President's Message
/By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
Happy Fall! I hope everyone is enjoying the lower temperatures—I know I certainly am. My garden is also much happier.
After much deliberation and community input, the BCA Board has decided to defer exploration of historic designation until the new year. This will provide time to determine the best approach for a community-wide discussion and vote on this important matter. One item on the agenda for the annual meeting will be further discussion of this process.
The BCA has several upcoming events. On Sunday, October 30 from 2–4 pm, will be the annual Halloween Party at the Tot Lot, located on 35th and S Streets. The Russell family has graciously taken over the hosting duties for our youngest Burleith residents. On Saturday, November 5 from 9–11 am, we will have our fall neighborhood clean-up, as always organized by Janice Sims. Volunteers convene at the Ellington Field entrance. Please check your email for more details.
The BCA’s annual meeting will take place on Thursday, November 10 starting at 6:30 pm at the Washington International School. This is a great opportunity to meet up with your neighbors and to discuss in depth many issues of community interest. ANC Representative Ed Solomon and folks from Georgetown University will provide reports. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans are invited. Other topics include the exploration of historic designation, issues with airplane noise, the Ellington renovation, and an update on the construction plans for MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Finally, official BCA business will include a financial report and the election of the 2017 Board.
Noise issues continue to disturb neighbors. Many of us have noticed an increase in problems with Georgetown University students since the beginning of this school year. We are working with the team from GU’s Office of Neighborhood Life and will continue to stay abreast of the situation through our representation on the Safety and Student Life Working Group. If you are bothered by excessive noise at any time of the day or night, please call the GU Helpline at (202) 687-8413, describe the problem, and ask for a callback or email about how the issue was resolved by GU. In addition, please email bca@burleith.org with the subject line “Noise” and include the relevant information. We try to maintain our own records of noise issues. If the problem is with non-students, call 911.
Secondly, airplane noise from Reagan National Airport is still a significant problem. Many of you attended the September meeting at the Georgetown Library sponsored by the FAA. Personally, I was extremely unimpressed with the proposed solutions. That said, I do think that more and more Washingtonians are getting involved and that momentum is growing to try to find a solution. The issue, however, is complicated by the fact that the interests of the District and Northern Virginia are not always aligned on this issue and the Virginians have voting Congressional representation. Our ANC Representative Ed Solomon has worked quite diligently on these issues. Please follow the latest developments and consider making a donation on the DC Fair Skies Coalition’s website.
Georgetown University will be renovating Ellington Field later this month. We will email specific details as soon as we receive them. We will try to minimize any disruptions. Finally, Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, November 8. Our polling place will be the Georgetown Library on R Street. Elections for the ANC will also take place at that time. Ed Solomon is running for another term.
I look forward to seeing you at our up-coming events.