Fort Ward Playground Virtual Community Meeting #7
Virtual Meeting, June 26, 2024 at 7 p.m.

City of Alexandria community members are invited to attend an upcoming meeting to receive updates on the Fort Ward Park Playground relocation as determined through community and stakeholder engagement that began in 2022. The relocation of the playground supports objectives of the approved Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Management Plan to enhance park accessibility and meet ADA standards. During this meeting, staff will provide updates on the design development process to move the existing playground uphill from its current location, and there will be a portion for Q&A from participants.

• Virtual Meeting Recording
• June 26 Meeting Presentation 

Fort Ward Playground Virtual Community Meeting #6 & Community Open House
Virtual Meeting, December 6, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Community Open House, December 16, 2023 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.; Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility, 3210 King Street

Staff will provide updates on the playground accessibility design process. The last community meeting was held on May 11, 2023, where staff presented the final playground location. To improve access to the playground, the playground will be moving to the top of the hill from its current location. Attendees may attend the virtual meeting or open house to learn more about the playground design process. 

• Virtual Meeting Recording
• Meeting Presentation

Fort Community Cemetery & Burial Sites Virtual Community Meeting
October 11, 2023 at 7 p.m.

City staff will hold a community informational meeting about the installation of permanent fencing around the Park's Fort community burial sites and cemeteries. During the meeting staff will review the scope of work to be performed, including the selected fencing style, and the layout of fencing that will be used to demarcate the Old Grave Yard, the Adams burial plot, the Clark burial site, and the Jackson Cemetery. The meeting will convene at the Museum parking lot for a walk to each of the four burial sites. The Beitzell Fence Company, based in Gainesville, Virginia, was awarded the project. Staff from the Office of Historic Alexandria, including a City archaeologist, will be on-site to monitor the installation work. 

• Virtual Meeting Recording
• Meeting Presentation

Fort Community Cemetery & Burial Sites Community Meeting
September 16, 2023 at 10 a.m.
4301 West Braddock Road; meet at Museum Parking Lot

City staff will hold a community informational meeting about the installation of permanent fencing around the Park's Fort community burial sites and cemeteries. During the meeting staff will review the scope of work to be performed, including the selected fencing style, and the layout of fencing that will be used to demarcate the Old Grave Yard, the Adams burial plot, the Clark burial site, and the Jackson Cemetery. The meeting will convene at the Museum parking lot for a walk to each of the four burial sites. The Beitzell Fence Company, based in Gainesville, Virginia, was awarded the project. Installation is scheduled to take place the last week of September. Staff from the Office of Historic Alexandria, including a City archaeologist, will be on-site to monitor the installation work. To RSVP, contact Susan Cumbey, susan.cumbey@alexandriava.gov. Attendees may choose to drive or walk to each location. City provided transportation between burial sites will be available upon request by submitting your request to Susan Cumbey by September 15 at 12 p.m.

Playground Virtual Community Meeting #5
May 11, 2023 at 7 p.m.

The community is invited to attend a virtual community meeting about two potential locations (Sites B and D) for relocating the existing playground to a more accessible location in the park. The meeting recording will be available the day after the meeting. Persons unable to attend the virtual meeting may provide feedback to the project manager at: judy.lo@alexandriava.gov

• Virtual Meeting Recording
• Meeting Presentation
• Meeting Q&A Transcript
• Playground Written Comment Compilation: January 2022 - April 2023

Playground Community Open House
March 4 and 11, 2023 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
St. Stephens and St. Agnes Middle School, 4401 West Braddock Road

The community is invited to attend open houses about two potential locations (Sites B and D) for relocating the existing playground to a more accessible location in the park. Anyone may stop by to view display boards. Handouts and reports will be available. Persons unable to attend the open house may provide feedback to the project manager at: judy.lo@alexandriava.gov or on the community comment form

• Playground Relocation Concept Study
• Appendix: Preliminary Archaeological Assessment Option B and D
• Community Comment Form ; provide comments by March 31, 2023

Playground Virtual Community Meeting #4
February 22, 2023 at 7 p.m.

