Guest Speakers – Roni Robins and ACPD
Agenda:
- Lee-Harrison Shopping Center (Roni Robins VP of Development)
- Traffic Safety (ACPD)
- Plan Lee Highway
- Abnormally high water bills
- New construction
- YCA business
Friday, Jan. 31
6:30-8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Washington-Liberty High School
1301 N. Stafford St.
How do you imagine living, working and doing business on Lee Highway in 2050?
The flyer below has all of the details. And additional information is available at arlingtonva.us/leehighway.
In September 2018, the County Board accepted a recommendation from County Manager to create a community task force that would collaborate with staff to develop a master plan for the 7.6 acres of County-owned land located at 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive (26-OD). The task force will conclude with the submission of a final report to the County Board prior to the end of the second quarter of calendar year 2019.
Read our Letter to the County Board and our Modified Charge.
More information on the County’s Task Force website.
Another busy quarter for the Yorktown Civic Association (YCA). On October 1, the YCA hosted a debate between County Board candidates John Vihstadt and Matt de Ferranti. Over 75 local residents and the local press attended the debate. Many of the residents participated in the spirited question and answer period at the end of the debate. Questions ranged from bicycle and pedestrian safety to tax policy for local small businesses. Photos and candidate quotes were featured in the Arlington Sun Gazette.
On election day, many Yorktown residents worked at polling stations, while others worked outside of the polls and greeted voters. The 2018 election saw the highest percentage of voter participation for a nonpresidential election. In all, 107,406 voters, or 71 percent of those registered, cast ballots in this election.
On Dec. 1, the Lee Highway Alliance (LHA) held its “Winter Festival of Lights” event at various locations along Lee Highway. At the Lee Arts Center, parents and kids participated in art and crafts activities. At the corner of Lee Highway and Harrison Street, local residents were entertained by Steve Kish’s
magic show and a dog show. At the Langston-Brown community center, John Vihstadt unveiled the John M. Langston portrait and kids participated in face painting and learned how to operate a basic printing
press. At the Cherrydale Historic Volunteer Fire Station residents shopped at the Holiday Market and kids got to dress up like firefighters.
The Yorktown Civic Association Executive Committee continues to move toward incorporating the civic association as a 501(C)4 nonprofit corporation. The draft bylaws are almost done and will be posted on the Yorktown Civic Association website soon. If you have any expertise in bylaws for non-profit organizations, please contact me.
At the next YCA meeting on January 9, Noah Simon, the Chair of the 26th and OD Task Force will provide the community with an update on the Task Force activities and discuss what to expect in the next few months.
Please pay your dues. Annual membership dues are $20 and lifetime membership dues are $100. As of December 24, only 26 residents have paid their annual dues and 47 residents have paid their lifetime dues. The Yorktown Civic Association newsletter reaches ore than 1,000 local households. If you own a local business, please consider purchasing an ad in the YCA newsletter. Contact Dustin Anderson for more info.
Finally, in winter, consider helping your elderly and disabled neighbors. If you need help shoveling, please post your request in Nextdoor.
Mike Cantwell
President, Yorktown Civic Association
Guest Speaker – Noah Simon
Chair, 26th and OD Task Force
YORKTOWN CIVIC ASSOCIATION TO HOST ARLINGTON COUNTY BOARD CANDIDATE DEBATE OCTOBER 1ST:
On Monday October 1st at its general membership meeting, the Yorktown Civic Association will host a debate between Arlington County Board candidates Matt de Ferranti and John Vihstadt.
The meeting will start at 7:30pm, and take place in the Patriot Room at Yorktown High School. All interested Arlingtonians are invited to attend.
