Reston Association’s Dog Park Working Group has a variety of solutions for keeping the peace at the off-leash area at Baron Cameron Park.
The ideas range from paid monitors to charging fee for users to installing noise mitigation and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements.
The working group, which was formed last spring in response complaints for a group of RA members who live close to the park, will present its recommendations at Thursday’s RA Board meeting.
RA has no jurisdiction over the park, as it is on Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) land. The involvement of RA was to bring both sides together to suggest solutions to the FCPA The RA Board will discuss and vote on one of two motions:
- Move to approve, deny, or amend the short and long-term recommendations of the Dog Park Task Force on improving the operation of the Baron Cameron Dog Park for the benefit of the Dog Park users and surrounding neighbors; or
- Direct staff to send a letter, outlining Dog Park recommendations and request for a meeting to discuss such recommendations, to the Fairfax County Park Authority Chairs, and copied to the whole Park Authority Board; the Fairfax County Park Authority Director, Sara Baldwin; and Fairfax County Hunter Mill District Supervisor, Catherine M. Hudgins.
It’s a saga that has been going on for several years.
The problem is noise, say many residents of Longwood Grove, a subdivision located across Wiehle Avenue from the dog park. The Longwood Grove residents say they can hear dogs barking at the park day and night, and it is affecting their quality of life. Read More
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) has earned national recognition for its environmental stewardship.
FCPS has been named the winner of the National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) 2016 Barb King Environmental Stewardship Award, which recognizes a parks and recreation agency that has achieved excellence in environmental stewardship.
This national recognition pays tribute to the Park Authority’s growing commitment to protection of natural resources in Fairfax County, says a release from FCPA.
From the FCPA:
Enhancing Stewardship is listed first among the seven values that guide the FCPA, and the agency has a long list of stewardship accomplishments that were included in its award application.
The nomination noted that parkland in the county grew from just 14 acres to more than 23,500 acres over the agency’s 65-year history. It cited environmental design practices, such as the renovation of the Oak Marr RECenter which earned LEED Silver Certification.
Also noted was the agency’s emphasis on community outreach, through teacher-student programs such as the Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE) program, the production of popular, award-winning stewardship publications, volunteer environmental clean-up days at park sites, summer camp education programs, and Leave No Trace workshops.
Other actions considered by the NRPA include the FCPA’s support of the “buy local” environmental movement as evidenced by sponsorship of 11 community farmers markets, its work in establishing an environmentally preferable purchasing policy, and the 2015 Needs Assessment that surveyed 15,000 randomly selected Fairfax County households to assess how the Park Authority is meeting community needs, including the preservation of open space and protection of our parklands.
The Barb King Environmental Stewardship Award will be presented at the NRPA Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, on Oct. 6 at the Best of the Best Ceremony.
Citizens on both sides of the Reston Dog Park issue spent about two hours speaking to the Reston Association Board of Directors on Thursday. In the end, the RA Board decided to speak some more, suggesting that they further discuss noise complaints and possible mitigation measures with the Fairfax County Park Authority.
That’s because that’s all RA can really do. The off-leash dog area, the only one in Reston, is located in Baron Cameron Park, which is Fairfax County Park Authority land. Reston Association has no authority over the park, RA Attorney Ken Chadwick confirmed at Thursday’s meeting.
Still, some of the residents of Longwood Grove, a development of single-family homes located across Wiehle Avenue from the dog park, said they were seeking RA’s help in their ongoing battle to get the dog park moved.
“We are asking [RA] to stand with us to ask the county to relocate the facility,” said Moira Callaghan, representing the Longwood Grove homeowners. She said RA’s mission is to “look out for [members] property values … and the interest of our homes and our health, safety and welfare.”
Callaghan was among seven individuals who sought legal action to have the park shut down in recent years. That case was dismissed in a Fairfax County court.
She maintained in a presentation to the board Thursday that the barking of dogs at the park “degrades the quality of life” for Longwood Grove residents.
Callaghan also gave a history of the dog park. She pointed out that it was never approved by the Fairfax County Planning Commission, was intended to be temporary, and that many Longwood Grove homeowners purchased their homes prior to the dog park’s opening in 2001. She also said county officials — including the park authority and Fairfax County Police have continually passed the buck in regards to evaluating noise levels and responding to complaints. Read More
Reston Association wants to know how you feel about Reston’s Dog Park at Baron Cameron Park.
