Fort Ward Observer: We do our best work when we work together.

We do our best work when we work together.  

In response to a series of public decisions which were made over the last 50 years without public input, various leaders from neighborhoods, churches, private organizations and the general public have taken an active interest in Fort Ward Historic Park.  More than 250 Alexandria citizens--and former residents, working with the City of Alexandria's elected officials, government agency staff, and existing advisory committees and groups, have worked to guide and reinforce the decisions and management of the park.   This informal coalition of interests have contributed their time and money to outreach to the broader community to build support for the park; raise outside funds; provide information for government decisions, prepare and review documents, make presentations at professional forums; write articles for newspapers and magazines; and testify at various public hearings and City Council meetings.  This cooperation and contribution of community time, expertise, interests and resources has helped the city begin to correct the mistakes of the past, provide new services, and protect, interpret and enjoy the natural, historic, cultural, educational and recreational values of the park.

Join & Contribute to the Fort Ward & Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc.

Join & Contribute to the Society

The Fort Ward African American Descendants Society, Inc. was created in June 2011 as a nonstock corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia .  The corporation is formed exclusively for charitable, education and historical purposes to preserve and promote the history and cultural heritage of communities in the geographic proximity of Fort Ward, Virginia Theological Seminary, Seminary Hill, and the historic Oakland Baptist Church in the City of Alexandria.  To become a member in the Society contact Adrienne Terrell Washington at: "Adrienne Washington" <atwashin@aol.com>   

Although there is no fee or charge to join we are a member-supported organization and do have expenses.  If you would like to make a contribution to the Society please make your check out to "The Ft. Ward & Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc." and mail it to: PO Box 16014, Alexandria, Virginia 22302; c/o Adrienne Terrell Washington.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Planning for Fort Ward Historic Park is a Grave Matter

Planning for Fort Ward Historic Park is a Grave Matter

At the January 9, 2013 Fort Ward Park and Museum Advisory Group Meeting Laura Durham of the Recreation Department indicated that the City of Alexandria is close to selecting a consultant to prepare a management plan for Fort Ward Historic Park.  While the contract is being negotiated the Advisory Group continues to discuss past efforts to identify the park’s history and archaeology.  Fran Bromberg, with the City’s Office of HIstoric Alexandria told the group, “Test pits aren’t particularly good at identifying graves.  It’s not an ideal way to look for burials.  If you really want to know where graves are you have to scrape”.  Ms. Bromberg noted, “If there are other places that are identified as cemeteries the city can do more archaeology”.

Proposed Action Plan to Save the Carver School

William Cromley Restoration

426 N. Columbus Street

Alexandria, VA. 22314

                                   February 25, 2013

Dear Mr. Cromley,

We appreciate and share your interest in the preservation of Alexandria’s history.  In response to the discussions which you have had with community leaders about the preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of the Carver Nursery School/ American Legion Post 129 building and site, we would like to give you an idea of what we are doing to save this important part of our history.  Specifically we have:

• Created a committee of community leaders and technical experts

expressly to save the Carver School;

• Formed an alliance with the Alexandria Society for the

Preservation of Black Heritage to solicit and secure funds using their  501(c)(3) private non-profit status; 

• Received a letter of support from the Alexandria Historical

Society, and;

* Prepared the following Action Plan which outlines specific tasks that we are prepared  to take as soon as possible to preserve, restore and adaptively reuse the Carver Nursery School/ American Legion Post 129 building and site.

Our vision for the Carver School/ American Legion Post 129 building and site is “to document, preserve and solidify the African American heritage in and the contributions to the City of Alexandria for current residents and those of generations to come”.

Action Plan to Save the Carver School/ American Legion Post 129

1. Continue a public outreach effort, through meetings and a social-media site, to bring other public, private, non-profit, faith-based and veterans organizations to forge alliances to save the Carver School.  As part of this task we have appointed Gwen Day-Fuller, Adrienne Terrell Washington, and J. Glenn Eugster as the official contacts for the committee’s work. 
2. Solicit private donations with a variety of entities including the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage to preserve, restore and adaptively reuse the Carver School.
3. Convene a workgroup of public and private experts in historic preservation, economic development, adaptive reuse, heritage tourism, education, grants, and community development to help community leaders save the Carver School.
4. Hold a community interactive design charrette to develop specific alternatives, and illustrative sketches, for preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of the building.  Possible uses include, but are not limited to, a day-care  and educational facility; meeting space for churches, civic and social organizations, and historic interpretive tourism displays.
5. Provide you with monthly reports on the progress of the Committee’s efforts.

We sincerely hope that you will be supportive of this effort and our committee’s work to save the Carver School.   We hope to be able to work collaboratively with you because you are the owner of the property, but also because of your knowledge of the building, and of construction in general.  It would be most helpful to meet with you in the next few weeks to discuss these actions.

