Residents will have an opportunity to comment on the future of the 52.3-acre Jones Point Park at a June 27 public hearing. On June 28, the City Council will vote on which proposal or proposals they will recommend to the National Park Service.
Since the original plans were brought forward, prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and approved by a City Council that has now been substantially replaced my a new set of elected officials, there have been numerous meetings, public debates and proposals. This council is now being asked to decide which proposal, or "scheme" they will embrace.
On June 10, the council received the report of the Jones Point Park Work Group and "Staff Recommendations Regarding The Approved Concept Plan." It presented the two extremes of the five schemes:
Scheme A's two adult size athletic fields north of the newly completed Woodrow Wilson Bridge adjacent to the protected wetlands, and Scheme E's no athletic fields within the park preserving its use for passive recreation, river access and historic preservation.
Since that report, a sixth scheme has been developed. Known as the Old Town Civic Association/Yates Gardens Civic Association scheme, it calls for one youth size athletic field south of the bridge. It also places a limited number, 50 to 80, of parking spaces at the entrance to Jones Point Road and in the area south of the Royal Street Community Gardens known as the turn-around area for St. Mary's School.
A major stumbling block since 9/11 has been the parking issue. When the federal government outlawed parking under the new bridge for security reasons, 240 planned parking spaces were lost. Potential
parking allotment has now been reduced to a maximum of 110 spaces.
Many of those testifying during Work Group meetings saw loss of the original parking plan as reason for reevaluating the park's primary use. It went from an emphasis as an athletic venue to one of passive recreation, river access and historical preservation.
Those two perceptions have fueled the controversy within the Work Group and among those testifying before them over the past five months.
One of the strongest advocates for the installation of two adult size athletic fields north of the new bridge has been Judy Guse-Noritake, Park and Recreation Commission representative on the Work Group. In a June 2 letter to Mayor William Euille and City Council, eight days prior to their receiving the Work Group Report, she urged them to adopt Scheme A.
Noritake based her recommendation on four points:
1. The southern part of the park will be "very much smaller" after the new bridge is completed.
2. The decision was made originally, prior to 9/11, to "highlight and invest in the historic resources in the southern part of the park."
3. The fields that have existed south of the existing bridge do not meet modern athletic field design standards.
4. If two fields were to be constructed "it provides greater utility to place them adjacent to each other." That would be north of the bridge.
Emphasizing that portion of the park south of the bridge as a historic preservation area, Noritake stated in her letter, "I personally feel so passionately about keeping the focus on the southern portion of the park on history and passive recreation."
The historic factor had been brought forth by the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission representative during Work Group deliberations. And by Jean Federico, director, Office of Historic Alexandria, one of three Work Group chairs.
HOWEVER, following formal receipt of the report, Vice Mayor Redella "Del" Pepper said, "I talked with Jean to see if it was feasible to put an athletic field south of the bridge without adversely impacting those (historic) areas, and she felt a youth size field could be accommodated in that area."
A major proponent of placing emphasis on not only passive recreation in Jones Point Park but also on maintaining access to the river for those who wish to use it "to enjoy that natural resource" is Councilman Andrew Macdonald. During discussions following receipt of the report he asked rhetorically, "Just what is driving the debate — parking or park uses?"
He said, "It should be remembered that kids need nature as
well as soccer fields. I played in that park as a kid. It's a great spot just to enjoy nature," he said.
On June 21 Macdonald sent a memo to Mayor William Euille and the other members of City Council with copies to City Manager James Hartmann, City Attorney Ignasio Pessoa and Noritake, as chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. In it he "formally" asked "that council adopt a resolution instructing the city manager to renegotiate the terms of the original "Jones Point Park" agreement ...."
He based that request on "the impact of the new 9/11 security restrictions on the park." And, "In the event that this matter can't be resolved cordially, as I hope, then I believe we should instruct the city attorney to take appropriate legal steps to resolve this issue," Macdonald said.
He also recognized, "The soccer community feels, quite justly ..., that they were promised two more fields at Jones Point Park. We should consider meeting this contractual and recreational obligation by buying land outside the park to meet the demand for new sports fields in the city."
Following acceptance of the Work Group report Euille stated, "It was the sense of council that the scheme for one field south of the bridge should be brought forward. Then let's just talk about it."
That will happen Monday night with a formal council vote scheduled at their regular meeting Tuesday night, June 28.