Arlington County, Virginia

WELCOME

TO THE ARLINGTON FOREST
NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT WEBSITE.
Our community is located about a mile or so west of the Ballston Common Mall, bordering Carlin Springs Road and divided by Arlington Boulevard. The Northside and Greenbrier sections lie north of the Boulevard and Southside section to the south. Construction of Arlington Forest began in 1939, the first homes occupied were in the Southside. Our Citizens Association was founded in 1940.

BE ALERT:
TORNADO WATCH — TORNADO WARNING

Do you know the difference between a tornado watch and warning?

Tornado watch: Tornadoes could develop in your area. Stay tuned to your local radio, TV or NOAA weather radio for further information and possible warnings. Be prepared to take cover if necessary.

Tornado warning: A tornado has been sighted or has been indicated by NWS Doppler radar.

Warnings are given to individual counties or cities and include the tornado's location, direction and speed. If you are in or near its path, seek shelter immediately.

A weather alert radio is an important part of being ready for an emergency. These radios will deliver weather watches and warnings from the local National Weather Service offices, 24 hours a day. They can be programmed to receive alerts for specific areas, and some have a tone alert that will activate a weather radio even if the audio is turned off.

If a Tornado is Headed Your Way: Shelter immediately in the nearest substantial building. Go to the building's basement. If there is no basement, move to a small, windowless interior room such as a closet, bathroom or interior hall on the lowest level of the building. Be sure to use the stairs to reach the lowest level, not an elevator. Protect your body from flying debris with a heavy blanket or pillows.

NOTE: We have installed a new Memories Page. Click on the link and check it out.

2008 Calendar of Events

Event Date    Program

October 11
2008    Fire Prevention Week Open House
All Arlington fire stations from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Free event, all citizens are welcome to attend.

Come and learn about our "home away from home" and check out our fire apparatus and protective gear.

Fun activities for kids (PLUS)
Fire safety presentations
Fire station tours
See fire apparatus
Meet Sparky the fire dog
Learn how create a home fire escape plan

November 4
2008    GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTION
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Polls Open: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Arlington Forest Precinct #25
Culpepper Garden, 4435 N. Pershing Drive
Barcroft Precinct #5
Barcroft School, 625 S. Wakefield Street

On The Ballot

President and Vice President of the United States
To be determined by party conventions later this summer (Democrats - August 25-28; Republicans - September 1-4). Independent third-parties also have until late August to nominate candidates.

U.S. Senate
Mark R. Warner (D)
James Gilmore (R)
William Redpath (L)
Glenda Gail Parker (IG)
U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District
James P. "Jim" Moran, Jr. (D)
Mark W. Ellmore (R)
Ron Fisher (IG)
County Board
Barbara A. Favola (D)
John Reeder (G)
School Board
Libby Garvey
Emma Violand-Sanchez

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Ballot Questions
Referendum
Redevelopment and Housing Authority
Question: Is there a need for the redevelopment and housing authority to be activated in the County of Arlington?

County Bond Referenda Metro
Question: Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $10,000,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for Metro?

Community Infrastructure
Question: Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $10,800,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for County facilities and infrastructure?

Utilities
Question: Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $50,000,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of designing, expanding, improving, and renovating Arlington County's Water Pollution Control Plant and the water and sewer systems serving the County?

Arlington Public Schools
Question: Shall Arlington County contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum amount of $99,425,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the costs of various capital projects and land for Arlington County public school and community purposes?

Please call 703.228.3456 for more information.

FOREST BABYSITTING COOP MEETS PARENT NEEDS
Looking for safe and affordable child care? Join Us!

A true institution in our neighborhood, the Arlington Forest Babysitting Co-op has been going strong for 46 years, ever since it was founded in 1961 by six Forest families.

Though the numbers have fluctuated over the years, the co-op currently has 17 families as members, representing the Northside, the Southside and the Greenbrier sections of the Forest. New families in our neighborhood are always welcome to join.

The babysitting co-op is a safe, comfortable and convenient way to arrange child care, both during the day and at night. The parents in the co-op earn hours by babysitting and then trade those hours to receive babysitting. Careful records are kept, no money changes hands, and members are confident that their children are cared for by experienced parents right in the neighborhood.

In addition, two or three activities are planned every year when all the families in the co-op can get together and socialize. It's a great way to get to know other Arlington Forest neighbors, and play groups for the little ones often develop from these new friendships.

To become a member, a family must be sponsored by a current co-op member and must be interviewed by the co-op president. New members complete an application, pay the annual $5 dues, and the sitting begins.

For more information, contact our webmaster enieweg@capaccess.org.

Arlington Forest Memories

We welcome memories of early Arlington Foresters at all times! We promise to publish them in The Forester, on the web site and to save them for future historians. Please read the memories of our former Foresters. They are the last item on our Neighborhood page.

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ARLINGTON FOREST HOMEOWNER'S MANUAL

You may enjoy reading the nearly twenty-year-old manual, plus the 1939/1940 Sales Brochure. Click on the Arlington Forest Homeowner's Manual link to see what the manual looks like!