The RA Board of Directors will be discussing the dog park — as well as listening to comments from members during its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 24. The dog park discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. RA has no particular motion for action to be taken concerning the park.
At issue: the ongoing saga of nearby homeowners who say their quality of life is being interrupted by the constant barking and yapping from the off-leash area that borders Wiehle Avenue.
The RA board recently received a petition from residents of more than 40 homes in Longwood Grove, located across Wiehle from the park.
While RA can listen to members and discuss the matter with the Fairfax County Park Authority, it likely does not hold any authority as the off-leash dog area sits in Baron Cameron Park, which is owned by the park authority. Park Authority representatives have also been invited to speak at the meeting. Read More
Reston Association’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to at least listen to and discuss the plight of Longwood Grove homeowners, who say their peace and quiet at home in Reston is being disturbed 365 days a year from a noisy dog park nearby.
While RA can listen to members and discuss the matter with the Fairfax County Park Authority, it likely does not hold any authority as the off-leash dog area sits in Baron Cameron Park, which is owned by the park authority. Read More
More than 50 Longwood Grove homeowners are asking for Reston Association’s assistance in finally quieting the noise from the Baron Cameron Park Dog Park.
The homeowners told RA in a letter/petition on Feb. 1 that it “Despite neighbors’ best efforts to encourage the [Fairfax County] Park Authority to effectively manage and create a sustainable solution for coexistence, we conclude that the only viable option is to close and relocate the dog park.”
The Reston Association Board of Directors will discuss the homeowners’ request its monthly meeting on Thursday and may decide to more formally discuss the matter in March.
It is unclear what, if anything, RA can do about the dog park, which is located in a Fairfax County Park Authority Park and not on Reston Association property.
The issue is not a new one. The dog park has been at Baron Cameron since 2001. The Longwood Grove owners — who are separated from the park by noise-reducing fencing material, four lanes of Wiehle Avenue traffic and several hundred feet — have been bothered by the noise pretty much ever since.
In recent years, the neighbors have asked the park authority to move the off-leash area farther into the park or to shut down the location and move it to Lake Fairfax Park, which has much more separation from private homes.
In March of 2014, five Longwood Grove homeowners filed suit against the FCPA and Reston Dogs, Inc., a nonprofit group that formerly ran the dog area, saying the park constitutes a private nuisance.
The complaint cited several previous Virginia rulings dealing with the definition of a nuisance. It claimed the residents are likely to suffer “irreparable harm from the dogs barking and fighting” and have no legal remedy other to quiet the noise other than to ask for an injunction to shut down the park.
The case was dismissed by a Fairfax County judge in March of 2015.
The recent letter from the Longwood Grove residents to the RA Board says “the negative impact of this park feature on our neighborhood is severe. The barking has created years of ongoing stress: the noise disrupts our sleep, invades peace and quiet of homes throughout the day, and can often be heard after the park has closed.” Read More
A Fairfax County septic tank disposal site may be relocating from Colvin Run Road road to land owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority in Reston.
Fairfax County’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services briefed park authority officials Wednesday on a Septage Receiving Site Feasibility Study that found several reasons to move the site to Reston.
Septic tank customers (mainly homes on large lots not tied into the county sewer system), portable toilet companies and restaurants who must properly dispose of grease have for decades pumped waste safely into the Colvin Run plant.
But that site is aging, prone to flooding and “stinks,” said Park Authority Chair Bill Bouie. About 22 trucks visit the site daily.
The county is proposing a secure, modern, odor-controlled facility off Hunter Mill Road. It is important to have the new plant located off a major road to minimize the impact on traffic, county officials said.
And while the proposed new site is on park land, it is not in a part of Lake Fairfax Park where citizens would be using the park, said Bouie.
The Park Authority’s Area 6 Park Operations / Lake Fairfax Maintenance area is located in an isolated, employee-only part of the park. The septage facility would be heavily screened by trees and is not in a floodplain, according to the county’s proposal. Adding the septage facility would also be a chance to make needed improvements to the current site, which currently is a tree debris and solid waste disposal area, as well as mulch storage.
The new location would also provide convenient access from areas without sewer service (i.e., Great Falls and Oakton), as well as Reston and Vienna restaurants, the presentation noted.
Bouie said most trips to the plant would be grease disposal as home septic customers usually only get cleanouts about once every five years.
Residents can learn more and offer feedback at a community meeting with Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m., at Bechtel Conference Center, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston.
