Mason District Council revived

Leaders of several area community associations got together last week to begin reviving the Mason District Council, which had become inactive about three years ago.

“Many of the issues we are facing today are far different from what the organization dealt with in the past,” says Mollie Loeffler, president of the Parklawn Community Association, who is spearheading the re-establishment of the council. “People are busy with work. People do not want a major time commitment.”

“We have a new set of challenges, in that communities are more diverse both culturally and socioeconomically. They are harder to engage,” Loeffler says. “Older neighborhoods that were built in the 50s are aging and showing it. In addition to this, rental properties and multi–occupancies often have several property maintenance issues, not to mention a lack of pride in ownership.”

As the meeting, community association leaders identified some of the major concerns in their neighborhood. These include property maintenance, commercial vehicle parking, multi-occupancy houses and other zoning issues, the difficulty of recruiting members and volunteers, litter, and the challenges of revitalizing neighborhood organizations. They also talked about the need to develop a website or blog to promote the exchange of ideas among Mason District community groups.

Loeffler envisions the Mason District Council as “a support network and a forum to share ideas, talk about things that work for our neighborhoods, things that didn’t work, and lessons learned.” The council would  strengthen the community voice when addressing issues with elected officials.

The new council also expects to take an active role in the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens’ Associations. Fairfax County administrators have agreed to host a Neighborhood College in the fall for Mason District neighborhood leaders. This series of training sessions helps community members better represent their associations, solve problems, and promote community engagement.

The group will meet again May 6 to elect a board and adopt bylaws.