President’s Message

By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org

We have two final community events planned before the holidays. Santa visits will take place on Saturday, December 14, from 2–4 pm. Santa needs to make fewer stops this year, so families should coordinate visits. Then, on the evening of Friday, December 20, we will have judging for our annual holiday decoration contest. The winners over the last few years have been awesome, so the competition will surely be intense. Thanks to all the volunteers who make these great activities possible.

The BCA annual meeting took place on November 7 at the Washington International School. I reported on our activities over the course of 2019, including the recent Halloween party and the summer picnic—both with record attendance. Membership numbers have held up well, and the organization’s finances are in order. In fact, we have continuously carried a healthy bank balance. We had interesting briefings from speakers like Councilmember Jack Evans, ANC Commissioner Kishan Putta, Chris Murphy from Georgetown University, and Michael Sachtleben from the hospital. There was a spirited discussion about the continuing problem of medical waste in the neighborhood. The slightly smaller 2020 Board (with 10 rather than 12 members) was elected, and the proposed by-law amendments were passed.

At the meeting, the BCA continued its tradition of honoring people who have benefited the community. This year we recognized Richard Livingstone, the former liaison to Ward 2 from the Mayor’s office; Melvin Lambright, a super-conscientious Burleith mail carrier; and Walter Hillabrant, who has volunteered for the neighborhood for many years. The BCA Board is also bidding farewell to two long-serving members, Edith Cecil and Ann Carper. I am extremely grateful for their many years of service.

Perhaps the biggest issue right now is the future plans for the Ellington Field in Burleith, bordered by Reservoir, S, 38th, and 39th Streets. The field has been controlled by DC public schools (after 1974 by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts) since it was given to the city in the 1920s by the original developers of this neighborhood. In addition to school use, the field has been a cherished community resource used by numerous neighbors for a variety of purposes. Georgetown University has financed recent renovations to the track and has received some preferential access to the track. 

Now, the city government wants to transfer the field to the control of the Department of Parks and Recreation—a change that will have substantial impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods. For instance, the government has announced its intent to increase the size of the playing field. This will be difficult on the current space and might entail removing the bleachers or the track, excavation, or the removal of mature trees. The city has said it will look into a dog park as well, but space will be limited. I have repeatedly shared the serious concerns that neighbors have voiced to me including parking impacts, traffic, noise, and possible lights.

Although the city previously engaged in a process that did not solicit community input in advance of their decision, they have promised public meetings going forward, including a presentation at the December 2 ANC meeting. As we prepare for this process, the BCA put together a survey to solicit neighbors’ opinions about current usage of the field and future changes. This survey found strong support for the community maintaining access and for more use by public school students. There was much lower support for private school access and very little for private leagues. Neighbors almost unanimously disapproved of losing parking spaces and increased traffic through the neighborhood due to envisioned greater use. Finally, almost all respondents would like to see various impact assessments completed before any changes are contemplated. The full final results of the survey will be posted on our website and distributed via email. (Update: Please see the survey highlights and results.)

Please make every attempt to attend the planned meetings and to communicate your opinions to the relevant decision makers. (Update: DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation’s new web page for the field transfer contains a link to its presentation at the December 2 ANC 2E meeting.)

I would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season. I look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood and at our events in the new year. In fact, mark your calendars: our first activity will be the annual gløgg party on Superbowl Sunday, February 2, 2020.