On Friday, Aug. 2, the Fairfax County Park Authority, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck and members of the Villamay community held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate a new swing set at Gilbert S. McCutcheon Park.
The swing set has been a part of the vision for the park for more than 20 years. The Villamay Community Association spearheaded fundraising for the playground, raising $23,000 toward the total cost of the project in 2004. These funds were matched with two Mastenbrook Grants each for $10,000, but due to limited funding, the project scope did not initially include swings. However recently, having never lost sight of the original vision for the park, the community came together once again and raised $13,000 in just a year to add a swing set to the park. These funds were matched with a Mastenbrook Grant in 2023 and the $26,000 project was completed in July 2024.
“This new swing set is a shining example of what the Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant Program is all about,” said Park Authority Board Member Linwood Gorham during his remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Thanks to the collaboration between the Villamay Community Association, the Fairfax County Park Foundation and the Park Authority’s Mastenbrook Grant Program, Gilbert S. McCutcheon Park now has a two-bay set of swings, which include both standard belt-seat model swings and a two-seat “expression swing” for a parent and child, where the adult and child are comfortably seated face-to-face at eye level with one another. This unique design promotes intergenerational play and fosters social connection.
“Fairfax County Parks play a critical role in our everyday lives – physical and emotional wellbeing, social connections and sense of community, and most importantly, an opportunity to spend time with family,” Supervisor Storck said. “While it may appear to be ‘just a swing set,’ what this represents is more time that children and families can spend in the park. It’s another opportunity to extend the fun, to spend just a little more time together outdoors.”
Gilbert S. McCutcheon Park is located at 7509 Fort Hunt Road in Alexandria, Virginia.