the parks in 2020
Our 30+ acres of park received more use this past year than any in the quarter-century I’ve lived here. With the quarantine keeping many of us home, we found a welcome refuge in the parks – which got so many visitors that our natural paths widened by four times their 2019 width, new ‘goat trails’ formed to secret beach spots along the Paul Spring stream, and the gravel parking space at Voigt Park seemed to be in constant use.
Our parks hosted music concerts over the summer, provided service work opportunities for a group of young Tenderfoot Scouts, and hosted numerous social outings and work parties. We are fortunate to have this incredible resource – thanks to all of you who support the care of our parks through your time, your Civic Association membership, and your donations directly to the parks through the CAHH or the Friends of Hollin Hills.
Over $45,000 was invested in the parks in 2020, of which $35,000 was provided by the Civic Association. These funds were used for ongoing tree care and removal of more than 24 trees (at a cost of about $16,000), mowing and invasive plant management, and the repair of a portion of Voigt’s playground structure. An additional $10,000 was provided by the Friends of Hollin Hills, which funded the grass mat installation to stabilize the edge of Rippon Road, and twice-weekly trash pickup, both at Voigt Park.
We also continued to remove invasive vines and shrubs from Sutton Potter Park, cleared a new bocce court space along Rippon Road, and created drainage slots to better drain Fairfax County’s asphalt trail along Paul Spring Road.
What’s coming up in 2021? The stream restoration projects in Brickelmaier and Goodman Parks are scheduled to begin this spring, and will last for about a year. Unfortunately, much of those two parks will be closed during that time, and there will be some noise and disruption. But the County-funded project will correct the severe erosion that has created dangerous chasms in the parks, and will also remove invasive plants and replace them with native species, contribute to a healthy Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, and do much to restore the parks to ecological health. The two parks will be back in 2022 — safer and better than ever!
Also in 2021, look for a bocce court to be built in the far southern end of Voigt Park near the basketball court on Rippon, and we’re working on an invasive plant educational campaign, as a prelude to taking over the care and maintenance of our refurbished and replanted stream restoration parks.
Want to Help? We are searching for new wardens for McCalley and Sutton Potter Parks. The minimum requirement is to keep track of trees that seem worrisome, and anything more is up to you. Rather solo in the parks? Ask for the guide poster on how to remove ivy safely and easily from trees and go at it. Love writing, taking pictures, a plant geek? Help us tackle the invasive education campaign! To volunteer or for more information, please contact me.
– Elisabeth Lardner, CAHH Parks Chair (703) 765-3023
