Rambler June 2009

Rose Hill Originals Plaque To Be Unveiled On June 23

The Rose Hill Originals plaque will be unveiled in a short ceremony before the June meeting of the Rose Hill Civic Association. The unveiling will take place at 7pm at the Rose Hill historic marker facing Rose Hill Drive at the John Marshall Library. It includes the names of the original owners who were still living here on the community’s 50th anniversary.

Connie Beatty, whose name appears first on the plaque, will handle the unveiling. She still lives in her rambler on Rose Hill Drive.

We have been searching for an appropriate place to display the plaque and finally settled on adding it to the historic marker. Thanks to Hugh (Pearl) Watts IV, who grew up on Haystack Road, the plaque has been encased in plexiglas to withstand the elements.

After the unveiling and a few remarks, we will gather in the community room of the library for cake, ice cream, and lemonade, compliments of RHCA. At this point, there is no business on the agenda. Should something come up, we will announce it at the meeting.

Please arrive promptly at 7pm for the unveiling. In case of rain, there will be a mock ceremony inside and Mrs. Beatty will uncover the plaque later.

Remembering Ed Holloman

Ed Holloman passed away on April 30. He and Juanita were the 15th family to move into Rose Hill back on January 1, 1955. Their names are on the plaque to be dedicated June 23. The Hollomans would have celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in August. Alice Juanita Holloman still enjoys the home on Sturbridge Place. The Hollomans are long-time members of RHCA.

Ed and Juanita were living in Huntington in 1954 when they decided to take a drive out Franconia Road. They saw a sign for the new houses to be built in Rose Hill and decided to take a look at the model home. Juanita recalls she had $25 in her purse that she intended to pay the milkman with. (Remember when the milkman delivered to the door?) As it turned out, the milkman had to wait because $25 was exactly the cost of a deposit on the new Rose Hill Ramblers! The Hollomans watched their house being built and couldn’t wait to move in.

Ed was in the Army in those days, working at Fort Belvoir. After he left the service, he stayed on at Belvoir. Juanita worked for the Army at Belvoir and later the federal government at Cameron Station for a total of 32 years. Ed and Juanita raised three daughters: Patricia Ann lives in Woodbridge, Helen Carol in Lorton, and Pamela Sue in Falls Church. Ed was originally from Petersburg, VA, and Juanita was born in the old Alexandria Hospital.

Rose Hill Beauties

The Spring rain brought out a bumper crop of Rose Hill Beauties. All of them are listed on Page 4 of this edition of The Rambler. They also are listed on our web site, myRoseHill.com. Everyone who is a member of RHCA will receive either a sign or a sticker updating their present sign. Because of the larger number of members whose properties are Beauties, we have gone to the stickers in an effort to save money. Thanks to those of you who save your sign from year to year. We will replace damaged or lost signs. Given the increased costs of the signs, the sticker system has saved us several hundred dollars. Thanks to the judges who took the time to collectively visit every street in Rose Hill and compiled the list of Beauties. If you think we missed your property or one of your neighbors, please call either Linda Nichols or myself and we’ll take another look. The idea is to reward those who keep their property looking nice and there is no limit on the number of awards. If we misspelled your name or have a name wrong, please let us know so we can correct the list on the website and acknowledge it in the September Rambler (no Rambler in July or August).

Summer Activities

RHCA is planning a summer potluck dinner this year. The date is Tuesday, July 21, in the community room of the John Marshall Library. The dinner starts at 6pm and RHCA will provide sandwiches, lemonade, and water as well as plates, paper products, and plastic utensils. Residents are asked to bring side dishes and desserts. If the turnout is anything like last year, you won’t want to miss this treat.

Also, join RHCA in supporting our local law enforcement and fire personnel at the annual Night Out picnic on Tuesday, August 4, in Dave and Linda Nichols’ front yard at 6414 Rose Hill Drive. Dove Plumbing and Heating is providing hot dogs with all the trimmings, lemonade, and water. Residents are asked to bring side dishes and desserts that can withstand the heat. Serving begins at 6:30pm.

Library Hours Cut Back

Because of budget cuts, the John Marshall Library will close at 8pm during the week starting July 1. Our July 21 summer potluck dinner will have to clear the room by 7:45pm, which brings us to our future RHCA meeting schedule. We need to decide to either start and finish meetings earlier or find another location. It’s a little tough to conduct business, hear from speaker, and provide a question-and-answer forum in one hour. We need to either start earlier or move. Any suggestions?

