Fort Ward Park: Loved to Death or Mis-managed? J. Glenn Eugster

Fort Ward Park: Loved to Death or Mis-managed?

By J. Glenn Eugster

July 19, 2014

“Fort Ward Park has been loved to death.  That is why you hired us!”

Comments made by Elisabeth Lardner, Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, P.C., .a consultant hired by the City Recreation Department, at the Fort Ward Park and Museum Public Meeting on the proposed park management plan. February 24, 2014.

The City of Alexandria uses many consultants to help provide services and solve problems.  Most of the people hired seem qualified and well-intentioned.  One of the four contracts that the city leaders have used to respond to long-standing problems at Fort Ward Park is with a local firm by the name of Lardner/ Klein Landscape Architects who seem to be both qualified and well-intentioned.  Unfortunately, like the other consultants that have been hired and continue to work on completing the management plan, they have tailored their work to their client--the departments that they have a contract with.  Unfortunately their outreach to the public has been limited and as a result they often assume things that are not factual.    

Those who has been engaged in trying to work with the city to address long-standing problems and complete a publicly-supported management plan for Fort Ward Park know that the park has been mismanaged by city leaders.  Surprisingly, comments made by the Lardner/ Klein group and other consultants, reflects either a failure to do accurate research about the motivation for the Fort Ward Park effort; a weak attempt to revise short-term park history; or a public relations spin to sell the selective recommendations that have come out of the advisory and work group efforts over the years.

Slogans such as “the park has been loved to death” and “everyone has to learn to live together”  leave those of us attending the last public meeting with a feeling that the city is going to do what it wants to do no matter what community leaders have to say.  Failing to recognize that the city’s indifference to the parks neighbors and users was the catalyst that triggered public reaction to the management and protection of Fort Ward Park.  Ignoring those historical facts damages the creditability of the city’s efforts and the work of the consultants they have hired to do their bidding.

The following photos illustrate Fort Ward Park management problems which led to public outcry and action by the Alexandria City Council.