|
Dear Crestwood Neighbors,
On behalf of our returning Board members, I would like to thank you for re-electing us and giving us the opportunity to serve this unique and incredible neighborhood. Your Board for 2020-2021 is:
- President – Pavan Khoobchandani
- First Vice President – Doug Barker
- Second Vice President - John Favazzo
- Secretary - Pat Kennedy
- Treasurer – Carey DeMatteis
- Communications Director – Kathleen Eder
I'd like to extend a welcome to Carey as a new Board member. Carey is going to help us navigate the new requirements of some exciting news - the CCA is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! The first thing that we used that status for was to work with Rock Creek Conservancy to submit a Community Stormwater Solutions Grant for money to help maintain the Carter Barron Retrofit project and to help with other stormwater runoff issues. So fingers crossed on that, and hopefully you’ll be hearing more about how you can help with that project.
I'd like to thank outgoing CCA Treasurer Peter Richman for his service to the neighborhood. Peter provided a lot of guidance and assistance to the CCA over the past year, allowing us to be in a position to donate $1000 to Thrive DC to help with their work during the pandemic.
The election was done a little differently this year due to the virtual nature of our Annual Meeting, and the vote was unanimous. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know at info@crestwooddc.org.
Best-
Pavan Khoobchandani
Blagden Avenue
pkhoobchandani@gmail.com
|
|
Special Thank Yous!
Thank you to the following neighbors that have supported the Association over the past year:
- Harriet Winslow and everyone that came out for the July 4 parade
- Kristina and Mike Gill for hosting the Sunday-After-Labor Day Picnic
- Denise Woods for coordinating CASA Crestwood Tour of Homes, as well as the volunteers, homeowners and exclusive sponsors John Mahshie and Jay Fazio
- Hala Harik Hayes and family for coordinating the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot
- Danielle Reyes for organizing an incredible contribution to the Rock Creek Gala on behalf of Crestwood neighbors and, along with Ethan Landis, serving on the Board of the Rock Creek Conservancy
- Christian Salinas and Brandon Green for hosting the 2019 Holiday Party
- Beverly and John Ostenso for compiling monthly crime statistics
- All our Action Team Leads
- The Dabbs Family for hosting Christmas Caroling
- The Aging-In-Place Action Team led by Yvonne Baskerville and Jackie Jackson
- Gale Black, our ANC SMD 4A08 Commissioner
- All the pet waste stations volunteers headed up by George Chaconas
There have been many many other neighbors that have contributed in important ways, and we want to thank them as well!
|
|
Meeting Highlights
- This was our first virtual meeting, held by Zoom with a dial in for those who wanted to call in by phone. It went over very well (over 50 attendees), and many neighbors that were generally unable to attend our regular meetings were able to connect with us virtually. We'll plan on continuing to use Zoom when our in-person meetings resume.
- Stephen Marencic from the District of Columbia’s Office of the People’s Council presented some information about utility payments during the pandemic. He explained that there is a temporary moratorium on all utility cutoffs. He also said that at the end of the emergency, people who were behind in their utility bills would be expected to make arrangements to pay back their arrears. He also presented some tips to avoid high bills in the future. More information can be found here.
- Peter Richman presented an update on membership, noting that we are at 182 active members, up from 150 last year. Our goal is 200! You can join or renew your membership at crestwooddc.org.
- Councilmember Todd spoke about COVID-19 cases in Ward 4 and answered questions that neighbors submitted by chat. He noted there would be budget shortfalls, with schools, police and senior services at the top of the priority list. He also said that the DC Council is conducting business at Zoom meetings.
- There have been no developments regarding the proposal to install a playground at the Triangle.
- CCA Green Team Lead Doug Barker reported on the Green Team efforts. We have several neighborhood heroes who are maintaining the dog bag stations, and those of us with dogs need to be careful not to overfill the bag containers or leave bags that won’t fit in on the ground.
- CCA Secretary Pat Kennedy will lead an effort for the next Crestwood Directory. There's a split in the neighborhood, with many wanting a paper only directory as has been done in the past, and others wanting a password-protected online directory. There are pros and cons to both.
- Crestwood neighbor and Rock Creek Conservancy Board Member Ethan Landis updated us on the Carter Baron rehab project (stalled for now) and efforts to involve other neighborhoods abutting Rock Creek Park to help promote the Rock Creek Conservancy.
- DC Board of Elections is encouraging residents to vote by mail for the June 16 primary election. The deadline to request a mail in ballot is May 26. Visit dcboe.org to make the request and learn more.
|
|
| The CCA will be subsidizing the purchase of "Please Wear A Face Mask" yard signs for neighbors to place in their yards, as well as purchasing some signs for common areas. The cost of the sign is $15, and the CCA will pay for half of that. If you are interested in a sign, please email info@crestwooddc.org. |
|
| If you’re interested in learning more about Crestwood’s history, check out Crestwood, 300 Acres, 300 Years, by former Crestwood neighbor and Crestwood historian David Swerdloff. You can purchase it from crestwooddc.org. |
|
Neighbors Kendra and Byron Kinnaird are organizing a neighborhood-wide socially distant celebration on Friday, May 29th at 4:00pm, to celebrate Crestwood graduates who are not able to partake in the usual graduation ceremonies and celebrations due to the coronavirus.
They are asking all of our neighbors to come out to their front porch or front lawn and cheer, play music, or wave signs to congratulate the graduates on their accomplishments. They plan to organize any of the high school seniors who want to participate into a parade of cars. They will weave through the streets of Crestwood and hopefully, feel all of the enthusiasm and love from their neighbors.
If you are interested in participating, please email Kendra at kcmullin@gmail.com and let her know you plan to attend. If you are (or have) a graduating senior who wants to participate in the car parade, please also email the above address so we can coordinate where to join the line of cars.
Plan to be home (hehe) and we hope you join in the celebration! We'll send out a reminder and any additional coordination information next week. |
|
|
|