News

Parks Commission to discuss funding new paddling access at Four Mile Run Park

By James Cullum

Alexandria’s Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss funding for three city park projects next week.

Up for discussion is a $436,000 project to install a launch area/paddling access at Four Mile Run Park, $21,000 for student gardens at Samuel Tucker Elementary School and a $25,000 pocket park at Lake Cook.

The projects are part of the fiscal year 2023 Community Matching Fund, which allows groups to get one-to-one funds for conservation and beautification projects. The Community Matching Fund started in 2017, and has so far funded more than $200,000 for athletic fields, new community gardens, and renovated playgrounds.

City staff recommend that $73,000 in matching funds are approved for the three projects.

“The Fund is designed to foster public/private partnerships and cultivate innovative ways for residents to have a greater stake in improving the park and recreation facilities that they use,” staff said in a report.

The Commission will discuss the projects at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, at the Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center (1605 Cameron Street).

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.