Whereas any park space freed up at the old W-L site may not be available for some years, no planning process has addressed how it might be used, and there is no bond funding planned for park construction; and

Whereas any park space swapped would be located at the present school site rather than at the Quincy Park location, which is closer and more accessible to the densely-populated Metro corridor; and

Whereas those living in apartments along the Metro corridor have a particular need for convenient access to public open space; and

Whereas any open space created at the present school site would not have the mature trees that characterize the current park site; and Whereas the Steering Committee taking public comment on construction options has been limited to considering either construction in place or moving the school to Quincy Park; and

Whereas the time frame for a Steering Committee report has been set at approximately two months; and

Whereas citizens in Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association have expressed opposition to relocation of the school to Quincy Park; and Whereas the most recent large new Arlington public facility, Barcroft Fitness Center, was placed in Barcroft Park; and Whereas, Arlington County exchanged a County-owned parcel of parkland on the opposite side of North Nelson Street from Quincy Park for a developable parcel elsewhere in the County, thus reducing the amount of parkland in the area of Quincy Park and precluding a proposed expansion of Quincy Park onto that side of Nelson Street, and

Whereas, Arlington County has considered a proposal to expand a fire station at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and George Mason Drive into County-owned parkland in the adjacent Bluemont Junction Park,

Now therefore be it resolved that:

1. Arlington County Civic Federation opposes the use of Quincy Park for the school and favors keeping it as a park and making future improvements so that it will better meet the needs of residents.

2. The Federation believes that the time frame for making recommendations on this major project is too short to permit meaningful public participation .

3. The Federation believes that charge to the Steering Committee should be expanded to include exploring additional options, including relocation of the Education Center and use of the Buck property across North Quincy Street

4. The Federation recommends that Arlington County adopt a firm policy precluding the use of parkland for other purposes.

This page was last revised on: December 27, 2003.