The community is invited to attend a virtual community meeting about two potential locations (Sites B and D) for relocating the existing playground to a more accessible location in the park. The meeting recording will be available the day after the meeting. Persons unable to attend the virtual meeting may provide feedback to the project manager at: judy.lo@alexandriava.gov or on the community comment form.

• Virtual Meeting Recording
• ​​​​​​​Meeting Presentation Transcript
• Meeting Q&A Transcript
• Playground Relocation Concept Study
• Appendix: Preliminary Archaeological Assessment Option B and D
• Community Comment Form; provide comments by March 31, 2023

Fort Ward Park Meadow Restoration Community Meeting
November 19, 2022 at 10 a.m.

Join staff from the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities and Natural Resources Division to learn about meadow restoration in Fort Ward Park. The meeting will convene at the Braddock Road parking lot and will include a walking tour of the meadow area. Staff will discuss the process to restore the meadow and to re-establish its boundaries. The process will involve identifying vegetation that will be saved including trees which may be significant to the Fort community. Restoration efforts will occur over several seasons.
 

Playground Virtual Community Meeting
June 22, 2022 at 7 p.m.

The community is invited to attend a virtual community meeting to review options for improving accessibility to the Fort Ward Park Playground. The presentation will include options looked at during the May 21 Community Site Walk. Comments about the proposed playground sites will continue to be accepted. Comments may be sent to: judy.lo@alexandriava.gov.

• Fort Ward Playground Options
• Fort Ward Playground Site Matrix
• Meeting Presentation
• Virtual Meeting Recording
• Virtual Meeting Chat Transcript
• Fort Ward Video - Site A
• Fort Ward Video - Site B
• Fort Ward Video - Site C (We are working to fix the video, which is upside down.)
• Fort Ward Video - Site D
• Fort Ward Video - Site E

Playground Community Meeting
May 21, 2022 at 10 a.m.

Community meeting: The community is invited to attend a site walk with City staff to review options for improving accessibility to the Fort Ward Park playground. The meeting will be held on Saturday, May 21, at 10 a.m. at Fort Ward Park, 4301 West Braddock Road. 

• Fort Ward Playground Options
• Fort Ward Playground Site Matrix

Pre-Construction Meeting for the Fort Ward Park Picnic Shelter Accessibility Improvements
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 10 a.m.

March 31, 2022 Community Announcement
The public is invited to attend a Community Pre-Construction Meeting about upcoming construction of the Fort Ward Park Picnic Shelter Accessibility Improvements. The meeting will be held on Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. at Fort Ward Park, 4301 West Braddock Road. The meeting will convene at the picnic shelter parking lot (Area 2). City staff will provide information about the project construction and archaeological monitoring. Construction activities are scheduled from April 26–September 15, 2022.

Online Community Meeting about Fort Ward Park Projects
Monday, January 24, 2022 from 7-9 p.m. 

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to learn about projects and initiatives recommended in the Fort Ward Park & Museum Area Management Plan and the Fort Ward Interpretative Plan. 

• Meeting Presentation
• Virtual Meeting Recording
• Community Meeting Q & A Responses- January 24, 2022
• December 27, 2021 Meeting Announcement
• January 20, 2022 Meeting Announcement

These projects are intended to improve accessibility throughout the park and provide compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Projects are consistent with the Fort Ward Management Plan recommendations. An overview of these projects was presented at the December 11, 2019 Capital Projects meeting. For additional information, contact the project manager, Judy Lo, Park Planning, 703.746.5490, judy.lo@alexandriava.gov.

This current playground location in Area 1 is situated at the bottom of a steep hill with poor drainage. Improvements will include new picnic tables and benches, new swings, a water fountain, natural play equipment, and plantings.  

