County Board Approves $1.5 Million Dawson Terrace Park Renovation

Changes are coming soon to Dawson Terrace Park near Rosslyn now that the Arlington County Board has approved a $1.5 million construction contract.

Currently, there are two small courts at the park. These will be replaced by one larger, multi-use court the size of a high school basketball court.

Project illustrations show eight to 10 foot decorative fences installed on either side of the court, behind the basketball nets. Also included: new lighting and landscaping.

Design for the project began in the second quarter of 2016. Project construction is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of 2018 and wrap up by the end of the year.

A small field along 21st Road N. is not scheduled for any renovations in this plan, but stormwater management and ADA improvements are in the works.

The County Board voted unanimously to grant the park contract to D.C.’s Bennett Group at Saturday’s County Board meeting (April 21), according to a county press release. County staff had recommended that the contract be approved.

“Arlington continues to upgrade and improve its parks, to make them both more accessible and more engaging,” County Board Chair Katie Cristol said in a statement. “These renovations will help ensure that Dawson Terrace will be a great park for everyone to use, for years to come.”

The three and a half acre park in the North Highland neighborhood is home to the Dawson-Bailey House, the second oldest home in the county, and site renderings include a decorative screen and plants that would form a buffer on the building’s eastern facade. In 2016, an archaeological dig at Dawson Terrace Park uncovered approximately 2,000 glass, ceramic, and glass objects from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Also at its Saturday meeting, the County Board approved the planting of over 1,000 trees in parks along Four Mile Run. The plantings are partially funded by a federal grant.

More from a county press release, after the jump.

A federal grant will help pay for the purchase and planting of more than 1,000 seedlings along Four Mile Run stream in Bluemont and Benjamin Banneker parks.

The trees and shrubs will be planted in areas where invasive plants have been removed, to help restore Four Mile Run’s riparian buffer zone. The County plans to host community planting events in fall 2018 to get the seedlings in the ground, and will install deer protection around the plants.

“This project is part of a much larger effort to restore Four Mile Run’s water quality and preserve this natural resource treasure,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “Stay tuned for opportunities to help us get these seedlings in the ground.”

The County Board voted unanimously to accept the grant, awarded by the Virginia Department of Forestry.

The $9,657 grant required a one-to-one match from the County. The Department of Parks and Recreation will meet that within its existing budget, contributing $5,864 in local dollars along with a $7,512 in-kind match value for volunteer and staff hours and related supplies.

To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 36 on the agenda for the Saturday, April 19, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

Renderings via Arlington County