Mr. Jay Wind, President
Arlington Heights Civic Association
jay.wind@att.net
Dear Jay:
I thought you would like an update on staff's proposal for
use of synthetic turf at the Thomas Jefferson Middle
School. As you may have heard, this proposal has been
removed from consideration by the County Manager at the request
of Mr. Zimmerman, with the full support of the Board.
First, we regret that the project emerged ahead of engaging
the community fully. The Board has shared with the County
Manager our expectations on when and how the staff should
approach the community on future projects in order to avoid the
concerns expressed by you and others in the community.
For your information, please find enclosed a copy of a
report the Board recently received from the County Manager on
this matter. You will note that the Manager has decided not
to move forward at this time on consideration of locating
synthetic turf at any field in the County. The Manager
wishes to dedicate staff resources toward upcoming major
projects, including but not limited to such matters as review of
the County's Open Space Master Plan and planning for recreational
uses on the North Tract at Potomac Yard. Both will involve
substantial community input.
The Manager has informed the Board that when staff
considers installation of the synthetic turf in the future, it
will most likely be in the context of a planned field renovation,
rather than a special project in partnership with any third
party. Experimentation with this new surface offers the
potential of providing better fields and meeting the high demand
of playing time; however, consideration of future options will be
done in earlier and closer consultation with the community.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your
thoughts with the Board.
Sincerely,
Jay Fisette
Chairman
Enclosure
c: Ron Carlee, County Manager
INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM
May 1, 2001
TO: Members, Arlington County Board
FROM: Ron Carlee, Acting County Manager
SUBJECT: Withdrawal of the Staff Proposal to Install Synthetic Grass on the Thomas Jefferson Upper Soccer Field in Partnership with Marymount University
On April 24, 2001, I made the decision to withdraw the staff proposal to install synthetic grass on the Thomas Jefferson upper field based on the extremely negative reaction by the Jefferson Middle School PTA and residents living in the surrounding neighborhoods around Thomas Jefferson. Toni Hubbard, Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources, attended the Arlington Heights Civic Association meeting on the evening of April 24 and informed those attending the meeting of the County's intention to withdraw the staff proposal.
The staff proposal presented three distinct issues that needed to be considered very thoroughly and carefully. The first issue dealt with the consideration of the County trying a relatively new product to help alleviate the critical shortage of usable athletic field in Arlington. The second issue was the location of the proposed installation of the synthetic grass field. The third issue was whether the County should enter into a new shared-use agreement with Marymount University in association with this field improvement. There appeared to be some interest in discussing the installation of this new synthetic grass product, but the proposed location of Thomas Jefferson in conjunction with the new partnership with Marymount University raised numerous concerns with the surrounding neighborhood and school community. While staff believes that many of the concerns could have been addressed, there was no compelling reason to pursue this project. Clearly public involvement will need to occur earlier in the process before undertaking similar projects in the future. Meanwhile, I am delaying indefinitely further consideration of artificial turf at any site. There are higher priority park planning and development projects that demand staff attention at this time.
Although this project has been within from consideration, the existing Memorandum of Understanding among Marymount University, Arlington Public Schools and Arlington County is still in effect. The County has had good experiences with Marymount University and others in the public-private partnership venue and intends to continue the agreement with Marymount University for the use of Quincy Park soccer field for Marymount's men and women soccer teams.
cc: Rod Irwin, Assistant County Manager
Toni D. Hubbard, Director, DPRCR
Janis B. Wood, Division Chief, DPRCR