TRAFFIC SAFETY
Rosemary Ryan of Supervisor Mendelsohn’s office reported the welcome news that DOT has approved installing stop signs on Woodacre Drive at the Laburnum intersection, making it a four-way stop. This decision resulted from the petition signed by nearly all affected residents and endorsed by Supervisor Mendelsohn. Sally Soltero deserves credit for initiating the petition and obtaining residents’ signatures. All residents driving on Woodacre Drive should be on the lookout for the new signs, to be installed soon, and be prepared to stop at the intersection.
Some members at the meeting voiced their concerns about speeding cars in our neighborhood and begged for drivers to slow down. Members spoke specifically about frequent speeding on Woodacre Drive, Brookside Road and on the blind curves of Forest Lane approaching Chesterbrook Road, also about drivers failing to stop at stop signs. It is clear that most of these drivers are residents, not outsiders. It is really important for all of us to drive cautiously and slowly on all of our streets. We have many blind curves and hills; we have pedestrians - including children - walking in the streets because there are no sidewalks. So, SLOW DOWN! BE COURTEOUS! BE CAUTIOUS! and PLEASE! OBEY ALL STOP SIGNS!

SNOW REMOVAL
Roger Nucho gave an after-action report on snow removal efforts and discussed improvements being planned for next year. The contractor has been asked to avoid blocking storm drains; though in some places he may not be able to avoid them. It remains the responsibility of residents to clear storm drains near their homes, but if a blocked drain cannot be cleared quickly and is causing flooding, the DOT snow removal manager may be called for help. The contractor has also been asked to give special attention to circles on cul-de-sacs. Roger will try to get the state to remove the sand now on our streets. We hope the state will do so, but that remains to be seen.

PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL STUDIES IN COUNTY SCHOOLS
The members learned from Diane Pruner, Director of Professional Technical Studies, about the many excellent and valuable vocational-type courses now available to students in Fairfax County Public Schools. She encouraged members to visit one of the Academies located in five county high schools to learn more about these worthwhile courses. You may call her at 208-7823 or 7796 for advice on where to go and whom to call.

NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY
Tim Daley, the CWCA Security Director, reported on recent incidents. A recent rash of vandalized mailboxes and lamp posts suggests that residents be especially watchful and try to identify anyone seen damaging property. Also, parents should seek the help of their teen-agers in learning who may be responsible for vandalism incidents. Tim asks that residents notify him of any crimes, after they have notified police.
We were pleased to have Officer Patrick Lucas, the neighborhood watch coordinator for the McLean Police, speak to us about ways to guard against crime. He advised all to keep cars locked, home and garage doors locked, and to be alert for any suspicious persons or activities. He urged that the police be called immediately if a resident finds evidence of theft, vandalism or other crime, or if a resident observes something or someone that seems suspicious. Do not be reluctant to call. The police non-emergency number is 691-2131 and is shown on page 3 of the CWCA directory. Write it in your list finder or some other readily-available place, or put it in your speed dial program.
Officer Lucas also pointed out that anyone coming to your door to solicit sales of goods or services must have a license to solicit. You should ask to see it. If the solicitor does not have one notify the police.

USE OF MAILBOXES
Heretofore the block captains had been told that it was OK to deposit newsletters and directories in residents’ mailboxes, because a person at USPS said it was permissible. Well, that was bad information. Use of our mailboxes (even though they belong to us) is restricted by federal law to U.S. Mail only. The McLean postmaster says that carriers have been instructed to remove and bring to the post office any unmailed documents found in mailboxes. So, our block captains, if you are not at home, will be leaving these documents in your door or on your doorstep in the future.
We may decide in the future to have block captains deliver newsletters on paper only to those to whom we cannot send the documents by e-mail. We again ask that all residents using e-mail provide us with their e-mail addresses for our confidential mailing list if they have not done so, even if they do not wish to list their addresses in the directory. You can do this on the dues payment form at the bottom of the dues request letter that accompanies this newsletter, or you can e-mail the address direct to cwca@mcleanonline.com.

CHARITIES
Most of us receive numerous solicitations from charities. The Better Business Bureau’s recently-established Wise Giving Alliance has just published “Standards for Charitable Accountability” which all charities are encouraged to adhere to. To learn how well a particular charity meets the standards, go to www.give.org, where you can look up the charity’s name and determine, among other things, how effective it is in making good use of your contributions. Or you can call 703-276-0100, the Alliance’s Arlington headquarters, and ask for information about the charity. The Alliance publishes a quarterly magazine, the “Wise Giving Guide”, with useful information on more than 300 charities. A tax-deductible contribution of $45 to the Alliance will help support its valuable work and entitle you to receive the quarterly guide.