President’s Message
/By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a fulfilling and restful holiday season and that any federal employees and contractors in the neighborhood are weathering the (partial) government shutdown as well as possible.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the holiday light competition and to Kay Twomey, Edie Cecil, and GU’s Samantha Herrell who so thoughtfully judged the contest. I would also like to thank the folks behind the Burleith Community Fund for helping to organize the assembly and delivery of 50 packages to So Others Might Eat as part of its holiday shoebox gift drive.
As 2019 gears up, there are several things on the agenda. First, I hope that you can all join us at the home of Linda Brooks (3600 T Street) on Sunday, February 3, from 4-6 pm, for the annual gløgg party. For those of you new to the neighborhood, gløgg is a Scandinavian mulled wine, which will be accompanied by many other delicious foods. This is a great mid-winter opportunity to visit with neighbors. Don't worry—the festivities will conclude well before kick-off for the Superbowl.
As many of you know all too well, the green alley initiative has been affecting Burleith for several months now. In my count, there are at least four different alley projects currently underway and a couple are already completed. Each project also seems to be taking longer than expected to get done. We will all need some patience to get through this EPA-mandated infrastructure project. I am aware that some elderly residents are inconvenienced by the restrictions on accessing parking spaces. Also, trash pick-up is affected as outlined in DC Water’s notification materials. During the duration of work, you will need to move your supercans and recycling bins to the front of your property. Even if there is a delay on the project, garbage trucks will not be able to access the alleys. So, please be cognizant of this. I noticed that the bins are overflowing near the bottom of the alley between 35th Street and 35th Place because they are not being moved to the front curb. If you have any questions or concerns, the contact person is Amanda Zander, Green Infrastructure Public Outreach Coordinator for DC Clean Rivers Project, at (202) 787-4142 or amanda.zander@dcwater.com.
Construction is now quite visible at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The authorities are quite aware of the possible impact of construction vehicles on traffic patterns on Reservoir Road. They have implemented several responses, which seem to be alleviating any downsides. But, please let us know if problems recur. The BCA has once again been hearing from residents about trash on 38th and 39th streets. We are currently discussing this matter with our MedStar colleagues.
As always, residents have alerted us to parking problems. We have tried to get more enforcement (with success in some areas), but I fear that issues will persist at least for the time being. In addition to the hospital and green alleys, there are many other construction projects that are affecting the availability of parking. We will do our best to manage this, but it is quite challenging.
Finally, we have many new members on the board of the BCA, which will commence its monthly meetings later this month. Please be on the lookout for several new initiatives.