Park Authority

Members of the community and local officials gathered this past Saturday to celebrate the Fairfax County Park Authority’s official opening and ribbon cutting at Backlick Park located at 4516 Backlick Road in Annandale, VA. Renovations at the park included installation of a new shelter and picnic tables, new playground areas, a new fitness area, renovation of the tennis courts, new tennis court lighting and the repaving of the trails and parking lot. This $1 million project was funded through voter-approved Park Bonds.

Pictured from left to right are members of the community and Park Operations staff members plus community activist Binod Gupta; Penny Gross, Mason District Rep, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Dave Bowden, Director of Park Planning and Development, Park Authority; Ron Kendall, Mason District Rep, Park Authority Board; Kirk Kincannon, Executive Director, Park Authority; Pat Rosend, Project Manager, Park Authority; Steve Rugen, community activist; and Julie Tahan, Community Support Specialist, Park Authority.

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On Thursday, November 1, 2018, Fairfax County’s second Resident Curator was officially approved and appropriate leases signed at Turner Farm Park. Members of the Great Falls community turned out for the lease signing ceremony. Sarah Kirk will serve as the Resident Curator of historic Turner Farmhouse in Great Falls, Virginia.

The Resident Curator Program allows for a curator to live in a historic Fairfax County property rent-free in exchange for rehabilitating the house and allowing public access. As required by the state legislation, lease agreements are required between the Park Board and Board of Supervisors, as well as the potential curator. Those approvals set in motion the right to rehabilitate the properties.

Ms. Kirk (acting as principle for the Turner Farmhouse Foundation) will rehabilitate the property. It will serve as a residence for the Kirk family, with its equine farm on the leased property. The lease will also repair the property’s milk house, restore and preserve its historic corn crib, and renovate an existing garage to serve as a retreat center.

Pictured signing the lease are Fairfax County Park Authority Executive Director Kirk Kincannaon and Resident Curator Sara Kirk. They are joined by (left to right): Reverend Jerry Pokorsky, St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Great Falls, Va.; Reverend Hank Langknecht of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Great Falls, Va.; Bill Canis, President, Great Falls Citizens Association; Tim Hackman, Dranesville Rep, Park Authority Board; John Foust, Dranesville Rep, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Stephanie Langton, Resident Curator Program Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; David Buchta, Heritage Conservation Branch Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; Jo Turner, former resident; and Michelle Meadows, Sr. Right of Way Agent, Fairfax County Park Authority.

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The Fairfax County Park Authority joined with Bike Fairfax on September 29, 2018, for National Bike Your Park Day festivities. This celebration invites novice and experienced bicyclists out to local and regional trails for a day of biking. In this case, participants near the Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail enjoyed a roundtrip ride from Audrey Moore RECenter to Lake Accotink Park.

Over the past couple of years, more than 20,000 people in all 50 states and 10 countries participated in this event. There were ten rides organized in Fairfax County this year and 50 across Virginia. The event was coordinated by the Adventure Cycling Association.

Pictured from left to right are Steven Foster, Chris Wells, Congressman Gerry Connolly, Mackenzie Jarvis, Howard Albers, Jim Angel, Park Authority Board Member Ken Quincy, Sonya Breehey, and other bicycling enthusiasts.

For more information call 703-877-5625.

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It’s now official; the Fairfax County Park Authority and the Friends of Pimmit Barn are working together to preserve this community landmark and allow neighbors to enjoy activities at the site. On October 9, 2018, representatives from the Friends group and Park Authority leadership came together to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that clarifies responsibilities and opportunities and lays the groundwork for continued collaboration. Plans are already underway for a host of community activities.

Pimmit Barn, located at 1845 Cherri Drive in Falls Church, VA, is a reminder of the agricultural roots in Fairfax County. The structure once served as a dairy barn on the Smith family farm. The building, constructed in 1937, is more than 75 years old. Eventually the farm was sold for development and the barn was used to house a community well. In 1997, the property was transferred to the Fairfax County Park Authority from the Fairfax County Water Authority. The Park Authority leased it to McLean Youth Athletics for storage of sports equipment. However, in 2011, the Park Authority proposed divesting this property. The Park Board and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust agreed that the barn is worth preserving.

Today, Pimmit Barn continues to serve as a gathering spot, a community space, a reminder of our farming history and another green pocket of the Pimmit Hills neighborhood. The Friends of Pimmit Barn have organized outdoor movie nights, barn cleanup days, and fall festivals. Last year’s fall festival brought more than 300 neighbors and local businesses together to enjoy pumpkin painting, a costume contest, cake walk, story time and more.

An official MOU was signed on October 9, 2018 between the Park Authority and the Friends of Pimmit Barn. Pictured left to right are Russell Arrington, Area Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; Connie Cordovilla, President of the Friends of Pimmit Barn; Kirk Kincannon, Executive Director, Fairfax County Park Authority; and Julie Tahan, Community Support Specialist, Fairfax County Park Authority.

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Park lovers from infants to octogenarians participated in this year’s Fairfax County Park Authority Discovery Trail Map summer activity, and four lucky visitors whose names were selected in a trail-ending drawing will soon receive a new bicycle and safety helmet donated by Spokes, Etc. and Trek through the Fairfax County Park Foundation.  The winning entries were selected by Fairfax County Park Authority Executive Director Kirk Kincannon and Park Foundation Board Chair John Osborne. The winners are Mati Lamb, 2, of Burke; Hyorin Choi, 9, of Vienna; Paula Reyes, 17, of Falls Church and the adult winner, Sharlene Ash of Alexandria.  The winners were among more than 1,300 people who qualified for the drawing by visiting eight of the twelve featured sites on this year’s Discovery Trail Map.  The winners will be presented their grand prizes at the Spokes, Etc. Fairfax location later this month.

