Fort Ward Observer
Special Edition
April 8, 2011
Prepared by J. Glenn Eugster
Highlights
This issue includes summary and background information on the March 22, 2011 Alexandria City Council FY 2012 Budget Work Session on Fort Ward Park.
Purpose
Fort Ward Park was established by the City of Alexandria, Virginia in 1964 through a collaborative effort which began in the early 1950’s between local homeowners, citizens, civic associations, City park and planning department managers and local elected officials. The purpose of this report is to provide community interests with information on what is being considered, proposed and undertaken in Fort Ward Park and its surrounding area.
Meeting Summary
The City of Alexandria Mayor and City Council held a FY 2012 Budget Work Session on Tuesday March 22, 2011 prior to their regularly scheduled Council Meeting. The meeting was attended by all the members of Council, the City Manager and Deputy City Manager, City Attorney, and the Department heads, and their staff, for Recreation, the Office of Historic Alexandria, and Transportation & Environmental Services. Also attending were the Chairpersons of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission, Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, and the Archaeology Advisory Commission. Members of the public, as well as reporters from the Alexandria Times, Alexandria Gazette and Washington Post, filled the room.
Mayor Eullie opened the meeting and explained that the discussion was to hear the results of the report and recommendations adopted by the Fort Ward Park Advisory Group and a number of presentations from leaders of the City’s advisory commissions. James Spengler, Director of thee Recreation Department; Lance Mallamo, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria; and Rich Baier, Director of Transportation & Environmental Services also made remarks. According to the Mayor, City Council members are interested in what if any FY 2012 funds should be included for work at Fort Ward Historic Park.
The first presentation was made by Tom Fulton, Chair of the Fort Ward Park Advisory Group which was created by City Council and the City Manager in 2009. Mr. Fulton used a power-point presentation to describe the work of the Advisory Group, their report to Council and the City Manager and their priority recommendations. A copy of Mr. Fulton’s presentation outline is attached.
Judy Guse-Noritake, Chair of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission followed. Ms. Noritake said that she virtually supports everything in Mr. Fulton’s recommendations to Council. She said that the $75,000 proposed to continue historic and archaeological research “is a critical first step“.
She suggested two contrasting ideas for implementing the recommendations from the Advisory Group. She disagreed with the idea of funding a management plan for Fort Ward Historic Park. Ms. Noritake believes that a master plan for the large parks in the City should first be done to allocate active uses. “I’m concerned about directing uses to other parks. I see Fort Ward Park as a chapter in the overall plan for City parks”. A copy of Ms. Guse-Noritake’s written comments to Council are attached.
Council Krupicka, who proposed a “plan for large parks” in February 16, 2009, clarified that by making decisions at Fort Ward Park it would push uses to other parks. A copy of Councilman Krupuk’s large parks plan proposal is attached.
Ms. Noritake added, “We are doing a recreation needs assessment to provide insights into future decisions”.
Tom Fulton noted that the Advisory Group recommended a management plan for Fort Ward Park rather than folding the park into a larger master plan. Councilman Krupicka asked, “Do you start making choices about taking uses out of Fort Ward Park? How [then] do you address the concept of large events in our City?” Ms. Noritake added, “The large [master] plan is not meant to stop activities [at Fort Ward Park]”.
Tom Fulton clarified with the group that the term [for Fort Ward Park] is management plan rather than master plan.
Councilman Fannon asked Mr. Fulton if the fact that multiple agencies are involved in decision-making at Fort Ward Park made this area more complex. Mr. Fulton replied, “The Recreation Department mows the grass and manages park visitors. The Office of Historic Alexandria manages historic sites and features. There is stove-piping that goes on”. Ms. Noritake noted that “The departments and commissions need to work together”.
Vice Mayor Kerry Donley asked “How do you coordinate?” Tom Fulton noted that the Recreation Department constructed a greenhouse in the park maintenance yard without a Special Use Permit from the City. “If a Special Use Permit had been pursued by the Recreation Department input [from other departments] would have been given”.
Ms. Noritake continued her remarks noting that she disagreed with the Advisory Group’s recommendation for a Citizen’s Advisory Group. “The recommendation for collaboration can be achieved through existing boards and agencies. We need to strengthen those relations”. She suggested that the Friends of Fort Ward would be a good group to represent community interests.