Grass in Median

You might have noticed in mid-May that the grass in the median strip on Rose Hill Drive next to the shopping center was knee high. Thanks to Donnie Krauss for cutting it while we sorted out who actually was responsible. Due to a mix-up, the company contracted by Rose Hill Apartments to handle its landscaping and grass cutting failed to cut the grass in the two medians closest to Franconia Road. In the past, the apartments have handled all the grass cutting in the medians. It took only one call to straighten it out. The apartments will continue to pay to have the grass cut in the medians all the way to Franconia Road. The owners of the apartments agree that we can’t have overgrown medians at the entrance to our community. Thanks to A.J. Dwoskin & Associates, the owners of the apartments, for their continued splendid cooperation. And thanks to those of you who contribute to the seasonal plantings in front of the entrance sign. We try to keep politicians, businesses, and groups from erecting signs in front of the entrance marker. There are those of us who will remove them if they are spotted; if you notice it first, feel free.

Eye on Crime and Poor Upkeep

The record number of homes being honored as Rose Hill Beauties has a direct link to those dedicated volunteers who keep their eye on their immediate neighborhood. We report suspicious activity of any sort to the police as well as other zoning or ordinance violations to the proper authorities. If you see the green stickers on houses, that indicates they have been served noticed that the County has either or is about to cut the grass and will bill to the owner. Slowly, but surely, we are getting rid of overcrowded and poorly maintained properties in our midst. Neighborhood deterioration affects all our property values. As the housing market recovers, we want to make sure the value of our property increases and isn’t held back by unthoughtful neighbors. If you would like to join our Neighborhood Watch, give Linda or I a call. If your area isn’t covered, we’ll put you to work! All you have to do is keep your eye on your neighborhood and report suspicious activity and violations. We’ll provide you with some guidelines provided by the police and zoning enforcement.

Gang Activity

You may have missed the recent short article in the paper about the arrests for gang activity at Edison High School. Eight people were arrested for participating in a beating of a potential gang member as part of an initiation. The only person over 18 was identified as being from Rose Hill. RHCA previously has been told by police about gang activity at Mark Twain. Thanks to Supervisor McKay for helping to restore the proposed budget cut that would have curtailed or eliminated the school resource officers who keep an eye out for gang activity. In this instance, it was the school resource officer who cracked the case. RHCA is a strong voice in supporting police efforts in eliminating gangs and gang violence. Add your voice by becoming a member (membership forms available on myRoseHill.com). We plan to get a first-hand report from the police on gang activity at one of our Fall meetings.

More Members

It’s never too late to support RHCA! Thanks to Harold and Pearl Ballen of 6632 Telegraph Road, Tracy Campbell of 6402 Cottonwood Drive, Lee and Carole Davis of 6314 Climbhill Road, Mike and Jo Ann McLean of 6333 Carriage Drive, Mark and Dottie Snyder of 6322 Maryview Street, Pam and Jamie Yereb of 4617 Winston Place, and Kenneth and Crystal White of 6322 Haystack Road for their support by becoming 2009 members. If you haven’t joined as yet, go to myRoseHill.com, print out an application, and mail it to RHCA, P.O. Box 10891, Franconia, VA 22310.

New LDACO Rep

Thanks to Stephanie Young of Willowood Drive for taking on the job of Rose Hill’s representative to the Lee District Association of Civic Organizations. The group, which consists of the presidents or representatives of all organized communities in Lee District, meets monthly with Supervisor McKay at the Franconia Government Center. The group also hears reports by various County agencies. Stephanie will report any items of interest at RHCA meetings, in The Rambler, and on the web site. She joins Woody Betts of Saddle Tree Drive, Joann Thompson of Cottonwood Drive, and I on groups that forward the concerns of Rose Hill to the County. Woody is our Neighborhood Watch Coordinator and serves on the Community Advisory Committee at the Franconia Police Station. Joann serves on the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) council. I represent Rose Hill on the Lee District Land Use Committee, which makes recommendations on development and zoning issues.

Purple Heart Stamp

The United States Postal Service has reissued the Purple Heart stamp for the fifth time since 2003. Let’s hope it’s permanent this time. Each time the issue has run its course, the Postal Service is besieged with calls for a reissue. Interestingly, the most recent reissue features a picture of one of two Purple Hearts awarded to James Loftus Fowler of Alexandria who was battalion commander of the Third Battalion, Fourth Marines serving in Vietnam. We encourage you to ask for the Purple Heart stamp when you visit the post office — a perfect way to honor our wounded veterans.

—Carl Sell

2009 Rose Hill Beauties

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

If we have misspelled your name or the name has changed or your address is marked unknown, please get in touch with Carl Sell (sellcarl@aol.com) or Linda Nichols (dovefellow@aol.com).

