September 2016 Newsletter

[Original PDF here]

All Aurora Highlands residents are invited and encouraged to come to our monthly meetings where we meet neighbors, discuss topics of interest, and share information. MEETING – Wednesday, September 14 at 7 p.m. Aurora Hills Community Center 735 18th St. S. *** Doors open at 6:30 ***

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Newsletter – September 2016

Meeting Agenda

Introductions

For Discussion

• Water Pollution Control Plant Paul Guttridge will provide an update.
• Senior/Community Center Renovations Senior programs will continue to operate through October 21, and a schedule of planned programs should appear in the next 55+ Guide published by the County. The renovations are expected to take approximately 8 months. While AHCC is closed, Senior Center programs will be moving to Gunston, and will start there on November 7. Monthly meetings of the Aurora Highlands Civic Association will meet in the back room of the library.  Peter Lusk, from the Facility Operations division of Parks & Rec, will be at the meeting to discuss  the upcoming refurbishment to the Facility, as well as storage needs and distribution between the users of the facility.
• I-395 Express Lane Proposal The state has announced plans to extend the 95 Express Lanes about eight miles north on I-395 to the D.C. line.  This project will convert today’s two HOV lanes into three Express Lanes within the existing roadway. Michael McGurk from Transurban, VDOT’s private partner on the project, will make a presentation and answer questions. More info can be found at 395ExpressLanes.com.
• AHCA Elections Elections will take place at the November meeting. Nominations will be made at the AHCA meeting on October 12. If you would like to nominate yourself or somebody else for one of the officer positions, please contact one of the officers listed in this newsletter.

Community Updates

• Free Shade Trees Would you like to help improve the tree canopy in our neighborhood?  Have a free shade tree planted on your property by the County!  The County is offering property owners in our Civic Association the chance to receive a free shade tree, including the labor to plant the tree.   As a Civic Association,  we can receive up to 25 trees.  Last year, 25 trees were planted under this same program, so we are hoping to keep this going! Email Kathy Landis at landis59@gmail.com.
• Fall Festival October is closer than you think, and that means it’s almost time for the 9^th  Annual Boo Ha Ha Halloween party. The free neighborhood event will be held this year on Saturday, October 15, from 3 to 6 pm at the Aurora Hills Community Center/Library.
  • Sponsorship – Generous support from sponsors and AHCA allow us to put on the Boo free of charge.  If you’d like to be a  sponsor, contact Geva: lester@gmail.com 571.249.4382.
  • Volunteers – It takes a lot of time and effort to make this event a success year after year.  If you can volunteer to help, please contact Joo at jchung3@yahoo.com.
  • Items Needed – If you have a generator or popcorn machine we could borrow, please contact Mike Dowell at mdowell9@gmail.com.
• 22202 Planning and Transportation At the community’s request, County staff have pulled together data on transportation and development within 22202. For information, visit https://projects.arlingtonva.us/22202-data./
• Crystal House Crystal House is still working on installing a dimmer for their perimeter rooftop lighting, as a demonstration to the civic association. They would need to come before the County Board with a revised application, and that will not happen until at least October.
• Aircraft Noise The FAA is considering adjusting flights to keep aircraft over the Potomac River (and thus lessen residential noise) as much as possible. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Washington-Lee High School, the FAA will host the first of three public forums, to present and receive feedback on proposed changes. For more information, including background documents, visit http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/. To connect with Arlington’s citizen representatives to MWAA’s DCA Community Working Group, visit  https://departments.arlingtonva.us/cmo/airport-noise/.
• River House Vornado has filed preliminary site plan drawings with the County for the River House site. County staff will now begin a technical review of the submission to ensure it meets the requirements for acceptance of a site plan application. Depending on how compete the first submission is and how timely the applicant is in responding to any comments or missing information, this can typically take 4 to 6 weeks, sometimes longer. Once the drawings and submission are accepted by the County as a new site plan proposal, the proposal will undergo formal County and public review. This could begin later this fall or early next year, depending on when the site plan is accepted for formal review. Stay tuned.
• Power Outages With hurricane season predicted to be a busy one, following on some local weather that has already knocked out power, here’s a reminder of how to contact Dominion:
  Dominion power outage hotline 888-667-3000 or https://www.dom.com/residential/dominion-virginia power/outage-center/report-and-check-outages.

Important Websites

AHCA Bank Account Balance (required by by-laws): $7796.27 as of September 7, 2016

Please sign up with the Aurora Highlands group on Nextdoor to stay informed about happenings in the hood, including AHCA-related issues. We also encourage people to use Nextdoor as a way to spread the word about events or other items of interest to the whole 22202 community.

Category: Community Events