Tom Fulton noted, “The success of the [Fort Ward] Advisory Group was because it represented the entire City and not just a subset”. Vice Mayor Donley expressed a concern about the recommendation for a Citizens Advisory Group. “How long does it take other parks from wanting a Citizen’s Advisory Committee?”
Vice Mayor Donley said, “I want us to talk about tangible actions. We will set up a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to focus on actions and then have it sunset”. Tom Fulton offered the Advisory Group as an example of what might work.
Councilwoman Hughes then recognized the meeting attendees from the Oakland Baptist Church and thanked the Advisory Group members. She then said, “We don’t want to start stakeholder advisory groups every time but this is a different situation due to the archaeology and rich history that has been lost. If there was ever a reason for an exception this is it. I would not support [the idea of] Park & Recreation Commission oversight“. Councilwoman Pepper added, “You will work faster if you have a deadline”.
Kathleen Pepper, Chair of the Archaeology Advisory Commission, then spoke. “Before you manage what is there you have to know what is there. This is a unique area. The entire park is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s not just an important site historically; it is where freed African Americans came after the Civil War. Residents [on this land] were displaced by the 100th Anniversary of the Civil War but people still live in the community. Their stories must be told. A management plan will do this“.
Ms. Pepper said, “I support the creation of a management plan and a Citizen’s Advisory Committee. The model that was put together goes beyond what commissions represent. Our commissions exclude descendants. I strongly support the Citizens Advisory Committee and believe that it should be closely designed like the Advisory Group was. Council needs to fund the $75,000 for history and archaeology, the management plan, and the Citizens Advisory Committee”.
Chuck Ziegler, Acting Chair for the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, said that their Commission endorsed the Advisory group report. He underscored, “Fort Ward Park was established as a historic park”. He noted that the entire park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places“.
Mr. Ziegler said that the proposed memorandum of agreement between the Recreation Department the Office of Historic Alexandria [for Fort Ward Park] was “a complex situation that reminded him of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire agreement. We can do better. Better communication would have avoided desecration. I believe in the good will between Mr. Spengler and Mr. Mallamo but such an agreement needs a clear expectation”. Vice Mayor Donley added that “the agreement need to be memorialized so after people leave it will be followed“.
Mr. Ziegler then said, “I endorse the idea of the oversight committee. There is a lot to be done. The Citizens Advisory Committee should be established with an expiration date”.
Recreation Department Director James Spengler’s presentation followed. He noted that he has provided a joint written response to the Advisory Group report and recommendations from the Recreation Department, the Transportation & Environment Department, and the Office of Historic Alexandria, through the City Manager, to the Council. Attached is a copy of the joint response.
He noted that he prepared a table to cost out all the recommendations with the exception of the cost of renovating the park’s restrooms.
Transportation Department Director Rich Baier noted that there are some interim steps that are being taken now. For example, the hay bales were placed along the cemetery boundary to help with water runoff from parklands. “These are high maintenance and very unsightly. The storm water management is a very important piece of these recommendations. Sheet flow is occurring in the park“.
Vice Mayor Donley said that he reviewed the chart [from the Departmental response] and there is a lot to do, but he didn‘t get a sense of priority. He said he thought the priorities were: further exploration of the archaeology; the storm water issue. He noted that “public property needs to be properly cared for and this is also a historically significant property. Stormwater and erosion are impacting the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. The longer we put that off the more problematic it will be“.
Mr. Donley added that, “Top priority for us is storm water. We don’t do other things until we do the storm water. We will look to find $75,000. We created a stormwater management fee for storm water problems. This is a problem. One way to attack is to move it up on the priority list. This is a first step--get the storm water out of the way“.
Rich Baier added, “This is the right way to go. We need to prioritize the archaeological survey to certain areas. We have concern with sheet flow“.
Councilman Fannon added that he had walked the park with Phil Voorhees a member of the Advisory Group and “there are graves everywhere“.
Office of Historic Alexandria Director Lance Mallamo commented that there are graves in the maintenance area, the Shorts Homestead, and the Jackson Family Cemetery. “The worst runoff [for damage to graves] is in the maintenance yard. He said we should give priority to these areas which include 22 actual burial sites. He added, “We were unable in the first phase to identify all the graves”.
Councilwoman Hughes said, “This is all the more reason to act now. This has been a grave injustice. We need $300,000 rather than $75,000. These are sites that reflect loved ones. You have a mess on your hands when you don’t know where people are buried. This is creating emotional trauma for family members and mistrust of the City”.