Employees and regular visitors of Herndon’s Frying Pan Park are mourning the loss of Percheron draft horse Jesse, a popular park attraction who died this week at age 35.
For years, Jesse was a part of the duo known by park visitors as Jesse and Michael. Jesse’s horse friend and work buddy Michael died in September 2013 at age 34.
At Frying Pan, Jesse and Michael could usually be found pulling wagon rides and other antique farm equipment for demonstration purposes. When not working, they would be grazing in pastures with the other farm animals, or standing in their stalls waiting for the next child to be helped up by their parent to pet the strong horses’s soft noses.
“The farm will look a bit vacant for right now without Jesse,” said Todd Brown, a Fairfax County Park Authority operations manager. “Jesse was a wonderful part of Kidwell Farm and will be missed.”
Brown was formerly the site manager for Frying Pan Farm Park. He helped find Jesse and Michael years ago when new draft horses were needed. The park was once home to eight Belgian draft horses, all of whom were related (two aging parents and their offspring).
The park authority says some horses were sold, and the others were not up to the task of working. Eventually, they found new homes too.
So Brown went searching and found Michael and Jesse. Brown got a call from the Virginia Horse Association, which told him of two horses in Manassas. In a 2013 Park Authority article, he recalled meeting the two identical horses, who were named after Jesse Jackson and Michael Jackson.
Brown said he was skeptical the pair was ready for the rigors of life at Frying Pan Park — until the rep hitched them to a wagon and they drove down busy Route 234.
“Cars were crossing the horses’ faces at about 60 miles per hour,” Brown recalled. “The horses just stood there. Then a slap of lines on their backs, and the team pulled out onto 234 in a gap between cars. Our mouths looked ready to catch bugs. The horses started trotting and remained under great control. Cars flew by, cars turned, cars passed us. Jesse and Michael could not have cared less. I was sold.”
Jesse and Michael embarked on years of pulling Santa’s sleigh, letting little hands pet their manes, and enjoying the farm demonstrations. They went into semi retirement about five years ago.
“In my 22-year park career, including days at Frying Pan and now at agency headquarters, I have had hundreds of great days,” said Brown. “But the best days are by far the ones spent behind the butts of those gentle giants. … So I thank Michael and Jesse for that and for so much on behalf of thousands who forged their own experiences because of the team.”
“I am proud to say that I was the first person to drive those horses at Frying Pan Farm Park and the last one to have them in harness there. Drive on guys, you will be missed.”
Michael and Jesse/Courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority
Reston resident Walter Alcorn has been appointed by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova to the county Park Authority Board.
Alcorn fills a vacancy created by the recent resignation of Kala Quintana who left due to a government appointment. His term will expire on Dec. 31, 2017.
Alcorn served on the Fairfax County Planning Commission from 1997 to 2012. He was its vice chairman from 2007 to 2013 and also chaired several Planning Commission committees over the years including Environment, Infill, Residential Development Criteria and Tysons.
Alcorn is currently president of the Herndon High School PTSA and is currently employed as Vice President for Environmental Affairs and Industry Sustainability at the Consumer Electronics Association.
Previously, he worked at Alcorn Consulting and at SAIC from 1992 to 2003. Prior to his private sector employment Alcorn was a policy aide in the Providence District supervisor’s office.
(Edited 8 p.m. Friday to correct ribbon cutting date. The correct date is May 16)
The Fairfax County Park Authority will dedicate new outdoor racquetball and handball courts at Reston’s Stratton Woods Park on Saturday, May 16.
The $644,000 project includes the installation of a lighted racquetball and handball court complex, relocation of the volleyball court, demolition of one basketball court, as well as site improvements and landscaping, the park authority says.
This courts were largely financed through revenues from an onsite cell phone monopole. Cell phone companies pay leasing fees to schools and parks in return for being able to add a tower on the property.
In FCPA parks that have monopoles, revenue received is reinvested in the parks, with 30 percent going to the park authority Natural Resource program, said FCPA Board Chair Bill Bouie. Last year over $250,000 was generated for the Natural Resource programs at the Park Authority, he said.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on May 16 at 10 a.m. at Stratton Woods Park, 2431 Fox Mill Rd. The public is invited to hear remarks, enjoy light refreshments and observe a demonstration by nationally-ranked players from the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour and the United States Racquetball Association.
“These new courts give us a competitive facility for those of us who love racquetball and handball,” said Bouie, who is a Reston resident and a nationally-ranked racquetball player. “I am thrilled we could make that happen with such a first-class facility.”