Apple Tree Drive	Greendale Road	Roundhill Road
4502, Tobar	6703, Miller*	4402, Richey*
4507, Nimjareansuk*	6707, Caparas	4405, Kesler
4508, Kurucz	6708, Westgate*	4413, Erb
4515, Acosta	6711, Nguyen*	4415, Beaty*
4520, Stinnette *	Greenhaven Place	4421, McBride*
4523, Calhoun	5003, Jeffries	4422, Madaris
4525, Herrara*	Eastchester Circle	4423, Bise
4601, Peyton	5003, Bottomley*	4429, Beach*
4701, Tomlin	5009, Dailey*	4430, Gundermann
4801, Gailliott*	Hayfield Place	4434, Buzalsky*
4905, Gerke	6401, Coler*	4511, Harris
4907, Collins	6408, Tisara	4512, Rios
Bee Street	6409, Finnegan*	4513, Worley*
4501, Lewis	Haystack Road	4518, Voohees
4510, Robertson	6422, White*	4519, Ballard
4511, Borchevsky	6424, Broxterman *	4520, Varney*
4513, Corley	6500, Neidermeyer*	4522, Dougherty*
Blossom Lane	6503, Pfefferle*	4525, Williams
6217, Digman*	6504, Yeang	4604, Good*
6218, Kandul*	6505, Taylor*	4607, Davidson*\
6221, Corbin*	6511, Ciccotelli*	4609, Smith
Bluegrass	6514, Flannagan*	Silo Road
6115, (unknown)	Lark Lane	4907, Cashmire*
Carriage Drive	4516, Whitt	Saddle Tree Lane
6423, Cao	4517, Martin*	6216, Thibeau
6424, Lefler*	4519, Ballard*	6302, Covington*
6425, Beamon	Leewood Drive	6314, Hoover*
6426, Navarro	6004, Smith	Split Rock Road
6429, Kohm	6006, Jones	4701, Thomas*
6430, Dockery*	6008, Watts*	4702, Prompol
6431, Rice*	6110, Collins	4703, Oroc*
6433, McLean*	6111, Smith/Friend*	4704, Greear
6434, Simms*	6115, Kowalik*	4705, Feagley*
6435, Gries	6117, Lewis*	4707, Jamison*
6503, Mason	6118, Alston*	Sturbridge Place
6506, Harper	6122, Mayo*	4517, Kick*
6511, Dankers*	Maryview Street	Telegraph Road
6512, Kannofsky	6321, Efrain	6514, Melendes/Reyes
6515, Watts	6322, Snyder*	6518, Minarik*
Climbhill Road	6324, Carlos	6702, Partridge
6214, Davis*	6326, Wong	6704, Girard
6220, Hudson-Minto	6328, Poff*	6706, Gardner
6222, Ford	6329, Hughes	Thornwood Drive
6303, Braswell*	6330, Lawrence*	6202, Weekly
6309, Duy	6333, Ali	6205, Kim
6310, Bishop*	6401, Thakor/Parvati	6207, Benitez
6311, Peyton	6403, Shifflett	6208, Haupt*
6314, Davis*	6407, Macorol	6209, Janik
6317, Jones	6408, Phillips*	6210, Dzierzawski*
Cottonwood Drive	6409, Christiansen*	Treetop Lane
6300, Lopez	6410, Hunter	5008, Matchett
6301, Fish*	6411, Elliott*	4914, Schappi*
6302, Thomson*	6413, Gonzales	Wayside Place
6303, McKinney	6415, (unknown)	6400, Dodson*
6304, Hass-Smith*	May Boulevard	6402, McKay*
6306, Stemple*	6303, Freitag*	6404, Wheeler
6323, Thompson*	6319, Dodson	Willowood Lane
6401, Butler	6410, Lane*	6200, Machmer*
6410, Fulk*	6412, James*	6203, Ponce*
6413, Centeno	Mayor Place	6302, Shupe
6416, Flahive*	4608, Market*	6303, Ramos*
6503, DeSapio	4609, Cunniffe*	6307. Ball
6504, Kimberly*	4610. Yordy	6309, Lutman
6510, Suggs	Redwood Lane	6310, (unknown)
6513, Ridgell*	6208, Hoey	6315, Bale*
6601, Sell*	Rose Hill Drive	6327, Wolfing
6603, Messinger*	6115, Abbou*	6328, Sookmeewiriya
6609, Bakarat*	6270, Bernarick*	6329, Saifuddin
6610. Vincenzes*	6316, Noble	6330, Greek*
6611, Dahlgren*	6402, Justice*	6401, Pagach
6613, Holliday	6406, Lender*	6403, Young/Springer*
Cottonwood Place	6407, Garcia	6404, Gable
4609, Ridgeway*	6411, Gregson*	6411, Evans*
4613, High	6413, Mangum*	6412, (unknown)
Dew Grass Court	6415, Sherfey*	6413. Castillo*
6120, Weber*	6416, Nichols*	6416, Jencks*
6121, Williams*	6417, Bearth*	6417, Parker*
Driftwood Drive	6421, Strah*	6418, Cardone
6317, Eppolito*	6422, Reed*	6419, Foster*
Flower Lane	6428, Beatty*	Winston Place
4700, Lynch-Upchurch	6503, Rolon*	4617, Yereb*
4701, Kroetch	6510, Robinson	4618, Dillon*
	6512, Nguyen*
	6514, Tonkphontong
	6516, Kim

