Park Authority

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Chessie’s Trail at Lee District Family Recreation Area was held on June 16, 2018, as officials, project team members and local children celebrated the completion of the project. Chessie’s Trail was the last component of a robust capital improvement program at the site that includes a fully-accessible carousel, treehouse and playground, as well as a spray ground known as Our Special Harbor.

This multi-phase, multi-year, multi-million dollar effort to renew a once underdeveloped and dilapidated area of the park is unique in its use of funding from individual and organizational donors, Park Bond dollars, grants and in-kind contributions made to the Park Authority and Park Foundation. The project serves as a model for other collaborative efforts to provide new, much-desired and needed recreational amenities not funded by tax dollars.

Pictured with local children are (left to right) Roberta Longworth, Executive Director, Fairfax County Park Foundation; John Osborn, Chair, Fairfax County Park Foundation; Fairfax County Park Authority Board Members Dr. Abena Adoo and Dr. Cynthia Carter; Project Manager Tom McFarlane; Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay; Civil Designer Matt Tauscher, Bowman Consulting;

Park Authority Executive Director Kirk Kincannon, Lee District RECenter Manager Dan Peters and Mason District Park Board Member Ron Kendall.

For more information about Lee District Park amenities, visit online at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/recenter/lee-district/family-recreation-area.

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On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Washington Field Office held a Children's Citizenship ceremony at Sully Historic Site in Chantilly, VA. More than two dozen children recited the oath of citizenship and received certificates at the event, now in its 10th year at the site. Visitors celebrated with the children as they received their certificates.

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Sunday, May 6, 2018 for the new playground at Bucknell Manor Park in Alexandria, Va.

Bucknell Manor Park now features two play areas to appeal to children of different ages. In addition to the play structures, the facility includes new borders, subsurface drainage, child safety fencing and an asphalt trail – all designed to meet ADA standards. The $100,000 project was financed through the 2016 Park Bond as part of a plan to install new playground equipment at aging parks to bring them into compliance with today’s safety and ADA standards.

Members of the community, both young and old, were joined by (left to right, in back): Linwood Gorham, Park Authority Board Rep, Mount Vernon District; Philip Hager, Park Authority Area Manager; Daniel Storck, Board of Supervisors, Mount Vernon District; Kirk Kincannon, Park Authority Executive Director; Dave Bowden, Director of Planning & Development, Park Authority.

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On Thursday, May 3, 2018, County leaders gathered to celebrate the opening of the Government Center Farmers Market in Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova rang the bell to mark the market’s official opening at its new location in the grassy median near the entrance to the Fairfax County Government Center. The Government Center market is open Thursdays through October 25 from 2:30 to 7 p.m. The only exception is June 7, to allow for Celebrate Fairfax set up.

Pictured in the photo, from left to right: Lindsey Martin, Government Center Market Manager; Margaret Thaxton, Director of Development, Fairfax County Park Foundation; Sharon Bulova, Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Kiel Stone, Braddock District Rep, Park Authority Board; Bryan Hill, Fairfax County Executive; Chelsea Roseberry, Farmers Market Coordinator, Park Authority; and Mary Olien, Resource Management Division Operations Manager, Park Authority.

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On Saturday, April 28, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Authority and TrailsforYouth.Org opened a new bicycle pump track at Brookfield Park in Springfield, Virginia. The track is designed to allow riders of a wide range of abilities to maneuver around the track, while navigating smooth bumps (rollers) and banked turns (berms). The track project was supported by the Springfield Civic Association and funded by TrailsforYouth.Org through a Park Authority Mastenbrook Grant and community-raised matching funds. The Park Authority oversaw the construction of the project, with expertise provided by the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE).

Pictured in the photo, from left to right: Jeff McKay, Lee District Supervisor; Julie Childers, TrailsforYouth.Org Executive Director; and Aimee Vosper, Deputy Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, along with two young cycling enthusiasts.

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Winners of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s “Celebrate the Senses!” youth poetry contest were honored on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at the SpringFest Fairfax celebration at Sully Historic Site in Chantilly, VA.

In recognition of National Poetry Month in April, the Park Authority invited children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade to write poems inspired by what they see, touch, taste, smell and feel in Fairfax parks. Two winners in each age category were selected from 115 entries. The six winners received $100 parks prize packs and were invited to read their poems at Springfest Fairfax. The contest was supported in part by the Fairfax County Park Foundation.

