LYON PARK 1˙ˆ · sweet community! I urge all of you to take advantage of everything Lyon Park has to offer. To make your Valentine’s month even more delightful, consider making

LYON PARK

CitizenF E B R UA R Y ’ 1 1

The LPCA was also busy this past month

dealing with pressing parking issues that

have ramifications for the whole com-

munity. We sent a letter to the County

board (page 18) and met with County Staff

during our January LPCA monthly meet-

ing, regarding parking issues on Edgewood

Street between 1st Street and 2nd Road. A

complaint from a County trash contractor

triggered an investigation by the County to

determine if the street was too narrow for

emergency services and trash pickup. I am

happy to report that the County is working

actively with the affected residents to reach

a manageable solution.

Our December meeting also featured an

informative presentation on the new Gar-

field Park development site. In addition,

the principals for Garfield Park presented a

check of $17,500 to the Lyon Park Com-

munity House Renovation Fund.

Speaking of the Renovation Fund, the end

of year brought a rush of donations! On

page 2, check out our chart document-

ing the fundraising progress of the LPCH

Renovation Campaign, as of December 31,

2010. The Washington Post also posted a

terrific story on Lyon Park and its fundrais-

ing efforts for the renovation on January

13th (reprinted on page 20).

It is heartening to know that there are so

many generous people in our community

who are committed to renovating and

restoring the Lyon Park Community House.

We are well on our way to meeting our

fundraising goal! If you have not contrib-

uted yet, no worries. Contributing is easy.

Just click on http://www.lyonpark.info/

donations.html to make a donation online.

Every resident has the opportunity to at-

tend any number of wonderful Lyon Park

events offered each month. There are also

limitless worthwhile local volunteer op-

portunities. You could say we are a pretty

sweet community! I urge all of you to take

advantage of everything Lyon Park has to

offer. To make your Valentine’s month even

more delightful, consider making reserva-

tions to attend Lyon Park’s Valentine’s Day

extravaganza! This wonderful event takes

place on February 12, and will feature de-

lectable desserts and swing dancing (page

three). All proceeds go to the Lyon Park

Renovation Fund.

I look forward to seeing many of you at

LPCA’s February meeting or at one of our

many events this month. Have a wonderful

February Lyon Park!

Natalie Roy

President

Lyon Park Citizens Association

EVERYTHING’S SWEETER IN LYON PARK!

The year started off to a fast and sweet start in Lyon Park.

We ushered in 2011 with a super successful Bring It On

BINGO fundraiser for the renovation Fund on January

7th. This fun family event was sold out. Every chair

was taken in the LPCH! Sweetheart candies served

as our chips for the BINGO cards, making the game

that much sweeter. We plan to hold more commu-

nity BINGO events in the coming months.

The Newsletter of the Lyon Park Citizens Association

President’s Message:

Wednesday, February 9

LPCA MEETING AGENDA

7:15 • Valentine’s Meeting: Cupcakes & Cookies!

7:30 • Announcements and Updates

• Police Liaison Report: Neighborhood Watch

• Renovation Fund

• County parking issues

A nonpartisan publication serving Lyon Park residents’ common interests 1www.lyonparkcitizens.org • FEBRUARY 2011

President Natalie Roy with excited neighbors and Arlington Police Captain Frantz Desamour, as they wait to see President Obama arrive at Long Branch Elementary!

FEBRUARY 2011 • www.lyonparkcitizens.org2

The Lyon Park Citizens Association414 N. Fillmore St.Arlington, VA 22201

LPCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PresidentNatalie Roy (703) [email protected]

Vice-President-DevelopmentLarry Mayer (703) [email protected]

VP-Neighborhood ConservationElliott Mandel (703) [email protected]

Vice-President-ProgramsElizabeth Sheehy (703) [email protected]

TreasurerBill Anhut, Jr. (703) [email protected]

Secretary/HistorianVacant

Sergeant-at-ArmsRich Robinson (703) [email protected]

Membership ChairKathleen McSweeney (703) [email protected]

Member At LargeMelissa Bondi (703) [email protected]

COMMUNITY CENTER BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Jeannette Wick, Chair (703) [email protected]

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Police LiaisonAdam Parkhomenko (703) [email protected]

Community Center Rental AgentShirley Larson (703) [email protected]

Clarendon Alliance RepresentativeNatalie Roy (703) [email protected]

Civic Federation RepsMelissa Bondi (703) 527-6379Steve Geiger (703) 522-0026Erik Gutshall (703) 276-0809Larry Mayer (703) 525-8921Natalie Roy (703) 524-4119Jim Turpin (703) 248-6988

Doorways for Women and Families LiaisonErik Gutshall (703) 276-0809

Newsletter Co-Editors, Design and AdvertisingDeborah Sauri, [email protected] Roy, [email protected] Robinson, [email protected]

[email protected] White, Distribution (703) [email protected]

December & January meeting notes:

First off a big round of thanks to Joey

Durishin for coordinating refreshments

for both the December and Janu-

ary meetings. Special thanks also to

Deborah Bash for bringing a menorah

and leading us all in lighting the candles

for the last night of Hannukah at the

December meeting. It was lovely!

A the December meeting, Christina

King, our ACPD liaison, informed us that

she has just been promoted so she will

no longer be our liaison after the first of

the year. We wish her the best of luck

in her new position as corporal. She

updated folks at the meeting about two

burglaries that occurred in Lyon Park

over the Thanksgiving holiday. There

was also an attempted one on Highland.

In both burglaries cash, jewelry, and

electronics were taken. According to

the report, the thieves must have been at the homes for a while since they had taken a

significant number of things. Her advice was to be careful about what you leave in plain

sight, in both your car (car larcenies are the most frequent crimes here in Arlington), and

through the windows of your home. She also recommended that if you see anything

suspicious to please report it.

Garfield Park owners Tom Shooltz and Bob Abt brought their builder team, as well

as a huge model of what their development will look like, to the December meeting. It

was quite an impressive model, taking four men to carry it into the LPCC. They gave

a presentation on the development and answered questions. Much of what they said

has already been reported by our

VP of Development Larry Mayer.

A new update is included in this

February edition. The only new

information was that the exca-

vation time, where they will dig

to accommodate two levels of

underground parking, will take

on the order of three months, not

one as previously reported.

The January LPCA meeting

started off with a ACPD represen-

tative giving an overview of crime

statistics in our neighborhood. We

then focused much of the meet-

ing on the Edgewood street park-

ing issue which

is reported in

more detail on

page seven.

Pictures from LPCA meetings above include Joey Durishin, Bob Abt,ACPD Officer Christina King, Me-lissa Bondi, Tom Shooltz, Larry Mayer & Natalie Roy

3www.lyonparkcitizens.org • FEBRUARY 2011

Grab your neighbor and join us at the Lyon Park

Valentine Swing Dance

Saturday, February 12th7:30 – 10:30 pm

$20/pp in advance; $25/pp at the door*

Enjoy Dancing, Champagne & Dessert!

*For advanced ticket sales,

send checks payable to LPCC by Sun., 2/6 to the attention of:

Kim Franklin /306 N. Fillmore Street / 522-4799

All proceeds to benefit the LPCC Renovation Effort

Pictures from LPCA December meeting include Garfield Park model and Hannukah candle lighting!