* Denotes RHCA member. Only RHCA members receive Rose Hill Beauty signs.

The Fairfax County Police Department offers residents 55 years of age and older enrollment in the Mature Operator’s Driver Improvement Program (MODIP). This eight hour course, which provides safe driving information, is sanctioned by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and is presented by certified Fairfax County Auxiliary Police Officers. Upon completion of this course, drivers are eligible for the Virginia State-mandated insurance premium reduction (check with individual insurance carriers for the amount). The classes are normally held the second Saturday of each month at the Franconia District Station. The next seminar is scheduled at the Franconia District Station, located at 6121 Franconia Road, from 8am to 4pm on July 11, 2009. Registration is required and can be done by contacting the MODIP reservations line at 703.924.6588.

Gum Street/Woodway Drive: Nine high school students have been charged with gang recruitment for the initiation of another student into a gang. A police investigation began on Tuesday, March 31 when the School Resource Officer at Edison High School discovered that a student had been jumped by a gang on Friday, March 20. The nine students reportedly walked with the victim, a 16-year-old boy, to a path near Gum Street and Woodway Drive around 3pm and allegedly punched and kicked the victim for about a minute. Chaimongkhon Ruengvivatanakij, 18, of 4524 Roundhill Road in Alexandria, was arrested on May 8 and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The eight minors, between 14 and 16 years old, were also arrested and transported to the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center. Everyone was charged with gang participation, gang recruitment, and hazing.

Fairfax County Police conducted comprehensive truck safety inspections as a part of the national RoadCheck 2009 annual safety effort on Thursday, June 4. Officers assigned to the Motor Carrier Safety unit inspected 21 vehicles in the Chantilly area. Almost half of the trucks were placed out of service for significant safety infractions and officers noted at total of 117 safety violations. The safety check ran from 9am until 3pm and was one of many held across the country that week in conjunction with the annual RoadCheck 2009 campaign, coordinated by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. Motor Carrier Safety Officers are an integral part of the Fairfax County Police Department. Of the 1,768 trucks and trailers inspected in 2008, nearly 46 percent were ordered off the roads for safety violations. RoadCheck 2009 is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and mobilizes federal, state and local inspectors for a 72-hour enforcement and educational truck safety effort. Photos of RoadCheck 2009 may be viewed on the police public Web site: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police.

Several seniors across Fairfax County have been victimized by a phone scam in recent weeks. Thousands of dollars have been lost by these few individuals and many others have nearly lost money. The scam begins with a phone call from a “grandchild.” The caller tells the senior they have been involved in an accident or arrested for DWI. They plead with the senior to wire money and not tell “mom and dad.” They also say the money cannot be sent directly to them because their wallet is in the car which was impounded. Instead, they ask for the money to be sent to a “friend” or “attorney.” In some cases, another person posing as the “attorney” calls the senior a few minutes later and supports the claims made by the initial caller. This technique, known as social engineering, is preying on the fact that most seniors will do anything to help a family member. Steps need to be taken to not fall victim of this attack. If you get a call from anyone asking for immediate money, you need to:

*RHCA Officers and Volunteers*
President	Carl Sell	703.971.4716	sellcarl@aol.com
Vice President	Linda Nichols	703.971.0755	dovefellow@aol.com
Secretary	Beth Kohm	703.338.4876	beth.kohm@gmail.com
Treasurer	Carolyn Slenska	703.922.4135	carolyn.slenska@lycos.com
Editor, The Rambler	Marty Williams	703.910.6316	marty@fabrications.us
Neighborhood Watch	Woody Betts	703.971.0520	rosehillwatch@aol.com
Webmaster	Jim Sapp	303.816.0944	jimsapp7@msn.com
RHCA, P.O. Box 10891, Alexandria, VA 22310
www.MyRoseHill.com

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