Crystal City Civic Association (CCCA)
A Voice for Crystal City Residents
NOTE: This is a hybrid meeting. Participants may choose to either:
Topics include:
Message from CCCA’s President
On September 14th (Wednesday) at 7pm we will have our next CCCA meeting. We will have an update from JBGS on all of their construction projects, a presentation by the County transportation staff on alternatives for Metro. We will have one more presentation that has not been confirmed.
Mark your calendars for Nov 16th and Jan. 18th for our next two meetings. All will be hybrid. If you have suggestions for topics, please email me. We are always trying to find presentations!
Register in advance for the September meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkde2tpjgoHd0_eY7447i31YOTx8meHtQX
– Eric Cassel, CCCA President
Click here to download the September Newsletter
https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCCA_Newsletter-No.-9-September-2022.pdf
July Newsletter is Out – click here to download
July 4 Announcement of Road Closures and places to View the Fireworks: See inside the Newsletter for details
Message from CCCA’s President
We have a survey about Park Names! Three parks around the new Amazon HQ2 need names. In the map below are the 3 parks. Park 1 is next to Eads and just north of the Whole Foods. Park 2 is the redesigned park. And the 3rd park is essentially inside the Amazon Property where the Helix will be. Please take a survey below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T2M8VX3
The Livability 22202 Housing Working Group wants to hear from renters in our zip code. Please take a few minutes to share your recent living experiences, rent increases, what you enjoy and what is challenging here. You can do so anonymously if you wish! Here is the link.
Route 1 continues to be a major commitment for me. We had a great meeting on the 15th and VDOT’s meeting on the 18th was interesting, but we had problem with not enough space outside the roadway. Sidewalks, bike lanes and trees are important for a road. We are working hard to get the best solution for our neighborhood.
– Eric Cassel, CCCA President
With apologies for the length of this month’s Newsletter, here you go. So much for this being a slow time of year! Check out the meetings and all of the issues.
1. Survey: Every month in the President’s report, we will have a survey. The idea is to get some feedback from you and provide a venue for you to impact how we spend our time in meetings. The first survey is:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M8Y839WThere are only a few questions and they should not take more than a minute or two. Eric Cassel, CCCA President
2. Construction Reminders:
3. REMINDER: Annual Dues Payment coming Up Soon: Annual dues are paid for the calendar year, so payment of $10 will be due no later than February 28 for members to remain on the mailing list as voting members to receive the monthly Newsletter and Updates. Renew online by PayPal or send a check to our new Treasurer Steve Miller, 1300 Crystal Drive #408S, Arlington VA 22202.
So much for returning to normal. With Delta looming over us, we’re going to continue meeting on Zoom for the indefinite future, even with the forthcoming booster shots.. Please help inform our decisions on future CCCA meetings by responding to our survey. We continue to have great topics. If you have ideas for meeting topics, please send them to [email protected].
We are also looking for volunteers to take over officer positions in the CCCA in November. With 7 years of experience, we are an active and respected voice for Crystal City residents. Help us continue to support the needs and concerns of our community. See the Newsletter for details.
Transitway Public Meeting, September 1, 7-8:30 pm: At the July 20 Board meeting, five activists in our area, including the CCCA president, expressed their concerns about the proposed placement of a new transitway station close to the corner of 12th & Long Bridge Drive. The posted plans before the Board meeting seemed to indicate that the new bus shelter would conflict with pedestrians and cyclists, as the bus shelter on Crystal Drive by 18th already does. Community engagement prior to the Board meeting was also very limited. At the Board meeting, the Board approved Item 51, the deed of easement for the transitway station, but recommended that a public meeting be held prior to the September Board meeting to discuss concerns further. Project staff are holding a public meeting on Wednesday, September 1, at 7PM to discuss plans for the transitway and its stations along 12th Street. Please plan to attend. Construction on combined projects expected December 2021 for 12 months.
Move the Fair to Long Bridge Park? Not unless they answer a lot of questions: Be sure to read about this. The Arlington County Fair Board, an independent non-profit which manages the fair, has informed the county that it would like to move the fair to Long Bridge Park. The County has issued a survey asking whether folks prefer to keep the Fair at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Park where it’s been for 45 years or move it to Long Bridge Park. We have protested that without background information, folks don’t know why there should be a change and whether it should change. Think about this before you answer the survey.
Highlights:
1. National Night Out August 3: The three civic associations in 22202–Arlington Ridge, Aurora Highlands, Crystal City–have joined with the National Landing BID to co-sponsor National Night Out in the Summer House and park at 101 S. 12th Street. National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event in the United States, held the first Tuesday of August. It’s a community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. We will have fire trucks, police cars, food trucks, games, music, and lots of goings on. Thank you to Amazon for sponsoring the refreshments! Although no more vouchers for food are available via the RSVP due to an overwhelming response, you can still visit the park and join the festivities.
2. Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center Opening Soon
Around mid-August the new Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center will open! We’re excited to see everyone return to the water. Once the new center is open, it will become the home for all Arlington County Parks & Recreation aquatics classes and private swim lessons, including the 55+ aquatics programs. There will be an array of aquatics offerings this fall, pending COVID-19 guidelines. Online registration begins at 7 a.m. for gymnastics classes and 7:30 a.m. for all other programs on Aug. 4. View our online registration guide. Also look for the 55+ Guide eNews in August; fall registration will open for 55+ County residents on August 18. For more information, click here. We anticipate being able to provide more aquatic offerings and look forward to utilizing the amazing new space! There are over 200 parking spaces available when you arrive. If you have questions regarding Parks & Recreation 55+ aquatics programs or the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center, please contact Allison Cheek at [email protected].
Tour of Aquatic Center for 22202 residents
We are coordinating with the Facility Manager a tour of the Aquatic Center on August 18 and 19. Register on Sign Up Genius as tours are limited to 20 people each. If the tours fill up, the County might agree to additional tours the next week.
3. Two deadlines for feedback (see newsletter articles):
Apologies for the technical difficulties in live streaming on Facebook and delay in posting subsequently. You can view it on YouTube here or on Facebook here, even if you don’t have a Facebook account. It was a very good and informative meeting with two excellent presentations: the Long Bridge Park Aquatic Center and the National Park Service general presentation of projects in our area.
The fee schedule is included in the Aquatic Center presentation and can also be seen here. The slide show presentation is very large and will be uploaded when the County provides us with a link. In the meantime, you can see photos on the project website here.
The slide show presentation by the NPS can be viewed here. It was disappointing however to learn that the 2012 study for Roaches Run went nowhere and will have to be redone. But that will only happen if we convince the County Board that this is important. Stay tuned for more information on a coming campaign to urge an ecological development of Roaches Run.
How can citizens get involved and help? To help with invasive plants, look for Weed Warrior training and then sign up. Also, check the NPS volunteer web site to see specific volunteer opportunities (mostly group activities) or join the appropriate NPS Friends Group.
https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/volunteer.htm