Tom Fulton told the group that the Advisory Group report includes 60 recommendations 40 of which can be implemented at no cost. He noted that Mr. Spengler’s estimate for implementing the recommendations is more a “guesstimate”. Mr. Fulton said that the estimate for $300,000 for FY 2012 is more to the point. $75,000 is needed to complete the baseline archaeology and history; funds are needed for storm water mitigation; $150,000 is needed for a management plan--which has to be undertaken; and some funds for the citizen’s advisory group/ community liaison. He suggested the advisory group/ liaison would be for two years.
Mayor Eullie said that he wants to make things happen. “The commitment needs to be there we need to adhere to a time table. We want action”.
Rich Baier added, “Stormwater is key to existing infrastructure and roads. We can re-prioritize stormwater money”.
Vice Mayor Donley clarified that archaeological and historical research was the top priority. The management plan [for Fort Ward Park] is the number two priority. We need to say this goes to the top of the list and do it”. Tom Fulton added that the Advisory Group would watch this closely.
Vice Mayor Donley then said, “This calls into mind policy issues. The citizen advisory committee is a good idea due to the complexity [of the park] and with a sunset provision. Councilman Krupicka added, “I think the citizen’s advisory committee makes sense to get skills. We all have to do the right thing. The right thing wasn’t done for a long time. This isn’t the only park with problems and I sympathize with Judy [Ms. Guse-Noritake]. There is a larger systemic issue--this discussion needs to bleed into a larger discussion”. Tom Fulton echoed this point by saying, The Advisory Group agrees”.
Councilman Krupicka continued, “I want our thinking to figure out how this folds into a larger [city-wide] master plan. Balancing public uses in all parks can be teed up”.
Councilwoman Pepper said, “I recognize the need for a large park plan but the Office of Historic Alexandria needs to be involved in the discussions. This [Fort Ward Park] is the only park in the city on the National Register of Historic Places“.
Judy Guse-Noritake added, “My choice is to prioritize”. Other parks are higher priority. If we do [management] plans for other parks, such as Chinquapin and Four-Mile Run, it will take pressure off Fort Ward Park. Can we find the resources to do them all?” Councilman Krupicka added, “It’s a big area of work that we have not done”.
Councilwoman Hughes said “Fort Ward compared to other parks is apples and oranges”. It’s like comparing a Civil Rights decision versus a decision to build a building, or comparing an ethical decision versus a highest and best use decision“.
Ms. Guse-Noritake added, “Many of the steps to be taken at Fort Ward are ones that are there”. James Spengler added, “Master Plan is a term of art. If you prescribe uses at Fort Ward Park it impacts other parks.” Mayor Eullie added, “Move forward on a parallel tract. We can do both”.
Councilman Smedberg said, “I didn’t get a sense of priority [from the joint Department letter list of projects]. We need to think about the make-up of the citizen’s advisory committee. Perhaps the larger issue is what are the parks and recreation mission and focus? Let’s get doing something!” Mayor Eullie noted, “The priorities have been set”.
Vice Mayor Donley added, “As a starting point:
1. The $75,000 for archaeological and history research is approved.
2. Staff will reprioritize CIP [Capital Improvement Projects] storm water projects to give Fort Ward Park priority.
3. For the Fort Ward Management Plan we need to get a better idea of what does this get us? What is a more accurate [budget] number? Who is leading us?”
Tom Fulton asked that the Advisory Group be involved in answering these questions.
Vice Mayor Donley continued,
4. “We want a citizen’s advisory committee. Let us get past the budget [deadline]. We will address this in June at the first [Council] legislative meeting. This will give staff time to work on these items“.
Councilwoman Pepper said, “This conversation is long overdue. It is an extraordinary park. It’s exciting for it to be seen as more than just a Museum, picnic areas, and a path. I recognize the urgency due to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. We really have to start acting and doing something. The stormwater is important. The fact that the Oakland Baptist Church relatives have people buried in the park is something very important“.
Lance Mallamo added, “The members of the Fort Ward History Work Group have been important to this effort. They have exceeded our expectations and made remarkable progress.” Mr. Mallamo asked the work group members to stand and be recognized.
Ms. Frances Terrell, a member of the Advisory Group, Oakland Baptist Church, and Chair of the Seminary Civic Association, said, “I am a relative to people buried in the cemetery and the park. What I heard here today was honor and compassion for the people who lived on this land. I heard you honoring and respecting our families“. Mayor Eullie added “Your ancestors are our ancestors”.
