Fort Ward Observer: City Consultant Suggests Redoing Fort Ward Wayside Signs

City Consultant Suggests Redoing Fort Ward Wayside Signs

Fort Ward Park managers believe in "the do-over". With plenty of money, time and taxpayers patience city staff routinely does something, then does it again, and again.  For example, over the last decade or so city leaders have planted trees and removed the same trees. Plans for managing runoff were prepared and redesigned by city staff, engineering consultants and locally selected consultants.

The latest city consultant is preparing a plan to improve the interpretation of Fort Ward Park and Museum. Rumor has it that the consulting company that was hired is proposing to "revise" the wayside interpretive signs that were funded by the National Park Service, National Trust and Office of Historic Alexandria.

 Aside from the time and money that a do-over would cost changing the signs wipes away the good work that city leaders and the African American descendants of Fort Ward and Seminary accomplished. The signs are quality and they are a symbol of some of the first efforts made by City of Alexandria leaders to recognize the story of African Americans who lived and worshiped at Fort Ward before the land became a city-park.

 Once again city leaders don't seem to get it at Fort Ward. The proposal comes at a time when our city and nation celebrates Black History Month. Rather than highlighting the stories within each of the hand-crafted signs developed with city staff and community experts and leaders city consultants are recommending ways to erase good work, waste time and money, and prove that progress is hard to achieve at Fort Ward Park.

 Fort Ward Observer

J. Glenn Eugster 

February 25, 2019