by Emerson Cale
Concert in the Park. The GCA sponsored the Loudoun Jazz Ensemble in Greenbriar Commons Park on Labor Day weekend. There was a good crowd who thoroughly enjoyed the band. The band members responded by telling us they enjoyed their first outdoor concert with an enthusiastic crowd. I think the concert was one of the very best we have had in Greenbriar.
Membership. The GCA Board budgeted $28,000 as a goal for the 2011-2012 membership drive. We are now approaching $27,000 and still have about 10 blocks of Greenbriar for which reports have not been received. We need to finish these blocks real soon.
Greenbriar Community Directory. It is important to get back all the block captain membership lists so that we can publish the new Directory. Most block captains work hard to canvass their neighborhoods in a timely fashion and return their reports to the GCA. We like our annual Directory to contain correct information on every resident who lives here. Thank you, Andras Malatinszky, for volunteering to take over the GCA database from Rich Duesing.
Each year we have a hard time coming up with a new front cover for the Directory. We have used pictures of our schools, swimming pool, community center and neighborhood entrances, among many others, over the years. This year I looked back at all the previous Directory issues, in the GCA archives and decided to use the very first cover of the 1970 issue for the 2011-2012 Directory. We hope to have the new Directory in your hands by the end of September.
GCA Financial Condition. As of August 31, 2011, the GCA total financial resources are $128,800.
Middle Ridge Drive Traffic Calming. As we reported last month, the residents of Middle Ridge Drive provided a petition to the GCA Board requesting support for traffic calming on their street. At the August Board meeting, the Board voted to support the request. The GCA has initiated a request to the Springfield District Supervisor’s Office in the form of a letter. We have not received word back from Mr. Herrity’s office as of this date. The first step to be performed by the county will be a survey of the volume and speed of traffic on Middle Ridge Drive to determine if it qualifies for traffic calming. There are a lot of other community requests in the Fairfax County pipeline and little money in the till, so we do not expect any resolution in the near future. We have not had any word on where we are in the queue for speed tables on Poplar Tree Road.
Condolences. We offer our sympathy to the wife and family of Peter Conway, LTC (Ret.). Pete, a long-time resident of our community, passed away recently after a lengthy illness. He was a 28-year US Army Transportation Corps veteran. After retiring from the Army, he worked for the Fairfax County Public Schools Transportation Office until 2004. He was a GCA block captain for many years.
We also mourn the passing of Bettie Ryland of New Bern, North Carolina. Bettie lived in Greenbriar for many years and was the editor in chief of the Greenbriar Flyer for more than 25 years. It was largely due to her dedication that the Flyer continues to this very day. Our sympathy is offered to her husband, Jerry Kirk; her son, Rich, and his wife, Karen; her five grandchildren; and her faithful canine companions, Deirdre and Gunter. You may remember seeing Bettie’s letter to the editor in the July issue of the Flyer. She enthusiastically encouraged Greenbriar residents to step up to the plate and volunteer their services to the Flyer. She certainly did that for a long time and made many friends in Greenbriar. She was a great lady.
The Rev. William (Bill) Ridenhour, founder of the King of Kings Lutheran Church, passed away August 27, 2011, in Norfolk, Virginia. Bill was our pastor and friend. I called him “the gentle giant.” He was not only a leader in our church community, he also served on the Greenbriar Civic Association Board, was a contributor to “The Way It Was — A History of the Greenbriar Community” and was an inspiration to all who knew him. Our condolences go out to his wife, Grace, the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and his many friends. There will be a memorial service for Bill at the King of Kings Lutheran Church on Sunday evening, September 25. For further information, call the church office at 703-378-7272.
See ya’ll around Greenbriar
Emandbarbcale@msn.com
Web site: www.egreenbriar.com
