President’s Message
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By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org
I hope everyone is doing well as the city and region slowly re-open. With the on-going concerns about the delta variant (and maybe others), we are not quite back to normal. Due to these concerns, the BCA decided to cancel our postponed summer picnic back in September. We are also not going to host an in-person Halloween party for children or an annual meeting, which will once again be online. But, both our Halloween and holiday decorating contests will be repeated. More details will be forthcoming via email and our website. Also, we have scheduled our biannual community clean-up on Saturday, November 6, at 9 am (meet at Ellington Field entrance, 38th and R).
The 2021 BCA Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, November 4, from 7–9 pm online via Zoom. Invited speakers include Mayor Muriel Bowser, Councilmember Brooke Pinto, ANC Commissioner Kishan Putta, representatives from Georgetown University and the hospital, as well as the police and other local officials. We will also have an opportunity to hear about local issues of great import such as DPR plans for Ellington Field, the proposed bicycle lanes on 37th Street, progress with the hospital’s construction, and on-going hospital parking and trash issues in the neighborhood. We should have ample time to discuss any other issue our members would like to raise. The BCA’s finances are doing very well because we have not had any of our regular expenses, especially the summer picnic. Our healthy balance means that we will be able to do more in the future.
Eligible BCA members will also vote on the Board slate for 2022–2023. Please note that each board member has a two-year term and half of the board is elected every year (unless there is an unexpected vacancy). Details on the board members and the election will be in the October Bell and will be distributed online. I would like to thank the entire slate, and would like to acknowledge in particular John McGeary and Sarah Wetzel for agreeing to run for the first time. I would also like to express my gratitude to our two outgoing board members, Michael McDuffie and Rob Russell, for their many years of dedicated service to the neighborhood.
One big item on the agenda of the annual meeting and going forward will be plans for Burleith’s centennial in 2023. The Board has discussed three ideas. First, we think permanent welcome signs at various entrances to the neighborhood would be nice. We will look into commissioning an artist/designer and will need to do fundraising for this. The Burleith Community Fund (BCF), where donations are tax deductible, has agreed to work with us on this. Second, we would like to plan a larger scale gala in the late winter or early spring of 2023. This will be reminiscent of the Burleith winter picnic of yore, which took place in amazing venues like the Embassy of France or Dumbarton House. Third, some neighbors have expressed interest in revising and up-dating a history brochure or short book, along the lines of earlier efforts. Many volunteers (and donors!) will be needed for these initiatives, so please be on the lookout for our communications about convening various committees.
As for the other issues currently affecting the community, residents on 35th Street have finally gotten relief from the intrusive noise caused by the temporary A/C unit installed in front of Hardy Middle School. After much pestering, the system was shut off around October 15 and the temporary unit was removed a few days later. Hopefully the permanent unit is now fixed and this noise will not reoccur. I have not heard anything recently about the DDOT proposal to eliminate all of the parking places on 37th Street between Whitehaven and Reservoir to install protected bicycle lanes. I believe they may be collecting additional data, which will hopefully be more accurate than what they presented earlier this year. I am hopeful that they will seriously consider advisory bike lanes that would not eliminate any parking. There has been substantial pushback on DDOT plans for bicycle lanes in Glover Park and Georgetown, as well as in other neighborhoods like Dupont Circle (where 17th Street has been greatly altered).
There have been several meetings on DPR’s plans for Ellington Field. I hope that future meetings will be announced further in advance and that they will provide more opportunities for neighbors’ feedback. I am still rather concerned about impacts on traffic and parking, which should be addressed specifically at a DPR meeting mentioned for some time in November. I have also invited someone from DPR to address the annual meeting. Representatives have said that they expect users to bike or use scooters to travel to and from the field, but I am highly skeptical and would like to see some data to back up this assumption. Minimizing impacts on the neighborhood and maintaining community access continue to be top priorities.
Finally, the discussion about redistricting the boundaries of all 8 wards in the city is on-going and will be concluded by the end of the year. The process is being led by Councilmember Elissa Silverman and there will be a subcommittee hearing for Ward 2 on October 25 at 2 PM. Details are here. Our strong preference is to stay in Ward 2 and the census data shows that, if anything, Ward 2 should gain and not lose some residents.
As autumn progresses, I would like to remind everyone that each resident is responsible for raking leaves around their property. The city will come by twice between November and January to collect everything. Information will be available on the DPW website. I would also like to reiterate that the trash bins in the neighborhood are looking haggard. Despite delays, please consider requesting a new lid free of charge from 311.
Stay well.