Lyonhurst, or Missionhurst as it is now known, is a Spanish Mission-style stucco house at 4651 N. 25th Street. It was origi-nally built in 1907 as a residence for Frank Lyon, an early developer in the County. Lyon had traveled a great deal and was influenced by the Spanish missions he had seen in the American West. The house was built with large porches to catch the breeze in the hot summer weather, and he built a wa-ter tower on the property in the same Spanish style. The Lyon family was also one of the first to have electricity in the County. The house currently serves as the headquarters for the Immaculate Heart Mission Fathers.

Frank Lyon was a lawyer and social reformer who was the editor and later publisher of the Alexandria County Monitor. It was through this newspaper that he waged a campaign against the lawlessness that was rampant in the Rosslyn and Jackson City areas of the County in the early part of the 20th century. Lyon was also prominent developer intent upon establishing the area as a residen-tial community and who promoted increasing the powers of local government to thus broaden and

strengthen the ability of the County to protect its citizens. He developed additions to Clarendon

and later developed both Lyon Park and Lyon Village. n

Once Upon a Time in Lyon ParkThe Lyon’s DenInformation courtesy of the Arlington County Library, Virginia Room. Thanks to Tracy Hopkins for getting permission from the Library to reprint this article about the home of Frank Lyon, the developer of Lyon Park.


Get a jump on Valentine’s Day! On Sunday afternoon, February 13th, IBIS Chamber Music presents a program of Romantic works for piano, strings and flute at the Rock Spring Congregational Church. Enjoy some musical bon-bons by Fritz Kreisler, Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. A special treat on our program: the lovely and evocative Water Colors by late 19th century French composer

Philippe Gaubert, a master composer and flutist.

As always, our performers are drawn from the National Sym-phony and Kennedy Center Orchestra; we also welcome distin-guished pianist Edward Newman for this program. The concert is free, with a goodwill donation to the Rock Spring Music program accepted. It is appropriate for older kids, and will be followed by a post-concert reception.

Sunday, February 13, 4 pm Rock Spring Congregational Church5010 Little Falls Road in ArlingtonThere is free street parking in the neighborhood, but no lot. Handicapped accessible.

Tired of winter already?

Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into your home in the eve-ning, after a long grind at the office, to the pervasive warm smell of a rich stew filling your house? If you don’t have somebody who can stay and spend hours carefully watching and stirring a bubbling pot, there’s a sure-fire and fool-proof way you can make this happen--for just pennies. That old standby, the Crock Pot, or more properly, the slow cooker, can be a working par-ent’s best friend on cold days. You can load the pot up in the morning-or even the night before- and store it in the fridge. Next morning, set the timer and come home at the end of the day to a house full of a wonderfully smelling and nutritious soup, stew or even dessert. Gary Putnam and other members of the Lyon Park Woman’s Club will kick off a series of cooking classes. The first is scheduled for Saturday, February 26th at 10 am.The subject: The Crock Pot naturally! Donations to attend the classes will go towards the LPCH building renovation. Included in the first class will be an introduction on how a slow cooker works, food and material safety, recipes and much more! The next class is planned for March 20th at 2 pm., and will focus on mastering knife skills as well as the care and treatment for your knives including a demonstration on how to sharpen your knives. Both classes will last between 1 ½ - 2 hours. n

BY GARY PUTNAM


Garfield Park Update The following is an update on the Garfield Park construction (the development on 10th and Garfield). The construction team will be sending monthly updates which we will print in the newsletter and discuss at LPCA meetings.

January 2011 UpdateGeneral:Construction began this week, with the installation of a perimeter fence. Major construction activities for this month:1. Demolition of the parking lot and brick walls is expected to begin this week.2. Materials from demolition and excavation will begin this week, and will continue through the entire month. All construction traf-fic will enter and exit the site from Washington Blvd.3. Sheeting and shoring will begin the week of 1/10/11. The first operation involves driving piles, which is expected to last until the end of this month. Changes in Vehicular or Pedestrian traffic patterns:None expected for this month. A follow up e-mail will be distributed should there be any significant changes or event, as well as any major impact to vehicular or pedestrian traffic around the site. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation. Sincerely,The Bozzuto Contracting Team

2201 Pershing Drive Development UpdateDeveloper Equity Residential, will be sending periodic updates on the Pershing Drive property which we will continue to post on the listserv and print in the newsletter. If you have questions, Equity’s contact information is below.

To All: We are pleased to announce that we have awarded the con-struction contract to Harkins Builders, Inc and that construction is now underway for 2201 N Pershing Dr. We officially broke ground in December and are now in the process of salvaging the historic limestone façade and demolishing the buildings. In the near future, we will be implementing the County approved maintenance of traffic (MOT) plan. This work will include fencing in the project site and the existing sidewalk, but we will provide a protected path of travel (temporary sidewalk) around the site per the MOT plan.

There is quite a bit of utility relocation work required prior to vertical construction of the new buildings and this utility work will be beginning in the next 30 days. During this phase of construc-tion, some road work in N Pershing and Arlington Blvd will be required, but we will adhere to the County approved hours of construction for work in a County right of way. Excavation and vertical construction should begin this spring. We anticipate first occupancies of the project to occur in the late spring/early sum-mer of 2012. Construction hours on site will normally be between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM on weekdays. There may be overtime and week-end work, but the contractor must abide by the requirements of Arlington County and the 4.1 Approval to mitigate off-hour disturbances within the neighborhood. We look forward to working with you and the community to bring this exciting project to Arlington. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely,

John E Kusturiss, III Equity Residential Senior Construction Manager, Development office: 703-342-1917 [email protected] Equity Residential.com

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Call today for a free market analysis onyour home’s value.

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703-975-2500

Development Projects


Five County staff members participated in the LPCA January meeting to discuss the parking situation on Edgewood, including the Fire Marshall. A good number of Edgewood Street residents (from 1st street to 2nd Road) attended as well. The County emphasized how narrow the street is when there is parking on both sides of the street (even without parking on both sides) and brought pictures to document how tight a squeeze it is for a fire truck on that street. Once they receive a complaint regarding a street’s being too narrow (in the case of Edgewood the complaint came from a private trash collection contractor), the County is obligated to do further investigation. In this situation, the County solicited input from emergency services personnel, to investigate the complaint and to ensure the street met basic safety requirements. Discus-sion also included the newer street width guidelines that went into effect a few years ago for new or improved streets, to be at least 28 ft in width. There are numerous streets in Arlington that do not meet this requirement, and at this point, it is even more of an issue when there is parking on both sides of a narrower street. During the meeting, participants brought up that the county encourages residents to park on both sides of a street as a traf-fic calming measure. Also highlighted is the fact that arking on both sides of the street occurs more frequently when there are a lack of driveways or when people park to go to neighborhood churches, attend events in Clarendon, go to the fair etc. Some-times parking on both sides of the street can turn some streets to yield only streets at times. The County assured LPCA that staff explores issues on a particular street, only after a complaint is made. One of the points we raised was that the policy (to investigate streets that receive any type of complaint) appeared to be rather haphazard and that why after decades of no complaints on Edgewood was there a change. We also asked that residents be given a reason-able length of time to deal with parking changes. The comment

was also made by some that urban streets in cities across the country (Philadelphia, Boston etc.) have been able to work out emergency services routes to accommodate their narrower streets that are so charming. The County was very responsive and is now working actively with Edgewood residents to work out a manageable solution on their street. However we do want to make everyone aware that any street that receives some type of complaint could be subject to parking changes. An interesting aside, when the meeting adjourned, a County representative told the Lyon Village repre-sentative who attended the meeting, that the next street that was on their radar screen, that received a similar complaint, was in his neighborhood! The County should be commended for their response (send-ing well informed staff to our LPCA meeting from a number of departments) & Edgewood Street residents should be applauded for working together as a team to find a safe and management solution for all! n

Parking BY NATALIE ROY

Coming Soon: Thomas Jefferson Annual Fundraising Dinner!Date: March 18thPlace: Lyon Park Community CenterIf you are interested in volunteering to help with this fundraising event, please contact Jill Flack at [email protected].


