DRAFT Summary of the City Council’s Discussions of Fort Ward Park March 13, 2008

DRAFT Summary of the City Council’s Discussions of Fort Ward Park

March 13, 2008

Prepared by Glenn Eugster

On Saturday December 13, 2008 Nancy Jennings, Thad Diley, Tom Fulton and Glenn Eugster presented the Alexandria City Council with statements about the management, use and protection of Fort Ward Park and the park’s impact on Marlboro Estates.  Dennis Carroll was unable to make a statement due to an illness but his written statement was submitted to the Council.

Following the statements by the residents the Council members asked Kirk Kincannon, the City Parks & Recreation Director to respond to the comments.  The following is a summary of selected highlights of the comments made by Mr. Kincannon and the Council members.  It is important to note that the meeting was filmed and may be available on the Government Access Channel (COMCAST Channel 70).

When asked about Fort Ward Park not having a master plan Mr. Kincannon indicated that he thought it probably needed one.  He added that there are 120 parks in Alexandria, VA and none have master plans.

Mayor Eullie suggested that these concerns be discussed further at a City Council work session in January 2009.

Councilman Wilson said he wanted to discuss the enforcement of existing laws and regulations affecting the park.  Mr. Kincannon said that his staff was not law enforcement officers.

Councilman Smedburg said that it was important to come back with recommendations to determine what this park is.  He said you have to set limits for public use and you can’t have 400, or more, people coming to a historic park for a different purpose.

Councilman Gaines said he was concerned about the quality of life.  He wants the work session to address and answer questions about use and management.  He is especially interested in the management of dual uses.  He said that he hopes to find a better way to enforce rules.  He noted the concerns about the exclusion of African American history in the park.  He referenced the work the City has done with Freeman’s Cemetery and suggested that Pam Cressy of the Historic Office/ African American Museum be involved to help resolve issues.

Vice Mayor Pepper said that she was aware that this had been an ongoing issue and that she had met with Marlboro Estates residents and the Seminary Hill Neighborhood Association Board.  Ms. Pepper asked Mr. Kincannon, how is it that the community didn’t know of the City plan for Fort Ward Park.  Mr. Kincannon explained that Judy Noritake of the Parks & Recreation Commission had asked for the document his staff prepared.  He said it was not a master plan.  He also said that the park served more people than just the adjacent landowners and he needed to involve the full scope of the community.  Ms. Pepper replied that there were lots of immediate neighbors in the area.  55 Marlboro Estates homeowners have been involved in these discussions.  This has been an awful experience for them.

Vice Mayor Pepper said that she thought that there were probably many more gravesites in the park.  She wants gravesites commemorated in the park.  She thinks that these areas are an attraction and they would be of interest to historic and cultural tourism interests.

Councilman Krupicka asked the Parks and Recreation Department to outline their process for outreach to communities and clarify where the problems occurred with this effort.  He also asked Mr. Kincannon to prepare a comprehensive list of all the concerns that have been heard.  Mr. Krupicka said that this is all the stuff we have to tackle.