“However, for Supervisor Cathy Hudgins and myself, the real pleasure is in seeing Stratton Woods Park built-out to its full master plan specs and knowing that the great majority of the funding to do so came from proffers and telecom fees and not taxes.”
Lake Fairfax Park will take on the adventure of the high seas on Saturday at the annual Pirate Fest.
This event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Fairfax County Park Authority says it will be a chance for “high adventure and to explore life at sea and in a port town.” Tickets are $10 online or at the gate, and an additional $2 per person for the Pirate Boat Tour (must purchase time-stamped tickets in advance or at the door).
Among the activities:
- Talk with Moody Crewe about life on the high seas
- Sea Chanteys and Pirate Ditties by Ship’s Company Chanteymen
- Costume Contests for all ages
- Treasure Hunt
- Music by John DuranT
- Kids’ Kove Featuring sailing, science and craft activities
- Recycling Pirates Puppet Show
Kids are encouraged to wear pirate gear to win costume contest prizes in different categories. Pirate Fest will be held rain or shine.
Photo: Pirate Fest Boat on Lake Fairfax/Courtesy FCPA
A Fairfax County judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County Park Authority that called for the shutdown of the off-leash dog area at Baron Cameron Park.
In March of 2014, five homeowners who live in Longwood Grove, a subdivision located across Wiehle Avenue from Baron Cameron Park, where the dog park is located, filed suit against the FCPA and a nonprofit group that runs the park, saying the park constitutes a private nuisance.
The complaint cited several previous Virginia rulings dealing with the definition of a nuisance. It claimed the plaintiffs are likely to suffer “irreparable harm from the dogs barking and fighting in the dog park in the summer of 2014 as this case proceeds” and have no legal remedy other to quiet the noise other than to ask for an injunction to shut down the park.
Longwood Grove has about 100 homes. The families that brought the suit live closest to the dog run — about 300-400 feet away.
Fairfax County Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie said the case against FCPA was dismissed without merit. The dog park, Reston’s only off-leash area, is operated by the nonprofit Reston Dogs, Inc., which was also named in the lawsuit.
“I am very pleased that the judge ruled in the Park Authority’s favor this valuable amenity in the community has been preserved,” said Bouie. “We will still work to mitigate any issues that are violations with our partners and neighbors.”
Moira Callaghan, speaking for the Longwood plaintiffs, said the group is considering an appeal and the case is not over. She added that the case against Reston Dogs is still pending.
“We are disappointed with the judge’s ruling that our nuisance claim, which the judge acknowledged as valid, could not go forward against the Park Authority,” she said. “However, the case has not been dismissed and Reston Dogs is still a defendant. We are considering an appeal as we feel it is wrong and unfair that the park authority would be given legal immunity from a nuisance that it created and continues to maintain.”
Earlier this year, the Longwood Grove residents submitted a Mastenbrook Grant application to the park authority seeking a grant to move the dog park to Lake Fairfax Park as a solution.
Callaghan said the park authority has not responded to the grant proposal.
“We will continue to work towards a solution to this problem that we feel would be beneficial to the community as whole,” she said in an e-mail. “This was the purpose of our Mastenbrook Grant proposal, under which we offered to contribute $15,000 of our own money to a public project to create a bigger and better dog park that would not adversely affect nearby neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the Park Authority has not yet officially responded to our proposal.”
Mastenbrook Grants are a Park Authority program, founded in 1999, that match funding (up to 50 percent of the total project cost or $20,000 maximum) for park projects. The aim is to fill a gap between limited bond funding and the community’s desire for new neighborhood facilities, according to the park authority.
Baron Cameron Dog Park/file photo
The Fairfax County Park Authority unanimously voted on Wednesday in favor of a land deal that will clear the way for an indoor recreation center and other community space at the area known as Town Center North.
The deal involves a land swap between the county, the park authority and Inova. The park authority is giving a plot of land back to the Board of Supervisors in consideration for a 2.6-acre urban Central Green. It also provides the park authority’s commitment to the plan for a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center, as well as “other items for consideration that may be advantageous to the Park Authority mission.”
The recreation center will be just one feature in the the 47-acre Reston Town Center North area bounded by Baron Cameron Avenue, Fountain Drive, Town Center Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive.
Speaking in favor of the plan at Wednesday’s park authority board meeting were Reston Community Center Executive Director Leila Gordon and Reston Association Senior Director of Parks and Recreation Larry Butler.
Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie says a first proposal for the space should be assessed by the park authority by the end of the year.
“From that point, we will have a better idea of timing and what is contained in that first proposal,” he said in an email. “In the meantime, we will have discussions on the board next Spring about what is contained in the Bond package in 2016 relating to all capital programs. “
The exact cost of building the rec center, which would likely contain a 50-meter indoor pool, is not yet known. However, studies done in the last two years by Reston Community Center, which looked into building a smaller facility at Baron Cameron Park, estimated the cost of that building at $35 million. The Town Center North facility is likely to cost much more.
Bouie has said the rec center would primarily be funded with bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie. He added the park authority would seek developer proffers to help pay for the facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.
Photo: Map of Reston Town Green area/Courtesy Fairfax County Park Authority
The Fairfax County Park Authority is expected to vote on Wednesday in favor of the land deal that will clear the way for an indoor recreation center and other community space at the area known as Town Center North.
The park authority will hold a public hearing on the subject at 7:30 p.m. at the Herrity Building, at 12055 Government Center Parkway.
The 47-acre Reston Town Center North area is bounded by Baron Cameron Avenue, Fountain Drive, Town Center Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive.
The park authority deal involves a land swap between the county, the park authority and Inova.
The deal seeks “Conveyance of the Reston Towne Green property to the Board of Supervisors in consideration for a potential 2.6-acre urban Central Green; commitment to provide approximately 90,000 square feet of density for the indoor facility within one of the new urban blocks; and other items for consideration that may be advantageous to the Park Authority mission.”
The park authority’s plans call for a 90,000-square-foot recreation facility to be built on the same block as the new North County Government Center, which recently opened on Cameron Glen Drive.
The recreation center would be owned and operated by the park authority, however, officials still do not know who would pay to construct the building or how much the facility will cost.
Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie says the rec center would primarily be funded with bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie. He added the park authority would seek developer proffers to help pay for the facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said.
The Town Center North plan means the idea to build a new Reston Community Center at Baron Cameron Park, which had been discussed for more than two years, is pretty much dead. Bouie, who also serves on RCC’s Board of Governors, said he hopes RCC will be involved in the planning in order for Restonians to get top priority for facility use.
RCC officials said last year that Town Center North would be the only other good spot for such a facility because it is located close to other public facilities, is in the center of Reston growth and is easily accessible.
The Town Center North area is still about a mile from the future Reston Town Center Silver Line Metro station, which will open in late 2018.
Bouie said RCC will not be involved in the Town Center North plan “unless the RCC Board decides to partner with the park authority on programs that are needed to supplement offerings, especially swimming.”
If you wish to speak at the hearing you may sign up in advance by calling the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662 or via email at [email protected]. You may also sign up at the hearing. Organizations may have one official speaker for five minutes; individuals may testify for three minutes.
Fairfax County Park Authority Chair Bill Bouie says the process to build — particularly amassing the funding for — a 90,000-square-foot indoor recreation center in Reston will not be a quick one.
The money to build the facility in the Town Center North area will primarily come from bonds. There are two upcoming bonds to be voted on — an $87.7 million bond to be put to voters in 2016 and an $88 million bond on the ballot in 2020, said Bouie.
“The projects and bond categories for those bonds have not been determined at this time,” he said on Tuesday. “Those discussions will take place later on this year and early next year. The eventual rec center will have to be built with a combination of bonds and proffers within these confines.”
The cost of the facility, which would probably include a 50-meter indoor pool, is not yet known. Previous estimates for a smaller facility at Baron Cameron Park were $30-40 million. Those estimates came from a feasibility study done by Brailsford & Dunlavey for Reston Community Center, which looked into a partnership with FCPA to build a rec center at Baron Cameron Park.
Baron Cameron Park is also a FCPA park. RCC, whose 25-meter indoor pool at the Hunters Woods location is more than 35 years old, spent two years discussing and obtaining community feedback on constructing a new rec center on land at Baron Cameron donated by the park authority. Last year’s Master Plan update for Baron Cameron Park includes an indoor rec center option.
That proposal was met with mixed community reaction. Some of the concerns: traffic, whether there is really demand for a new facility and unfair costs to Small Tax District 5 (Reston) residents.
Bouie says the FCPA will be seeking developer proffers to help pay for the Town Center North facility. Typical proffers are around $800 per residential unit, he said. Read More
