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December, 2006

It has been another busy year for The Rosedale Conservancy, Cleveland Park's village green. In 2006 we continued our hard work to restore the health of Rosedale's historic landscape. We also remained a welcoming place for dog-walkers, touch football players, sledders and other regular visitors, while also sponsoring community events to broaden the base of those who use and enjoy the park.

Before turning to the details of what has been accomplished during this past year, I wanted to thank all of our members once again for their continued support of this community project. Without such volunteer and financial support, the neighborhood treasure that is Rosedale cannot survive.

The Rosedale Conservancy's 2006 Activities:

Maintenance and restoration of Rosedale's landscape.  As is wonderfully apparent on any visit to Rosedale these days, the Conservancy's efforts have returned the property to very good health. The lawns are lush and green and our trees well cared for. Here is some of what goes into keeping Rosedale beautiful:

• Regular Mowings.  Rosedale's three-plus acres must be mowed weekly during the growing season in order to keep the lawns under control.
• Spring and Fall Clean-up and Lawn Maintenance.  Major work is required each spring and fall, including leaf clean-ups, clearing weeds and vines from the boxwoods, and fertilizing, seeding and aerating the lawns.
• Landscape Planning for the Future.  We began work this year with landscape architect and historian Daniel Marriott on developing Rosedale's long-term landscape plan. We intend to have a plan for sharing with the membership in Spring 2007.
• New Irrigation System.  This year we got the system working just right and the lawns have really responded. The investment in the new system has paid off.
• Maintaining our Trees.  After the major pruning work of last year, this year was largely status quo. We did have significant unexpected expenses to remove a large dead black walnut on the west end of the property and to remove two white pines that blew over in a spring gale (and also damaged our fence). We are watching carefully the large, picturesque oak above the pedestrian entrance which has been ailing since the cicada invasion of 2005.
• The Fence.  Earlier this year, we completed the first phase of restoring Rosedale's rustic fencing along Newark Street.

Use of the Property.  Rosedale continues to be actively used by a wide variety of Cleveland Parkers. Every day our many dog walkers congregate at Rosedale for dog-ercise and village green socializing. Rosedale also plays host for touch football games, sledding on snowy days, picnics and sunbathing. With the goal in mind of attracting new users to Rosedale, we sponsored four major events this year.

• Easter Egg Hunt.  Together with the Abram family, the Conservancy sponsored the annual Easter egg hunt and kids of all ages from all over Cleveland Park showed up to hunt for goodies. A good time was had by all.
• June Community Barbecue.  In June, the Conservancy hosted its second annual community potluck barbeque for the entire neighborhood. We provided live bluegrass music, barbeques, grillables and drinks, an organizer of children's games, and lots of picnic space; over 250 folks showed up to enjoy a beautiful summer afternoon of neighborhood fun.
• Pumpkin Carving Party.  On October 29th, we had our fifth annual Pumpkin Carving Party, which was attended by more than 150 people. It was an inspiring sight to see Rosedale overrun with dozens of kids, carving pumpkins, climbing trees, playing hide-and-go-seek and generally loving the park.
• Revels Community Sing.  In mid-October, the Conservancy co-sponsored a community sing-along presented by the Washington Revels. More than 150 neighbors turned out for medieval songs, dance and picnics on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Dog Walking at Rosedale.  We have had another year of very active use of Rosedale by our dog-walking friends, both members and those who pay only for dog registration. A special vote of thanks goes to Judy Ain, chair of our Dog Committee. By and large, compliance with Rosedale's various dog rules has been very good - but there have been some complaints sent our way. Remember, Rosedale is for everyone. If you bring your dog to Rosedale, please ensure that you leash your dog when required by the rules posted at the gate, and do not tolerate loud, aggressive, or destructive dog behavior. Thank you.

Building an Organization.  A mountain of work -- all volunteer -- continues to be needed to establish and maintain the community-based land trust that finances and manages Rosedale for Cleveland Park's enjoyment. Here are some of the important developments from this past year.

• Making and Meeting an Annual Budget.  We prepared and implemented our second annual budget this year. We budgeted approximately $33,000 for 2006 annual operating costs for Rosedale; with one month left to go in 2006, it looks like we will finish the year just a bit under that mark.
• Building the Membership.  Support for Rosedale has been solid, but much work remains to be done to ensure that Rosedale-lovers make The Rosedale Conservancy part of their annual charitable giving. Each year we need to raise our annual operating costs, fund any one-time capital expenditures (which average about $10,000 annually for tree care, fence repair, and miscellaneous unexpected capital costs), and build a reasonable reserve.
• Long-Term Financial Planning.  The Board continued efforts to meet its five-year goal of establishing a fiscal reserve that will generate enough income to support half of the Rosedale's annual operating costs. Such a reserve will provide financial stability and reduce the annual fundraising pressure on the Conservancy.
• Dog Licensing.  We now have close to 200 neighborhood residents who have licensed their canines to use the park. We will begin renewing these licenses shortly.
• Governance.  The just completed our bi-annual elections and have a new Board set to run TRC's affairs for the next two years. Much thanks to outgoing members Danna McCormick and Peggy Hamburg. Welcome to new members Judy Nelson and Andy Fisher. And thanks in advance to Ann Hamilton (Treasurer), Bob Von Pentz (Secretary), Ross Ain (Vice-Chair), Jonathan Abram, Peter Espenschied, Andy Fisher, Jill Hall, Peggy Hamburg, Nancy MacWood, Karen Marcou, Rick Nash, Judy Nelson, and Molly Teas for what is certain to be another year of hard work.

In sum, in the four years since the purchase of the Rosedale lawns and the establishment of The Rosedale Conservancy, a tremendous amount has been accomplished. Rosedale's landscape has rebounded beautifully from its many years of neglect and the organizational framework needed to support Rosedale for the future has been set in place. Please remember, however, that, while we have moved successfully through the dramatic early stages, broad neighborhood support for Rosedale remains an absolute necessity year after year to keep Rosedale on a sound footing.

Thank you for your continued support,
Roger Pollak, President