CUMULATIVE SUMMARY OF LPCH RENOVATION DONORS: 2008 - 2010

DRAFT - pledge and donation data received as of Dec 31 2010; Please let us know of any errors in accounting or attribution, etc - [email protected] Note: Only 60% of gala tickets are attributed as a donation; 40% of price is considered entertainment MAJOR DONORS - $6,000+ Bill Anhut & Dale Labbe-Anhut * The Arvandi/Fiske Family * Tagrid & Ron Cathell* In Memory of Jodie Mayer * The Dunlap/Boshart Family * The Sheehy Family* Bernie & Louise Rostker * Rich & Sue Robinson* Lyon Park Citizens Association * Jeannette Wick * Lyon Park Woman’s Club* Lyon Park Board of Governors * Garfield Park Development * Macy’s Inc * SAP America

MAJOR DONORS - $1,800 - $5,999Anonymous * David, Heather & Ethan Rostker * Elliott & Marlene Mandel * Gary & Kit Putnam * In Memory: Nona & Don O’Connor * James & Phyllis Shea & Family * John Andelin & Virginia Geoffrey * The Roy Family *Lowell & Shirley Larson * Margaret & Sylvia Fibel * Mary Logan & John Stellberg * Melissa Merson & Harry Ellison * Mi-chael O’Connor * The Alexander/Brown Family * The Bender Family * The Capps Family * The Dorst-Gentile Family * The Durishin Family * The Hershey Family * The Li Family * The Michalowski Family * The Montgomery Family * The Rasmussen-Barber Family * The Swanson Family * The Turvene/Hopkins Family * Tom, Amy, Maggie, Clara & Matt Nice* PEW Charitable Trust

LEADING DONORS - $500 - $1,799Allison Gurnitz * Amy Buckli & Dan Fiore * Daniel Lashof & Diane Regas * David & Sara Newman * Doris J Boblett in memory of Edgar F. Boblett * Douglas & Jeanne Williams * Ed Bintz * Ellen S Bartlett * Elvin & Kathryn Heiberg * G. Drucker & M. Werner * H Randall Bell * James Swigert & Nancy Neubert * Janet Woodka & Kirk Johnson * Jessica Tanner & Michael Shumsky * John F. Rosenbaum * Judith A. Hafner * Julie Mangis * Justin & Hope Jarkowski * Kathleen & William Murray * Kimberly & John Franklin * Kira & Leonard Wood * Law-rence R. MacDonald * Linda & Michael Caudell-Feagan * Margaret Weidenhamer * Mark Dorfman * Robert & Cassandra Dudka * Rose-marie Bowie * Ross Fairbrother * Scott & Amanda Milam * Sharon & Paul Showalter * The Bluhm Family * The Rafky/McSweeney Family * Thomas & Maria Scambos* Christ Church of Arlington * Consumer Health Information Corp * Creative Educational Concepts * Equity Residential * The Fischer Group LLC

CONTRIBUTING DONORS - $250-$499Aaron B. Pearl, DPM * Barbara & Lawrence McBride * Carl Hankla & Mary Rouleau * Caston & Hillary Jarvis * Christopher & Elizabeth Piepenbring * David & Celia Slater * David Goldston * David Grahn & Jill Nusbaum * David J. Goldston * Deanna & Tom Herrity * Deborah M. Bash * Debra Heft * Diane Hauslein * Don & Pamela Lassell * Ed & Jill Feeney * Elaine Simmons * Emily Shapiro & Jonathan Gib-bons * Erik & Renee Gutshall * Evelyn E Harpham * Forbes Hays & Maria Digulian * Gary Gortenburg & Anna Purcell * Geoffrey Olinde * George & Marjorie Hobart * Gerald & Joanne Haines * Gerald Lewan-dowski * Gift Recognizing Helen White & Andy Leighton * Gift Rec-ognizing Jeannette Wick * Greg & Elizabeth Braham * Heather Jones & Mike Lee * Jill & Tim Felker * Joe Furgal * John Goodman & Laurie Effron * John Thomas & Maithily Nandekar * John Waters * Karl T

Keller * Kathleen Ann Kavalec * Kevin Chamness * Kristie Jaffee * Laura M. Dryden * Lois K. Potter & Catherine A. Kerns * Mary L. Dodge * Matthew & Ilona Birenbaum * Michael & Elizabeth Foley * Michelle & Charles Beggs * Nancy Coonley & Richard Harshe * Pat & Terri Stewart * Patrick Hoffman * Peggy Page & Mark Hempstead * Rob & Lyn Stewart * Robert & Stefanie Hagemann * Robert Miku-lak & Gunnel Porelius * Samuel Bryan & Frances Demmerle * Scott Sklar * Siobhan Rausch & Brian Amorosi * Stacy Hughes * Susan & Ken Bell * The Carlson Family * The Wilson Family * William A. Grillo* Blackburn Construction * CABOMA * CMR Insurance Agency * CommGenix, LLC * Pilot Club * Pursuits of Wellness, Inc * Saint Hildegards Church