Should you be willing to meet, or have any questions, please contact Gwen Day-Fuller at 703-370-3199; Adrienne Terrell Washington at 703-628-1726, or J. Glenn Eugster at 703-489-4207.

Thank you. 

Sincerely,

[approved 2-25-2013]

Gwen Day-Fuller

[approved 2-25-2013]

Ferdinand T. Day

Co-Chairs,

Carver School/ American Legion Post 129 Committee

4017 Fort Worth Ave. 

Alexandria, Va 22304

cc.  City of Alexandria, Mayor

Park Runoff Continues to Flood Oakland Church Graves

Park Runoff Continues to Flood Oakland Church Graves

The graves of the Oakland Baptist Church continue to be flooded by water running off of Fort Ward Historic Park land and Malboro Estates lands.  Despite considerable efforts on the part of the City of Alexandria and homeowners the temporary plan for stormwater management has not prevented water coming from parkland from entering the cemetery.  According to staff from the City's Department of Transportation & Environmental Services there was "an engineering flaw" in the temporary plan.  City officials, despite receiving funds from the City Council and City Manager to correct this situation, have been unwilling to correct the flaw and divert the runoff into the cemetery.   The current situation was caused by modifications to park lands and the properties of homeowners.  These actions, some of which were done without appropriate city permits have created a drainage swale that channels water from up-slope homes and parklands into the cemetery.  Todays rain and snowfall provided an opportunity to reassess flooding problems and to locate the sources of runoff.  The attached photos show water flows into the cemetery and the flooding of various graves. 

Tom Fulton's Letter of Resignation

March 14, 2013

Mayor William D. Euille

Room 2300 City Hall

301 King Street

Alexandria, VA   22314

Dear Mayor Euille:

It is with a great deal of thoughtful consideration and deep regret that I have decided to resign from the Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholder Advisory Group effective March 31, 2013.

I believe you are to be commended for your continued support of citizen involvement in the affairs of the city.  As residents of Alexandria, we are all strengthened by continuing to have citizens involved in all aspects of city life.  I believe these Boards and Commissions are vital to the health of our city and to the promise of Democracy in general.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Tom Fulton

4020 Ellicott Street

Alexandria, VA 22304-1012

cc:

Laura Durham

Francine Bromberg

Jackie Henderson   

Runoff Continues to Baffle Recreation Department at Fort Ward

Runoff Continues to Baffle Recreation Department at Fort Ward

Part of the time and money being spent at Fort Ward Historic Park is intended to go to solving water runoff problems inside and outside the park.  The Advisory Group that the City created to help park managers recommended that the three primary departments who manage Fort Ward work closer together to integrate their actions.  Although some progress has been achieved in tackling other problems, the solutions to managing runoff continue to baffle park managers.  

As recently as last month the grassed slopes of Fort Ward continued to send storm water downhill toward the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery, already eroding stream channels and playgrounds, and adjacent residential homes.

Over two years ago the Director of the Recreation Department James Spengler, in cooperation with the Advisory Group, made changes to the way grassed areas were being maintained in hopes of slowing down water runoff.  In a note to an adjacent neighbor Mr. Spengler wrote,  

“The mowing policy in the park was changed this spring prior to the mowing season. The main complaints/concerns I considered were park erosion, flooding and other drainage problems (brought by park neighbors). In considering a solution or improvement to those issue the only non-structural approach is management of the natural area - the park grounds. It is a common practice when resolving these issue to "naturalize" areas. This is particularly important in drainage ways as found in Ft. Ward.  I made two presentations to the SAG [Advisory Group], a presentation to the Park Commission and made it a point of a presentation to City Council. The pros and cons of the approach were outlined to each body. I know that some people would not like the look, it would take several season for a meadow to emerge but drainage improvement would be immediate. All of these things have happened. In the end it is what the public wants to see happen to balance esthetics versus drainage problems. The meadows will be mowed three times a year with the next mowing by November 12. Volunteers are collecting seeds from the beneficial prairie plants in this park and other locations as part of our meadow planting program. We will also plant more native grasses each year. This does save money in mowing costs and less environmental pollution. Less negative environmental impact is a policy of the City through the Eco-City initiative”.  

(From Jim Spengler, Director Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities September 28, 2010 to Jeff Lane)

Despite the well-intentioned efforts of the Recreation Department to slow down runoff, the grass has been left longer during the dry periods of the year and cut short during the wet periods.   Unfortunately water runoff continues to flood and erode graves, further erode stream channels toppling trees and washing soil into storm sewers, and flood adjacent private properties.   Further efforts to manage runoff at Fort Ward will require the park managers to work with city hydrologists, as well as consultants, to find ways to plan with nature.