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Article: Fairfax News: National Park Service Scraps Fort Hunt Park Picnic Table and Pavilion Removal Plan
Dec 28 2011
The National Park Service will not move forward with planning proposals that would have closed picnic pavilions at Fort Hunt Park.
Park Service officials notified Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Fairfax County Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland that they will be releasing updated plans for Fort Hunt Park early next year and the revised plans will reflect public concerns about the closure and removal of picnic shelters.
“I applaud the National Park Service for agreeing to go back to the drawing board with its plans for Fort Hunt Park in response to concerns Supervisor Hyland and I voiced, and the strong sentiments of citizens in southeastern Fairfax County,” Connolly said.
“Our community is strongly opposed to closure of the picnic pavilions at Fort Hunt and I appreciate that the Park Service took those concerns to heart and abandoned its plans to close them,” Hyland said.
Expressions of concern
In late September, Connolly and Hyland wrote to National Park Service officials urging them to revisit their proposal for Fort Hunt Park and provide the opportunity for area residents to make their voices heard. “We would appreciate consideration of preserving access to picnic tables and ball fields,” they wrote.
Their letter also supported plans to increase pedestrian and bicycle trails in Fort Hunt Park and reduce impervious surface area. By reducing the total area covered with asphalt, Fort Hunt could contribute to Chesapeake Bay restoration while making more open space available for recreation.
Connolly and Hyland also encouraged the Park Service to widen and straighten the Mount Vernon Trail near Fort Hunt Park to reduce trail congestion and improve bicycle-commuting conditions for Mount Vernon area residents.
Fort Hunt was the location of a Top Secret interrogation center during World War II. U.S. soldiers used non-violent techniques to extract intelligence from German soldiers, helping to win on the Western Front. The Park Service has suggested improving interpretive historical signage about the interrogation site, which is not well known even among Fairfax County residents.
“We look forward to working with the Park Service to maintain picnic pavilions while improving historical signage, pedestrian and bike trails, and reducing impervious surface area to restore the Bay,” Connolly and Hyland said.