CONTRIBUTORS - <$250Amelia Porges * Andrew & Diana Elby * Andrew Leighton & Hellen White * Ann Robertson & Gordon Quattlebaum * Anne C. Bodine * Anne Griffith * Anthony M. Trombly * Barbara M. Jeanblanc * Barbara Paulsen * Barbara Stefan * Barry & Kathleen Travis * Barry E. Shapiro * Beth Bartel & Christopher Miller * Bill & Hillary Berlin * Brian D. Neary * Brian Williams * Bruce Reynolds & Susan Flohr * Carolyn W. Johnson * Chris & Lezlie Crosswhite * Costas & Mary Daskalakis * Cynthia Nolt-Helms * Daniel Fisher * David & Courtney Watson * David & Theresa Whelan * David Benson * David Burgess & Kate Mounteer * David T. Fox * Debbie Kaplan * Dennis M. Comiskey * Donna & Charles Fulton * Donna Marschall & Christopher Saram-pote * Elaine Barker & Paul Abbott * Elizabeth C. Ahern * Elizabeth Lyons * Elizabeth Miller-Moran & Brian S. Moran * Elizabeth Rob-inson * Elizabeth Wray * Elizabeth Zemlan * Ellen Brown & Terry Haussler * Elvin & Beth Heiberg * Emanuel & Loretta Terminella * Erika Howder * Frank & Urai Gillespie * Frank Tranfa * Gene & Lor-raine Losa * George E. Gurvin * Gerard & Lynne Smaldone * Gibby & Buzz Waitzkin * Greg Giesler * Heather Schildge & Erwin Deininger * James & Mary Anne Clarkson * James & Sheila Solaria * James Feaster & Cynthia Davis * James Freal & Irene Antonucci * Jeff & Meredith Jaeckel * Jeff Hoffman * Jeffrey Lewis * Jennifer & John Dowling * Jennifer Soles * Jill and Howie Coleman * Jill B. Shohet * Jim Stutsman * Joan & David Fitzgerald * Joan Adele Sullivan * Jodie Flakowicz & David Bodner * John & Carole Knee * John & Catherine Drinkwater * John & Kathleen Dolan * John & Winnie Silverson * John C. Shideler * John Moran & Risa Browder * John Mueller * John Overton * Joseph & Paige Kellogg * Joseph Gagnon * Joseph Van Eaton * Joshua & Virginia Fiera * Joshua Gallin & Nara Hojvat-Gallin * Joy Taylor * Joyce Klein * Julia K Tanner * Katherine & Eddie Hart-ness * Katherine Nuss * Ken Matzkin * Kerry Corley * Kevin & Joanne Sweeney * Kevin & Judy Boyle * Khen Chen * Laura Terpstra * Laura Truit * Linda Mansour Spotz * Linda Parker * Lisle G. Neher * Lori E Grimm * Lowell & Marjorie Lam * Lynn Shotwell * Lynwood & Jill Shenk * Margaret Dean * Marisa Peacock * Marjorie Mayer * Mark Blacknell * Mary L. Battiata * Mary Lawler * Mary Philp * Marybeth & John Tschetter * Michael Matyas * Michelle McMahon & Ronald Salazar * Mike Bannach * Moira Secrest * Nancy Luria * Patricia Conaway * Patricia Morison * Paul Adamczak * Phyllis & Michael Herman * Polly L. Hanson * Rafael & Shaara Roman * Richard & Annabelle Nelson * Richard D. Tinker * Rober & Jane Munsey * Robert A. Parris * Robert Blancato * Robert S Tigner * Ruth Rockwell * Sarah Allen & Tim Powderly * Scott Forrest * Shelley Nickles * Shirley M. Reid * Susan Prokop * Susan Robinson * Thao Le * The Busby Family * The Colucia Family * The Endo Family * The Kennealy Family * The Shepardson Family * Tim & Ann Felker * Timothy Carr * Tracy K. Scorce * William & Brittany Milby * William & Catherine Kunz * William & Karen Kelly * William Gleich * Yavocka Young* Ashton Heights Newsletter * Bridge Club * Quanah Cross-land Stamps

Renovation Fund Donors (as of Dec. 31, 2010)


RENOVATION ACTIVITIES AND MEETING SCHEDULEThe stalwarts on the Building Committee continue to meet to hammer out details of the renovation of our beloved community house. In January, the LAB Architects reviewed several kitchen details with the group, including samples and recommendations for kitchen materials. A separate committee meeting will be held in the next few weeks to plan storage issues in the kitchen. We are approaching the delivery of the 85% architectural package, due to be completed at the of February. The next building committee meetings will be held on Febru-ary 7, March 7 and March 21, 2011. All meetings are held at the Lyon Park Community House and begin at 7:30 PM. Meetings are open to all interested members of the community.

BOG DIRECTS COMMITTEE TO UNDERTAKE AN ‘RFQ’ PROCESS-Kathleen McSweeneyIn December, the Building Committee discussed options for acquiring and qualifying vendors and possible next project steps, and recommended three possible paths to the Board of Governors: A. Undertake an RFQ process (Request for Qualifications) or RFP process (Request for Proposal),B. Isolate building phases with pricing for each, orC. Hire a construction manager

The BoG asked for further definition of some of the options, and decided to pursue an RFQ process; an RFQ is used to de-velop a list of contractors who would be qualified to bid on the project later. In early January, Adam Rasmussen volunteered to lead the “Request for Qualifications” process and put out a call for volunteers on the Lyon Park listserv. The following is a sum-mary of Adam’s message to the community:“In anticipation of having completed building plans this Spring, we are beginning to qualify potential vendors. We’re seeking volunteers to help create a “Request for Qualifications” (RFQ). This document and the process that follows will ensure that we have qualified contractors to bid on implementing our commu-nity house plans. Although construction experience is most definitely not required, if you have it, we strongly encourage you to lend your experience to this crucial first step. We will assign activities such as:• developing a potential contractors list• writing parts of the RFQ document• developing contractor evaluation criteria• assembling packets for potential venders• reviewing submitted responses• drinking wine (just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention), and • other fun and important tasks. “

Please consider this your invitation to join a fun, creative and important committee, without having to commit to a lot of meet-ings – the work of the committee will be fairly quick; the goal is to complete all tasks by the end of February. If you are inter-ested in joining, or have any additional questions, please contact Adam Rasmussen at [email protected].

RE-ZONING UPDATEIn the November 2010 Lyon Park newsletter, I had written that Jeannette Wick, the Chairman of the Board of Governors’, had sent a letter on behalf of the BoG to then-County Board Chair-man Jay Fisette asking that the park be re-zoned from an R-6 to an S-3A designation. This followed some research done by members of the Building Committee last year, in collaboration with the architect, who, in conversations with Arlington County Staff, had been informed that our building is considered “non-conforming” for the property and our community would have to pull use permits in order to undertake the renovation. Note that use permits can help drive up the cost of construction, and the Building Committee has been actively pursuing ways to contain construction costs. One option presented by County Staff to avoid the special use permit process was for the community to pursue re-zoning the park to a more appropriate designation. After additional research, the Renovation Building Committee forwarded the re-zoning recommendation to the Board of Governors. In Novem-ber, members of the Committee and the Board of Governors met with Chairman Fisette, to review our community center plans with him, and ask that he assist the Lyon Park community in moving the re-zoning request forward. The County Board’s January 22, 2011 Agenda included a request to advertise a public hearing for March 12, 2011 on the re-zoning request. In the report to the County Board, staff noted that “The Community Center and grounds are privately owned. The use of the property is currently nonconforming to the “R-6” zoning regulations, but if rezoned to “S-3A” the center would be a conforming use. The General Land Use Plan (GLUP) designa-tion for the site is “Semi-Public”, and the “S-3A” zoning district most closely corresponds to the GLUP designation and to the actual use of the property as a community center, and as pas-sive and active recreation space. The proposed rezoning would also eliminate the possibility of future residential subdivision and development at an “R-6” density.” The request is coming “at the Board’s own motion in the public interest” which to us means that the County Board is handling it so that our community will avoid any costs associ-ated with the hearing or the re-zoning action. If you have any questions or concerns about this re-zoning, please feel free to speak with Ken Bell, Jeannette Wick and/or Natalie Roy. Smaller fundraising tracking thermometer – again (also on page two)

(ARTICLE CON’T ON PAGE 17...)

Renovation UpdateBY KATHLEEN MCSWEENEY


Bring It On BINGO a Sellout!

Every chair in the community center was occupied by excited BINGO players on Friday, January 7 for Lyon Park’s first bingo event of the year. Residents of all ages enjoyed winning toys, books, games, DVDs, candles, and other prizes donated by Lyon Park residents. They also

snacked on cookies and hot chocolate donated by the community. Almost $700 was raised for

community center renovations.

Thanks very much to our BINGO leader Lynn Shotwell and to her whole family Andy, Morgan, Sean and Marisa for all of their hard work to make it such a fun night! BINGO was a blast. Many thanks also to Natalie Roy, Kim Franklin and Elizabeth Sheehy (& her whole family too) for help with organiz-ing, decorating, ticket sales and cleaning up! Lastly thanks to all of the folks who donated items. Lynn had about three tables worth of treasures. This was a fun way to raise money for the renovation fund!


