An government advisory panel may ask Arlington officials to increase funding to tackle invasive plants in county parks by up to 10 times current spending levels.
“We’re in crisis. The longer we wait, the less easy it’s going to be,” Park and Recreation Commission chair Jill Barker said at the body’s Sept. 23 meeting.
Commission members discussed a proposal to ask County Board members to start appropriating up to $1 million per year for invasive-species management.
That compares to the current $100,000 a year in the county’s annual operating budget, although that baseline figure often is augmented by additional one-time budget funding. Even so, going to a seven-figure appropriation would be a major leap.
“A million dollars sounds like a lot, and it is a lot,” commission vice chair Gary Shinners said. But he said it was time to “get the kind of resources we need to get this done right.”
“Invasives have become incredibly entrenched — we need to make a dramatic change,” Shinners said.
The current county-government spending level is “kind of a joke,” he added.
Commission members did not take action on Shinners’ draft recommendation, but they did authorize Shinners and Barker to raise the issue at the next meeting of the Natural Resources Joint Advisory Group.
That body contains members drawn from the Park and Recreation, Forestry and Natural Resources, and Climate Change, Energy and Environment commissions. Its next meeting is set for early November.
The source of any additional funding dominated part of the discussion on Sept. 23. Some members warmed to the idea of a capital fund, perhaps managed by the Arlington Community Foundation, to augment funding approved annually through the county government’s budget requests.
Others on the panel had reservations about going that route, but Barker said it was imperative to find funding options.
“Something’s got to give. The money’s got to come from somewhere,” she said.
The status quo is “like a treadmill — you’re constantly behind,” Barker added.
Commission members praised county-government staff involved in invasive-species management, but said there are too few of them.
Concern also was raised about the work being done by contractors for the Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Environmental Services.
The contractors are tasked with spraying herbicide in parks to control the spread of invasive plants. Some commission members voiced concern about the level of attention to detail by those spraying.
“We need to start making some noise about this,” said Alex “Boris” Sanders, a commission member.
Authorizing more county-staff time to manage contractors and support park volunteers would be a good place to start, Sanders said, while acknowledging “there’s not a lot of that to go around these days.”
After the Natural Resources Joint Advisory Group meeting in November, the Park and Recreation Commission will regroup and determine its next steps getting to a formal proposal.
“We’ll keep developing it until it’s as good as it can get,” Barker said.
Commission seeks ‘Restaurant Row Plaza’ for park name: Members of the Park and Recreation Commission also formally requested County Board members to rename a park in Crystal City as “Restaurant Row Plaza.”
The name would honor the eateries that extend two blocks down 23rd Street S. into the Aurora Highlands neighborhood.
The 900-square-foot park is in the process of being redeveloped. It currently is known as “23rd Street S. and S. Eads Street Park,” but staff believe a new name could better mark the spot.
The Park and Recreation Commission recommendation is at odds with the request of the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, which is seeking to have the parcel renamed “23rd Street Plaza.”
That option also topped a government-run survey of local residents, with Restaurant Row Plaza finishing second among four options.
The county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board recently sent a recommendation to County Board members, supporting either “23rd Street S. Plaza” (adding the “S.” to the initial proposal) or “Restaurant Row Plaza.”
Renovation work is slated to run through next summer. The total cost is estimated at $475,000.
