March 2000
vol3, no3

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Bluemont Civic Association
PO Box 5134
Arlington, Virginia 22205
http://members.nbci.com/bluemont/

BCA Officers and Representatives

Abingdon Street Planning Grant Approved for Neighborhood Conservation Funding

The request for Neighborhood Conservation funding for a planning grant for Abingdon Street was approved by the Arlington County Board at its February 12 meeting as part of a package of projects approved earlier by the County's Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC).

The planning grant is designed to fund the time of County staff to help Abingdon Street residents explore possible alternatives to remedy problems such as the volume and speed of traffic, pedestrian safety, and street lighting. Funds to start the neighborhood planning effort should be available in the next few months. The Board discussed the Abingdon Street item during its consideration of the NC budget.

All interested residents were encouraged to participate in the forthcoming planning meetings to provide ideas and weigh the various alternatives. A number of Abingdon Street residents wrote letters or provided testimony to the Board regarding the proposed grant. Board members were careful to assure residents that no decisions regarding improvements had been made at this point and funding was being approved solely for planning.

Abingdon Street residents with questions on the project should contact Melodee Melin at (703) 524-1086. She is serving as liaison to the County staff regarding Abingdon Street's NC activity. Leaflets will be distributed door-to-door announcing the planning meetings and residents should look for these in coming months.

Speaker Bio: Rebecca Mead

Rebecca Mead is a graduate of Mount HolyokeCollege who continued her education in Botany at the University of Colorodo - Boulder. She has been a resident of North Arlington for 30 years. She worked in the Education Office at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum for 25 years, training teachers and docents.

A Master Gardener, Ms. Mead coordinates Virginia Cooperative Extension's Water-Wise Lawn Program in Arlington and Alexandria. This program, part of an area-wide grant-funded effort, encourages lawn care practices which produce attractive yards with minimum harm to the environment.

Our topic this month is the best practices for lawn care in Northern Virginia, and specifically what you should be doing this Spring and Summer. If you have questions about your current or future lawn, please come to our next association meeting. If you would like an answer to a specific question, you may email her at rgmead@vt.edu ahead of time. You will receive your answer at the meeting.

Until then, you can try out your knowledge on the Lawn Care Quiz below.

LAWN CARE QUIZ - Answers are in the opposite column:

1. Should you plant a new lawn in the spring or the fall?
2. Should you fertilize a bluegrass lawn in the spring?
3. Can a lawn survive a drought?
4. What is the best time to water your lawn.
5. What is the proper way to dispose of grass clippings?
6. Will walking around in my golf shoes aerate my lawn?

Nomination Committee for BCA Executive Officers

At our March general meeting we will form a committee to nominate candidates for next year's BCA Executive Officers (President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary) and Representatives (Neighborhood Conservation Representative, Civic Federation Delegates and Alternates).

The election will be held at the June meeting, at which time the new officers will take office. Serving on the committee will require a limited commitment, and would be a nice way to participate in the association if you cannot commit much time, but know potential candidates.

If interested, please contact Carl Hallinan (812-4797 or challinan@aol.com).

Neighborhood Day 2000 is Coming Up May 13th Neighbors!

We are planning a Neighborhood Day celebration at Lacey Woods Park. We are thinking about a picnic/barbecue, maybe some field games, a tree/flower planting, and even some neighborhood clean-up along nearby bike paths. If there is interest, we could get a permit for a bonfire in our fire circle. Let's hope for some good weather.

If you have some ideas or would like to help plan the event contact Karen DeCarlo at 525-5467.

Bluemont Family to Lead Team to Raise Money for Cystic Fibrosis

For the third year, North Fifth Street residents Janet and Harvey Weiner will lead a team of walkers in the Washington DC Great Strides 10K Walk to cure Cystic Fibrosis on Saturday, May 20, 2000.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. The Weiner's two children, Matthew (5)and Melissa (2), both have CF and attend school at the Clarendon First Baptist Church. The Weiner family has lived in the Bluemont neighborhood for 10 years and in Arlington for 13 years.

Last year the Weiner family raised over $6,000 in donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at Great Strides.

If you would like to join them in walking, please call Janet 's office at 703-603-8717. Walkers get a great T-shirt and earn prizes for every dollar in pledges that they collect. You can also support your neighbors by making a donation to Matthew & Melissa's Team.

10th Street Improvements

At the February Association meeting, a committee was formed to consider the possibility of a project to construct curbs, sidewalks and gutters on 10th Street near Edison. Our neighbors Harry McFarland (5132 10th St; 528-1699;HMcFarland@hotmail.com) and Bill Donovan (5110 10th St.; 276-8344; bdonovan@nafcunet.org) are serving as co-chairs. If you're interested in joining the committee please get in touch with Harry or Bill.

Answers to Lawn Care Quiz

1. In the Fall, a new cool grass lawn should be given the better part of a year to develop the root system needed to survive the next summer.
2. No, cool season grass should not be fertilized in the spring. Put that fertilizer in the shed until the fall. In the spring, fertilizer will cause leaf development to override root development which takes away your greatest drought protection.
3. Yes if it has enough root system developed before the summer. Don't worry about temporary brown patches in August, if the root system is there, your grass isn't dead. It will green up when the weather cools down.
4. Early in the morning from 6AM to 10 AM is the best time to water your grass. This limits the number of total hours per day that your lawn is wet, reducing the time for lawn diseases to grow/spread.
5. Leave them on the lawn. They are a great fertilizer. If your neighbor doesn't leave them on their lawn, ask them for theirs!
6. Not in any useful way. You need to use something that will actually remove plugs a few inches in depth to get oxygen to the roots of your lawn.

BCA Calendar - Meetings & Events

Officers

Membership

BCA membership costs $12 per household per calendar year. Dues are prorated $1 per month for new members who join after the beginning of the year (e.g., currently, membership is $10 for the remainder of 2000). To renew or join, send a check to: Treasurer, Bluemont Civic Association, PO Box 5134, Arlington, VA 22205 (Please include your name, postal and e-mail addresses, and phone number).