President’s Message

By Eric Langenbacher, president@burleith.org

Dear Neighbors,

This will likely be my last president’s message because I have decided to run for the Burleith-Hillandale single member district for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E.  The election will be in November for a 2-year term that starts next year. This means that I will be stepping down this summer as president of the Burleith Citizens Association after 13 years of service—12 as president and 1 as co-recording secretary. We will be in contact over the summer with information about the various changes to the BCA Board.

Much has happened in the neighborhood, city, and country since 2014. We’ve had our gløgg parties, summer picnics, and annual meetings each year, supported by dozens and dozens of volunteers. I estimate about 50 issues of the Burleith Bell have been published and thousands of emails have been sent to the listserv operated by our civic association. We have advocated for many issues and sat on many committees, especially the Georgetown Community partnership. We made it through bad winter and summer storms, wildfire smoke, and a pandemic. And we celebrated the centennial of our neighborhood in March 2023 with an amazing gala on Georgetown’s campus and of the BCA in 2025. Although the effort has languished a bit, we are still committed to producing and installing welcome signs at various entry points into the neighborhood. I am extraordinarily proud of the achievements and on-going work of the Burleith Citizens Association over this century. In fact, I believe that our small neighborhood with 535 houses has consistently punched above our weight in Ward 2 and the city.

At the present moment, however, I am worried about the future. The association really needs a new generation of civic-minded neighbors to get involved. You can do as little or as much as you would like, but it is essential to take ownership of an issue or activity. I know how busy everyone can be working or raising a family, but contributing to the community is immensely rewarding and needed. There are many tasks that happen behind the scenes to keep the listserv and the website running, to manage the finances of the association, and the ensure that we have a community voice in larger forums. Moreover, the association would benefit from increased revenue. We do not have a business community like Georgetown or Glover Park to collaborate with and businesses seem more reluctant to advertise since the pandemic. As a 501c4 we can accept donations and we have the 501c3 Burleith Community Fund for tax-free donations.

Currently, we are in need of various volunteers, although the website, listserv, Georgetown Community Partnership, and BCA Board are always in need of additional assistance. Here are the specific open positions:

Picnic Co-Chair—as announced earlier this year, we are going to experiment with a Fall picnic/Oktoberfest in October at WIS instead of our traditional summer picnic.  We have one interested volunteer willing to organize, but will need at least one more person.

Community Clean-up Coordinator: we have been doing spring and fall community clean-ups for many years and need someone to take this on.

Transportation and Parking Working Group—for the Georgetown Community Partnership.

Advertising—we need someone to work on advertising for the Burleith Bell and website.

As for other updates, many of you are aware that the Ellington Field has re-opened.  It looks really nice, but there are lingering issues about maintenance (poison ivy was sighted) and usage. It appears that local public schools will have preferential access until about 6 pm, but after that it will be permitted. The issue with the lights is still unresolved because the Board of Zoning Adjustment keeps postponing their decision about whether the placement of the lights is in accordance with relevant regulations. The parking situation will also need to be monitored. On that note all blocks in Burleith (except for Whitehaven and Reservoir) are included in the DDOT study looking into getting resident-only parking on one side of the street. That might be the solution for the on-going parking issues around the field and the hospital.

 Now that the weather is warmer, I would like to remind everyone that it is each homeowner's duty to mow the grass between the sidewalk and street adjacent to the property. For renters, please coordinate with or inform your landlord. Rats are an on-going challenge. I have found the city’s people are pretty responsive, but it is important for everyone to do their part. Please make sure that all garbage, especially takeout, is properly bagged. If your green bin is broken, order a new lid or bin through 311.

 To conclude, I would like to thank everyone who has volunteered to make the BCA and Burleith as wonderful a neighborhood as it is. I hope to continue to assist the neighborhood in the future. And as summer beckons, I would also like to congratulate all of the graduating students in the community and their families.

All the best,

Eric Langenbacher

BCA President (2015-2026)