Arlington County Board Approves Tuckahoe Playground Contract and Funding to Improve Eight Other Parks

• Contract awarded to reconstruct Tuckahoe Park playground
• Eight resident-driven park improvement projects funded

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Arlington County Board today approved funds to reconstruct Tuckahoe Park playground. In a separate action, the Board approved funding for eight resident-driven park improvement projects across the County.

“Parks are vital to the health and well-being of our children and our community,” said Arlington County Board Chairman J. Walter Tejada.  “Whether the improvements planned are large-scale – like those at Tuckahoe Park – or smaller, but still important improvements that neighborhoods have asked for in their parks – the results are the same: thousands of diverse Arlington kids will continue to have a great time in our parks.”   

Tuckahoe Park Renovations

The Board voted unanimously to approve a $733,315 contract (including contingency) with Jeffrey Stack, Inc., to reconstruct the playground for school-age children in Tuckahoe Park, located at 2400 N. Sycamore St., and to make the park more accessible to persons with disabilities. The playground was last renovated in 1994.

The playground design was developed following a community process that involved neighbors and members of the Arlington East Falls Church Civic Association. Improvements will include:

• Accessible entrance for people with disabilities
• New play equipment
• Pervious accessible paths to enhance storm water run off
• Synthetic turf safety surfacing
• Bio-retention gardens

Funding comes from the Park Maintenance Capital Program. To learn more about this project, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item # 17 on the January 26, 2013 Regular County Board Meeting Agenda to read the staff report.

Park Enhancement Grants

The County Board also approved, unanimously, $83,377 for eight Park Enhancement Grant  (PEG) projects that were submitted by residents to the Parks and Recreation Commission. PEG grants, funded through Pay-As-You-Go Capital Improvement Program funds, offer up to $15,000 for approved park projects. The approved projects for 2013 include:

• Hillside Park -- Remove invasive plants and restoring the forest with native plants and trees:  $11,354.
• Lubber Run Park -- Build a garden and provide the necessary tools and amenities for participants in the Lubber Run Teen Program for a hands-on gardening experience as well as educational programming from the Virginia Cooperative Extension: $5,500.      
• Fort Barnard Community Canine Area -- Give a facelift, with the construction of a small deck to protect the root system of a mature Pin Oak as well as  spading, soil improvements and pruning to enhance the growth of the tree. Funding also will support the purchase and planting of three shade trees, extension of the fence height and construction of a berm: $15,000. 
• Thomas Jefferson Middle School -- Add four new benches and a wood chip path to enhance their existing garden. The grant also will cover the cost of a garden design plan that will be developed by EarlySpace LLC:  $13,718.
• Fraser Park -- Install five new benches, an ADA picnic table and an ADA grill: $10,400.
• Alcove Heights Park -- Improve the existing volleyball court, with the purchase of new poles and a net, turf improvements, updated landscaping and a 20-foot split rail fence: $5,523.      
• John Marshall Drive -- Add four benches to a large traffic island, enjoyed by the neighborhood as open space. The space will also receive invasive plant control treatments and turf improvement. This project will be coordinated with a stormwater improvement project at this site currently planned by the Department of Environmental Services: $9,290. 
• Woodlawn Park -- Build a new concrete path to facilitate pedestrian and bicyclist access through the park between 15^th Street, which dead ends on each side of the park: $12,592.

To learn more about these projects, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item #19 to read the staff report.

Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.