MINUTES
OF THE
NORTH ROSSLYN CIVIC ASSOCIATION
BOARD MEETING
11 May 2003


Present: Mark Antell, First Vice President
Stephanie Benefield, Secretary
Paul Derby, Treasurer
Joe and Vanice Famme, at-large
David Lubs, at-large
Ken Marcus, President

Absent: John Seal, Second Vice President

The President called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm.

The President gave his report which included:

The minutes for the previous meeting were posted on the Website on 1 May 2003, so approval of the minutes was postponed to allow everyone more time to read them.

The Board reviewed the last Association meeting held on 4 May 2003 at the Gallery at Rosslyn. The Board repeated its intention to write a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) based on Dr. Trachtenberg's discussion. The MOU probably would contain his remarks on parking and noise issues, as well as other issues.

The 13 April 2003 Association meeting had Mr. Dave Foster, the Arlington County School Board representative, as speaker. Mr. Foster said that during the time the next two schools will be using the Wilson School, it will be necessary to have more than one or two trailers behind Wilson School. We need to continue to pursue the County's intended long term use of Wilson School, particularly after Spring 2004.

Paul Derby gave the Treasurer's report which included:

We need ten new members before the end of 2003 in order to cover our expenses for this year. Nine new members joined during the month of May 2003.

Paul Derby paid back the one hundred fifty dollar no interest loan made by Ken Marcus for the filing of our 501c3 status.

Paul Derby had met with Randy Randall of the Arlington County Public Schools, and as a result of that meeting we have been notified that the park beside the Wilson School belongs to Arlington County (not Wilson School) and it is named "Rosslyn Highlands Park". A sign will soon be posted there.

Stephanie Benefield reported about the recent Arlington County Civic Federation meeting on the possibility of building a Baseball Stadium. She also reported on the recent Arlington County Conservation Association meeting when Arlington County Board Chairman Ferguson spoke.

David Lubbs brought an article concerning extending Quinn Street. He suggested that we contact Robert Broslen of the Arlington County Planning Office for information and log onto the Association Website to express our views.

Mr. Sarma of the Arlington County Traffic Office has requested a study for safety improvement at the intersection of Nash Street and Lee Highway plus the nearby park area, as a result of the recent fatal accident.

The Board discussed possible steps to follow regarding George Washington University (GWU) possible purchase of the Gallery at Rosslyn:

1. Write the MOU to summarize GWU's statements at the last Association meeting;
2. Work with Arlington County to block the sale, for example, investigate the County requirement for a twelve month lease and whether or not the Gallery is following through with the site plan established before the building was built;
3. Check with Arlington County about the definition of a dormitory, for example, how many people can live in one unit. Robert Rosly in the Fair Housing Office and Joanne Covage regarding legal rights;
4. Check the US Federal law, the Commonwealth of Virginia law and the Arlington County Human Rights Code regarding possible violations;
5. Check the possibility of raising the "twelve month lease" issue by checking the GWU Website and their offers the "sublease" the units rented by the students and staff.

The Board discussed possible future speakers at Association meetings. For example, we might invite the Arlington County Code Enforcement representatives and the Arlington County Police to the November meeting. During the September meeting, we plan to hold a "Meet the Candidates" night.

The Board decided to purse a membership drive, probably on 8 June 2003, and organized by Mark Antell. The Board decided that Mark would not be individually responsible for increasing membership, but that everyone on the Board needs to work together to find new members.

Stephanie moved and Mark seconded the meeting being adjourned at 8:40 pm.