It’s spring (in a manner of speaking), and the HTCA and its new board of directors are moving into high gear.  Here’s a summary of what we’re working on.

Refreshing our infrastructure:

• The HTCA board is drafting a revision of the association bylaws. The last revision was done in 2001. We will circulate the draft to the community, take feedback, and vote on it at a forthcoming association meeting.
• We have begun to study the possibility of revising the HTCA neighborhood directory, last published in 2010. We are considering both print and on-line options, and no decisions have been made. Mary Beth Sitrick is leading the effort (thank you!). Any thoughts are welcome (please email htcabethesda@gmail.com).
• We previously mentioned the refreshment of our digital communications channels. We’re up to 25 Likes on Facebook (Huntington Terrace, Bethesda Maryland) and 17 followers on Twitter (@htcabethesda). OK, it’s a start. There are new items almost every day, depending on news of the area (for example, we followed closely the water main break). Also, in the near future, we will add links on our Web site (HTCA.net) to association meeting minutes and past Suburban Hospital expansion court and agency decisions. More transparency is the goal.

Meetings:

• Allan Gold met with the president of the Bradmoor Neighborhood Association, Jed Meline. Residents of Bradmoor, a community of 449 homes (HT has about 300), voted to revive their long-dormant association last year. We agreed to discuss some joint social events, such as a July 4 party.
• Allan Gold met with Dr. Gene E. Green, the new president of Suburban hospital. This was strictly a get-to-know-you, open-the-communications-channels session. For background about Dr. Green, visit: http://www.suburbanhospital.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?prid=147

Other activities:

• The association wrote to county officials in support of a request to clean up the many unsightly stumps left over following tree removal. It’s not clear whether there will be money in the budget this year to accommodate this request.
• We are looking into resident complaints about construction noise. (If you’re interested in the subject, here’s a link to the current regulations: http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/dectmpl.asp?url=/Content/dep/community/constructionnoise.asp )
• We joined in a resident’s complaint to the county about the sorry condition of the playing field at Bradley Hills elementary school and its use this spring by a local high school team, limiting its availability to our neigborhood’s kids.

Our community garden:

Additional funds are urgently needed to maintain the award-winning community garden at the intersection of Garfield and Roosevelt streets. Please consider making a contribution; no amount is too large or too small. Please make checks payable to “HTCA” and indicate that the donation is for the “Triangle Fund” in the memo portion of the check. You can mail or deliver checks to:

Stephen Brown, HTCA treasurer, 5504 Hoover Street
Terese Bernstein, 8610 Garfield Street
Deborah Perry, 8506 Garfield Street

Thanks for helping to keep our neighborhood garden a place of beauty for all to enjoy!

A final plea:

Please consider becoming a dues-paying member of the HTCA. It’s only $20 a year and helps pay for our social events and newsletters, among other things. You can even pay by Paypal at our Web site (htca.net). Otherwise, please send a check payable to “HTCA” to Stephen Brown, HTCA treasurer, 5504 Hoover Street.

We now are providing the newsletter in a digital edition. The March 2013 HTCA Newsletter is ready now. Download yours today and be the first on your block read it.