About Matt de Ferranti
Matt de Ferranti began his career as a teacher in a low-income community in Houston and has subsequently used his skills as a lawyer to help people build better lives for themselves and their children in positions at Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, and the Education Trust. He now works for the National Indian Education Association, where he serves as Senior Legislative Counsel, seeking to improve educational opportunity and outcomes for Native American students. Matt serves on Arlington County’s Housing Commission (since 2013) and the Arlington Public Schools Budget Advisory Council (Chair in 2017-2018 and since 2014) and the Joint Facilities Advisory Commission, which brings Arlington County, Arlington Public Schools, and the community together to plan for our future. Matt is a 2015 Leadership Arlington Graduate, a 2016 graduate of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, and a 2017 graduate of Arlington Neighborhood College. Matt grew up in McLean and lives in the Courthouse neighborhood.
About John Vihstadt
John Vihstadt harnessed over 30 years of schools and community activism to win a seat on the Arlington County Board in 2014 as the first Independent in decades. As past president of his neighborhood civic association and the Yorktown High School PTA, co-chair of a School Bond campaign, and as a member of the Arlington County Civic Federation Board and the Housing, Aging and Planning Commissions, John hit the ground running and built a record of accomplishment from his first year in office. John is running for re-election to build upon his first term achievements, including the refocus of our spending priorities to core services and the establishment of an independent County Auditor. Going forward, John’s community-centered vision includes managing our growth, greater openness and transparency in decision-making, and ensuring that cost and value are a part of every conversation. John brings true discussion and balance to the County Board. He hopes to earn your vote to secure another term on Tuesday, November 6. Visit https://voteforvihstadt.com.
by David Gelman
[email protected]
Our headliner at our last Yorktown Civic Association meeting was Delegate Rip Sullivan. Rip represents the Yorktown community in the Virginia State House of Delegates. He gave a detailed narrative of what happened in Richmond during the latest session. Bipartisan support for the funding bill and Medicaid expansion has probably the biggest successes. 70 gun safety bills were introduced and all were defeated without debate. For the 2019 session, Delegate Sullivan would like to see bills passed to end partisan Gerrymandering, reduce gun violence, and address the opioid crisis.
The Lee Highway planning initiative begins early next year. Please engage in the community visioning process and other events. Visit the LHA website www.leehighwayalliance.com for more information.
Campbell Maloney and the Traffic Safety Committee continued their good deeds. After dozens of emails and phone calls to the Arlington County Transportation Engineering & Operations Department, the pedestrian safety bollard at the corner of 26st and Harrison Street were replaced. Members of the Yorktown community also alerted Arlington County Staff and Dominion Power about the street light outage on N. George Mason Dr. The street lights were repaired after a few weeks.
The Yorktown Civic Association Executive Committee continues to move toward incorporating the civic association as a 501(C)4 nonprofit corporation. The draft By-laws are almost done and will be posted on the Yorktown Civic Association website soon.
For the October YCA meeting, we will be holding an Arlington County Board candidates debate featuring John Vihstadt and the Matt de Ferranti. Please be prepared to ask lots of questions during the question and answer period. Many thanks to Dave Gelman for making all of the arrangements for the debate.
Finally, please pay your dues. Annual membership dues are $20 and lifetime membership dues are $100. Also, the Yorktown Civic Association newsletter reaches more than 1,000 local households. If you own a local business, consider purchasing an ad in the YCA newsletter. Contact Dustin Anderson for more information.
I look forward to seeing everyone at Marymount Farmers Market Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 13th. Don’t forget to post your Halloween pictures on Nextdoor and Facebook.
Have a great fall. No more rain!!!
Mike Cantwell
President, Yorktown Civic Association
Arlington County’s Tree Canopy program provides the free trees. These are 7–8 foot trees with $300-400 retail value. The trees will be planted in the fall. The Arlington/Alexandria Tree Stewards, a volunteer organization, are assisting applicants. An application form and instructions are at www.ecoactionarlington.org/tre
Let us plant a tree on your property. You’ll be making a wise investment and improving the neighborhood for generations to come. Act now!
Application Deadline is June 11, 2018.
Civic Association Meeting May 2nd at 7:30 p.m. in Patriot Hall at Yorktown High School.
