The April 24 CJCA meeting will serve as a working session for three 100 Anniversary projects: Cabin John Day, MacArthur Blvd. Beautification and Cabin John signage. Thanks to generous donations sent in with people’s dues and the $1,225 raised from the February Team Trivia Night, there is upwards of $6,000 to put towards these efforts.
The money is key, but we also need some concrete plans and, and most importantly, manpower to bring these projects to fruition.
Please come to the meeting, to be held on April 24 from 7:30 to 8:45 pm at the community center and join in the planning. The aim of the meeting is to brainstorm ideas and approaches, identify the questions that need answering and make decisions about how to move forward. Ideally, next steps will be assigned to those willing to take on the tasks. If you cannot make the meeting but are still interested in working on any of these projects, please reach out! The scope of these projects will be dictated, in part, by the level of commitment from the community.
Here is a bit about each project and some of what we will be discussing at the meeting:
CABIN JOHN DAY, JUNE 1
A free celebration of our community and the 100th anniversary of the citizens association. Cosponsored by the Clara Barton Community Center, the event will run from approximately 4:00 to 7 :00 pm. Ideas include a pop-up Cabin John museum, kids activities, music, food trucks. Beverages, including beer and wine could be sold by the CJCA.
Do Cabin John-based organizations and businesses want to sponsor activity booths? Should there be a North vs. South Cabin John softball game or other such contests that encourage friendly competition between areas or streets of Cabin John? In addition to deciding which of the above ideas we should act on, there are other questions to consider.
MACARTHUR BLVD. BEAUTIFICATION
The goal of this project is two-fold: We want to spruce up Cabin John’s “main street” by planting in the “green” strip between the roadway and the bike path. We also want to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists by keeping cars and trucks from straying into the path or parking their cars on the green strip thereby blocking the site lines for vehicles and pedestrians.
We have preliminary approval from the Army Corps of Engineers, which owns the property as part of the Washington Aqueduct. There are guidelines we need to follow regarding the types of plantings. We also need to consider the benefits of mounding the soil like the Hopkins have done in front of their property as a way to keep vehicles on the road. We also need to consider what stretches we would tackle, if we need different approaches for different stretches of roadside and maintenance issues.
WELCOME TO CABIN JOHN SIGNAGE
Neighborhood signs come in all shapes, sizes and materials. They convey different things and the costs are as wide-ranging as the design. The Army Corps of Engineers has given its preliminary approval for a sign at the corner of Seven Locks Rd. and MacArthur Blvd., which has been suggested as a good site since it often considered the center of “town. The Corps says a sign there would need to be on a pole as opposed to something more structural like the sign for Cabin John Gardens.
In addition to design and cost, there are questions about whether we would want more than one sign and, if so, where would they be located? Do we need to get county approval before installing any signage? Can we install some solar lighting so that our signs are lit at night? One resident has urged us to take on repairing, repainting and lighting the Cabin John sign that we have on the community center property.
By Susan Ship
CJCA President