City of Alexandria, Virginia
_____________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MARCH 15, 2011
TO: HISTORIC ALEXANDRIA RESOURCES COMMISSION
FROM: J. LANCE MALLAMO, DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF HISTORIC ALEXANDRIA
SUBJECT: AD HOC FORT WARD PARK AND MUSEUM AREA
STAKEHOLDERS ADVISORY GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS
On June 23, 2009 the Alexandria City Council established the Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholders Advisory Group (FWSAG), comprised of ten members appointed by the City Manager, and representing appropriate commissions and stakeholders with an interest in Fort Ward Park. Resolution # 2349 specified that staff assistance to the FWSAG shall be managed jointly by the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) and the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA), with support as needed from the Departments of Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES), Planning and Zoning (P&Z) and General Services (GS), and the City Manager's Office. (CMO).
The stated purpose of the FWSAG was to:
a. Advise staff with a goal of finding an appropriate balance between the different uses of the park, including active, passive/environmental and historic/archeological interests.
b. Provide staff with recommendations on balancing park uses, implementing education and outreach opportunities and reviewing the success of recently implemented changes.
c. Advise staff on Fort Ward issues and opportunities related to the interim park/historic area use, management of Fort Ward and long term goals to be refined through a city-wide park master planning process.
The FWSAG met twice a month for 13 months and on January 13, 2011 issued its final report entitled Recommendations for the Management of Fort Ward Historical Park. The report is comprised of an Introduction and chapters on History and Culture, Recreational Uses, Environment and Natural Resources, Park Operations, Planning, Development and Promotion, discussing relative issues in each chapter and providing recommendations to achieve an appropriate balance of needs in the park. Although the report lists a host of recommendations, the Executive Summary focuses on the following specific actions for the City:
Prepare a Fort Ward Master Plan.
Complete the archaeological investigation
Address infrastructure issues at Fort Ward Park. Mitigate storm water runoff
Focus attention on re‐invigorating the Arboretum
Use best management practices (BMPs) in choosing mowing and turf management
practices.
Encourage city staff to continue to collaborate on management issues of Fort Ward
Establish a Citizens Advisory Committee to assist in Fort Ward management-
Recommendation 1: Prepare a Fort Ward Master Plan-
OHA, RCPA and TES support this recommendation and jointly agree that this is the most important long term strategy to preserve, protect and enhance the resources of the park for the enjoyment and use by current and future generations. The master plan for Fort Ward Park will identify the natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources of the park, and layout a management strategy that will maintain and enhance these features in the years ahead. The plan should address major issues of concern at Fort Ward including Storm Water Mitigation, Interpretation, Vegetation, Recreation/Reservation and Joint Departmental Management Plans.
Recommendation 2: Complete Archaeological Investigation including completion of inventory of sites, promoting understanding, proper interpretation, protection of graves.
OHA has completed the first phase of a $50,000 archaeological investigation in limited parts of the park. This work discovered 22 graves, few of which had grave markers, in three graveyard areas as well as significant foundations and artifact concentrations. These graves and other cultural resources can be associated with the African Americans living in “The Fort” community for about 100 years. A few Civil War-era artifacts were also discovered. The Revised Draft Cultural Resource Inventory incorporating this information will be available for public review in a few months.
A second stage of archaeological investigation/historical reporting and interpretive planning is needed to provide sufficient information and broaden the inventory to establish a baseline for master planning of the park. This phase will also establish the boundaries of two graveyards and identify all graves within those burial areas so that proper protection and recognition can occur.
A third stage would produce sufficient information and planning to complete a final cultural resource inventory, ensure protection and develop a means of interpretation and memorialization. Additional archaeological investigation and treatment would be necessary as part of a study for infrastructure changes, for example, storm water mitigation and daylighting of streams.
The estimated cost to conduct sufficient Stage 2 archaeological investigation, complete the historical study and interpretive plan, and begin implementation of a process to mark and protect grave sites prior to master planning is $75,000, and has been requested by OHA in the FY 2012 operating budget. Depending upon the amount of proposed ground disturbance, archaeological assessment and mitigation costs for soil erosion control and daylighting streams could range from $15,000 to $75,000, and Stage 3 may cost $80,000-$120,000 depending on master plan requirements. Total cost for all phases of work and assessment/mitigation of erosion control and daylighting projects could be $230,000 to $270,000, excluding any additional work that may be deemed necessary to implement the master plan.
Recommendation 3: Address Infrastructure Issues-
T&ES currently has $35,000 in the FY 2011 budget to undertake a storm water mitigation survey in Fort Ward Park, including an investigation of run off and erosion on the eastern side of the park. Additional funding may be available from the State of Virginia if T&ES determines that the daylighting of streams in the park is advised. Future implementation of a storm water management plan would ideally be incorporated in the master planning process for the park.
Recommendation 4: Focus attention on re‐invigorating the Arboretum –
OHA is neutral on the continuation or elimination of the Arboretum at Fort Ward. Currently, the placement of some specimen arboretum trees has a negative impact on the historic areas of the park by providing a landscape environment inappropriate for the historic period of the Civil War and African American settlement.
Improperly placed trees also block viewsheds once known to be significant to the site. From the Civil War period until the 1950’s the landscape around Fort Ward was largely devoid of trees, with vistas extending several miles in each direction from the high point of the Fort. Tree cover has now eliminated this feeling of openness and geographic prominence. However, the presence of tree foliage assists with blocking the intrusion of high-rise buildings on the edges of the park.
New trees will require archaeological review before planting, increasing costs to the City beyond the actual cost of the tree and planting labor. However, properly placed specimen trees could be used to honor the memory of those associated with the history of the Fort Ward site, providing a lasting legacy of their contribution to the heritage of Alexandria.
Recommendation 5: Use best management practices (BMPs) in choosing mowing and turf management practices-
For many years the departments that manage Fort Ward have struggled with the issue of appropriate mowing. Although the entire park is recognized as an historic site by Federal and State agencies, certain lawn areas of the park are highly sensitive to inappropriate mowing procedures due to both natural and man-made topographical concerns. These include the areas in and around the Fort, including the Fort walls and associated earthworks. During the past three years, the interior and Northwest Bastion of the Fort have been maintained by a private contractor at a cost of $17,800 annually, under the direct supervision of OHA’s Fort Ward Museum staff, with the remainder of the park mowed and supervised by RPCA staff. RPCA and OHA agree that it is in the best interest of the City to transfer responsibility to OHA staff and the mowing contractor for all historically sensitive areas in the park at an increased cost of $13,560, totaling $31,360 for 14 mowings annually.
Recommendation 6: Encourage Continued Staff Collaboration on Management Issues-
OHA, RPCA and T&ES are committed to an ongoing collaboration in the management of Fort Ward Park. In conjunction with this effort, staff is preparing a Memorandum of Understanding that will guide current and future staff in the management of the park and museum area.
Recommendation 7: Establish a Citizens Advisory Committee to assist in Fort Ward management-
There are currently a number of involved citizen groups and City commissions/boards established to support Fort Ward, including the Friends of Fort Ward, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Alexandria Archaeology Commission, Environmental Policy Commission and Fort Ward Park History Work Group. Given the existing established citizen involvement, staff does not recommend establishing an additional citizen oversight group.
