Restore Citizen Trust and Fort Ward Parkland

Restore Citizen Trust and Fort Ward Parkland

June 28, 2013

  

Public and private research of the creation of Fort Ward Historic Park within the City of Alexandria, Virginia spans a period of more than 60 years.  During that time community leaders, city managers, and elected officials have done a great deal of work to protect, restore, interpret, and make publicly accessible the many values of Fort Ward Historic Park.  Over time most of the decisions that were made about the park have been positive and appropriate. Unfortunately some of the decisions that were made about the park have been detrimental to its history and the communities it serves.  

Mistakes will happen and the treatment of the graves and the creation of the maintenance yard may have reflected the times or the result of overworked park managers cutting corners to juggle multiple demands.  However, City leaders have repeatedly tried to deny or excuse the City’s actions with statements that are neither true nor reflective of the responsibility that comes with public service.  

City leaders, starting with the Fort Ward Park & Museum Advisory Group and including City managers and local elected officials, should issue an apology to the descendant families of those persons buried in the park, and or, in the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery for the inappropriate actions taken by the City impacting these areas.  

The City should agree to restore the land, including the topography, drainage, permeability of the soil, and vegetation that has been modified, without proper approvals and public review, within the park maintenance yard. These actions will go a long way in rebuilding trust between City managers and elected officials and the public they serve.  Such trust will serve as the necessary foundation for the successful completion of the Fort Ward Historic Park Management Plan.