Special Edition
April 8, 2011
Prepared by J. Glenn Eugster
Highlights
This issue includes summary and background information on the March 22, 2011 Alexandria City Council FY 2012 Budget Work Session on Fort Ward Park.
Purpose
Fort Ward Park was established by the City of Alexandria, Virginia in 1964 through a collaborative effort which began in the early 1950’s between local homeowners, citizens, civic associations, City park and planning department managers and local elected officials. The purpose of this report is to provide community interests with information on what is being considered, proposed and undertaken in Fort Ward Park and its surrounding area.
Meeting Summary
The City of Alexandria Mayor and City Council held a FY 2012 Budget Work Session on Tuesday March 22, 2011 prior to their regularly scheduled Council Meeting. The meeting was attended by all the members of Council, the City Manager and Deputy City Manager, City Attorney, and the Department heads, and their staff, for Recreation, the Office of Historic Alexandria, and Transportation & Environmental Services. Also attending were the Chairpersons of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission, Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, and the Archaeology Advisory Commission. Members of the public, as well as reporters from the Alexandria Times, Alexandria Gazette and Washington Post, filled the room.
Mayor Eullie opened the meeting and explained that the discussion was to hear the results of the report and recommendations adopted by the Fort Ward Park Advisory Group and a number of presentations from leaders of the City’s advisory commissions. James Spengler, Director of thee Recreation Department; Lance Mallamo, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria; and Rich Baier, Director of Transportation & Environmental Services also made remarks. According to the Mayor, City Council members are interested in what if any FY 2012 funds should be included for work at Fort Ward Historic Park.
The first presentation was made by Tom Fulton, Chair of the Fort Ward Park Advisory Group which was created by City Council and the City Manager in 2009. Mr. Fulton used a power-point presentation to describe the work of the Advisory Group, their report to Council and the City Manager and their priority recommendations. A copy of Mr. Fulton’s presentation outline is attached.
Judy Guse-Noritake, Chair of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission followed. Ms. Noritake said that she virtually supports everything in Mr. Fulton’s recommendations to Council. She said that the $75,000 proposed to continue historic and archaeological research “is a critical first step“.
She suggested two contrasting ideas for implementing the recommendations from the Advisory Group. She disagreed with the idea of funding a management plan for Fort Ward Historic Park. Ms. Noritake believes that a master plan for the large parks in the City should first be done to allocate active uses. “I’m concerned about directing uses to other parks. I see Fort Ward Park as a chapter in the overall plan for City parks”. A copy of Ms. Guse-Noritake’s written comments to Council are attached.
Council Krupicka, who proposed a “plan for large parks” in February 16, 2009, clarified that by making decisions at Fort Ward Park it would push uses to other parks. A copy of Councilman Krupuk’s large parks plan proposal is attached.
Ms. Noritake added, “We are doing a recreation needs assessment to provide insights into future decisions”.
Tom Fulton noted that the Advisory Group recommended a management plan for Fort Ward Park rather than folding the park into a larger master plan. Councilman Krupicka asked, “Do you start making choices about taking uses out of Fort Ward Park? How [then] do you address the concept of large events in our City?” Ms. Noritake added, “The large [master] plan is not meant to stop activities [at Fort Ward Park]”.
Tom Fulton clarified with the group that the term [for Fort Ward Park] is management plan rather than master plan.
Councilman Fannon asked Mr. Fulton if the fact that multiple agencies are involved in decision-making at Fort Ward Park made this area more complex. Mr. Fulton replied, “The Recreation Department mows the grass and manages park visitors. The Office of Historic Alexandria manages historic sites and features. There is stove-piping that goes on”. Ms. Noritake noted that “The departments and commissions need to work together”.
Vice Mayor Kerry Donley asked “How do you coordinate?” Tom Fulton noted that the Recreation Department constructed a greenhouse in the park maintenance yard without a Special Use Permit from the City. “If a Special Use Permit had been pursued by the Recreation Department input [from other departments] would have been given”.
Ms. Noritake continued her remarks noting that she disagreed with the Advisory Group’s recommendation for a Citizen’s Advisory Group. “The recommendation for collaboration can be achieved through existing boards and agencies. We need to strengthen those relations”. She suggested that the Friends of Fort Ward would be a good group to represent community interests.
