The Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved a Mastenbrook grant at its meeting on March 9, that will help support Little League in Northern Virginia.
Fort Hunt Little League requested and will receive $16,579.87 in matching funds through the Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant Program to renovate the infields on Fields 1 and 2 at Hollin Hall Park in the Mount Vernon District. As part of the renovation, the infields will be laser graded to improve drainage and provide a more consistent playing surface. Infield mix will be added, and the grass will be replaced with new sod. Fort Hunt Little League has been a participant in the Adopt-A-Field program for several years, and over the years has contributed funds towards maintenance and multiple athletic field improvements at Hollin Hall Park, as well as other park and school fields.
The Mastenbrook bond-funded grants provide limited matching funds for projects in Fairfax County parks. In 1998, John Mastenbrook, a 21-year veteran of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board, suggested the creation of a grant program to encourage public and private ventures that would improve Fairfax County parks and park facilities. The program was designed to fill a gap between limited bond funding and the community's desire for new neighborhood park facilities.
Since 1999, 140 Mastenbrook Grant projects and more than $1.1 million in awards have been made, resulting in projects throughout Fairfax County valued at more than $7.4 million.