This year’s animal-themed Discovery Trail Map led to more than 20,000 park visits, a 38 percent increase in the number of park visits stemming from the 2017 map. Though only four bicycle grand prizes were awarded, all participants who visited at least eight featured park sites received a prize packet valued at $93, which included tickets to park amusements such as camping, mini-golf and boat, train and carousel rides. 

(From left to right) Park Authority Director Kirk Kincannon and Park Foundation Board Chair John Osborn take turns selecting winning entries in the 2018 Discovery Trail Map bicycle drawing while Foundation Executive Director Roberta Longworth assists. The drawing took place on September 18, 2018.

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On Saturday, September 29, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Authority celebrated the opening of the Griffith Park playground in Falls Church, Virginia.

Funded via voter-approved 2016 park bonds, the $80,000 project replaced outdated equipment with new play elements, interactive panels and swings for children ages 2 to 12. Safety surfacing and playground borders were also replaced and a new drainage system and fence installed. The project was part of a larger effort by the Park Authority to identify and replace playground equipment throughout Fairfax County that has exceeded its useful life.

Pictured left to right are Isabel Villarroel, Project Manager, Park Authority; Tim Hackman, Dranesville Rep, Park Authority Board; Finn Niemira, age 11; Ian Niemira, age 12; Delegate Marcus Simon, Virginia House of Delegates; John Foust, Dranesville Rep, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Dave Bowden, Director of Park Planning and Development, Fairfax County Park Authority; and Bob Heilen, Vice President, Pimmit Hills Citizens Association.

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At its regular meeting on September 26, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board honored five teams within the Resource Management Division on their efforts to maintain the high standards necessary to achieve accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Colvin Run Mill Historic Site, Green Spring Gardens, Sully Historic Site, and RMD’s Historic Artifact Collections were re-accredited while Frying Pan Farm Park earned first-time accreditation.

AAM establishes the standards through which museums are recognized for their commitment to excellence, accountability, and professionalism, and the organization says that “as the ultimate mark of distinction in the museum field, accreditation signifies excellence and credibility.”

Photo: Park Authority Board Chair Bill Bouie presents a resolution to Mary Olien, Operations Branch Manager for FCPA’s Resource Management Division (RMD). 

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On Saturday, September 29, 2018, Hidden Oaks Nature Center marked the 10th anniversary of Nature Playce and the park’s limited impact development (LID) parking lot with a free, three-hour celebration.  Nature Playce is a one-third acre, unstructured, woodland play area near the Hidden Oaks Nature Center. The nature center’s LID parking lot was redeveloped a decade ago to make it environmentally effective. Instead of creating runoff, the lot guides rain water through pavers and pipes and into a bio-mesh filtered rain garden where potential pollutants are siphoned.

The celebration honored community groups, including Fairfax Master Naturalists, Kiwanis Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scouts. The boy scouts have contributed to the building and enhancement of Nature Playce for the past 10 years. The Fairfax Master Naturalists were recognized for their adoption of a native plant garden at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale Community Park as well as their many other contributions to Fairfax County Park Authority, its residents and visitors.

Pictured (left to right) are Kevin Holland, Fairfax Master Naturalist and Hidden Oaks Nature Center (HONC) volunteer; Marilyn Schroeder, Fairfax Master Naturalist, HONC volunteer and 2018 Elly Doyle Park Service Award Recipient; Michael McDonnell, HONC Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; Penny Gross, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Mason District Representative; and Mimi Friedman, Fairfax Master Naturalist. 

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On Saturday, September 15, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Authority cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Valis Family Golf Learning Center at Pinecrest Golf Course in Annandale, Va. The expanded facility was named in recognition of Wayne and Angela Valis’ generous donation of a new TrackMan 4 Golf Simulator. The center offers year-round practice and play opportunities.

Pictured in the photo, from left to right: Penny Gross, Mason District Rep, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Wayne and Angela Valis along with members of the Valis family; Steve Thormahlen, Board of Director, Fairfax County Park Foundation; Sara Baldwin, Deputy Director, Fairfax County Park Authority; Dave Bowden, Planning & Development Director, Fairfax County Park Authority; Bobbi Longworth, Executive Director, Fairfax County Park Foundation; Todd Johnson, Golf Enterprises Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; Sarah Oberther, Pinecrest Golf Course Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; and others golf enthusiasts.

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On Saturday, September 8, 2018, the Fairfax County Park Foundation and the Fairfax County Park Authority celebrated the Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund’s (JPMF) 20th Anniversary with a Family Fun Day Celebration at Our Special Harbor in Alexandria, VA. 

Located in Lee District Family Recreation Area, Our Special Harbor is a fully accessible sprayground inspired by Joey Pizzano’s love of the Chesapeake Bay. In 2009, JPMF donated the turnkey design and construction of Our Special Harbor. Earlier this year, JPMF donated a gift in excess of $40,000 to the Fairfax County Park Foundation to mark the 20-year anniversary. Their generosity funded four wheelchairs for Fairfax County Park Authority’s adapted aquatics programs at Audrey Moore, Lee District, Oak Marr and South Run RECenters. It also funded four new features at Our Special Harbor in honor of the organization’s 20th anniversary.

Pictured in the photo, from left to right: Supervisor Jeff McKay, Lee District Rep, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Heather Lynch, Our Special Harbor Project Manager, Fairfax County Park Authority; Paola and Bob Pizzano, the Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund; and Dave Bowden, Director, FCPA Planning and Development.

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