Reed update

From Ajobola Robinson, APS Project Manager:

Work on the Reed site is progressing as discussed earlier and we are fully mobilized on site with demolition ongoing. This notice is to let you know we are starting the drilling of the geothermal wells on a section of the site behind the library for the project. Work will commence on November 20 and continue for about a week weather dependent. During period of the work being done a small section of the sidewalk along Washington Blvd will be closed off to the public for safety reasons. There will be no actual work on the sidewalk itself. You will still be able to access the library from the main entry and also the back parking lot but there might be some very short periods (15-20 minutes or less) when access is temporarily restricted to allow equipment to go in and out of the work area. Also please be advised the drilling equipment will make quite a bit of noise but work will be done within the work hours allowed by the County.

Kindly contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks

Ajibola (Aji) Robinson PMP. Project Manager,
Arlington Public Schools; Design and Construction; 2770 South Taylor Street; Arlington, VA. 22206

Meeting on Stormwater Management

Combined Four-Civic Association Meeting Thursday 17 October, 7pm Resurrection Lutheran Church, Parish Hall, 6201 Washington Blvd.

In August, the HP-OK, Leeway-Overlee, Tara Leeway Heights and Westover Village Civic Associations sent a joint letter to the Arlington County Board asking for action re: stormwater and the July flooding of the Torreyson Run watershed area.

Board Member Christian Dorsey and Dimitra McBride, bureau chief of the office of sustainability and environmental management, will explain what steps the County is taking

Reminder: Farewell to Reed Fields

This Sunday, from 5-7 a grand neighborhood party sponsored by the four civic associations that surround Westover. There will be a home run derby and other sports events; a giant Jenga set, ice cream from Toby’s, and a DJ. The Civic Associations will have tables devoted to the July flooding and flood relief and also describing the Reed school plans.

 

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Reminder: Meeting on the Reed School, Aug 28

As mentioned in an earlier post, Arlington Public Schools will hold a pre construction meeting to discuss the schedule and timing and extent of the new Reed school construction project, which will begin in September. They will show details of the design and lay out the phases of construction and rules for construction work times. The Pre-Construction Community meeting will be held on August 28, 2019 at 7pm at the Reed School gymnasium.

Note also, as described below, HPK will be joining with out neighbor Civic Associations in sponsoring a farewell event on Sunday, September 8th, from 5-7. Bring your family for a fun neighborhood gathering on the Reed School fields and playground before we say farewell (for now) as they will be closed for new elementary school construction starting this Fall 2019; coming back better than ever in Fall 2021 (more info here)

Four civic associations joint letter on flooding and storm water

Civic Associations:
Highland Park – Overlee Knolls
Leeway Overlee
Tara Leeway Heights
Westover Village

August 19, 2019
Dear Members of the County Board,

Our four civic associations comprise the Torreyson Run watershed, and our residents and businesses suffered a great deal from the July 8th storm that overwhelmed the county’s storm water management systems. We would like to work with you to ensure storm water management improvements in our watershed.

Screen Shot 2019-08-23 at 8.07.26 PM

We understand that the increase in impermeable surfaces, loss of mature trees, and warming atmosphere have and will cause more frequent and more extreme flooding. The Arlington County Watershed Planning Workshop from a decade ago (and the source of the watershed map) highlighted these factors as causes of flooding. https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wp-

content/uploads/sites/31/2014/02/DES-Watershed-Retrofit-Study-Donaldson-Run-County- Presentation-3-18-2010.pdf

We also understand that the storm water pipe system is woefully inadequate and incoherent, and that little has been done to mitigate this problem. An Arlington Department of Environmental Services map from 2014 (included in this letter, below) provides a couple examples. Two pipes totaling 11 feet wide connect to a pipe less than 3 feet wide under the Westover parking lot. A similar mismatch appears in Parkhurst Park. See the image at the end of this letter. Residents should be able to assume that Arlington County is taking care of critical infrastructure. Clearly this is not the case in our watershed.

Arlington can address its storm water management with greater urgency through engineering, landscaping, permitting, and the bully pulpit. We consider this work a major responsibility of governance in the 21st century.

Over the past month, citizens in our civic associations have informally offered the following comments about specific sites—and we expect additional ideas from a formal query, which we will send separately:

  • The Lee Highway commercial strip is at our headwaters. What can we do to encourage landlords to increase permeability? The Rivendell School on Lee Highway is now rebuilding and expanding. Is there a robust storm water management plan place?
  • Construction firms are covering entire lots with single-family spec houses. One recent example is at the intake of a storm water pipe on Madison and 21st. There must be some creative way, even with the Dillon Rule, to deter a trend that is harming so many in the community.
  • The “Mosquito Park” is county park land bound by Lexington, 20th Rd, 21st St., and 22nd St. Would installing a giant storm water detention vault underground, connected to the existing storm water system be a part of the solution?
  • Parkhurst Park’s playground is a hardscape covered with rubber, and it is a convergence site in the watershed. The rain garden system was designed to absorb runoff from the playground only. Following construction, adjacent houses immediately witnessed new flooding that has become worse. Can the county build additional rain gardens in the vicinity of the park?
  • APS will build Reed School over the next two years. Is there more that can be done to minimize impermeable surfaces? Can detention vaults be installed?

    We appreciate the County Board’s responsiveness in assessing the damage, applying for FEMA assistance, and establishing the local recovery center to assist storm victims. We are now looking for enhancements to storm water management in the Torreyson Run watershed to circumvent similar disasters.

    We would like to invite you and your experts to a combined meeting of our four civic associations early this fall to discuss the way forward. At the meeting, we would appreciate and update on the County’s plans for the Torreyson Run watershed.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Trainor, President HPOK CA
Michael Weinstein, President Leeway Overlee CA
John Ford, President Tara Leeway Heights CA Lilith Christiansen, President Westover Village CA

 

Screen Shot 2019-08-23 at 8.10.33 PM

Source: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2014/02/DES-Storm-Sewer-Capacity-Westover-Branch-Watershed-Map.pdf

https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2014/02/DES-Storm-Sewer-

Capacity-Westover-Branch-Watershed-Map.pdf

https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2014/02/DES-Storm-Sewer-

Capacity-Westover-Branch-Watershed-Map.pdf

 

Reed Meeting, Neighborhood Party

Arlington Public Schools will hold a pre construction meeting to discuss the schedule and timing and extent of the new Reed school construction project, which will begin in September. They will show details of the design and lay out the phases of construction and rules for construction work times. The Pre-Construction Community meeting will be held on August 28, 2019 at 7pm at the Reed School gymnasium.

 

And also, we are co-sponsoring a party with our neighboring Civic Associations.  Bring your family for a fun neighborhood gathering on the Reed School fields and playground before we say farewell (for now) as they will be closed for new elementary school construction starting this Fall 2019; coming back better than ever in Fall 2021 (more info here)

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Sponsored by the following Arlington Civic Associations: Leeway Overlee, Highland Park-Overlee Knolls,Tara-Leeway Heights, Westover Village.

We’re looking for some high school volunteers who would like to get service hours! If you’re a high schooler (or know one) that would like to help coordinate games for the younger kids, please contact Preston Mitchell (mitchell.preston [at] gmail.com)

Meeting June 1

Quarterly General Meeting, Sat 1 June, 11:00, Westover Library mtg room

  • APS Transportation Planning and Benefits of Walkable Schools. Speaker: Lauren Hassel, APS Safe Routes to School Coordinator
  • Neighborhood Conservation Project proposals
  • Upcoming Community Event: Farewell to Reed Field Party

Come by after visiting the big yard sale on the greenway!