 7 p.m.
Questions and answers with the producer 9 p.m.
* Arlington Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy Street.
More than 400 people attended an October screening of this
film at the State Theatre in Falls Church - please join us for the Arlington
premiere of this documentary.
CARING FOR OUR SENIORS
Being a care-giver can be daunting
work, and society is increasingly recognizing that caregivers need a break.
Bellevue
Forest resident Jeanne Telep is now offering assistance. She is available for companion care for the
elderly and disabled, particularly in the Forest. Jeanne charges $15—$25 per hour, depending upon the needs of the
individual. Call Jeanne at (703)
243-3258.
If
you know of a senior who lives alone and would like to be checked on daily,
consider referring them to the Sheriff’s SOS program. Call 702-228-4460.
THANK YOU FROM SCOUTING FOR FOOD
The Scouts of the Chain Bridge
District (us) want to thank everyone who participated in the November Scouting
for Food drive to serve local food banks.
Thanks
to your generosity, over 47,000 pounds of food (and still counting at last
report) were collected and distributed locally. This level broke all previous records.
Other
food drives are going on now. Please
add a can or two when you pass by. The
need is great!
GARDENING BITS
The Bellevue Forest Garden Club
invites all the women of the Forest to its monthly meetings. December’s program will feature the
crafting of kissing balls. For more
information, contact Audrey Wyatt, President.
The
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia is currently accepting
applications for its 2002 MG Class.
Bellevue Forest neighbor (recently arrived from Florida), Betty Ann
Beardsworth, is Chairman of the MG Training Committee. The commitment is 60 hours of in-class
training and 60 hours of community volunteerism. This class is a day-time class, meeting from 9 to noon Tuesdays
and Thursdays, January—April.
Mark
your calendar for the MG Gardening Symposium which is open to the public. The event will be held March 16th at
Tuckahoe Elementary School. Pamela
Harper will be the luncheon speaker.
For details, call Cooperative Extension at 703-228-6400. (MGs also offer monthly education programs
for the public — as do Smith & Hawken in McLean, Green Spring Gardens Park
in Fairfax, Merrifield Garden Center, the Smithsonian and the National
Arboretum).
Some
Tips from the Master Gardeners Show (http://www.themastergardenershow.com)
Don't
know what to do with all those jack-o-lanterns left over from Halloween?
Compost them along with any pumpkin rinds you have left over from baking. You
will reduce the amount of trash you are producing and the resulting compost is
good for your soil as well as being environmentally friendly.
Prevent insects such as Asian ladybird
beetles, box elder bugs, or black vine weevils from invading your home this
winter. Caulk around windows and doors and place screens over attic and exhaust
vents. Insects will usually move on when they cannot find an easy entry point.
If insects do get inside your home, place a new bag in your vacuum and suck them up. Ladybird beetles
can be stored in the bag in your unheated garage or shed for the
winter--release them in mid-April to control spring pests in your yard. Other
pest insects can be discarded in the
PREVENTING
CRIME
For
those who do not wish to invest in a burglar alarm system, the Crime Prevention
Council has developed a new book on making your home more secure. It focuses on inexpensive ways to “target
harden” your home. For information,
call Kim at 527-0294.
COUNTY DEVELOPING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS RESOURCE
In response to citizen concerns,
Arlington County has joined a regional consortium to prepare a resource book
for citizens on what to do in the event of various emergency situations. While Fairfax is taking the lead on this
effort, Arlington is doing the primary writing. The county recently held a hearing on emergency preparedness for
the public, and citizens, including members of the Civic Federation, were
afforded the opportunity to make suggestions.
The
book should be at the printers within literally days and is primarily an update
of Y2K preparations. It includes
supplies to have on hand — water, canned food that can be eaten without
cooking, medicines, pet provisions, first aid equipment, tools, battery powered
flashlights and radios, among other items.
The
update is, in part, based on the events of September 11, and there is a section
devoted to chemical and biological events.
In the main, however, it is focused on what can reasonably be expected
to occur — nasty weather, including, as a new addition, tornadoes.
The
book will have a variety of emergency numbers as well, including electrical,
natural gas, and customary emergency services.
We
are not yet aware of how distribution of the book will occur but are hopeful it
will be on the County’s Web
Site.
Bellevue Forest will link to their site through ours.
EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS IN ARLINGTON
Arlington
is fortunate to have a well-crafted emergency system in place. We recently interviewed the Deputy
Coordinator for Emergency Services to learn more about the different structures
available to keep us safe.
First,
Arlington is a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (Arlington,
Falls Church, National Airport, the Pentagon). This group is charged with insuring adequate resources and
trained personnel for Hazmat situations.
It has citizen representation, meets quarterly at Fire Station 9, and
the meetings are public. It is
chartered under Superfund III.
We
have an Emergency Management Team comprised of the County Manager and
Department heads. Under them are Task
Forces, including the all-important Communications Task Force.
Arlington
also has an Emergency Management Team which meets monthly (although lately it’s
been meeting weekly), comprised of professionals hand-picked for their unique
abilities to meet emergency needs.
Over
all this is the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that dictates various
responses. It is in the process of
being reexamined in light of September 11th.
The
rules for standard emergencies apply: listen to all-news radio stations, tune
in Channel 31, or check the County’s Web Site.
Should we have a really serious emergency, Y2K would be implemented —
communication and emergency personnel would be stationed at the elementary
schools and recreation centers.
Arlington
recently was awarded a grant for a biological/chemical containment unit (which
the Civic Federation requested in April) and is applying for funding for
command centers.
We
sincerely hope they never need to use what they have, but we never thought
September 11th would happen.
If you wish to subscribe to Bellevue Forest On-Line, e-mail Kim Smith at
If you want something added to the Web Site, contact
Dan Radke at Webmaster@BellevueForest.org