Back Row (left to right): Roberta Longworth, Fairfax County Park Foundation Executive Director;

Lane Brooks, Fairfax County Park Foundation Board Treasurer; Sagar Gupta, eighth grader at Rachel Carson Middle School; Jasmine Carlos, eighth grader at Holmes Middle School; Kate Schlageter-Prettyman, fifth grader at Fairhill Elementary School; Sara Baldwin, Deputy Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority; and Cristin Bratt, Deputy Public Information Officer of the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Front Row (left to right): Kenzy Abdelmoneim, first grader at Medina Montessori School; Zoya Quraishi, kindergarten homeschool student; and Lubabah Qazzaz, fourth grade homeschool student.

For more information on the poetry contest and showcase, visit the Poetry Contest.

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On Friday, April 13, 2018, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook, Park Authority Executive Director Kirk Kincannon and Park Foundation Executive Director Roberta Longworth joined REI Regional Partnership and Philanthropy Manager Matt Liddle as new wayfinding signs were installed along the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail. REI funded these trail improvements, which included the addition of 15 new signs. Park Authority, Park Foundation and REI staff members gathered near a sign located in Americana Park in Annandale, Virginia to celebrate their installation.

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On Saturday, April 14, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Authority renamed South Run District Park Athletic Field #5 in honor of Jack Nolan, a longtime coach, leader and advocate of youth soccer in the Springfield District. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. Nolan served as a coach for several soccer teams in the Springfield Youth Club (SYC). His success on the field led to leadership roles with SYC, the Fairfax County Soccer Council and the Athletic Council. He was instrumental in the development of a rectangular field allocation policy.

Pictured in the photo, from left to right: Delegate Kathy Tran, Virginia House of Delegates; Michael Thompson, Fairfax County Park Authority Board, Braddock District Representative; Jack Nolan, Honoree; Pat Herrity, Braddock District Supervisor; and Kirk Kincannon, Executive Director, Fairfax County Park Authority Executive Director.

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The Fairfax County Park Authority signed an agreement with ServiceSource's Pathways to Careers initiative on December 13, 2017, in an effort to provide adults with disabilities internship opportunities in programs and activities operated by FCPA. The ultimate goal of the partnership is to provide competitive employment opportunities for qualified individuals in some of the more than 10,000 programs offered annually by the Park Authority.

ServiceSource's Pathways to Careers initiative supports integrated and customized work opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the DC metro region. For more information about Pathways to Careers, please contact Pathways to Careers Employer Relations Coordinator John Gyourko at 571-249-9468 or john.gyourko@servicesource.org. 

Pictured from left to right in the front row are: Sara Baldwin, Acting Executive Director, Park Authority; John Gyourko, Pathways to Careers Employer Relations Coordinator, ServiceSource; Second row: Kasey Kahmann, SourceAmerica; Ken Crum, Regional Executive Director, ServiceSource; and Jennifer Cardona-Kellett, Pathways to Careers Program Manager, ServiceSource.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday, December 8, 2017, for a new birthday party shelter at Clemyjontri Park in McLean, Virginia.

The shelter is being fully funded thanks to grants from the McLean Community Foundation, the Rotary Club of McLean, Friends of Clemyjontri and individual gifts to the Fairfax County Park Foundation. The $80,000 project is scheduled for completion by spring 2018.

Pictured from left to right are: From the Rotary Club of McLean: Vance Zavela, President of McLean Rotary Club Foundation; Thamir Al’Hashimi, Rotarian; Michael Arietti, Rotarian; Bob Jansen, President of Rotary Club of McLean; Gene Durman, Rotarian; Jan Auerbach, Rotarian; and Carol Stone, Rotarian. From the Fairfax County Park Foundation: Bobbi Longworth, Executive Director. From the Friends of Clemyjontri Park: Julie Clemente, Board Director; Dan Clemente, Board Director; and Rachel Georgelas, President. From the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors: John Foust, Dranesville District Supervisor. From the McLean Community Foundation: Janet Tysse, President; Amy Swaak, Trustee; Julie Warin, Trustee; and John Schell, Trustee