Bring a dish and come join your local firefighters for a Holiday Pot Luck. All are welcome from the 22202 area (please spread the word), bring your favorite dish and share with others. If you plan to bring a dish, please email to brucecameronahca@gmail.com and/or cameron.maria@gmail.com so we be sure to have enough food and supplies. Hosted by the Aurora Highlands Civic Association and the Fire House 105 Team

AHCA Meeting on December 5th from 4:00-5:00pm at the Aurora Hills Community Center (Meeting Room) [prior to potluck at the firehouse]

Maria Teresa Day Care on 23rd seeks a renewal and expansion of a special use permit and this comes before the County Board on December 12th, and therefore county staff is asking for inputs from AHCA. AHCA needs to establish a consensus position on the Maria Teresa Day Care Center on 23rd Street. MT Day Care would like to expand its capacity from 34 up to 71* students. We believe the request has been amended down to 50. The issues are the following ­ likely impact on traffic and pedestrian safety along this stretch of 23rd Street and whether any further precedent is set by this size, given that Potomac Crescent Waldorf School is just up the street and is the largest exception to need one of these special use permits. We do not have final county staff inputs as to their view on traffic impacts, but hope to by December 5th. One suggestion is to support the daycare, but recommend that the capacity be allowed to expand over certain time increments to be suggested by staff so that staff and the neighborhood have a chance to observe the incremental impact (and MTs ability to manage it) as this business grows in size and impact to neighborhood. This is a suggestion on the table, a final neighborhood position will be decided at the meeting.

Missing Link Project ­ we have an opportunity to finish off the sidewalk for the 700 block of 22nd Street. On the north side, there are 2.5 lots missing in one section. The tricky part, there is a red maple which is not very substantial (and likely to come out in a few years but not sick now) in a tough slope spot by the street. In order to put missing links in and still remain in the county right of way, the tree needs to come down [Missing Links does not cover tree removal of trees over 4 inches in diameter]. We have been told that if $500 can be raised, a county crew can take the tree down. The recommendation is for AHCA to contribute the $500 dollars while county dollars will be used to put in the sidewalks and any curb needed. We do not want to set a regular precedent, but do think for special cases, this is the type of cost sharing which leverages AHCA resources with county dollars and shows we a neighborhood are trying all options to get the needed infrastructure that has been missing for so long in our area.

The December 5th AHCA meeting: If all goes well, this will be the kick off of a partnership arrangement between County Parks and Recreation Department and AHCA under which AHCA will have the keys to the community room/building and will be able to "staff" our own meetings. Note: The regular format of the newsletter and the advertising will return in the January 2010 edition of the AHCA newsletter.

President's Message: As this is my last newsletter, I want to say thank you to everyone on two points: for helping me (and my family) learn more about the Arlington Way and for making this a great community to live in. And I encourage ALL of you to participate, all politics is local and in these financially hard times, every voice in our community needs to be plugged in and participating in the Arlington Way.