The Mapleleaf Online

Site Admin September 1st, 2011

April 26, 2011

MCA Executive Committee Meeting

Attendees:  Allen Myers, president; Ralph Schofer, vice-president; Hugh Barteman, treasurer; Barbara Harrison, secretary

Secretary’s Report – Barbara will email the draft minutes again (with Allen’s edits) for final approval.

Treasurer’s Report – Income was $850 for 34 members.   Expenses of $1338.05 were for mailing the February Mapleleaf, Bank of America bank charges, 4 new meeting signs, telephone, and a dues refund for a double payment.  We have not yet been reimbursed by the Heart House developers for the February mailing.  The account balance on April 28 was $6305.42, including $515 remaining in the FAES legal fund.  We now have 184 paid members.

Liaison Reports

Citizen’s Advisory Board – no report

Bethesda Country Day School – Will meet on May 2.  Allen has not yet heard from neighborhood reps.

French School – no report

NIH Liaison – Ralph reported that this is being managed in the Office of Public Information.   There was no activity in April.  At next meeting he will raise Perimeter bus cutbacks on the agenda.  Is there a way people could get day passes to walk through campus to access Metro.  Could the Rockledge bus, which leaves from outside the gate by the visitor’s center drop people off on West Cedar?   Also, is it possible to bring the bus into Metro and let people transfer to an internal shuttle?  After it’s last run, the perimeter bus becomes the campus shuttle.   About 140 people ride the perimeter bus every day.   The shuttle commitment was made by NIH when they closed the campus.    Allen has heard from people who did use the bus.

Committee Reports

Neighborhood Watch – Allen reported that crime has been fairly low recently.  Usually there are more car break-ins in spring.   Drug paraphernalia have been found around the Spruce Tree pond area; apparently it is used at night.

Nomination Committee – Allen reported for Neil Greene.  Current officers have agreed to serve again.  No others volunteered. 

Old Business

BRAC Update – Jan reported on the April 12 meeting.  Congress voted the $300 million for BRAC.  We will have to share it with Fort Belvoir and San Antonio.  A timeline is available on the BRAC website of potential off-peak traffic disruptions in Bethesda.   The Montgomery County Department of Transportation lists projects, activities, goals.  The base commander at Navy Med will come to our meeting.

Other info:  The Trillium development at Battery Lane and Wisconsin Ave now will be apartments, not luxury condos.   Lot 31, opposite Barnes and Noble, will be closed for 2 years, then there will be underground parking there.   The block of Woodmont between Bethesda and Leland will be closed at some point.   Wisconsin Ave from East West Highway to Jones Bridge will be resurfaced.  Janet will ask about the bad section of Old Georgetown Road.

MCA Tax Exempt Status – Hugh called the IRS, and was on hold several times.  Gerald Holland in California was assigned the case.   Hugh called him and left a detailed voice message.   He was assigned the case on February 9^th.  Our check has been cashed.

MCA Meeting Signs – Hugh has picked them up.

Cut-through Traffic Study – Allen reported that Kyle Lang from DOT did the preliminary study – the counters were put out in January.  The regulations require 250 cars per hour.  Linden at Beech had 142 as the maximum.  The rest were less.   The second spot on Locust had only 60 or 70 vehicles per hour on a normal day.   They also track speeds – one car on Linden between Alta Vista and Beech did 53 mph.  On Locust, the average speed was 25 mph.  On Linden the average was 20.3.    Paul Seder, who lives at Whitley Park raised the point that the light at Alta Vista and 355 goes on even if no cars are on Alta Vista.   A DOT person said “loop detectors” on minor roads aren’t being replaced, but he will look into it.   There is a camera at Alta Vista and Rockville Pike.  This should be taken further, as we need to not be stopping traffic if there is no need.   Janet will contact Edgar Gonzalez at DOT to find out what he has discovered.

Heart House Development Plans – Streetscape filed in March with Park and Planning.  There was a meeting the first week in April with the Development Review Committee.  A lot of the committee members had not finished reading the plan.  They planned to make Camberley a county road, which requires 60 foot right of way with sidewalks on both sides.  They have 50 foot ROW with only one sidewalk.  WSSC also needs a certain amount of land for an easement, and some of the structures were too close to that, also to the settlement pond.  They want handicapped accessible sidewalks to link to Old Georgetown Rd.  Trees on the front of Old Georgetown are supposed to be retained.  They have some revisions to be presented to Allen Friday morning at 9:30.  They will come to the general membership meeting to keep us updated.   A site plan can’t be done until the Development Review Committee has given an ok.   We need to find a new meeting location.   Allen will talk with Art about KOC.

Maplewood-Alta Vista Playground Equipment – This is still not installed.

5002 Benton Avenue Request for Variance – This was rejected as having no grounds for appeal, there was no new evidence.

New Business

Appointment of Zoning and Land-Use Committee Chair – Allen had a potential chair, but she hasn’t gotten in touch with him yet.   She wants to attend the FASEB CLC meeting, but can’t make daytime meetings.  Allen usually goes.

Agenda for May Membership Meeting –

• Malanoski will go first, he will speak about the base, hospital has a separate command.
• American College of Cardiology property
• Set dues – the same
• Elect officers

Articles for Newsletter –

Jan will write BRAC, get Malanoski’s CV, indicate that he will be there

Allen will do President’s report, ACC article

Traffic study – maybe

We have 3 advertisers in one newsletter.   We got a lot of returned Mapleleafs in February.  Some were from houses we know had a forwarding address.  Do we have to say “forwarding requested?”  It’s first class mail, so they should be able to forward.  Jan will check with a neighbor who goes south in the winter.

Dates of Next EC Meetings -

July 12

August 30 for September 21 general meeting.

Minutes prepared by Barbara Harrison

Approved July 12, 2011

• Executive Committee minutes
• Comments(0)