Guest: Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey
Topics
- Arlington Budget … priorities and tough decisions
- Lee Highway … planning
- Yorktown HS modification … Use permit for 2200 students
- Drugs in our schools
- School safety … school/ACPD preparation and response
- Traffic Safety
- Q & A
Libby Garvey will address Yorktown and the next Civic Association meeting. Civic association business will be on the agenda first, and then we will hear from Ms. Garvey. She will discuss crime, school safety and other issues, starting at 8 p.m., with a Q&A following.
Garvey was elected to the Arlington County Board in 2012, after serving on the Arlington County School Board for 15 years.
She began her career as a teacher in the Peace Corps. She worked as a legislative aide to Congressman Lee Hamilton and as an associate director of the Mount Holyoke College Washington Internship Program. She is a member of the Council of Governments Emergency Preparedness Council. Virginia Governor Mark Warner appointed Ms. Garvey to serve on the P-16 Education Council, a position she continued under Governor Tim Kaine.
Throughout her career, Ms. Garvey has been involved in many community organizations, including vice president of the County Council of PTAs; vice president of the Fairlington Civic Association; and vice chair of the Advisory Council on Instruction. She was a member of the Abingdon and Drew elementary school PTAs and the H-B Woodlawn Program’s Parent Advisory Committee. She established the Kennan Garvey Memorial Fund for Phoenix Bikes in memory of her husband, and is serving on its board.
by Elizabeth Kiker
[email protected]
From Winter Storms to Spring Flowers …
March came in like a lion with Winter Storm Riley. The Cantwell family finally has power, but still no Fios. I am writing the President’s letter on Saturday, March 3rd and hope that Fios will be working by Sunday so I can hit send and avoid missing yet another Yorktown Civic Association newsletter deadline. A big thank you for all of you who helped your neighbors during and
after the storm.
Yorktown Civic Association held a general membership meeting on Wednesday, December 13, in the Yorktown High School Cafeteria. At the meeting, those in attendance elected the slate of candidates including myself (President), David Friedman (Vice President), James Churbuck (Secretary), Dustin Anderson (Treasurer), and the At-Large members of the Executive Committee: Terry Costello, David Gelman, David Haring, Elizabeth Kiker, Craig Mastangelo, Brian O’Flaherty, and Frank White. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Executive Committee. Thank You! We also announced the launching of our new website at www.yorktowncivic.org. A big shout out to Campbell Maloney of blueunderground for designing and developing our new website. Nice work Campbell! The Executive Committee also provided updates on the Chestnut Hill Park expansion, information on elementary and middle school boundary changes, and the progress of the Lee Highway Alliance (LHA). Finally, we shared our vision for incorporating the Yorktown Civic Association as a 501(c)(4). By incorporating YCA, we will be able to provide greater transparency and record-keeping and limited liability protection for the officers of the Yorktown Civic Association.
The Yorktown Community was busy again between December and March. The LHA continues to make progress towards making Lee Highway a better place. The LHA Board of Directors held their annual meeting on January 11, 2018 at their new home at 4620 Lee Highway, Suite 208. During the meeting we reviewed and approved the budget. For more information about LHA, please visit the LHA website. Dustin Anderson (YCA Treasurer) attended a meeting to discuss a proposal to replace the Alpine with a new three or four story (43’) building. The building would house the new Children’s School with approximately 230 students. The YCA EC supports schools and child care facilities, but has some concerns about traffic.
On March 2nd, I joined more than 20 civic association Presidents at a round table discussion with Mark Schwarz, the Arlington County Manager. It was a productive discussion with many good ideas shared between the Presidents, County Staff, and the County Manager.
Unfortunately, we also had a series of car break-ins in our community. I spoke with CAPT Giroux and he encouraged everyone to lock their car doors, remain vigilant, and call the police if you see something out of the ordinary. Video surveillance systems were also discussed and I proposed inviting a few vendors to a future YCA meeting. I also expressed my concerns regarding school safety and drug use in our community.
The YCA EC invited Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey to our next meeting. Please attend!
Have a safe and happy spring.
Mike Cantwell
President, Yorktown Civic Association