President's Message
/By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
What a year! I am very looking forward to this holiday season to reconnect with family, friends, escapist television, and a good bottle of single malt. 2017 will likely be another busy year with a new Administration and many goings-on in the city and our neighborhood.
On November 10, we held the BCA annual meeting at the Washington International School. Agenda items included voting for the proposed 2017 Board and whether to retain the May 2016 Bylaws amendment, reviewing 2016 BCA activities and the proposed 2017 budget, presentations from ANC Representative Ed Solomon, Councilmember Jack Evans, the police, and representatives from the Mayor’s Office, Georgetown University, and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. As we learned, there are many things happening in the new year. Construction of the MedStar surgical pavilion will likely start in May after the approval process is completed. Even though it seems that progress has been slow, the Ellington School of the Arts is slated to be finished by the summer. There will also be a wider discussion of possible changes to parking rules and regulations in the neighborhood. Thanks to Hop, Cask & Barrel for the generous donation of wine.
In terms of the ballot items, the 2017 Board was elected and 66% chose to retain the May 2016 bylaw amendment about “safeguarding the community’s heritage.”
We also discussed the process to explore historic designation going forward. Several neighbors expressed support for continuing to explore historic designation; others stated that they would also like to see alternatives, such as a conservation district or zoning overlay, considered. Moreover, the idea of having a steering committee of homeowners with various perspectives appeared to be widely supported.
The Board met a week later and discussed these matters. We agreed that the steering committee, which is not formally sponsored or endorsed by the Board or BCA, is a promising idea. We also proposed a neutral Board member, Nan Bell, to observe steering committee meetings and report back to the Board. The Board will be happy to financially support meetings at the request of the committee. We decided that the historic designation committee will continue its hiatus, but that individual members of that group are free to express their opinions and advocate for their preferred positions. The Board is keen to keep the process of exploring options moving forward at a decent pace and reiterated that the steering committee should continue to explore historic designation along with other possibilities.
Looking a little further back for a moment, we had a great Halloween party at the Tot Lot on October 30. Big thanks to the Russell family for organizing this year’s festivities, as well as to sponsors such as Lenore Rubino, Realtor, and several vendors from the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers Market. On November 5, we had our semi-annual community clean-up. I would like to thank all of the volunteers who participated, Georgetown University and DC’s Helping Hands program for providing support, and Janice Sims for organizing.
Looking forward, we will have Santa visits on Sunday, December 11, from 3–6 pm. Look for an email announcement soon. Finally, we will hold our holiday decoration contest mid-month. Judging will take place from December 17–18. We are always looking for volunteers. If you are interested please email Edie Cecil at edithc123@gmail.com.
Finally, I would like to heartily thank all of the folks who have volunteered considerable amounts of their time over the last year for the betterment of the neighborhood. I am also grateful to the individuals, businesses, and organizations that have donated to various BCA activities.
Happy Holidays!