BYLAWS OF THE CRESTWOOD CITIZENS ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I - Name

The name of this community organization is The Crestwood Citizens Association (Association.)

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of the Association is to enhance and protect the quality of life in Crestwood and to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of Crestwood residents.

Article III - Members

Any person who is 21 years of age or older, who resides in the Crestwood community of the city of Washington, D.C. (as defined in Article IV, below), and whose dues are paid shall be a member of the Association. However, there shall be no more than two voting members per household.

Article IV - Association boundaries

The Association includes the following geographic area:

Randolph, Shepherd, Taylor, Upshur and Varnum Streets west of 17th St.
All of Crestwood Drive
All of Quincy Street west of 18th St.
All of Mathewson Drive
All of Trumbull Terrace
17th Street between Varnum and Shepherd
18th Street between Varnum and Quincy Streets
Argyle Terrace up to and including 4301
Blagden Ave. Up to and including 4243

The Board may extend membership to residents or streets immediately adjoining these boundaries who wish to pay dues and participate.

ARTICLE V - Board of Directors

a) The board of directors shall consist of the officers of the Association as described below in Article VIII and up to five additional members, all of whom shall be members of the Association and who may also be team captains. They shall be elected by a majority of members of the Association present at the annual meeting for a term of 1 year. The directors may be elected to serve for more than one term, and shall continue to serve until new officers are elected.

b) The board of directors shall meet at the call of the president of the Association, or at the call of any three directors, and the meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be fixed in the call.

c) The board of directors is vested with the authority to manage the affairs of the Association. It may take action in that respect so long as the action is not inconsistent with the bylaws, or with some action previously taken by a majority of the members of the Association at a formal meeting.

d) Four members of the board of directors present at a meeting of the board shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI - Officers

a) The officers of the Association shall consist of a president, a first vice president, a second vice president, a secretary, a communications director and a treasurer.

b) The president of the Association shall preside at meetings of the Association and at meetings of the board of directors. The president shall be the chief executive officer and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the board of directors.

c) In the absence of the president, the first vice president of the Association shall perform the duties of the president. The first vice president shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the board of directors.

d) In the absence of the president and the first vice president, the second vice president of the Association shall perform the duties of the president. The second vice president shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the board of directors.

e) The secretary shall prepare and keep the minutes of the meetings of the Association, and the minutes of the meetings of the board of directors. The secretary shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the board of directors.

f) The treasurer shall be the custodian of and shall disburse the funds of the Association, as authorized by the members or the board of directors. The treasurer shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the board of directors.

g) The communications director shall maintain the roster of Association members electronically and shall communicate with members electronically at the behest of the president or board of directors. In the absence of the secretary, he/she shall keep minutes of the Association meetings.

h) Vacancies occurring among the officers of the Association may be filled by the board of directors until the election of new officers at the next annual meeting of the Association.

Article VII - Association Meetings

a) Regular bi-monthly meetings of the Association shall be held on the third Tuesday of every other month beginning in May. However, a meeting may be omitted or may be held at a time other than the third Tuesday of the month if the members or the board of directors so decide. Members will be given formal notice of any such change at least 10 days in advance of the scheduled meeting or of the new meeting date, whichever is earlier. To the extent feasible, these meetings will be held in the home of one of the members.

b) An annual, full assembly meeting of the Association shall be held on the third Tuesday in May at a public location to be determined by the board of directors. Formal reminders of the meeting shall be given to the members at least 10 days in advance.

c) Special meetings of the Association may be held at the call of the board of directors, who shall fix the time and place for such special meetings.

d) Fifteen members, including at least three officers of the Association present at the annual meetings shall constitute a quorum.

Article VIII - Election of Board

The officers and team captains of the Association for the ensuing year, June-May, shall be elected at the annual meeting.

Two months prior to the May meeting, notice shall be sent to members requesting nominations for offices. If the person nominated wishes to serve, these names shall be sent to the full membership at least three weeks prior to the meeting, along with a statement by the candidate of his/her goals and plans for the association.

ARTICLE IX – Committees/Activity Teams

The president of the Association, upon the authorization of the members or the board of directors, may appoint from the members of the Association such committees as may be deemed appropriate to assist in conducting the affairs of the Association. These may include:

Social Events Team - responsible for events such as a September picnic, seasonal and meet and greet events, condolences.

Public Safety Team - crime prevention, emergency preparedness, coordination with the police department.

Green Team - gardening, landscaping, green space clean-up and beautification

DC Issues - raise community issues before the ANC, City Council and other organizations

Crestwood Connections - arrange for sharing interests in areas such as children’s events, remodeling, cooking, history.

Members are asked to participate on one or more of the teams.

Board members may also be elected to serve as captains of these teams.

Article X - Dues

Membership dues may be collected annually at the rate of $15 per household or $10 for a single member household. The payment of dues entitles the household to purchase a copy of the Crestwood directory ($10 for the first; $5 for additional copies) for any year in which the directory is updated. Dues for current members may be omitted on a yearly basis at the discretion of the board.

Payment of dues shall be a prerequisite for membership in the association and for voting on or bringing matters before the Association. Each household shall be limited to two votes, however.

Article XI - Directories

Volunteer members of the Association shall prepare the directory for hard copy distribution. The directory will encompass the residential homes within the streets set forth in Article IV. Information contained in the directory will be obtained from residents directly and from public records. The Association is not responsible for errors or omissions. The directory is for personal, non-business related use only.

The directory will be distributed via community contacts for each block to those residents who have paid their dues and for the directory.

Article XII - Web Site/Electronic Mail

There shall be an official Crestwood website, www.crestwood-dc.org, developed and maintained by Crestwood residents for the benefit of Crestwood.

Email shall be the principal means of communicating with Association members, using the electronic roster of Association members maintained by the communications director. Regular mail will be used only for those without access to email.

ARTICLE XIII - Amendment of Bylaws

a) Proposals to alter, amend, or repeal the bylaws may be made at any meeting of the Association at which a minimum of 15 members shall be present. Membership will be notified of the proposed changes at least two weeks in advance of the next meeting, at which time they will be voted on.

b) An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Association present and voting shall be necessary to alter, amend, or repeal the bylaws.