Once again, many families and a whole lot of kids got together to celebrate the season at the Lyon Park family holiday party on December 17 at the community center. Friends and neighbors came together on that chilly evening from across Lyon Park and Ashton Heights to share holiday traditions.

This year’s holiday party featured lots of different kinds of cook-ies and sweets, doughnuts, hot chai tea (thank you Harjinder!), and gelt (chocolate coins). Thanks to everyone who came out and took part in the carol singing, visiting with neighbors, and cookie eating. Nearly 50 kids of all ages came to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, and put in a last minute plug for what’s at the top of their wish lists. The evening ended with some wonderful carol-ing in front of the fire.

We’d like to thank all of the people who make this event happen and keep the tradition alive, especially the Lyon Park Board of

Governors for their sponsor-ship, and to all of the bakers and bringers of those great cookies and special treats. A special thank you goes to the following individu-als for helping with the Lyon Park Holiday Party: Bob Olson, Elizabeth Wray, Cristina Zarate-Byers, Renee and Erik Gutshall, Kathleen Sweeney, and Steve Dorst and Angie Gentile.

Annual Lyon Park Holiday PartyBY RENEE GUTSHALL


TreeTop News BY BILL ANHUT

[email protected]

There is a green army among us, trained to battle Arlington’s declining tree

canopy and limited resources. I am one

such soldier. I am a Tree Steward. I

joined 24 of my fellow Tree Stewards on a cold and breezy January morning to learn Training Young

Trees for Structure and Form and to earn certification from Ar-lington County to perform maintenance on County-owned trees. During the course’s classroom presentation, we learned the importance of assessing a young tree’s current condition and planning for it’s future growth using structural pruning’s five steps: (1) eliminate damaged branches, (2) identify the lowest permanent branch (“LPB”, usually 6-9 feet from base, 9 feet over public walkways and 12-14 feet over streets), (3) select permanent scaffolding branches rising above the LPB, every 12-18 inches rotating evenly around the trunk to give the young tree balance and shape, (4) select and promote a single leader (usu-ally the center-most and tallest branch, prune back or “demote” competing leaders), and (5) prune “temporaries (temporaries are branches or competing leaders that are planned for removal at some future date, but are diminished and retained until the next pruning to nourish and protect the tree (by facilitating photosyn-thesis for the tree’s growth). A couple general observations. Effective pruning does not diminish a tree, but rather gives it potential to thrive for many years. The best time to prune a tree is after leaves fall and prior to buds swelling in early spring. In our urban forest, trees aged 5-10 years must be structurally pruned and all trees should be pruned every 5 years or so. It is best to limit pruning to 25 to 33% of a tree’s existing foliage. Following the classroom presentation, we bundled-up and gathered at Four-Mile Run Park to apply our “book learn-ing” to the park’s young trees. There we were, 24 Tree Stew-ards discussing our opinions of how best to prune a tree and

eager to apply our newfound pruning skills on any young tree! Fortunately Marco A. Paredes, arborist and landscaping team leader with Arlington County, was monitoring the situation, and made the final decisions on most pruning cuts. After nearly two hours of subfreezing temperatures and gusting winds, the hardy Tree Stewards had demonstrated proficiency in assessing a tree’s current condition and planning that tree’s future pattern of growth through structural pruning. What’s next? Many young county-owned trees located through-out Arlington County are in need of structural pruning. Over the past two years, the County has deputized over 30 Tree Stewards to help work on the County’s street trees, located pri-marily in planting strips between the street and buildings. Yours truly has earned his badge! Help me and the Tree Stewards locate trees in need of structural pruning. If you spot a young street tree that hasn’t been pruned since planting or has low branches touching passing pedestrians or vehicles, please re-port it to me at: Bill Anhut 301-908-8204. I will assess the tree, discuss my plan with you and perform the cuts I am authorized to administer. If you ever spot some of my green comrades in action, please know that we have been trained and authorized to prune County-owned trees and we are volunteers who take the lead within our communities to enhance a sustainable urban forest through volunteer activities and public education programs. n

Shape Up (& Thrive)!

Spring Fair Coordinator Needed: The Lyon Park Spring Fair has been going strong for more than eighty years. We want to carry on this wonderful tradi-tion, but we need a coordinator—or two . We can teach you the ropes and offer guidance as you pull it all together. This is a great opportunity to meet and work with your neighbors and to strengthen the commu-nity—all while having fun and creating a memorable family event. Please contact Jeannette Wick at (703) 524-8531 or more information.


It’s 2011 and the Long Branch community is back from a lovely break and ready to jump back into the business of learning. 2010 finished with a lot of excitement at Long Branch. First and foremost, was a visit from President Obama. He visited Long Branch and read his new children’s book “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters” to the second graders in the school’s library. The President explained why he wrote his book and also read the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Upon completion of the time with the second graders, he made a surprise visit to the Long Branch multi-media room where other Long Branch students were watching on closed circuit tv. It was a very exciting event for everyone at Long Branch!

Students had a lot of other fun as the year wound down. There was just enough snow to make life interesting one day. The holiday concert was fun for everyone. The third graders had a great time at the annual Greek Festival. Once again, Long Branch students adopted families and provided gifts and necessities for families that needed some extra help last year. More than 20 families were assisted, with all requests being fulfilled. Huge thank yous to the organizers,

Long Branch News BY ERIKA HOWDER

the office staff, and all those who donated. This is yet another example of the wonderful community we have at Long Branch.Now that we are all back at school, there are some fun activities on the horizon. A science focused event will take place in the early spring, with exact details to be shared in the next month or so. The committee for creating a memorial to Rocky Belk will be announcing the final options soon. The Dr. Seuss book exchange will occur near the end of February. The goal of the exchange is for every child in the school to go home with at least one “new to them” book. If you have books you’d like to donate, especially if you have books appropriate for fourth and fifth grad-ers, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. And don’t forget the Annual Auction on Saturday March 12 at NRECA in Ballston! Start thinking about your donations now! n

Dates to Remember: PTA meeting: March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the library.

Photo Credit: Jim Young / Reuters

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Book Review BY PEGGY DEAN

Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley

HarpersCollins, NY 2000. Paperback $14.95

Matt Ridley, former scientist, former Science editor for ‘The Economist’, founding chair of the international Centre for Life, devoted to the study of genetics, examines the 23 chromosome pairs in humans, using each as an example of genetic interaction. He emphasizes that genes do not cause dis-ease, rather genetic malfunction or absence of a gene sequence may cause a predisposition to a disease. Ridley compares the human genome to a book of 23 chap-ters (chromosomes), with each chapter having several thousand stories (genes). Life is reading, and reproducing the genome. Reading translates genes into actions in an individual person; production generates new editions (sometimes called babies). Certain links are easy to understand. In some cases, a genetic malfunction or stutter in one inherited gene causes a specific disease, e.g., Huntington’s chorea. Inherited from both parents it becomes the even more deadly Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.

