September 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, September 12 at 7 p.m. Aurora Hills Community Center 735 18th St. S.

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Newsletter – September 2018

Meeting Agenda

Restaurant Row on S. 23^rdStreet. Freddie Lutz, owner of the eponymous Beach Bar and the soon-to-open Federico’s Italian restaurant, will come to speak about changes—recent, imminent, and aspirational—to the Restaurant Row area. Come with your questions and suggestions as Freddie talks about the efforts by the 23^rdStreet businesses to do a make-over of the block.

AHCA Nominations & Election.The Civic Association is the community’s public face in meetings with County staff and board members, on everything from traffic and parking to airport noise and development. Next year will bring new issues critical to the future of our neighborhood, so please give serious thought to helping select people – including yourself – who will commit their time, effort, and ideas to this effort. Members in good standing, who have paid their dues, can make nominations at our regular monthly meeting. The six officers are a president, vice president, 2^nd vice president, business secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer. The president must have been a member for the entire 2018 calendar year, but members are eligible for other positions if they have paid their dues by October 31. The election will be at our November 14meeting. Each member in good standing has a single vote. If you have a household membership, each household member eligible for regular membership has one vote.

Fall Community Fest.  Many of you have attended the Boo Ha Ha, the beloved neighborhood fall festival we’ve held annually for the past decade. Sadly, the Boo is no more. It outgrew itself and required more people power than volunteers could commit to. At the meeting we, will be discussing the possibility of holding a scaled down, neighborhood-oriented event on the afternoon of October 27 in the north softball field. If you attended the Easter/spring gathering last April, that’s the sort of thing: snacks, races and games, socializing among families and friends, costumes. We’re hoping we can mobilize some teens or tweens to help with crafts and games–things like old-fashioned sack races or 3-legged races. Please come with your thoughts about activities and budget. If you can’t come to the meeting, but would like to attend the event – and especially if you or your kids can help plan or supervise an activity – please email president@aurorahighlands.org.

Uber/Lyft lot on S. Eads Street. We have had lots of queries and complaints about the increased traffic on Eads and the level of cut-through traffic through CVS and McDonald’s. AHCA and our neighboring civic associations in Arlington Ridge and Crystal City have been in discussions with County and MWAA staff. We will provide an update about measures being taken to mitigate the traffic and safety issues while the County works to get the Route 1 entrance to the lot reopened (a decision that needs to be made by VDOT).

Community Dates and Updates

Attn. Oakridge Parents: Elementary School Boundary Process. September 26,7-8:30 p.m. Kenmore Middle School, 200 S. Carlin Springs Rd. Come review initial boundary scenarios as staff make a presentation and gather input; simultaneous interpretation will be available. You can also watch the presentation live online at https://www.apsva.us/engage/livestream/. This topic will be on the agenda of our October meeting.

Nelly Custis Park Update. The project for renovating the park, at the corner of 24^thSt. S. and S. Grant, has gone out to bid and a contractor has been tentatively selected. The next step is for the County Board to review and approve the contract; this has been tentatively scheduled for a board meeting in September. Linden Resources has also applied for a grant from the County’s Stormwater Wise program, which would provide matching funding for landscaping measures that would reduce runoff from the parking lot behind the park.

Local Business Going Straw Free. In response to a growing movement to curb plastic waste, Freddie’s Beach Bar is phasing out plastic straws. Why focus on straws when there’s so much other plastic? For one thing, the half-billionstraws that Americans use each day are too small to get recycled. The moratorium being joined by so many businesses and cities is meant to get us thinking about the need to create so much plastic waste, much of which ends up in the oceans.

Fridays at the Fountain. Beat the heat at Crystal City’s pop-up beer garden at the Waterpark, which will continue through October 26. Come listen to the music, grab a drink provided by the Crystal City wine shop, or enjoy a bite to eat from a rotating list of local restaurants and food vendors.  For a full lineup of the music entertainment, visit https://www.crystalcity.org/do/fridays-at-the-fountain

Check for Standing Water.Arlington’s first case of West Nile virus was reported last month. West Nile is a mosquito-borne virus that causes no symptoms in the majority of people, but about 20% of infected people suffer from fevers, vomiting, or a rash. Less commonly the virus can cause severe neurological symptoms or even death. The mosquitoes are attracted to even small amounts of standing water. Please dump or drain standing water that collects inflower pots, gutters, pet bowls, and birdbaths. If you have standing water you can’t get rid of, such as a rain barrel or pond, treat it with wildlife-friendly larvicide (such as Mosquito Dunks) to kill developing mosquitoes.

Absentee In-Person Voting Begins Sept. 26. No, it’s not a typo though it is an oxymoron. Virginia allows early absentee voting – in person or by mail – for a variety of reasons.  For example, if you work outside the county, you are eligible to vote absentee, either early in person or by mail.  Also eligible are voters who anticipate working and commuting 11 of the 13 hours the polls are open, or who are disabled, pregnant or care for a confined family member.  For eligibility requirements, schedule, and locations for absentee voting, visit https://vote.arlingtonva.us/absentee/

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

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