Fort Ward Park Advisory Group Meeting

Draft Notes: Fort Ward Park Advisory Group Meeting
July 27, 2010
Prepared by J. Glenn Eugster 08-19-2010

Attendees: Tom Fulton, Rich Burne, Bill Schreiner, Phil Voorhees, James Spengler, Wally Owen, Susan Cumbey, Glenn Eugster, Carolyn Griglione, Lance Mallamo, Judy Stack, Dick Hobson, and Fran Terrell.

Tom Fulton noted that there were not enough members of the Advisory Group for this meeting to be an official meeting. Therefore no actions could be taken.

Mr. Fulton then introduced Mr. James Spengler, Director of the Alexandria Recreation Department. Mr. Spengler was requested by the Advisory Group to speak about the Recreation Department’s “Road Map for Change” which he presented to Deputy City Manager Mark Jinks in December 2009.

Mr. Spengler started by referencing the Recreation Department’s planning and construction division which he said included six people who are mostly landscape architects, who handle park planning efforts. “About 40% of their time has been going to City subdivision reviews which include defacto review of the green elements of proposed subdivisions”, said Spengler.

Mr. Spengler noted that the City Manager’s Road Map for change is aimed at focusing on what his department can do to organize their work around their core mission. “Time should go to planning“.

He added that all reviews of open space acquisition were redirected back to park planning efforts. He noted that Alexandria has a 10-year old city master plan [for recreation and parks]. “We didn’t know the exact number of parks we own until a few months ago”, said Spengler. “We own 109 properties in addition to the median strips and right-of-ways, and we are doing and inventory and infrastructure assessment of these lands as part of the CAP improvement program“.

Mr. Spengler told the group, “We need to decide on standards for specific parks--ready made drawings”. He noted that this information would be included in the Geographic Information System. “We want to get out of the system of reacting to citizen complaints”. He added that this would be a 3-year process and include baseline data and infrastructure.

Mr. Spengler said he expected to produce formal master plans for Fort Ward, Ben Breneman, and Four-Mile Run Parks. “These will be done by outside consultants and the plan for Fort Ward Park will cost approximately $60,000”. He added that Mary Stephenson, the principal planner for the Recreation Department, left and her replacement will be here in September. The new person, a native of Alexandria, has worked for the Central Park Conservancy in New York City.

“Everything built in Fort Ward Park will be mapped. There will be standards for each park. The history will require unique standards for this [Fort Ward] park”, said Spengler.

Tom Fulton asked Mr. Spengler, “How do you see the Advisory Group being folded into this work?” Spengler replied that the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission will help.

“The Fort Ward Park plan was never officially approved by City Council. There have been ebbs and flows--various events and history. You don’t drop one initiative when you embrace another. What we have now is a hodge-podge of proposals and activities”, said Spengler.

Mr. Fulton asked, “What is the shelf-life of this effort? Glenn Eugster asked whether there will be specific master plan for Fort Ward Park. Without answering either question Mr. Spengler responded, “We will look at needs and demographics. The demand at the four big parks will continue to increase”.

Tom Fulton continued the meeting discussion by noting that he was pleased that four draft chapters of the Advisory Group report for the City Council have been submitted by the representatives. “I’m willing to write the missing chapters myself if they aren’t completed on schedule”, said Fulton.

“I’m giving some thought to internal discussions and have put together a time table for public review and comments. I will offer the schedule at the next meeting for review and approval”, said Fulton.

Mr. Fulton also noted that he has a list of issues and significant concerns for the group to work off of. “Why we are here needs to be addressed. Citizens need to be acknowledged“.

In response to Fulton’s comments Bill Schriener asked about how single-person concerns, such as noise from leaf blowers, should be addressed. Fulton suggested that concern be handled under park management and operations.

Alexandria resident Carolyn Griglione, a former resident of North Early Street, indicated that she was originally from Iowa which has fields and prairies. “My husband and I are concerned about Fort Ward Park’s meadows”. She noted that they were concerned about possible fires and field mice, and wanted to know how these types of problems will be handled by the city.

Ms. Griglione added, “When I come to the park I usually come by myself and I sit near the front off the [first] parking lot. I’m concerned about placing picnic tables close to the road. Could you reverse the meadow [design] and place it closer to Braddock Road and locate the picnic tables back where it is quiet and safe?”

Mr. Spengler replied, “We have to respond to the community as a whole. Fort Ward Park needs an overall plan. The primary reason for the meadows is drainage. The only inexpensive, environmentally friendly approach to managing storm water [runoff] is meadows. We are trying to slow water down. We are trying to set the meadow [design] from where the peak of the drainage area. I don’t have a personal stake in mowing or not mowing”.

Tom Fulton added, “The Parks [Recreation] Department should be commended for being willing to examine alternatives to solving problems and have the ability to look at the unintended consequences. The Advisory Group can offer some suggestions to the city. There are rats in the park. In fact, the first letter I wrote to then-Mayor Donley was about rats”.

Fran Terrell asked, Have the meadows been effective? Mr. Spengler replied, “The meadows have been effective--my observation only. I believe that residents were concerned about the number of people in the eastern picnic area and that’s why the area was closed. We have to protect historic resources and the storm water [runoff] is eroding historic artifacts”.

Lance Mallamo joined the discussion by adding that he agreed and this has been an experiment. Spengler added that “There have been only 2 or 3 formal complaints about the meadows. He added that this is part of deciding, What do you want For Ward Park to look like? Many historic battlefields are going back to restoring landscapes”.