Tom Fulton noted, “The success of the [Fort Ward] Advisory Group was because it represented the entire City and not just a subset”. Vice Mayor Donley expressed a concern about the recommendation for a Citizens Advisory Group. “How long does it take other parks from wanting a Citizen’s Advisory Committee?”
Vice Mayor Donley said, “I want us to talk about tangible actions. We will set up a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to focus on actions and then have it sunset”. Tom Fulton offered the Advisory Group as an example of what might work.
Councilwoman Hughes then recognized the meeting attendees from the Oakland Baptist Church and thanked the Advisory Group members. She then said, “We don’t want to start stakeholder advisory groups every time but this is a different situation due to the archaeology and rich history that has been lost. If there was ever a reason for an exception this is it. I would not support [the idea of] Park & Recreation Commission oversight“. Councilwoman Pepper added, “You will work faster if you have a deadline”.
Kathleen Pepper, Chair of the Archaeology Advisory Commission, then spoke. “Before you manage what is there you have to know what is there. This is a unique area. The entire park is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s not just an important site historically; it is where freed African Americans came after the Civil War. Residents [on this land] were displaced by the 100th Anniversary of the Civil War but people still live in the community. Their stories must be told. A management plan will do this“.
Ms. Pepper said, “I support the creation of a management plan and a Citizen’s Advisory Committee. The model that was put together goes beyond what commissions represent. Our commissions exclude descendants. I strongly support the Citizens Advisory Committee and believe that it should be closely designed like the Advisory Group was. Council needs to fund the $75,000 for history and archaeology, the management plan, and the Citizens Advisory Committee”.
Chuck Ziegler, Acting Chair for the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, said that their Commission endorsed the Advisory group report. He underscored, “Fort Ward Park was established as a historic park”. He noted that the entire park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places“.
Mr. Ziegler said that the proposed memorandum of agreement between the Recreation Department the Office of Historic Alexandria [for Fort Ward Park] was “a complex situation that reminded him of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire agreement. We can do better. Better communication would have avoided desecration. I believe in the good will between Mr. Spengler and Mr. Mallamo but such an agreement needs a clear expectation”. Vice Mayor Donley added that “the agreement need to be memorialized so after people leave it will be followed“.
Mr. Ziegler then said, “I endorse the idea of the oversight committee. There is a lot to be done. The Citizens Advisory Committee should be established with an expiration date”.
Recreation Department Director James Spengler’s presentation followed. He noted that he has provided a joint written response to the Advisory Group report and recommendations from the Recreation Department, the Transportation & Environment Department, and the Office of Historic Alexandria, through the City Manager, to the Council. Attached is a copy of the joint response.
He noted that he prepared a table to cost out all the recommendations with the exception of the cost of renovating the park’s restrooms.
Transportation Department Director Rich Baier noted that there are some interim steps that are being taken now. For example, the hay bales were placed along the cemetery boundary to help with water runoff from parklands. “These are high maintenance and very unsightly. The storm water management is a very important piece of these recommendations. Sheet flow is occurring in the park“.
Vice Mayor Donley said that he reviewed the chart [from the Departmental response] and there is a lot to do, but he didn‘t get a sense of priority. He said he thought the priorities were: further exploration of the archaeology; the storm water issue. He noted that “public property needs to be properly cared for and this is also a historically significant property. Stormwater and erosion are impacting the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. The longer we put that off the more problematic it will be“.
Mr. Donley added that, “Top priority for us is storm water. We don’t do other things until we do the storm water. We will look to find $75,000. We created a stormwater management fee for storm water problems. This is a problem. One way to attack is to move it up on the priority list. This is a first step--get the storm water out of the way“.
Rich Baier added, “This is the right way to go. We need to prioritize the archaeological survey to certain areas. We have concern with sheet flow“.
Councilman Fannon added that he had walked the park with Phil Voorhees a member of the Advisory Group and “there are graves everywhere“.
Office of Historic Alexandria Director Lance Mallamo commented that there are graves in the maintenance area, the Shorts Homestead, and the Jackson Family Cemetery. “The worst runoff [for damage to graves] is in the maintenance yard. He said we should give priority to these areas which include 22 actual burial sites. He added, “We were unable in the first phase to identify all the graves”.
Councilwoman Hughes said, “This is all the more reason to act now. This has been a grave injustice. We need $300,000 rather than $75,000. These are sites that reflect loved ones. You have a mess on your hands when you don’t know where people are buried. This is creating emotional trauma for family members and mistrust of the City”.
