Ebca Newsletter March 2009

Neighborhood News WWW.EBCA.ORG

MARCH 2009

Representing the 1200 households North of East-West Highway, South of Jones Bridge Road, East of Wisconsin Avenue and West of Columbia Country Club.

President’s Notebook By Ilaya Hopkins, President I am fortunate to be around the neighborhood a lot during the day. I go to the bus stop, walk into Bethesda, visit the playground and sledding hill when the opportunity arises and now have a new puppy to exercise. That has helped to keep me in contact with neighbors all over East Bethesda. I am equally glad to have the website and email list as effective tools to broaden my reach. The EBCA eAlert system is used to send periodic notices of events or announcements that are of interest to residents. Recently, we used it to alert neighbors to a series of robberies and attempted breakins. In one case, this communication led to additional leads that we hope will help police catch the perpetrators. We currently have about 200 people registered at www.ebca.org to receive e-Alerts. If you have not done so, I encourage you to sign up today. Just provide your name and email and you will automatically be added to the list. This is the most effective way to stay in touch in a timely manner, and we will never share the mailing list with anyone. This spring we will have several opportunities to meet in person. On March 18th, we have our quarterly general membership meeting at 8:00 p.m. in the Lynnbrook Recreation Center on Newdale Road. We will discuss the school assignment survey conducted last fall. We will also discuss and vote

on whether to request the Examiner newspaper to stop servicing our neighborhood. (See the related article in the January/ February issue.) Mark your calendars now for the May 20th meeting when we will hold elections for officers for next year. If you are interested in being part of the EBCA executive committee, please contact [email protected]. There is always room for anyone who can offer their time to help make our community great. We are also planning an informal gathering at the playground (weather permitting) to celebrate the new equipment. Plans for the community yard sale are currently on hold until we find someone to organize the event. If you are interested, contact [email protected]. Whether we see you in person or you visit the website, we hope that you will connect with EBCA!

Coming Up General Membership Meeting Wednesday, March 18th, 8 p.m. Lynnbrook Recreation Center

Glenbrook Access Restriction After five and a half years of working with Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation, the “access restriction” sign on Chelsea Lane has been put in place. During the evening rush hour, over 500 cars come through Glenbrook Village on their way to Connecticut Avenue and beyond. This is due to the fact that the Jones Bridge Road and Wisconsin Avenue intersection is failing and drivers get frustrated waiting in gridlocked traffic. Tag surveys show that the vast majority of cars are “cut through” commuters. Most drivers are talking on phones, eating, playing loud music and otherwise not paying attention. Speeds are excessive and stop signs are not heeded. This is particularly frightening since most streets in Glenbrook Village do not have sidewalks and many people commute by foot to the Medical Center area or into Bethesda. It is a problem that occurs for several hours every day, disrupting otherwise peaceful residential streets. To make our streets safer, neighbors contacted DPWT in August 2003 to ask what could be Continued on page 3...

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Neighborhood News

Neighborhood Roundup Book Sale

B-CC Reception

The B-CC Used Book Sale will be held on March 28th and 29th. The sale will consist of all books donated in the one week "drop/sort" period: Friday, March 20th through Friday, March 27th after school and over the weekend in BCC's two atriums. The organizers anticipate a sale smaller in scope, but just as well-organized and of the same high caliber as in years' past. Tax receipts will be given at drop-off, and all proceeds support the B-CC PTSA!

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School community of alumni, parents, neighbors, and community members on Thursday, March 12th from 7-9 p.m. for the third annual "Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese" event at the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase. The event will honor B-CC math teacher and class advisor Christopher Orlando, Montgomery County Teacher of the Year 2008. Contributions will benefit the programs sponsored by the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation, including after-school tutoring, CollegeTracks, mentoring, staff development, grants and other academic support programs. For ticket information, please visit www.bccedfoundation.org or call 301-657-2547

Drop-Off Dates: Fri., 3/20, 2:30 to 9:00 p.m. Sat., 3/21, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sun., 3/22, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon-Thurs., 2:30 to 9:00 p.m. Fri., 3/27, 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. Sale Dates: Sat., 3/28, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sun.,3/29, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thanks! Please join EBCA in expressing our deep gratitude to Sandy Spagnolo who did an excellent job as EBCA Social Chair this last year. Sandy coordinated the spring community yard sale, the Labor Day picnic and the Halloween parade and celebration. In addition, she organized a number of fun happy hours that gave neighbors the chance to get out to local spots to enjoy each other’s company. Thanks so much!

Playground Equipment The Montgomery County Parks Department replaced the old wooden structure at Lynnbrook Park with a new piece of play equipment designed for ages 512. This will be a fantastic addition to the playground. Thanks to Karen Auerbach for working with the Parks Department to bring this about. To officially celebrate the renovation, bring a picnic and join neighbors on Sunday, March 29th at 3:00 p.m. for a neighborhood playdate and picnic in the park. We hope to see you there!

WWW.EBCA.ORG

MAR 2009

General Membership Meeting Wednesday, March 18th 8:00 8:30 8:45 8:50 8:55 9:00

Review School Survey Discuss and vote on Examiner delivery Committee Reports Old Business New Business Adjourn

Lynnbrook Recreation Center is located on Newdale Road. We hope to see you there!

Continued from page 1... done. Their recommendation was “access restriction” for the rush hour. The issue was taken to EBCA, which voted to apply for the restriction November 2003. The county ultimately confirmed that the situation did meet the criteria for access restriction and following a public hearing in November 2007, the County Executive signed an Executive Order allowing the sign to be placed. Unfortunately, the restriction is for all vehicles from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Despite the inconvenience for residents, an overwhelming majority signed the final petition this fall in favor of the access restriction. The sign is posted on Wisconsin Avenue just before the turn and is temporary. A permanent sign will be installed after the 60-day trial period. There are also new ‘permit parking’ signs in the neighborhood on Gladwyne Drive between Jones Bridge Road and Lynnbrook Drive. We will post information on the website about how to get permit parking signs for your block.

Advocate for the best schools for East Bethesda! Become a member of EBCA today! Please support our neighborhood activities, this newsletter, and the community activism that makes East Bethesda one of the most desirable places in which to invest and raise a family. $15 per member, but additional contributions are always welcome. EBCA - Membership P.O. Box 41020 Bethesda, MD 20824 Members _____________________________________ Address _____________________________________ Phone _____________________________________ E-mail _____________________________________ Number of Members _____ x $15 each = $_____ EBCA will not share your contact information with anyone outside of the organization.

Inside This Issue Glenbrook Access ..................... 1 B-CC Book Drive ...................... 3 Meeting Agenda ....................... 3

Did you know? This newsletter is also available online. See www.ebca.org for this and past issues.