Alexandria hopes to award construction contracts before the end of the year for the long-awaited Del Ray Gateway project.
The finished product, which includes an interactive spray park and new public art, is expected to begin this year and wrap in 2024. Still, there is currently no specified date for when construction will begin, according to the city.
“The Del Ray Gateway project is currently in the procurement process and the bid schedule has not been finalized,” Alexandria Marketing Manager Katie Bishop told ALXnow. “The Park Planning team is working to finalize this schedule in order to begin construction and implement the design developed with the community.”
The project is located at the Nicholas Colasanto Outdoor Pool (2700 Mount Vernon Avenue), at the northern edge of the Mount Vernon Recreation Center field at the convergence of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues.
The pool, named after the former city manager and City Council member, opened in 1969 and has been closed since 2010. In 2012, the city recommended the pool area be transformed into a spray park and public plaza.
According to the city:
The site was identified in the City of Alexandria’s 2012 Aquatic Facilities Study that recommended a decorative interactive fountain feature and two shade umbrellas for the site with the existing pool space adjacent to the art center turned into a plaza for public festivals, art display, and an interactive fountain – “enhancing the Del Ray entry point while providing water play fun for neighborhood users and visitors during the summer months.”
Last year, artist Béatrice Coron, who is known for creating intricate paper cut-out silhouettes, was selected after a national search and commissioned to create the public art for the project.
Image via City of Alexandria