Tom Fulton told the group that the Advisory Group report includes 60 recommendations 40 of which can be implemented at no cost. He noted that Mr. Spengler’s estimate for implementing the recommendations is more a “guesstimate”. Mr. Fulton said that the estimate for $300,000 for FY 2012 is more to the point. $75,000 is needed to complete the baseline archaeology and history; funds are needed for storm water mitigation; $150,000 is needed for a management plan--which has to be undertaken; and some funds for the citizen’s advisory group/ community liaison. He suggested the advisory group/ liaison would be for two years.
Mayor Eullie said that he wants to make things happen. “The commitment needs to be there we need to adhere to a time table. We want action”.
Rich Baier added, “Stormwater is key to existing infrastructure and roads. We can re-prioritize stormwater money”.
Vice Mayor Donley clarified that archaeological and historical research was the top priority. The management plan [for Fort Ward Park] is the number two priority. We need to say this goes to the top of the list and do it”. Tom Fulton added that the Advisory Group would watch this closely.
Vice Mayor Donley then said, “This calls into mind policy issues. The citizen advisory committee is a good idea due to the complexity [of the park] and with a sunset provision. Councilman Krupicka added, “I think the citizen’s advisory committee makes sense to get skills. We all have to do the right thing. The right thing wasn’t done for a long time. This isn’t the only park with problems and I sympathize with Judy [Ms. Guse-Noritake]. There is a larger systemic issue--this discussion needs to bleed into a larger discussion”. Tom Fulton echoed this point by saying, The Advisory Group agrees”.
Councilman Krupicka continued, “I want our thinking to figure out how this folds into a larger [city-wide] master plan. Balancing public uses in all parks can be teed up”.
Councilwoman Pepper said, “I recognize the need for a large park plan but the Office of Historic Alexandria needs to be involved in the discussions. This [Fort Ward Park] is the only park in the city on the National Register of Historic Places“.
Judy Guse-Noritake added, “My choice is to prioritize”. Other parks are higher priority. If we do [management] plans for other parks, such as Chinquapin and Four-Mile Run, it will take pressure off Fort Ward Park. Can we find the resources to do them all?” Councilman Krupicka added, “It’s a big area of work that we have not done”.
Councilwoman Hughes said “Fort Ward compared to other parks is apples and oranges”. It’s like comparing a Civil Rights decision versus a decision to build a building, or comparing an ethical decision versus a highest and best use decision“.
Ms. Guse-Noritake added, “Many of the steps to be taken at Fort Ward are ones that are there”. James Spengler added, “Master Plan is a term of art. If you prescribe uses at Fort Ward Park it impacts other parks.” Mayor Eullie added, “Move forward on a parallel tract. We can do both”.
Councilman Smedberg said, “I didn’t get a sense of priority [from the joint Department letter list of projects]. We need to think about the make-up of the citizen’s advisory committee. Perhaps the larger issue is what are the parks and recreation mission and focus? Let’s get doing something!” Mayor Eullie noted, “The priorities have been set”.
Vice Mayor Donley added, “As a starting point:
1. The $75,000 for archaeological and history research is approved.
2. Staff will reprioritize CIP [Capital Improvement Projects] storm water projects to give Fort Ward Park priority.
3. For the Fort Ward Management Plan we need to get a better idea of what does this get us? What is a more accurate [budget] number? Who is leading us?”
Tom Fulton asked that the Advisory Group be involved in answering these questions.
Vice Mayor Donley continued,
4. “We want a citizen’s advisory committee. Let us get past the budget [deadline]. We will address this in June at the first [Council] legislative meeting. This will give staff time to work on these items“.
Councilwoman Pepper said, “This conversation is long overdue. It is an extraordinary park. It’s exciting for it to be seen as more than just a Museum, picnic areas, and a path. I recognize the urgency due to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. We really have to start acting and doing something. The stormwater is important. The fact that the Oakland Baptist Church relatives have people buried in the park is something very important“.
Lance Mallamo added, “The members of the Fort Ward History Work Group have been important to this effort. They have exceeded our expectations and made remarkable progress.” Mr. Mallamo asked the work group members to stand and be recognized.
Ms. Frances Terrell, a member of the Advisory Group, Oakland Baptist Church, and Chair of the Seminary Civic Association, said, “I am a relative to people buried in the cemetery and the park. What I heard here today was honor and compassion for the people who lived on this land. I heard you honoring and respecting our families“. Mayor Eullie added “Your ancestors are our ancestors”.
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