Water Continues to Damage the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery

Water Continues to Damage the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery

March 30, 2014

Over four years ago leaders from Marlboro Estates and the Oakland Baptist Church met with the then Vice Mayor of the City of Alexandria to share their concerns about water running off of Fort Ward Park lands onto the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery and residential properties.  Vice Mayor Donley, with assistance from Rich Baier the Director of the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services and former Councilwoman Hughes, arranged for city funds to address the problem.  Funds were provided for short-term solutions as well as a master plan for storm water management.

Although some short-term actions were taken by Mr. Baier’s staff recent rainfall continues to flow from parklands onto the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery.  This continuing problem was brought to the attention of the Mayor, CIty Manager and the four department heads, who share management of Fort Ward Park, in May 2013.  At that time church leaders expressed continuing concern about water runoff from the park maintenance yard and nursery area.  They also expressed concern that there did not seem to be a sense of urgency to solve the water problems which were, and are, eroding gravestones and causing burial areas to flood and subside.  

As the city’s consultant prepares a long-term plan for managing storm water within the park, recent rainfall continues to cause parkland to send water running into the cemetery.  Observations taken today indicate that there is increasing damage from park water runoff.  Some burial areas, flooded with runoff, are collapsing and some gravestones have toppled-over due to erosion from water flows.

The water runoff problems in the park are widespread.  However, the problems that are damaging graves and gravestones in the cemetery are a direct result of the changes that the city made to the land above the church’s burial area.  City decisions made without permits or public notice filled and compacted the upland area for use as a maintenance yard, nursery and solid waste disposal area.  Despite not following City of Alexandria laws, ordinances and regulations city staff has been resistant to taking further short-term actions to stop park water from flowing into the cemetery.

When the discussions first began in 2009 city staff was resistant to make this a priority project.  Eventually with the support of the Vice Mayor Donley and Councilwoman Hughes, as well as the rest of City Council, the Mayor and the City Manager, Mr. Baier’s team took the project on.  Unfortunately Mr. Donley and Ms. Hughes are no longer on CIty Council and there does not appear to be an elected advocate for solving this problem.  

As was the case nearly a year ago, there does not appear to be any urgency for solving water running into the cemetery.  The target date for completing the draft storm water plan for Fort Ward Park has been delayed and is uncertain.   The assurances that the City Manager made to church leaders last May lack follow-through.  Timer and time again problems like this one at Fort Ward Park demonstrate the need for City of Alexandria leaders to be good neighbors.  Additional short-term solutions are needed now while the long-term plans are completed, funded, designed and constructed.