Mallamo moved the discussion by telling the group, “There is good news! We are very close to a recommendation on the archaeological project [consultant]. There is also bad news! We are waiting for the contract office to go through new information. We are also securing permits for this job. I am meeting with James Spengler and Rich Baier and the permits will take longer. We will probably start the work in mid-September.

Mr. Mallamo went further suggesting that, “We can do a walk-around tour of the areas that will be examined as part of the [initial] archaeological work with community members on August 24, 2010 before our Advisory Group Meeting. We hope to make an announcement on the work plan and contract. We will also arrange for additional Saturday morning tours of archaeological sites. There will be gravel removal in the maintenance yard. We can develop a timeline after Thursday”.

Phil Voorhees asked about the permits. Spengler responded by saying that the biggest item is the grading plan. “Transportation & Environment will do the grading plan and it will cost $100,000”.

Fran Terrell asked, How long will this [archaeological work] take? Mr. Mallamo replied that they are looking at a two-month time frame. “Equipment will be used for certain area. Hand grading will be done in other areas.

Glenn Eugster asked if it was possible for the archaeological walking tour and community meeting to conform to the American Disabilities Act since some of the descendants of the people buried in the park are older and less mobile.

Bill Schreiner raised the issue of how the vegetation is maintained in the earthworks. “Mowing has been problematic in the past. Camp Days draw an awful lot of people. Mowing removed a chunk of the earth mound. We are not here to be a truth commission but we need to think about turf management of the entire park and this needs to be considered for the earthworks. How can we avoid slices [being taken] out of the historic embankment in the future?”

Mr. Spengler responded, “Turf wasn’t here [historically], trees weren’t here. Some of the park is hallowed ground. For a long time it was okay to park vehicles in the maintenance yard. I’m comfortable transferring historic mowing to the Office of Historic Alexandria with funding. We [Recreation Department] aren’t historic. We aren’t trained in historic maintenance and never will be. I am proposing to Lance that everything inside the ring-road will be done by the Office of Historic Alexandria”.

Spengler added, “You won’t get perfect mowing. That’s the nature of turf maintenance”.

Tom Fulton noted, “The entire park is on the National Register of Historic Places and requires an ongoing maintenance responsibility. There are four departments involved and a coordinated effort would send a positive signal that stove piping has been dissolved. It is incumbent of the two departments {Recreation and History] that the two groups work together“.

Bill Schreiner added, “Every year we have the same battle with turf management. Spengler replied, “You can’t expect 100% performance”. Susan Cumbey added, “We could get the staffs together for joint training”.

Spengler replied, “Maintenance workers don’t differentiate between different parks. We can break a contract out. I want this park to be done [maintained] totally by contract.

Tom Fulton asked about the Memorandum of Understanding that was being developed by the Recreation and Historic Departments. Mr. Spengler replied, “We are developing those documents for Schools and General Services, and Fort Ward Park comes after those agreements are completed”.

Wally Owen asked, Who mows the ball fields? It’s special equipment but couldn’t your group do the work if you had it? Mr. Spengler replied, “If we get the money we could do this. However, parks crews mostly work on athletic fields and get positive feedback from recreation groups on their work. I’m not sure there is motivation to pick-up more skills”.

Susan Cumbey noted that, Interest can be cultivated with crews--helping preserve something that has been valued”.

Mr. Spengler added that, “It would be better if it were handled by the Office of Historic Alexandria. The Recreation Department does athletic fields. This is the only historic park that they maintain”.

Fran Terrell briefed the group on the African America Interpretive signs being developed by the Office of Historic Alexandria. She noted that the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society and the Fort Ward History Work Group are assisting Neil Vaz from Howard University who was hired by the City. Ms. Terrell noted that Mr. Vaz’s arrangement with the city has been extended until mid-September.

Ms. Terrell told the group that 6 signs were being developed and they include: an overview of Fort Ward park and the role of African Americans at the fort, Episcopal and Seminary; Founding of the Oakland Baptist Church and the creation of the cemetery; Civil War including the U.S. Colored Troops; education; six founding families living at Fort Ward prior to the creation of the park; and the Jackson Family.

Ms. Terrell also reported on a meeting held on June 28, 2010 between the Recreation Department, Office of Historic Alexandria, Oakland Baptist Church and community leaders regarding park trees that have fallen into the cemetery damaging the fence. The group discussed which park trees around the cemetery need to be removed so that damage doesn’t continue. The City Arborist looked at the trees and determined which ones were a possible hazard to the cemetery and would be removed.

Ms. Terrell noted that the group also discussed what to do with the fence [beyond repairing the tree damage] and the management of the cemetery. Lance Mallamo indicated that there has been a misunderstanding about his comments during the June 28, 2010 meeting. He wasn’t suggesting that the City of Alexandria take over the cemetery but rather that the existing chain-link fence be replaced with a more appropriate fence. He said that we could tie city interpretation to the area and open the view shed into the cemetery. “The trees were all planted after 1964. The City planted the trees along the cemetery and maintenance yard. Let’s include the cemetery as a feature of the park”.

Mr. Spengler indicated that Walter Powell is waiting for a contractor to come and repair the existing fence.

Glenn Eugster asked that the Advisory Group include discussion about the maintenance of the gravestones outside the cemetery and inside the park. He noted that there was recent damage to one of the gravestones from mowing and that others had been inadvertently damaged by maintenance activities over the last three years. Mr. Mallamo replied, “I’m not sure that this [recent] damage was due to mowing. I think it was from freeze-thaw this winter”. Mallamo added that he and his staff had wanted to remove and retrieve the damaged gravestones from the park in the past but family members expressed concern about what the city would do with them.

The meeting concluded with Tom Fulton reminding the group that the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday August 24, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. An archaeological walking tour will be held before the meeting at 6:00 p.m.