NOTE: This web site edition of the manual was prepared jointly by Erin and John Clougherty (Southside) and the Webmaster. We stayed with the text first produced in 1986/1987 without updating phone numbers or other information contemporary to that period. Pages 56, 57 and 58 are not included in this web edition because of technical scanning problems. The Webmaster is responsible for other errors in this edition of the manual.

NOTE TWO: We would like to update this manual. If you have completed a renovation/repair or added a story/space (either with a contractor or solo) contact an AFCA officer and we'll help you write your story.

ARLINGTON COUNTY OFFERING
REAL-TIME EMERGENCY
AND PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTS

County Upgrades Alert System — Sign Up Now
It has been just over three years since Arlington County incorporated the Arlington Alert System into its multi-layered approach to public notification strategies. Anyone who lives or works in Arlington can go to the Arlington Alert web site to sign up for free Arlington Alerts.

During an emergency, the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management will send real-time text messages with timely, important information.

You can choose to receive the messages by: Electronic mail account (work, home, other), Cellular phone (must accept text messages), Text pager or Blackberry, Wireless Personal Digital Assistant (Palm, iPAQ, etc.), and XM Satellite Radio Channel 214 (in certain circumstances).

The Arlington Alert System is set up so that a notification can be sent to "All Users" if the situation dictates. The Office of Emergency Management has also created several additional groups so that notifications can be made in a more customized way, to those subscribers that have signed up for the event specific notifications. The groups that have been established, in addition to "All Users": Weather Group 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (notifications received only between those hours), Weather Group 24 hours (notifications received at all times of the day/night), Traffic Group, Crime Information Group, and Cyber Attack Group.

You can visit the Arlington County web site and go to the Office of Emergency Management's page to find new Emergency Alert Guidelines, which will provide more details on the various decision matrixes used to add consistency to our public notifications. Subscribes can assist in making these updates more complete by doing the following: Check the devices that you have registered in the system to make sure they are still accurate; review the voluntary groups and add them to your account if you would like the specific information provided; and continue to spread the word to family, friends and co-workers who might benefit from the Arlington Alert System.

If you need support, you can contact tech support at 703-228-4357 or casupport@arlingtonva.us .

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SMOKE ALARMS FOR SAFETY ANY TIME

Smoke alarms are the most important safety features of your home. Properly installed, working smoke alarms will give you the early warning you need to safely escape from a fire.

When choosing an alarm know that:

Smoke alarms carry the label of an independent testing lab.

Smoke alarms can run on batteries or on household currents.

Smoke alarms have different sensor technologies:

Ionization Smoke Alarms
more effective against fast-flaming fires (fire which consume materials rapidly and spread quickly). Sources of these fires may be paper fires or kitchen fires.
Photoelectric Smoke Alarms
more effective against slow smoldering fires (fires which smolder for hours before bursting into flame). Sources of these fires include cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.
Combo Units
Ionization/Photoelectric are available and provide early warning of both types of fires.

INSTALLATION
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including the basement and in/near every sleeping area. Ensure that all members of your family can hear it.
Mount alarms high on a wall or on top of the ceiling. Position wall-mounted alarms with the top of the alarm 4-12 inches from the ceiling. Position ceiling-mounted alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.
Don't install smoke alarms near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with its operation. The moving air can blow smoke away from the alarm's sensor.
To avoid false alarms, keep smoke alarms at least ten feet from stoves and steamy showers.

When installing the alarm:

Follow the manufacturer's instructions using a drill and screwdriver.

Plug-in alarms must have restraining devises so they cannot be unplugged by mistake.

Hard-wire alarms need to be installed by a qualified electrician.

Never connect a smoke alarm to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch.

MAINTENANCE TIPS
Test smoke alarms once a month by pushing the "test button." Install new batteries when you change your clocks or at least once a year. Clean smoke alarms using a vacuum cleaner without removing the alarm's cover. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. Smoke alarms for the hearing impaired have a built in strobe light. The alarm has both an audible and visible signal and can be mounted in ceilings and walls.

### ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

The County Police Department has upgraded its Web site. check it out at Arlington County Police. It now includes a wide variety of publications and information, along with crime prevention tips. The new site features easy-to-find contact information, news releases and online forms for officer commendation and misconduct reporting.
The Arlington County Police also provides a daily list of crime incidents in the county. To receive the daily message, sign up at the special page: Arlington County Crime Reports. Do not use the Emergency Number 911 to request routine information from the police. Use the routine police telephone number: 703-558-2222 for inquiries and to report suspicious activity.

Top
Memories Page.
WalkAbout Text Page.
Arlington Forester, County News
Arlington Forester, Neighborhood News
Arlington Forester, Schools News

Photograph by Michael Pendergrass/U. S. Navy.

"… [S]oldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry render honors, as firefighters and rescue personnel unfurl a 20-foot by 38-foot American flag sent from the U.S. Army Band at Fort Myer to the Pentagon the day after the attack. The garrison flag is the largest authorized flag for the U.S. Military, and the image reflected the resillience of the Pentagon and honored the first responders."
(Text from Cover of Sun Gazette, September 7, 2006)

Page under continuous construction.
Reviewed/updated 26 August 2008