Huntington’s is a steady deterioration of the intellect, resulting in depression, hallucinations and delusions. There is no appeal; the disease is incurable. One gene malfunction, one disease. Most genes are not so specific. Generally genes work in com-binations, e.g., multiple genes affect eye color, height, allergies. As important the environment affects development and expres-sion, both normal and abnormal. Not having enough to eat in a critical stage affects your height. In a burst of Lamarckian resurgence, scientists have found that a person’s behavior or environment (e.g., stress) may affect the expression of genes, a difference that may be transmitted to their children. The chapter on Conflict contains an interesting explana-tion of the inherent struggle, at the genetic level, between the X and Y chromosomes. If you thought men were from Mars and women were from Venus, read this chapter on the dynamic hostilities between these two. Who thought of genes for seduc-tion and genes for resistance? They are even responsible for the development of different parts of the brain. Separately Ridley addresses the genetic interplay in devel-oping cancers and he has an entire chapter on freedom. If we are genetically pre-determined, are we free? Ridley responds, ‘The interaction of genetic and external influences makes be-havior unpredictable, but not undetermined”, e.g., it is predeter-mined we will be hungry; we are free to decide if, when and what to eat. Elsewhere Ridley underscores that because of minute genetic variations one treatment may not work as well for one patient as for another. Each little difference can translate into major differences. Fascinating if scary. n

Do you have an idea for a small neighbor-hood project such as a park bench, a bus shelter, plantings or public art? In order to diversify the efforts of the Neighborhood Conservation program, it’s now easier to get funding for these ‘microprojects’. Similar to the ‘Missing Links’ program that funds short lengths of missing sidewalks, the Microproj-ects program hopes to provide needed small improvements to Arlington neighborhoods. Once each NC bond cycle (2 years), each neighborhood is eligible to compete for funds for these projects. If you have an idea for Lyon Park that might fit into this program, contact Elliott Mandel at [email protected] or (703)927-9101.

New from Neighborhood Conservation….Microprojects! BY ELLIOTT MANDEL

It’s time to join or renew your membership in the Lyon Park Citizens’ Association

If you’re reading this, you already see the value $10 buys! You may also “Renew for 2” @ $20.

PLEASE PAY YOUR LPCA DUES

Please complete this form and mail it with your check to: LPCA Membership, 414 N. Fillmore St, Arlington, VA 22201

q Household @ $10 q Renew for Two @ $20 q Lifetime @ $200

NAME

ADDRESS

HOME PHONE

E-MAIL ADDRESS

q Add me (us) to the community listserv

DON’T FORGET!

PAY DUES!

LPCA Constitution, Article II, Membership:Membership in the Association shall be open to all persons eigh-teen years of age or older who either own or lease a residence within the boundaries of the Association. Each person eligible for membership may have full voting privileges as long as his/her household is current in its dues. Clip out & return the form below.

You may also join or renew your membership in person at the next regular LPCA monthly meetingNot sure if your dues are paid for the coming year? Drop a note to membership chair Kathleen McSweeney ([email protected]) and she’ll let you know. The membership year runs from October 1st to September 30th.

Community Volunteer Interests: (Check all that apply)

q Neighborhood Conservation q Community Center and Park q Development Issues q Social Events (Holiday Party, Halloween)q Spring Fair q Homes and Gardens Tourq Traffic Issues q Newsletterq Trees and Conservation q All-purpose volunteer

SAVE TIME AND USE AN ADDRESS LABEL HERE


(RENOVATION ARTICLE CON’T FROM PAGE 9)

Top Ten Donor Streets to the LPCH Renovation Fund1. Fillmore2. Highland3. Cleveland4. 4th street5. 2nd Road6. Jackson7. Garfield8. Daniel9. Edgewood10. 1st Rd11. Danville

Don’t see your street on the Top Ten List? Go to http://www.lyonpark.info/donations.html and make a donation today!

Looking for Construction Contractors

The LPCC Building Committee is looking for contractors to qualify for the upcoming renovation of

the community center.

Post your suggestions at http://bit.ly/lpccvendorsGoal: $ 700,000LPCC and LPCA 110,000 Cash Donations (net) 165,836Pledged Donations 53,271Balance remaining 370,893


Tax Tips compliments of Wendell Brown, [email protected]

The Small Business Jobs Act of September 2010 contains a compliance measure that affects almost all owners of rental property. This measure is intended to raise tax revenue by reducing underreporting of income from contractors who do work on rental properties. The new law took effect January 1, 2011. It requires owners of rental properties to file Form 1099 tax reports with the IRS for all service providers (ie, repairmen, handy men, lawn care workers, property managers) who receive payments of $600 or more during the year. There is one exception to the new Form 1099. It does not apply to homeowners and members of the military who

are temporarily renting out their principal residence. All other rental property owners fall under the new reporting requirement. The penalty for failure to issue a Form 1099 is $250. To issue Form 1099, rental property owners will need a completed Form W-7 or equivalent information from each contractor service provider. This information is the service provider’s name, address, and tax identification number. Some contractors may be reluctant to provide their tax ID number. Therefore, it would be prudent for rental property owners to notify service providers in advance that pay-ment for services will be delayed until the service provider submits a Form W-7 certifying their name, address, and tax identification number.

NEW TAX REPORTING FOR RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS

Fundraiser for Arlington Resident: Dara Edwards March 5, 2011, Lyon Park Community House 9 AM - 4 PM

Families are invited to sign-up for a photography session with one of two professional photographers who are donating their time. Families will have full digital rights to all photos taken. Each sitting will be for 30 minutes. Minimum donation is $250.00

Contact Information: Kelly McCarthy. Email (preferred): [email protected] Mobile: (571) 213-0114

Funds raised will be used for the care and treatment of Dara Claire Edwards, born January 29, 2009. Parents: Bevan and Alicia Edwards Siblings: Augie, born August 2010. Hometown: Arlington, Virginia.

On October 25, 2010, Dara suddenly began having seizures affecting her right arm and midsection. An MRI revealed a small mass at the surface of her brain but the neurosurgeon believed it to be a slow-growing benign tumor. After a successful craniotomy to remove the tumor on November 23, the biopsy revealed her diagno-sis as Ependymoblastoma. Ependymoblastoma is a rare and highly malignant brain tumor that occurs in infants and young children in the first two years of life. Dara began receiving cancer treatment in a clinical trial at Children’s National Medical Center December. Her treatment is an 18-month protocol of chemotherapy and stem cell harvests. Photographers are Len Spoden (www.lenspoden.com), a professional photographer / photojournalist for the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and Bonnie Coulbourne, (http://www.bonniehorsemanphotography.com), who specializes in maternity and pregnancy portraits, newborn, baby, high school senior, family, child, birth and children’s photography. n

I Northern Virginia! As your friendly, Lyon Park neighbor, and Arlington County resident for over 44 years, I take a special interest in Arlington properties. Buyers are always interested in moving into our neighborhood. If you are thinking of selling or buying real estate, call me, Deborah Bash, the REALTOR that DELIVERS!

Deborah Bash Direct: 703-405-6069 Office: 703-905-7236 Toll Free: 800-819-9971 [email protected] www.housesinva.com 1311A Dolley Madison Blvd McLean, VA 22101


Tax Tips

NEW TAX ACT Wendell Brown, CFP, [email protected]

Some of the key provisions of the new Tax Relief Act, signed Dec 17, 2010, are:

• Individual income tax brackets (10%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35%) are extended through 2012.

• Special tax rate of 15% on long term capital gains and qualified dividends is extended through 2012.

• Employee payroll tax of 6.2% on wages for social security is reduced to 4.2% for 2011.

• Self-employed taxpayers social security tax of 12.4% is reduced to 10.4% for 2011.

• AMT exemption amounts in 2010 are increased to $47,450 for unmarried taxpayers and $72,450 for joint filers.

• American Opportunity Tax Credit for college tuition expenses is extended through 2012. Qualified tuition deduction ($4000/$2000) is extended through 2011.

