Jim Todd, president of Cherrydale Citizens Association, welcomes members to the park re-dedication. Main speaker, Jennifer Fioretti (front seat, pink sweater), deputy director, Department of Parks and Recreation, waits to be introduced. Photo by Michael McMorrow.
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose,By any other name would smell as sweet.”
–Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet”
So it is with Arlington County’s park at North Quincy and 17th Streets. The weathered sign of years ago uses two words in the name, while every current mention conflates them into one. Either way, the neighbors are delighted at the new look and the new opportunities to enjoy their own space for play and relaxation.
Upon close of the Civil War, the Schutt family acquired a large Arlington estate and christened it “Oak Grove.” The original house burned in 1900. It was replaced at 1721 Cherry Valley Road (now North Quincy Street) by a dwelling that still stands, and which once was described as an example of rural Arlington architecture having “Monterey-type veranda and wisteria-covered walls.” Schutt property is now overgrown with houses stretching roughly from the school’s planetarium to Lee Highway, with one patch across that highway holding Oak Grove Condominiums in North Lincoln Street.
The county acquired most of the parkland in 1974-1975 and attached a parcel in 2002, according to Susan Kalish, public relations director, Department of Parks and Recreation. History notwithstanding, “(S)ince the ‘70s its been one word . . . Oakgrove,” she said.
Bernadette Grullon and Joshua Serck are park designers responsible for Oakgrove. They were faced with an unofficial-sized soccer field, an outdated children’s playground and a small gazebo. Of greater importance, a visitor encountered stairs and a steep ramp, meaning the park failed to meet accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Grullon explains that the scope of work was driven by the choice of funding in the county budget: “Parks – Capital Maintenance.” The project had to hew to the same kind of facilities while bringing everything up to current standards. Once a broad outline had been prepared, the proposal was presented to the neighbors through Cherrydale Citizens Association. Serck emphasizes the weight given to residents’ voices. “Every project is keyed to neighborhood wants,” he said. Grullon and Serck agree that neighborhood feedback is essential. This is true not only because local folks often offer good ideas to improve the design, but also because the community should have a sense of satisfaction and pride in their park when the work is completed.
Debby Cook represented the citizens association as liaison with the park designers. She said the plans originally proposed were very good, and both county staffers listened and were “cooperative.” “Things are turning out,” she said, “pretty close to the way we expected.”
Last week’s re-dedication of the park signaled completion of Phase One. The soccer field’s measurements are official. Bleachers await fans. Irrigation lines are laid to assure healthy grass and other plantings. A new path with measured distance rings the area and invites walkers and joggers. Scattered benches invite pause.
Phase Two, replacement of the gazebo and playground, should be completed by summertime next year. Still under consideration is a possible Phase Three: Creation of a rain garden; as is often the case, the garden depends on funding.
Special note must be taken of the manner in which ADA-compliant accessibility was achieved. A slightly graded walkway rises from North 17th Street. Poured concrete would be expected. However, an element of whimsy in the entryway is unexpected. Boulders satisfy the “natural look” desired by the community. However, the centerpiece is a 12-feet high tree sculpture holding a name board amidst metal leaves, as well as a wide-eyed metal owl.