BCA Announcements

October 28th, VIRTUAL General Membership Meeting (via ZOOM) The public is welcome.

KATIE CRISTOL Presentation and Q&A on the Missing Middle Study and issues of voncern to Bluemont, Wednesday October 28 at the Virtual General Membership Meeting of the Bluemont Civic Association via ZOOM. The General Membership meeting begins at 7:30 pm where members will vote in our annual elections. The public meeting will begin by 7:45 pm. Ms. Cristol’s presentation will begin by 8 pm.

Please contact exec@bluemontcivic.org for a link to attend.

Nominees for Bluemont Civic Association Offices, Election October 28!

At the September 30 General Membership meeting, civic association members voted to accept the nominees below for the civic association elections on Wednesday October 28, 2020. Nominations will be open from the floor at that meeting for nominees to the one remaining vacant position (Alternate Delegate for Bluemont to the Arlington County Civic Federation.)

All civic association members in good standing (i.e. current on their annual dues of $15 per household) are eligible to vote in these elections, and to be nominated for the remaining vacant office during our meeting on October 28.

Nominees as Voting Members of the Executive Board

President Laura Kirkconnell
Vice President Henry McFarland
Second Vice President Kate Mattos
Treasurer David Van Wagner
Secretary David Hughes
Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC) Representative Nick Pastore
Non-Voting Members of the Executive Board

NCAC Alternate Delegate Christopher George
Civic Federation Delegates (4 Delegates from Bluemont are eligible to vote at every Arlington County Civic Federation meeting) Allen Norton, David Hughes, Christopher George, Bruce Leighton
Civic Federation Alternate Delegates (They replace Bluemont's Civic Federation Delegates when one or more cannot attend an Arlington County Civic Federation meeting.) Mark Haynes, Laura Kirkconnell, Margot Thomas

Join us!

The Bluemont Civic Association is a member-driven organization. Please join us, and have a vote! Annual dues are $15 per calendar year per household. Please provide your name, address and e-mail and $15 with your check made out to “Bluemont Civic Association” to BCA Treasurer, PO Box 5134, Arlington, VA 22205. All information is for BCA use only. When we can resume membership meetings in person, dues can be paid at meetings.

Connect with Bluemont!

  • Facebook: Like our Bluemont Civic Association page on Facebook for regular updates on news of interest to Bluemont and the civic association activities www.facebook.com/bluemontcivic.
  • Website www.bluemontcivic.org for BCA meetings and official information.
  • BCA E-Mails: Neighbors who provide their e-mail address to exec@bluemontcivic.org receive e-mail reports monthly on issues affecting Bluemont residents, and civic association activities.
  • Contact the Executive Board: BCA welcomes comments, suggestions and questions from members. Contact us at exec@bluemontcivic.org

Restoring Effective Speed Humps in Bluemont

Purpose:

The speed humps the County is installing are inferior due to their inability to slow traffic relative to the previous speed humps that were in place before milling and repaving. The Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) membership worked with the County to install many of those original speed humps to address neighborhood safety concerns. The BCA requests the county re-evaluate the design of the replacement speed humps and rectify their shortcomings to ensure they are effective in calming vehicular traffic which exceeds the posted speed limit.

BCA Resolution for a VOTE at the October 28, General Membership Meeting

  1. The BCA requests that Arlington County reevaluate the design and effectiveness of speed humps being deployed on N Vermont, N Abingdon, N. Jefferson, and N. Harrison. This should be done by reviewing the structure, design and effectiveness of the original speed humps and comparing them against the design and effectiveness of the replacement speed humps.
  2. The BCA requests the County review the installations of the replacement speed humps as some are more effective than others. For example, the two speed humps between Wilson Blvd and the I-66 bridge on N. Harrison are less effective than the speed humps on N Harrison between I- 66 and Washington Blvd. Similar issues have been identified on N Vermont where one of the replacement speed humps is virtually ineffective as well as on N Jefferson between 5 th and 8 th streets.
  3. The BCA requests the County remediate the replacement speed humps that are not effective at slowing traffic to the posted speed limit. The previous speed humps were effective at this.
  4. The BCA recommends having the Arlington County Police engage in patrolling and/or using other measures like speed signs that show the driver their speed (like on Wilson between the Rose Garden and Dominion Hills), to enforce the speed limits along N Vermont, N Abingdon, N Harrison, N Jefferson, and N Kensington.
  5. The BCA requests that Arlington County not make changes to traffic calming measures in place on Bluemont streets without input from the neighborhood.
  6. In addition to the adoption of the resolution, the BCA President shall sign and send a letter to the Arlington County Board, Arlington Department of Environmental Services, and Virginia Department of Transportation communicating the resolution with formal requests on behalf of the BCA membership.

County Board to Consider Use Permit for SemSem School, 4600 N. Fairfax Drive on October 17

A one-year use permit review associated with SP#57 to provide language instruction for up to 40 children (SemSem School), located at 4600 N. Fairfax Drive, is anticipated to be considered for the October 17, 2020 County Board meeting. The assigned planner, Anika Chowdhury, is requesting input on the referenced proposal, as this site is within Bluemont Civic Association and adjacent Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association and Waycroft-Woodlawn Civic Association. The planner requests our comments by Monday, September 21, 2020. Because the short notice provided by the County does not allow time for the civic association's General Membership to meet to consider this request, interested neighbors are encouraged to contact Annika Chowdhury directly, and are welcome to copy the Bluemont Civic Association.

Anika Chowdhury, Associate Planner, Planning Division, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 700, Arlington, Virginia 22201, Phone: (703) 228-0096, achowdhury@arlingtonva.us

Information on Voting, Candidates and Elections

The League of Women Voters has a one-stop shop for non-partisan information on elections and voting. Register to vote, find candidate information, and much more. Visit www.vote411.org for more information.

BCA News Letter

Although public health conditions do not currently allow us to bring a copy to your doorstep, we are pleased to provide you an electronic copy of Neighborhood News at this link http://www.bluemontcivic.org/newsletters/BCA_News_202004.pdf

We plan to update the newsletter and hand-deliver it once that is again possible.

Neighborhood News is normally delivered to homes in Bluemont in April and October. If you would like monthly e-mail updates, please contact exec@bluemontcivic.org.