Revised Project Schedule:

• Design: 2023
• Regulatory Permitting: 2023 - 2025
• Procurement: 2025
• Construction Start: 2025 

Design Documents:

• 2020 Playground Concept Plan
• 2020 Playground Presentation Slides
• 2024 Playground Presentation Slides

Community Updates 

• June 2020: The community is invited to provide feedback on the new playground design. View a recorded presentation to learn more about the design. Submit comments and questions by June 26, 2020. Responses will be posted in July.
• August 2020: Responses to feedback regarding the June 15 recorded presentation are now available. The design team will continue to refine the design in response to comments.
• January 2022-December 2022: In response to community feedback about the 2020 playground proposal, staff are now studying new options for playground accessibility. Community engagement activities are planned in 2022 to solicit community feedback.
• February 2023: Community engagement is scheduled in February and March regarding two potential playground locations.
• April 2023: Community engagement is scheduled in May about the two potential playground locations.
• October 2023: At the May 11 community meeting, staff presented the final playground location as Option B, moving the playground to the top of the hill.  The consultant, Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects has been hired and will prepare the playground plans. Site survey, tree inventory, and geotechnical investigation will be scheduled throughout October and November. Any ground disturbing activity will follow ground disturbance protocols. A community meeting and open house are planned for November to provide updates on the design development process.
• November 2023: The site survey and tree inventory were completed and geotechnical investigation will be scheduled in December.  Any ground-disturbing activity will follow ground disturbance protocols. Community engagement is planned in December to provide updates on the design development process.
• June 2024: Community engagement is planned for June 26 to provide updates on the playground design development process.
• October 2024: Staff are coordinating work to advance the playground design to 90% construction documents. A new consultant will be hired to complete the construction documents.
• November 2024: A new consultant, Gordon, has been retained to complete the construction documents needed for permit approvals. Geotechnical testing will be scheduled in December/January, following the Fort Ward ground disturbance protocols.
• December 2024: Notice to Proceed was issued to Gordon. Gordon will complete supplemental field and tree surveying in December/January, followed by geotechnical investigations, in accordance with Fort Ward Ground disturbance protocols. The June 2024 schematic design will be further refined based on engineering and additional site data.
• May 2025: Gordon advanced design work to 100% construction plans and the plans were approved by the City. The Purchasing Division issued an Invitation to Bid for construction, with bids due in late June. Construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2025. A pre-construction community meeting will be scheduled prior to the start of work.
• September 2025: Purchasing completed due diligence for the Invitation to Bid and awarded the contract to Stevens Construction Corporation, based out of Annandale, Virginia. Construction will begin this fall, with completion anticipated by Summer 2026. A community pre-construction meeting is scheduled for September 29. The playground will be closed during construction. For more information on other playgrounds, click here.

This project will provide an accessible pedestrian pathway connecting the picnic shelter to accessible parking located in Area 2. The new path will extend to Van Dorn Street and improve access from the north side of the park. As part of the stormwater management requirements, the path will be constructed with permeable pavers. Twenty trees will also be planted in the 'Woodlands Area,' located east of the picnic shelter (shown on Plate 20 of the Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Management Plan) to comply with stormwater management requirements.

Project Schedule:  

• Regulatory Permitting: Spring/Summer 2020 
• Procurement: Fall 2020-Spring 2021
• Construction: April 2022-December 2022
• Closeout: January 2023-May 2023
• Project is substantially complete. The pathway and picnic area re-opened May 2023.

Design Documents: 

