The meeting was called to order by President Jennifer Zeien at 7:30 PM. Board members Jennifer Zeien, Mark Antell, Terry Brown, Paul Derby, Katie Elmore, Mort Friedman, and Landis Jones were present.
The primary topic of discussion was the identification of strategies to increase NRCA membership. Suggestions follow:
- coordinate a North Rosslyn-wide social event in cooperation with the neighborhood associations in our area
- increase the coverage of our listserv by obtaining contact information from residents in our area - Paul Derby recommended that we take advantage of interactions with residents to explain the role of the NRCA and, with their permission, obtain their name, email address, residence address and phone number, so that they can be added to the NRCA Forum distribution. He mentioned several successes doing this. - Katie Elmore will contact RAFOM to find out how they have obtained more comprehensive contact information for residents in their area than we have for residents in ours - Ms. Elmore noted that some buildings maintain listservs of and for their residents. We could send NRCA material to the listserv managers for forwarding without compromising the residents’ privacy. We will pilot this with Metro Rosslyn (formerly Washington Vista) Apartments. This approach may be applicable to other rental or condominium buildings in our area. - Mr. Derby mentioned that property owners in townhouse communities are tenants in common with respect to common space and should be entitled to contact information for all tenants in common that share property ownership. Jennifer Zeien will explore this possibility further, including the practical definition of “contact information”.
- distribute a mailer to residents in our area via the Postal Service. The Board voted to allocate up to $500 for a trial effort. The mailer will be delivered prior to, and will announce, the first General Meeting of the Fall; the meeting will include brief overviews of issues facing the neighborhood, such as aircraft noise, planned redevelopment projects, the future of the Wilson School site, affordable housing and green space. August would be the best month for distributing the mailer. Mr. Derby will provide Ms. Elmore with the name of a company that could prepare the mailer, and she will obtain a cost estimate based on a draft that she will prepare.
- increase the attractiveness of the General Meetings by finding a more appealing venue. If the venue is outside the NRCA area, the cognizant Civic Association of the meeting site should be informed.
- develop a greater and more “attractive” presence on Facebook that would positively influence nonmembers to join. Mr. Derby noted that we do have a site, but it lacks content. Ms Elmore offered to moderate the site and post to it at least once per week. Mr. Derby noted that all members are able to post both public and private content to the site without moderator privileges. Ms. Elmore will work with Mr. Derby to implement necessary changes to the site, which will be made public.
- Ms. Zeien suggested that some of the less immediately relevant material in the NRCA Forum be archived to make the more relevant material easier to find. Mr. Derby noted that anyone posting to the site can remove their own postings, but not the postings made by others; however, postings made by former members could be removed. Mr. Friedman offered to prepare a list of postings that are less immediately relevant and which Mr. Derby may consider for archiving, if posted by current members, or removal.
Regarding the tattered Shroud of Turnberry, Mr. Derby indicated that the current owner/residents of Turnberry Tower are negotiating with the developer as to who is responsible for installing a more permanent shroud. Mr. Derby commented that previous site plans did not include commitments from owners to maintain properties at the level of the approved site plan. He suggested that, going forward, we urge developers to include, and County planners to require, a maintenance and sustainability plan in submissions for County review.
Mark Antell reported on the status of the Wilson School property and neighboring parcels, including a review of his posting on the subject. Contrary to earlier belief, the School Board is scheduled to meet on June 18. Mr. Antell suggested that we propose that the school continue to be used for primary education, and that we ask for clarification of the School Board position regarding its further use. Mr. Friedman opined that the preservation of green space is more important than the preservation of the existing building. Mr. Derby has written Mr. James Landry, a member of the Arlington Public Schools School Board, requesting that APS complete the playing field restoration and supporting the Rosslyn BID’s offer to provide soccer nets.
