February 2018 Newsletter

[View the printed-format newsletter here]

All Aurora Highlands / Pentagon City residents are encouraged to come to our monthly meetings to meet neighbors, discuss topics of interest, and share information. MEETING – Wednesday, February 14, 2018 Aurora Hills Community Center 735 18th St. S.

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Newsletter – February 2018

Dues Due. Dues envelopes are included with your newsletter. We hope you’ll support the AHCA (still only $20 per household). We promote the interests of our community with County staff, School Board and County Board, and private interests doing business in the neighborhood such as developers. We also have a voice with state elected representatives. If you want your voice to be part of that discussion, please join us. Come to the meetings and stay connected through email and Facebook. You can save a stamp and pay with PayPal at aurorahighlands.org or come to the meeting with your payment.

Volunteers Needed—small time commitment. Can you spare an hour or so a month? Newsletter advertising helps support AHCA’s programs—things like the Boo Ha Ha, our partnership with Linden Resources in the Christmas tree lighting, and, upcoming this year, community events in Virginia Highlands Park. We’ve got a trove of businesses who’d like to advertise in our newsletter. All we need is somebody to schedule advertisers and send invoices, all of which can be done from home in your pyjamas.

Meeting Agenda

Elementary School Boundaries. Last month the School Board began a process to revise the elementary school boundaries for much of Arlington to take effect in the 2019–2020 school year. The boundary changes have been prompted by the opening of Alice Fleet Elementary School on the Jefferson School site in Fall 2019 and the movement of the Montessori program out of the Drew Model School and into Patrick Henry Elementary School also in Fall 2019. Students in the Oakridge community are expected to be affected by these boundary changes, although no decisions will be made until later this spring. Later this month Arlington Public Schools (APS) will begin its official community engagement process, focusing first on walk zones and option schools.

Colleen Pickford, Oakridge PTA Vice President of Community Engagement, will share some preliminary information on what to expect and how to track the process as it affects our community. She will be back at a future meeting for a more in-depth
discussion.

PenPlace. The undeveloped site on the north side of 12th St., across from Whole Foods, will soon be undergoing a transformation. JBG Smith, the owner of many properties in Pentagon City and Crystal City, will be developing the southern half of the site, known as PenPlace. Representatives from JBG will discuss their plans. Instead of the massive office complex originally envisioned, the new plans include two mid-rise residential buildings, ground-floor retail, and a dog park. Do you have an idea for needed retail? Homemade ice cream shop? Bookstore? Hardware store? Whisky bar? Come with your ideas, concerns, and questions. The future of the northern half of the site is still unclear.

Community Dates and Updates

National Airport: What’s in Store? Big changes are coming to the airport this year: a new security checkpoint area; a new commuter terminal at the northern end of the airport; and preliminary plans for a new garage structure and new traffic circulation pattern within the airport area. Staff from the Metropolitan Washington Airport Administration (MWAA) will talk about these changes at a meeting hosted by the Crystal City Civic Association. All AHCA members are invited. The Crystal City BID will also present the final report for a potential pedestrian/bike access to the airport. Wed., February 21, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 908.

New Bakery Coming to Pentagon Row. The neighborhood is about to be blessed with a new artisanal bakery at Pentagon Row. Bread and Water, an Alexandria bakery that sells its European style bread and pastries at the Crystal City, Ballston, and Columbia Pike farmers market, will be setting up shop in the kiosk formerly occupied by Capitol Teas. If sweets are your thing, their flourless brownies are to die for.

New Wine Store in Pentagon City. The Pentagon City Wine Merchant just opened a few weeks ago. Into this small space, across Fern St. from Costco near the Post Office, is crammed a surprisingly diverse collection of wines. The staff there are helpful and knowledgeable, and the prices are reasonable. Get in now – their sale may still be on!

Arlington’s Summer Camp Registration starts Wed., Feb. 14. What are your kids going to do this summer? Arlington offers activities for budding gymnasts, Wellness Warriors, artists, chefs, naturalists, and more. Check out the offerings at https://camp-listings.arlingtonva.us. Registration opens at 7 a.m. on February 14.

Crystal City’s Synetic Theater Spring & Summer Camp 2018. Registration is now open for spring and summer camps for students ages 6–13. Spring camp runs March 26–30. You can register for one day or all five. Each day introduces something new, including storytelling, acrobatics, pantomime, dance, diction, puppetry, and visual art.
Summer camp runs in two-week sessions from June through August. Students work with members of the theater on staging an original play written for and performed by campers, complete with musical numbers, and an original score. http://synetictheater.org/camps/.

Gardening for Butterflies and Other Pollinators. It may be winter still, but it’s not too early to think about your garden plans. Learn about gardening for butterflies and other pollinators from guest speaker Sylvia Smechel, the lead horticulturalist for the National Museum of Natural History. February 22, 7:30–9:00. Long Branch Nature Center, 625. S. Carlin Springs Road. No registration required. Presented by the Washington Area Butterfly Club. For more information, 703-560-8556.

Please sign up with the Aurora Highlands group at Nextdoor.com to stay informed about happenings in the hood, including AHCA-related issues, and to share events and other items with your neighbors.  AHCA will also post information on the 4D-A listserve, https://groups.yahoo.com/4D-A

Aurora Highlands Civic Association       P.O. Box 25201       Arlington, VA 22202

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www.aurorahighlands.org

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