www.drca.org SPRING 2002 MAY MEETING Tuesday, May 14th 7:30 PM                 First/Second Grade Area Taylor Elementary School 2600 N. Stuart Street     Agenda: Legislative update with Senator Whipple and Delegate Brink and   “State of Our Parks” Minutes of April 16 Meeting The  items  on  the  agenda  at  the  April  16,  2002 meeting of the Donaldson Run Civic Association (DRCA)  were  the  improvements  in  a  playing field   at   Marymount   University   and   the   steps taken  to  upgrade  the  fairways  at  Washington Golf  and  Country  Club.    Plans  were  also  dis- cussed for DRCA participation in Neighborhood Day  on  May  11,  which  will  coincide  with  the Taylor  Elementary  School  Spring  Fair  (see  pg. 4).  The next regular meeting, scheduled for May 14, will feature a legislative update from Senator Mary Margaret Whipple and Delegate Bob Brink and  a  briefing  from  the  County  Department  of Parks and Recreation.    The Marymount information session participants were   Linda   McMahon,   Director   of   Student Affairs;  Rod  Mack,  Maintenance  Director;  and Bill  Finney,  Athletics  Director.    The  practice field to be improved is at the back of the campus abutting the Country Club.  The grass turf on the field,  used  for  soccer  and  lacrosse  practice  and for student pickup games, has not held up under the  wear  it  receives  and  will  be  replaced  by  a synthetic turf.   The lighting on the field will also be  changed.    The  new  lighting  is  designed  to better illuminate the field but will be shielded to minimize   light   glare   to   surrounding   campus buildings  and  the  general  neighborhood.    This field is not used for intercollegiate competitions and does not have bleachers.  It is not to be used after  10  pm  and  the  lights  will  be  turned  off  at that  hour  or  earlier.      DRCA  members  were pleased  to  have  such  an  authoritative  heads  up about the project.  Some concern, however, was expressed about the potential for increased light pollution  and  noise.   The project is expected to begin to be completed by mid-June. The speaker for the Washington Golf and Coun- try  Club  was  Bob  Mortenson,  the  chairman  of the  WGCC  Greens  Committee,  who  discussed some   of   the   circumstances   that   led   to   last August’s pesticide incident which killed much of the  life  in  Donaldson  Run  stream.    Mortenson, who is a landscape and golf course architect and knowledgeable  about  golf  course  management,.   Noted that maintaining attractive fairways is not easy   in   the   mid-Atlantic   region,   which   is   a transition   zone   because   neither   northern   nor southern grasses thrive here.  At WGCC the rye grass used on the fairways was also hit by blight.    Mortenson  said  that  the  club  tried  for  several years to establish new fairways of the bent grass variety by over- seeding, but this  did  not  work.   Therefore, the club decided to kill the old grass first and then reseed.  Basimid was  selected as 1