In a July 12 letter to David Vela, superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway, National Park Service, (NPS) the Old Town Civic Association (OTCA) has registered strong objections to NPS's new Preferred Alternative 4A for the development of Jones Point Park.
In calling for Vela to return to the previous Preferred Alternative 4, OTCA's Board of Directors said, "This new Jones Point park alternative presents little of the best of the past alternatives and some of the worst of them."
Citing various elements of Preferred Alternative 4, the Board wrote, "We are perplexed as to why NPS has gone back to two fields when it was clear that the preference was for only one field, and that that field be south of the bridge, away from residential and other users of the park. There seems to be no explanation or rationale for such an abrupt reversal."
The letter noted that Alexandria now has "some 52 athletic fields under its control, many of which are in advanced stages of disrepair" and questions why more should be added with the aid of the NPS. It also notes, "McLean, Va., has approximately twice the number of soccer players as Alexandria, but is able to require only half the number of fields for soccer play."
Claiming that Jones Point Park has been in disrepair "since the city took over the maintenance of it," the letter suggests the NPS "abrogate the agreement with the city, take back the operation and maintenance of the park and develop it along the lines preferred by the citizenry that uses it the most."
Further challenging the need for additional athletic fields in the city, the letter points out, "A 2002 survey of the citizens of Alexandria showed there is a need for passive not active recreation. Dedicated active recreation figured relatively low on the priority list of residents. Specifically, soccer ranked relatively low as only eight percent of the survey respondents thought that soccer was important."
They further raised objections to increased traffic in the area of the park, potential health hazards from vehicles fumes drifting down from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and federal security concerns from cars entering the park at all. In the latter case OTCA suggests "Homeland Security address the security aspects of a recreational park with 110 non-inspected vehicles beneath a vital transportation link."
OTCA's recommends "no soccer fields or parking" within Jones Point Park. "Only Alternative 4 is close to being acceptable," according to OTCA. They also call for a study to determine "what effects the air quality will have on children playing on the soccer fields and what the hydrology will have on the Yates Garden community."