• Estate tax is reinstated for 2011 and 2012, with a $5 million exclusion amount and a maximum tax rate of 35%.


Appeared in The Washington Post on January 13, 2011


LYON PARK CITIZENS ASSOCIATION--JANUARY MEMBER LIST ADDENDUM - payments received since the December list was published. To see the complete current LPCA member list click on the website library link to the December/January lpca newsletter.

LIFETIME MEMBERS 2010-2011 MEMBERS PAIDNice, Amy & Tom Amorosi, Siobhan & BrianPacker, James and Joan Antalics, Judy & MichaelPegoraro, Rob & Katie Antonucci, Irene, & Freal, Jim Ausink, John, & Simmons, Elaine Burnett, Rachel, & McDonnell, Evan Colot, Thora, & Denkler, Kirk Dolan, Jack & Katy Drucker, Geoffrey , & Werner, Michele Etue, David & Christine Fairbrother, Ross Feeney, Edward & Jill Fisher, Jonathan, & Husband, Sarah Fry, John, & Thompson, Maureen Gillespie, Frank & Urai Grillo, Bill

We wanted to share this wonderful letter:The note below is from Phyllis Shea, longtime resident of Lyon Park and Ashton Heights and also a wonderfully gifted piano teacher that many of our children (including newsletter co-editor Natalie Roy’s)

were fortunate to have!

Griffin, Elizabeth & Zirbser, Glenn Grimm, LoriHempstead, Mark, & Page, Margaret Low, Sarah, & White, Mark ChristopherMacVittie, Lisa, & Ruge, Andy Parkhomenko, Walter and Adam, & Sirett, HazelSales, Nathan & MargaretShea, Lauren, & Tigner, RobertShideler, John


PLEDGE FORM: RENOVATING THE LYON PARK COMMUNITY HOUSE

Please Mail Pledge Form and Payment Information to: Lyon Park Community Center P.O. Box 100191 Arlington VA 22201

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!The LPCC is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donation is tax deductable. Tax ID is 65-1317810

The LPCC will mail a receipt to the address listed above at the end of any year(s) in which you make a donation

I Hereby Pledge $______________ to Renovate the Lyon Park Community House.

DONOR LEVELS – We wish to publically recognize major donors who provide a total of $1,800 or more to this project between Sept 2008 and August 2013.Recognition will be made at four donor levels:

$50,000 – sponsor a room (separate arrangements will be made)$12,000 – gold sponsorship - $333 a month for 36 months$6,000 – silver sponsorship - $167 a month for 36 months$1,800 – bronze sponsorship - $50 a month for 36 months

I/my family would like to be acknowledged as follows (30 characters or less) ________________________________________________

I/we would like to be listed anonymously.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE - I will make my payments according to the following schedule (all funds must be received by August 2013)In one payment, given in full by ___________ (date)In multiple payments of $________ per ________ (month or year) starting ________. For monthly ACH, please debit account this day __________

PAYMENT METHOD - I will make payments according to the following method:Personal Check - Payable to Lyon Park Community CenterAutomated Clearing House (ACH) – Please provide a voided check.Credit Card/PayPal - please complete this pledge form and then go to www.lyonpark.info/donations.html to complete donationMy company makes matching gifts - I have enclosed the relevant forms.I wish to donate equities; please contact me to coordinate details

CONDITIONS OF GIFT:By signing below, I authorize the Lyon Park Community Center (LPCC), a 501(c)3 corporation to initiate debit entries to my checking account, if that paymentmethod was selected, according to LPCC policies and procedures. I understand the LPCC plans to execute the plan as approved by the Community but hasdiscretion to alter the design as needed to meet fiscal restraints and future requirements. No goods or services are to be provided in return for this gift.

Signed: _____________________________________ Date: __________________

Full Name: ________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________ E-mail: ________________________________________

City State Zip: ________________________________________


Classified Ads

TEEN BABYSITTING

Nick Bornbusch, 15, Red Cross certified, no infants, 351-9360

Bryan Burgess, 14, Red Cross certified, 527-3740

Izzy Franklin, 14, Red Cross certified – Babysitting and Mother’s Helper

Carolyn Grahn, 14, Red Cross certified, 243-9212

Thad Jones, 15, 527-0929

Lauren Karpinski, 14, 524-1575

Katie Menoche, 16, Red Cross/CPR certi-fied, 243-3823

Stephen Moran, 16, Red Cross certified, 351-7852

Katelyn Rowland, 13, Red Cross and Girl Scout certified, Experienced with infants and children 1-9, and mother’s helper, 525-9049

Riley Shepardson, 16, Red Cross/CPR certified, no infants, 525-6834

Susan Sabatier, 13, Red Cross/CPR certi-fied, (662) 816-7070 (cell)

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

Lawn Mowing, Gardening, Snow ShovelingClinton James, 18, references available, 525-7948

Matt Nice, 13, 522-6291

Robby Moore, 14, 528-1176

Dog walking – Thad Jones, 15, 527-0929, cell 350-5832

Babysitting/Petsitting – Ian Hall, 14, and Remy MacDonald, 13, 525-3328.

Pet Sitter extraordinaire – Carolyn Grahn, 14, will take care of all of your pets! Experienced caring for dogs, cats, birds, and various rodents. 243-9212

Pet sitting and dogwalking – I love animals and can care for and/or exercise your dogs, cats, rodents and/or fish! Nick (13) Bornbusch, 351-9360

GET SOMEONE’S ATTENTION! The Citizen is hand delivered to 1900 households each month. The Citizen’s classified ads are free for industrious teens (babysitters, leaf rakers, snow shovelers) who need cash or have nagging parents. All others pay $10.00 for 20 words. Use area code 703 unless otherwise noted.

R & MCLEANING SERVICES

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Call MARYEN or RAUL at

[703] 321-5335


LYON PARK CITIZENS ASSOCIATION414 North Fillmore Street • Arlington, VA 22201 • www.lyonpark.org

December 24. 2010

The Honorable Jay FisetteChairmanArlington County Board2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 300Arlington, VA 22201

Dear Chairman Fisette:

I am sorry this letter could not wait until after the holidays, but based on information recently provided by Department of Environmental Services staff [DES] to Lyon Park residents, our Citizens Association has no choice but to ask for immediate assistance. The Lyon Park Citizens Association (LPCA) is officially asking for a deferral of an impending January 7, 2011 County action regarding a parking issue on a segment of N. Edgewood Street. On Monday December 20th, two representatives from DES, Steve Bridgett and Noah Williams, met with residents of this area (LPCA representatives were not included in this meeting.) According to residents, DES received a formal complaint from the County’s private trash collection services contractor, alleging the two-block section of Edgewood from 1st Street to 2nd Road does not meet the County’s minimum street width standards. As we understand it, according to DES personnel the County is required to act to maintain minimum travel widths along any street; they intend to limit parking to only one side of the street, effective January 7. We are asking the County to ensure that the January 7th implementation is deferred until our community has had time to explore all op-tions. None of the residents in this area wish parking to be restricted to one side of the street. At the meeting with staff, residents proposed several alternatives; DES said they were willing to meet again to further discuss options and indi-cated they might be willing to put on hold its January 7, 2011 date to implement single side street parking. Residents have asked LPCA to get involved to ensure the implementation date is deferred. We have left mes-sages for DES staff and other County personnel, but realize that most people are out of the office during this time of year. The problem is January 7th is right around the corner. We believe it is both reasonable and imperative that the implementation for single side street parking be deferred explicitly until the entire issue is more fully discussed and all options explored. To our specific situation, it seems there are simple, straightforward solutions that could be adopted, such as implementing one-side street parking only on scheduled trash days. For LPCA to make a recommendation, our civic association would need to discuss that suggestion and any others at a public meeting, with adequate notice to our residents. Our next monthly meeting is January 12th; this topic will be on the agenda but has not been advertised in our newsletter. We propose a forum with residents and County staff in mid-to-late January, at the Lyon Park Community House, to learn more about the factors that led to this situation, and to discuss all possible options. This situation leads to a number of questions we hope to work with the Board and the Manager to understand and address, including:

