President's Message

By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org

Now that the extended holiday season, the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States, the Women’s March, and the Super Bowl are behind us, the BCA is starting to gear up for 2017.

Our first event of the year—the annual Glogg Party hosted by Linda Brooks and Ross Schipper—was a smashing success. More than 80 residents along with Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans socialized over refreshments and gløgg (a Scandinavian mulled wine) on Sunday afternoon, February 5. Check back soon for a full report and photos.

The event also featured advance copies of Arcadia Publishing’s new book about Burleith. We are extremely excited about this photographic depiction of our neighborhood, which will be released on March 6 and available for $21.99 through the Arcadia and Amazon websites. This massive undertaking was spearheaded by Ross Schipper and Dwane Starlin, and our heartfelt thanks go out to them. The book is awesome!

The Neighborhood Development Steering Committee has had several meetings and is planning a town hall for late February. Announcements will be sent out soon. Topics will include options (zoning, conservation district, historic designation) for the neighborhood to consider for managing growth as well as the economic impact of the various options. There will be ample time allotted to community comment.

In other news, the Citizens Association of Georgetown sponsored a meeting back in December devoted to the swing space for Hyde-Addison School. Many disgruntled parents voiced their disapproval of the plan to use Meyer Elementary on 11th Street NW for the swing space. Mayor Bowser, officials from her administration, and Councilmembers Evans and Grosso were in attendance. Although several alternative scenarios (such as delaying the modernization) and spaces were discussed, no change from the current decision was announced. Please note that Burleith children will not be attending Hyde-Addison until after the modernization is complete.

There was a community walk-through on December 15 with various DC agency reps. We started at 38th and Reservoir and went all the way up to the dead end. We then went back to T, up 37th, down Whitehaven, and then down 35th Street. I pointed out numerous sidewalk problems (the pebbles on 38th Street below S, the bad spot half-way up Whitehaven), the drainage issue at the dead end, and the need for new alleys (like between Reservoir and R and T/S between 38th/37th), but I also asked them to coordinate with the green infrastructure people. I also pointed out the problems with the brick sidewalks on R between 36th and 38th, which appear to have already been fixed.

Regarding airplane noise, you have no doubt read that the FAA’s proposed tweaks to the new route (LAZIR B) is off the table. This means that the litigation track is more important than ever. Various briefs will be filed in the next few months. The DC Fair Skies Coalition needs to fundraise about $60,000 over the next few months. The BCA Board recently approved a $1,000 donation (our second such sum over two years). Please also consider a donation via www.dcfairskies.org/donate or by check to the Aircraft Noise Fund, c/o the Citizens Association of Georgetown, 1365 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007. All donations are tax deductible and will be acknowledged.

In other news, the team renovating Ellington School admitted to having fallen behind schedule, but reiterated that they will finish on time by May/August 2017. There have been problems with workers parking on our streets. Although the problem has not been fully addressed, it appears that DC government agencies and MPD are finally making some efforts. Our ANC representative Ed Solomon has been very active in trying to find relief. The BCA is also considering a new community solar co-op that will involve Burleith, Georgetown, and Hillandale. The BCA Board is also researching a community beehive—as an avid gardener, I love this idea. Finally, I am pleased to announce that Ed Ohl will be representing Burleith on the Georgetown Community Partnership’s Transportation and Parking Working Group.

All the best for a good 2017!