Highland Park-Overlee Knolls Civic Association

01/03/2021

Come hear an update on Arlington County's plans for stormwater detention under Reed Fields. HPOK Winter Meeting - January 6th at 7PM

11/01/2020

Arlington Public Schools (APS) is currently reviewing new boundary options for the Reed school under construction. The initial boundary proposal presented on 5 of October zoned most of our civic association and surrounding walkable neighborhoods to the Reed school. APS is considering new boundary options that differ from the initial proposal.

The HPOK board wants to make everyone aware of these discussions because the new school is right in our backyard, walkable from our homes, and will become a natural focal point for our community.

Those within our civic association who are currently assigned to McKinely will move to the new Reed School no matter what option is chosen. One option APS is considering would mean a large portion of our civic association that directly borders the new Reed school will not be zoned to attend it. We know there are a variety of opinions in the neighborhood. If you want to voice your opinion here is an action you can take:

1) confirm your school boundary planning unit # https://gis.arlingtonva.us/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=https://gis.arlingtonva.us/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/APS_Attendance_Locator/viewers/APS_School_Boundary_Locator/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default/

2) review proposed boundary options here. Primarily slides 14-19 and slide 33, pasted below. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/BUUTEP7709E7/$file/Elementary%20School%20Boundary%20Process%2010-29-2020.pdf

3) address an email to [email protected] and [email protected] to voice support for your desired APS elementary boundary option. Recommend including your PU # and your reasoning in the email.

- “Initial proposal” zones most of the walkable units in the surrounding civic associations to Reed.
- “Plan A” zones most HPOK families to attend the new Reed School but leaves out other walkable units
- “Plan B” zones a large portion of HPOK families who currently attend Tuckahoe to continue attending Tuckahoe and be bussed to the school.

APS timeline for decision:
Nov. 3: Superintendent's recommendation will be posted on BoardDocs
Nov. 5: Superintendent’s recommendation will be presented to School Board
Dec. 1: Public Hearing on elementary school boundaries
Dec. 3: School Board adoption of new boundaries for 2021-22

For more information:
www.apsva.us/engage/fall2020elementaryboundaries/

12/06/2019

APS public meeting at Swanson on Mon 9 Dec at 7pm about school moves.

With the opening of Reed, one of APS's goals is to create neighborhood seats in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, where there is no place to build a new school. This will probably involve moving Key Spanish Immersion (an option school) from its current building so the building can be used as a neighborhood school.

It appears that the most likely scenario is that Key would go to the Arlington Traditional building, Arlington Traditional (an option school) would go to McKinley's building, and most of McKinley (40% of which is in Reed walk zone) would move to Reed--including the principal and accreditation.

APS will then work on boundary changes to fine tune capacity (and as much as possible increase diversity) in each of the the schools. Reed would be filled primarily from its walk zone.

Please try to attend the meeting on 9 Dec at Swanson. The School Board will vote in February. There is no plan to open Reed as anything other than a neighborhood school; however, with no PTA to represent our community, it is up to us to stay involved and recall the following:

-First and foremost, the SB voted for Reed to be a neighborhood school--and the BLPC and PFRC worked together according to this vote. Every BLPC/PFRC meeting began with the statement that the group was planning for a neighborhood school.

-Reed has a large and dense walkable neighborhood--probably much larger than the current draft walk zone maps are showing.

-It is wasteful to continue to bus so many kids out of the neighborhood.

-The four civic associations signed a letter endorsing the current building plan with the explicit understanding the Reed would be a neighborhood school.

APS info:

Challenges | Goals | Proposals | Engagement | FAQs | Preguntas Frecuentes es español (FAQs) | PTA Q&A | Resources Elementary School Planning Q&A Session with Elementary PTA Presidents – Watch Live at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2, 2019 Infographic about the Elementary School Planning Process En español Onlin...