• Who has the standing to file such a consequential complaint?• What triggered the formal complaint being filed at this time?• How can staff and the public work together to understand the relevant factors, and find a mutually-satisfactory solution in a reasonable time, when a private contractor files such a complaint?• What policies govern the range of solutions that can be considered, and their timeline for implementation, under the circumstances?• What are the implications of this situation to the Master Transportation Plan, and specifically the Streets element?

(LETTER CON’T ON PAGE 25)


Contributing stocks or other securities to the Lyon Park Com-munity House Renovation Fund may be a good choice for you. By directly contributing securities with significant unrealized capital gains instead of selling the asset and then donating the proceeds you may enjoy significant tax savings because you will not have to pay capital gains tax on the increased value. You will also receive a charitable deduction for the full current market value of the security at the time of the contribution. The Board of Governors has established a brokerage ac-count to accept such donations. If you are interested in making

a contribution of securities to the Lyon Park Community House Renovation Fund please contact Bill Anhut at (703) 528-3665 or [email protected]. As you can see in the example below both you and the renovation fund will benefit. You receive a larger tax savings from your contribution and the Renovation Fund receives more money. Example: Contribution of securities to the Renovation Fund compared to selling them and donating the after tax proceeds.

Donating Securities to the Lyon Park Renovation Fund

Current fair market value of your securities $10,000 $10,000

Amount of federal long-term capital gains tax you pay* $0 $900

Your Charitable Contribution $10,000 $9,100

Your total tax savings** $3,500 $2,285

*Assumes a cost basis of $4,000 and long-term capital gain of $6,000 at 15%

**Assumes donor is in the 35% federal income tax bracket

Contribute security directly to Lyon Park Renovation Fund

Sell security and contribute after tax proceeds to Lyon Park Renovation Fund

BY MICHAEL O’CONNOR

(LETTER CON’T FROM PAGE 24)

As is true in neighborhoods across Arlington, Lyon Park is home to many narrow and curvy street segments. They are charming streets that give Arlington character and make it unique. They are also streets that trash collectors and emergency services have traveled down for years without apparent complaint. The realities of our situation may have significant implications for residents and neighborhoods everywhere in our County. At a minimum, additional time would allow the County to consider, and to hold dialogues with the public, on the best policies and enforcement of policies that support a thoughtful and realistic Master Transportation Plan. We urge the Board and the Manager to defer any implementation of single-side parking on N Edgewood St, to give Lyon Park a reasonable length of time to work with staff to explore all effective scenarios in a reasonable timeframe. Thank you very much for considering our position.

Sincerely,

Natalie RoyPresidentLyon Park Citizens Association

cc: Barbara Donellan, Arlington County ManagerBill O’Conner, Director, Department of Environmental Services


Lyon Park Community Center RENTAL RATES

WEEKDAYS

LPCA Members* General Public

Monday – Friday 8 AM – 5 PM $25/hour $25/hour

Monday – Thursday 6 PM – 10 PM $80 $100

WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS & FRIDAY EVENINGS


Half day including Friday evenings8 AM – 2:30 PM or 3:30 PM – 10 PM $250 $400

Full Day8 AM – 10 PM $400 $550

SPECIAL CHILDRENS’ BIRTHDAY RATE

You may rent the community house for birthday parties for kids age 10 and under for a 3 hour period, including set-up and clean up. Two time slots are available: 9AM to 12 noon, or 12 noon to 3 PM. If your party lasts longer than 3 hours, you must rent under the regular half-day rate.


$125 $175

*Lyon Park Citizens Association rates apply only to Lyon Park residents whose membership is current. LPCA members cannot sponsor non-member renters.www.lyonpark.info or voice mail: (703) 527-9520

LPCA ADVERTISING RATES If you are interested in advertising, please email [email protected]

Ad size Measures… Cost

Business Card 3.5”W by 2.3”H $59/month

Quarter Page 3.5”W by 4.5”H $89/month

Half Page 7.5”W by 4.5”H $149/month

Full Page 7.5”W by 9.5”H $249/month

Full Page Free Standing Insert 8.5”W by 11”H $385 We are also now offering full page color ads at a cost of $320. We offer a 5% discount if you commit to three or more months in a row and another 5% if you are a Lyon Park resident.

Lyon Park

CommunityCenter Events Valentines Swing Dance: Saturday, February 12, Desserts & Swing Dancing, Champagne, coffee car and much more! Come celebrate Valentine’s Day with us! Join your friends & neighbors as we enjoy a mid-winter’s evening of dancing, champagne sipping, dessert tasting & fellow-ship by the light of a toasty fire and candlelight. Save $5 off the “at the door” price by purchasing your early bird tickets now for $20/per adult. Checks should be made out to the LPCC and can be delivered or sent to the LPCH at 414 N Fillmore Street. Please include your address with your order so that we may deliver your tickets to you. All proceeds from this sweet event go to the LPCH Renovation Fund! For more information email [email protected]

Women’s Club (Not just for Women): Tuesday, February 22, 12 noon. Potluck luncheon, bring a dish to share. Hearts Bingo! Bring a prize. Donations to the American Heart Association will be gratefully accepted.

Fitness Pursuits: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 – 5:30 PM. Catherine Fergusen, (703) 522-0301.

Duplicate Bridge: Every Friday, 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM.

CABOMA (Capital Area Bluegrass Old-time Music Asso-ciation): 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month, 2:00 – 6:00 PM.

St. Hildegaard’s Old Catholic Church: Sundays at 10 AM.

Fr. Stan. (703) 528-1825, www.sthildegards.org

Fundraiser for Arlington Resident Dara Edwards: Saturday March 5, 9 AM - 4 PM Families are invited to sign-up for a photography session with one of two professional photographers who are donating their time. Families will have full digital rights to all photos taken. Each sit-ting will be for 30 minutes. Minimum donation is $250.00 Contact Information: Kelly McCarthy. Email (preferred): [email protected] or Mobile: (571) 213-0114.

Chili Dinner: Saturday March 19, 5:30 – 7:30 PM.

Save the Date!

1920 Lyon Park Sales Brochure: Reproduction copy., 24 pp. Gary or Kit Putnam, (703) 527-2266. $7 each or 5/@25. All proceeds benefit the Lyon Park Community Center


Featured & on the Cover:Cottage Living Magazine

December 2006

Architect Designed. Expertly Crafted.

Custom Homes & Additions.

Considering an addition, renovation or new home?

To schedule a Free consultation visit us at

www.MickeySimpson.com or call (703) 525-5020

LYON PARK 1˙ˆ · sweet community! I urge all of you to take advantage of everything Lyon Park has to offer. To make your Valentine’s month even more delightful, consider making

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