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next town council meeting

Monday, April 10—8:00 p.m.

Glen Echo Town Hall

Contact the mayor to add an item to the agenda

Text Box: designed to fix that problem, as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and reduce the volume of traffic in the neighborhood. Under one scenario, favored by Garth Shull, the NPS architect, Oxford would be curved and narrowed at the intersection with the upper access road, both to guide cars into the access road and to slow other traffic proceeding to the Clara Barton house. New curbs would be required on Oxford Rd. (town side) and at the entrance of the upper access road (river side) for this purpose. The second alternative would also provide a new curb on the upper parking lot access road (to narrow it) but not on Oxford Rd. Instead, Oxford traffic past this intersection would have to be controlled by a NPS employee with a mobile barrier, which would be practicable only during festivals, Mr. Shull said. Under both alternatives, the existing stop sign at the intersection with University Ave. would be removed. Even without the stop sign, both plans include a raised crosswalk across Oxford Rd. just below University to provide safer pedestrian access to the park at that point. Several attendees noted that a major unmet need is for a sidewalk from MacArthur Blvd. down Oxford (on the park side), as well as a sidewalk along the length of the upper parking lot access road, since this is the route taken by many people who leave their cars along MacArthur Blvd. or who take the bus to Glen Echo. This and other suggestions will be taken into consideration before a final recommendation is made, Mr. Shull said. Whether the town or the NPS owns Oxford Rd. has long been unclear and both entities are currently researching the subject. However, the park service has indicated that even if the town owns the road, it is willing to implement its proposed changes and pay for them. Comment forms were made available to those who attended the two-hour meeting. For those who did not attend, comments can be mailed to Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway, c/o Turkey Run Park, McLean, VA 22101.

Text Box: NATURE LOVER BEAUTIFIES BRIDGE APPROACHES By Carlotta Anderson When Kevin Kearney wants to improve the environment he doesn’t join an organization or petition the government. He just does it himself. And he tends to find people to help him. For the past five years, the Cabin John Gardens resident has been developing a garden in the dirt next to the Cabin John side of the one-lane bridge. When he saw Dept. of Transportation people working nearby with heavy equipment, he asked if they would use it to break up the soil. He must have asked very nicely because they complied. He improved the soil by persuading Christopher’s Hardware, where he is a frequent customer, to give him ripped-up bags of mulch that they wouldn’t be able to sell. Residents of Cabin John Gardens contributed plants. His wife, Joel Todd, helped with maintenance. The plot, which he named Cabin John Garden, now has several large pussy willows bushes which he bought on sale for $5 each, and many perennial plants which will soon come into bloom. Now Mr. Kearney is developing a similar plot on the Glen Echo side of the bridge, which, predictably, he named Glen Echo Garden. He wants to grade the whole entrance area around the path which leads to the canal and has signs up requesting dirt, mulch and plants. What he would like are perennial shade plants. Of course, if those who contribute them would also plant them, he would be especially grateful. If you would like to take part in the Glen Echo Garden beautification effort, you can just bring supplies to the spot and dig in some plants, or call him at 301-229-8820 to find out how you can help.