New Demeter House Era Begins
BSCL Makes Demeter Residents Honorary Members
At its regular monthly meeting on November 5, 1999, the Barcroft
School and Civic League discussed its relationship with Demeter House,
a large group house in the neighborhood. The occasion was our preparation
for a County Board hearing on renewal of the use permit granted to Vanguard
Services for the program.
We have documented on other pages the long battle over the initial decision to place
this large program in a residential house on a pipestem lot on a quiet Barcroft street. When the
decision was made by the County Board to grant the use permit, several families
around the site decided to move to Alexandria or Fairfax for that declared reason,
and other opponents found opportunities elsewhere from job offers or for other
stated reasons. Given their bitterness, the decision to leave was not unreasonable,
although it left behind a bad taste for the harshness of the adjustment process, and
dampened any enthusiasm for early acceptance of the program.
In the interim three years, Vanguard used the house for some time as a dormitory for
men from the Phoenix program who attended program activities elsewhere during
the day. There was no neighborhood friction from that usage. Then in the spring
of 1999 the program was finally moved to the house from its former inadequate
location.
Our neigborhood liaison committee, headed by Daphne Miller, has maintiained close
contact with Vanguard during the interim period, and now is keeping a watchful eye
on the operation of the program. There are 29 special requirements in the Vanguard
use permit, ranging from a limit of 18 clients to how the trash is to be handled. The
close observation of those special requirements is the key to having the program fit
in our neighborhood.
At this meeting of the BSCL the program received a good report card. The only recorded
complaints have been about one speeding van driver, spillage of trash from overladen trash cans
on pickup day and weeds in the yard. (Loud music that had sparked another complaint on one
occasion turned out to be from the unrelated house in front of Demeter's pipestem lot.) The general
tone of the Barcrofters present was wary due to only six months experience, but approving
of the way the program is being run to date.
The BSCL adopted unanimously a motion to report our good experience to the County Board but ask for
another review of the use permit in six months as we continue to monitor the program closely.
The BSCL also adopted a motion to grant honorary membership to the 18 Demeter House residents. We
expressed a hope that we can develop closer communication with the residents and be part of their
rehab program. We invited them to come to our Christmas Program in December, and the Vanguard staff
intends to organize a caroling stroll through the neighborhood with Demeter residents and Barcrofters
as Christmas approaches. We hope to have Demeter participants in our Fourth of July Parade, and in
any other BSCL event that fits into their busy schedules. A number of Barcrofters have already
volunteered to help out at Demeter, and more at the meeting expressed willingness as well. There is
immediate need for help with maintaining the landscaping, probably best approached by emailing
Scott Brinitzer at sbrinitzer@aol.com. Scott is the Barcroft
landscape designer who has been helping Vanguard to spruce up the Demeter property. Volunteers can
also call Marlyn McKants, the Program Director for Demeter, at 533-1365 ext. 11 (voicemail) or Kathy
Dooley, 533-1365 ext. 16. Volunteering is complicated by the fact that the location of the house is
confidential to prevent complications for the clients who live there, and there are Federal confidentiality
requirements that the residents must waive for a volunteer to assist. But it can be done!
In all, it was clear from the November meeting that the Barcrofters present, whatever their initial
position regarding the program, wanted to put the past difficulties behind them and move on to
help this program fit as well as possible into the neighborhood. Vanguard's evident good faith in
adhering to the conditions of the use permit has been the key to moving forward. We have closed one
chapter in this saga, and as we open the next one it looks like it will be a much better read.
And Later On, just before Christmas . . . Christmas Caroling
Demeter House residents, Girl Scouts and assorted Barcrofters had a great time caroling in the neighborhood
in December. We visited some Barcroft families, then had cider and cookies at the Community House afterwards. It
seemed like the sort of normal activity we all would like to share in the future.
In February, Snow!
In the snows of February, neighbors pitched in to shovel the Demeter front walk.
This page was last revised on: September 13, 2000.
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