• Picnic Area Pathway Concept Illustration

Community Updates 

• June 2020: Construction is anticipated to begin fall 2020 and will take several weeks to complete. The picnic shelter will be closed during construction. 
• August 2020: Permit plans were approved in August and the procurement process has commenced.
• February 2021: Procurement is underway and a construction contract will be awarded this spring.
• April 2022: A Community Pre-Construction meeting was held on April 9. Construction commenced on April 26.  
• April 2022: The Management Summary of the Javins site is available here. New South Associates will be monitoring the site to identify, assess and record buried deposits uncovered during construction. A final monitoring report will completed after construction.
• May 2022: The contractor, Sagres Construction, Inc. has mobilized and completed installation of tree protection measures, and erosion and sediment controls. The first segment of the permeable paver drainage system will be constructed starting from Van Dorn Street.
• August 2022: The project is 80% complete. The permeable pathway has been installed. The handrails for the ramp, and parking/road paving will be completed this fall.
• November 2022: Roadwork and paving for the ADA parking spaces will occur November 7–10. Archaeologists from New South Associates will be on-site during construction to monitor excavation of the roadway.  The road will be closed to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but will remain open to pedestrians during that time. A report of all archaeological monitoring completed during the construction of the project will be available soon.
• February 2023: Due to temperature constraints, some work has been postponed. Work will continue this winter and early spring to install the handrails at the Van Dorn Street ramp, renovate the stairwell at the picnic shelter, and stripe the ADA parking spaces. A summary of the archaeological monitoring conducted by New South Associates is now complete.
• April 2023: The contractor has completed the ADA parking space striping. Handrails and support footings have also been installed at the Van Dorn St. entrance ramp and the stairwell to the picnic shelter, and will be finished in April. Installation of grills near the picnic shelter will be installed the first week of April, with Alexandria Archaeology monitoring the work. A summary of archaeological monitoring for the accessible pathway is complete.
• October 2023: A forest conservation area will be established south of the picnic shelter area, across the drainage channel. This area is currently marked with conservation signage. In mid-October Dominion Surveyors will stake and flag the perimeters of the conservation area to facilitate the planting of up to 25 native trees within the area. The conservation area fulfills stormwater management requirements for picnic shelter pathway.
• October 2024: The forest conservation planting plan was completed this past summer. Bidding and procurement are completed and trees are scheduled for installation this October/November. A two-year watering contract is included to ensure tree establishment. To support biodiversity, native tree species include mockernut hickory, fringe tree, flowering dogwood, persimmon, post oak, blackhaw viburnum, river birch, black cherry, and sweet crab apple. Ground disturbing activities will be monitored by Alexandria Archaeology.
• December 2024: Trees were planted inside of the Forest Conservation this past November. Alexandria Archaeology monitored the installation. A two-year watering contract is included to ensure tree establishment. Native tree species include mockernut hickory, fringe tree, flowering dogwood, persimmon, post oak, blackhaw viburnum, river birch, black cherry, and sweet crab apple. Cleaning and restoration of the permeable pavers along the accessible pathway will be scheduled in the coming months, weather permitting.
   

This project will provide ADA parking spaces in each vehicular parking area. Work will include re-paving, re-striping, and signage.  

Project Schedule:  

• Design: Fall 2022
• Construction: 2025 

Design Documents 

• This map shows the general locations of the ADA parking spaces.
• Final ADA Parking Design - Museum and Front Entrance

Community Updates

• February 2023: Test pits were taken in early February in the Museum parking lot and front entrance gravel lot, to determine the depth of existing depth of gravel and subbase material.
• April 2023: Consultant are working on the 90% and 100% design plans for the ADA parking spaces
• October 2023: Adtek Engineers submitted 100% design plans for the front gravel parking lot and the museum parking lot. The design includes new asphalt ADA parking spaces for each parking area. The drainage issues occurring at the apron of the gravel parking lot will be addressed with a new swale and small drain pipe. Staff are obtaining cost proposals and work is expected to begin late fall, weather permitting.
• October 2024: Updated cost proposals are being obtained. Work will be phased in 2025. The first phase will address the front gravel parking lot. All ground disturbing activity will be monitored by Alexandria Archaeology.
• December 2024: The purchase order was approved. Work will be scheduled in 2025 weather permitting. All ground disturbing activity will be monitored by Alexandria Archaeology.
• May 2025: Construction on the gravel lot is expected to begin the week of May 27, weather permitting, and will take approximately 5-7 days to complete. During this time, please use the museum parking lot and remain alert for construction activity in the area. Alexandria Archaeology will monitor all ground-disturbing activities.
• October 2025: The gravel parking lot at the park entrance was completed this past May. Alexandria Archaeology monitored the project; impacts to the ground surface were minor, and no archaeological resources were observed.  ADA improvements to the museum parking lot will begin mid-October, weather permitting. During this time, please use other parking lots and remain alert for construction activity in the area. ADA improvements to the amphitheater parking spaces will also begin this fall. Alexandria Archaeology will continue to monitor all ground-disturbing activities.