A new plaque honoring past arborists has been installed at Alexandria’s Fort Ward Park, adding to the existing Charles W. Hendryx Memorial.
City of Alexandria’s Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities spokesperson Catrice Callands confirmed to ALXnow a new plaque was added to the Fort Ward Arborist Memorial. The arborists honored on the plaque are Gregory A. Kernan, Jennifer Hollings, Tere O’Rourke, John Noelle and John Marlin.
“This is a supplemental recognition and does not replace the main stone monument honoring the City’s first arborist, Charles W. Hendryx,” Callands said.
The Alexandria Beautification Commission tentatively scheduled a plaque dedication ceremony for Saturday, April 11, pending confirmation from elected officials and the RPCA. Callands said a city archaeologist was present during the installation.
RPCA did not plant any new trees or complete landscaping work as part of the memorial update. However, the Beautification Commission plans to eventually dedicate a replacement for a small holly tree that died.
Meanwhile, construction is ongoing for Fort Ward Park’s playground relocation. The former playground location experienced challenges with drainage due to its location at the bottom of a steep hill. The new playground relocated to the top of the hill will include new play equipment, swings, picnic tables, benches and water fountain.
As of January, the old playground was demolished, and erosion controls have been added. The former playground space is being restored with new tree plantings, preliminary grading and stormwater management system. Archaeologists are monitoring all areas of disturbance, per park protocols.
Construction is expected to continue into summer 2026, according to a pre-construction timeline presented to the community last fall.