11/17/2019

As described in earlier posts, our CA along with the 3 other neighboring CAs sent a letter to the County Board regarding the July 8th flooding and stormwater management generally in the Torreyson Run watershed. There was also a meeting held last month.

The email response from the county is below, as well as in the two attached files.

Files on FB (in HP-OK Neighbors private group):
1) https://www.facebook.com/download/485694025378430/Torreyson%20Run%20Letter%20response.docx?av=123853491003584&eav=AfaklIZHA0iNakKXNCkOKheTe9Z3YlLpGe1N4XCCEZwMACJL9Gj1TgWMRlXCVFpLdXw&hash=AcoGpUyy4qdLIZaF
2) https://www.facebook.com/download/2215813038718576/Torreyson%20Run%20Oct%2017th%20mtg%20questions.docx?av=123853491003584&eav=Afbk9Nee_Kx785qGyaLvIRk948gMZ2dHIq3ZuQ8fhwgZ3ItSyO0SQRmv4Q5u6zq9zkQ&hash=Acq-HcWlhrCFiwSK

Files on Groups.io (email listserv that replaced Yahoo Groups):
https://hp-ok.groups.io/g/hp-ok/topic/county_s_response_to_to_the/60006738?p=,,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate%2Fsticky,,,20,2,0,60006738

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I have attached two documents with responses to questions from members of your civic association and others in the Torreyson Run watershed. The first document addresses questions from the letter sent to the County, and the second addresses some of the questions requiring follow-up from the joint civic association meeting for Torreyson Run held on October 17th.
Please let me know if you, or other community members, have additional questions after reviewing this information.
Thanks, Aileen
Aileen Winquist
Watershed Outreach Program Manager
Arlington County Environmental Services
Office of Sustainability and Environmental Management
2100 Clarendon Blvd. Suite 705, Arlington, VA 22201
P: 703-228-3610
F: 703-228-7134
E: awinquist@...

11/17/2019

An update from the Reed School construction PM:

Work on the Reed site is progressing as discussed earlier and we are fully mobilized on site with demolition ongoing. This notice is to let you know we are starting the drilling of the geothermal wells on a section of the site behind the library for the project. Work will commence on November 20 and continue for about a week weather dependent. During period of the work being done a small section of the sidewalk along Washington Blvd will be closed off to the public for safety reasons. There will be no actual work on the sidewalk itself. You will still be able to access the library from the main entry and also the back parking lot but there might be some very short periods (15-20 minutes or less) when access is temporarily restricted to allow equipment to go in and out of the work area. Also please be advised the drilling equipment will make quite a bit of noise but work will be done within the work hours allowed by the County.

11/06/2019

See below post from APS about the elementary planning process.

Here is a link with more information: https://www.apsva.us/post/elementary-planning-information-session/

10/31/2019

HP-OK Neighbors,

While it looks like we *may* get a break in the rainy forecast for tomorrow for some trick-or-treating, the outlook does not look great for a larger neighborhood event.

***Due to the weather forecast, we have gone ahead and cancelled the Coyote Grille Taco Tent and TJ the DJ***

On behalf of the HP-OK board and the volunteers, we hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

(also, lets go Nats!!)

10/19/2019

Halloween on the Greenway is coming on Oct 31 from 5pm-6:30pm. More info to come!!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Parade leader (no experience necessary)
Donuts-in-tree coordinator (funds available!)
Game organizers?
Fun people
Trash picker uppers

TJ the DJ and a delicious Taco Tent (for purchase) are already lined up!

Contact Erin Korte Hatten (erin.korte at gmail.com) if you'd like to volunteer or stay in the loop on opportunities. Thanks to the HP-OK board, Faye Del Pezzo Lee, MK Yeargin, Cara Moon, Abby Trachtman Halzel, Shana Eaton, and others who have already stepped up to help!

Volunteers will get a sneak people at what will likely be our Yahoo Groups replacement (more to come on that next week). Join the Halloween volunteer group here https://hp-ok.groups.io/g/halloween-on-the-greenway