Restoration would reduce sediment and nutrient loads, stabilize stream banks to reduce bank erosion and reduce tree loss in the future, improve aquatic habitat and restore and enhance the stream buffer, officials said. Photo by Ken Moore.
Supervisor John Foust’s Stream Team was scheduled to convene for its first meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18 at the McLean Community Center to discuss and potentially make decisions that will impact the McLean Central Park.
Residents who use the beloved McLean Central Park have voiced anger over county plans to remove a couple of hundred trees as part of a stream restoration process to improve the health of Dead Run Stream.
Neighbors say they weren’t properly informed from the beginning of the county plans and haven’t been assured that the county’s efforts are in the best interest of the stream and park.
More than 75 people attended a community meeting at Dolley Madison Library in June where members of the Department of Public Works gave updates to a Dead Run Stream Restoration Project, tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2016.
Neighbors voiced frustration over lack of outreach at the beginning of the project, lack of warning that 220 trees could be destroyed, impact on individual homes and yards, lack of assurance that the project will be successful, loss of noise buffers from trees and more.
In June, Supervisor Foust promised to develop a “stream team,” a task force of interested and concerned citizens who can voice concerns of the community and help develop a project that meets goals of both the stream and the public.
While Ben Wiles of Supervisor John Foust’s office suggested a task force with about 10 members could be most effective, he also said they are prepared to include anyone who wants to be involved.
“We can certainly accommodate anybody who is interested,” he said. “We’d like to have people who want to stay involved in the entire project.”
Foust canceled a possible July beginning when “a few property owners along the proposed project” that are most affected by the potential project indicated they could not attend the meeting.
DEAD RUN IS IMPAIRED and in poor quality, said Matt Meyers, Watershed Projects Implementation Branch Chief for Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division.
“There’s a real reason why we are here. There’s real degradation,” said Meyers, at June’s public information meeting. “We know that this is an important project to improve the quality of the stream. We want to work with you to make it a good project.”
Meyers highlighted the intensity of stream erosion and degradation, increasing phosphorous levels and flooding that is impacting the surrounding community. The stream restoration project would improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient loads, stabilize stream banks to reduce bank erosion and reduce tree loss in the future, improve aquatic habitat and restore and enhance the stream buffer, officials said.
Meyers and other team members took about two dozen residents outside to walk along Dead Run Stream behind the Dolley Madison Library and Community Center to demonstrate why restoration is needed and to let residents ask more questions in the field where the impact would be visible.
THE COUNTY acknowledged it needed to improve outreach efforts to citizens of McLean.
“We recognize that our standard public notification process was inadequate,” read county documents.
“We’re taking a step back, slowing down to work with the community. We know it’s an important park but we also want to improve the health of the stream.”
--Matt Meyers, Watershed Projects Implementation Branch Chief for Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division
“We’re taking a step back,” said Meyers, “slowing down to work with the community. We know it’s an important park but we also want to improve the health of the stream.”
Meyers admitted the county’s efforts to include the community at the beginning of the project were less than optimal. “We know we got off to a bad start,” said Meyers.
Foust promised neighbors and citizens a chance to work with county officials through the stream team to determine if consensus can be reached to improve the quality of Dead Run but meet demands of neighbors and citizens who want to ensure that their beloved park won’t be compromised.
Susan Moser isn’t optimistic.
“There is serious concern that the County’s proposed, previously named ‘Stream Team,’ will be a rubber-stamp group designed to give the County credit for making an in-name-only attempt to allow for community input regarding the future of McLean Central Park,” wrote Susan Moser in a letter to the editor.
Dead Run Time Line
McLean Central Park
Fall 2013: Project initiated
Winter 2013: Surveys and assessment completed
April 23, 2014: First public meeting
Aug. 15, 2014: Field walk with park authority, McLean Trees Association and Urban Forestry
February 2015: Pre-concept revisions made after vociferous response to proposed tree loss
Feb. 18, 2015: Second public meeting
May 12, 2015: Revised concept plan with alternative access options completed
June 9, 2015: About 75 people attend community meeting and offered opportunity to engage in second field walk
June 30: Comments on the current concept plan gathered.
August: “Stream Team,” a task force of interested citizens and residents, will begin meeting
August/September: Department of Public Works hopes to develop final concept plan to publish on its website with assistance from the Stream Team
September: Present final concept plan in a community meeting
December: Develop 95 percent design plans.
Early 2016: Present final design phase in community meeting
Summer 2016: Final plan authorization and bidding phase (based on funding and approved budget)
A final pre-construction meeting with residents and the contractor will be scheduled before construction notices to proceed are implemented.