Construction contracts for new pickleball facilities and improvements to Central Library are on the agenda as Arlington County Board members meet on Saturday, Jan. 25.
It will be the Board’s first working meeting of the year, and follows a Jan. 7 organizational meeting at which Takis Karantonis was elected chair for 2025.
At that meeting, new member JD Spain, Sr. succeeded Libby Garvey, who had served 12 years on the body.
Highlights from the agenda are below.
Pickleball Courts: Board members on Saturday, Jan. 25 are scheduled to award a contract for up to $1.89 million for new outdoor pickleball facilities at Walter Reed Community Center.
The work includes the demolition of three tennis courts and construction of new pickleball courts. Ancillary work will include court lighting, noise-mitigation efforts, parking improvements, stormwater management, landscaping and improved pathways.
“The final design is based upon the feedback provided by the community throughout the process,” staff wrote in a memo to Board members.
Bright Construction Group presented the lowest bid from among three firms competing for the project.
While the proposal to increase pickleball facilities drew a heated response in recent years from some neighbors, county officials apparently are not expecting any public testimony on the project.
The item has been placed on the Board’s Jan. 25 consent agenda, although it could be pulled off for separate consideration.
Library Updates: The Board is expected to approve a contract worth up to $5.5 million to make necessary repairs at and upgrades to Central Library.
The project aims to replace infrastructure that has resulted in leaks, elevator problems and other age-related challenges.
The project will consist of replacement of the elevators and roof, refurbishment of the restrooms and redesign of the mechanical systems supporting the Charlie Clark Center for Local History and the auditorium, county officials say.
The replacement of the roof and additional structural support will allow for future installation of solar panels.
The Matthews Group was the low bidder among three firms that competed for the work. The project is estimated to take about 240 days to complete, and be wrapped up by fall.
Ballston Park Name: Board members are expected to formally bestow a name on a park that is part of the Harris Teeter development in Ballston.
“Buckingham Pollinator Park” is located in the 600 block of N. Glebe Road, between N. Tazewell and N. Thomas streets. It occupies about two-thirds of an acre.
The Park and Recreation Commission formally recommended the name from among three possibilities.
“It fulfills all three of the naming criteria — ecological, geographical and historical — and we endorse it wholeheartedly,” parks-commission chair Jill Barker said in a letter to Board members.
The name also received support of the Buckingham Civic Association, Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board and Arlington Neighborhood Advisory Commission.
Signature Training Facility: Signature Theatre is expected to receive Board approval for “Signature in the Schools,” which will provide performing-arts training to students at 2784 S. Arlington Mill Drive.
The use permit will allow for up to 55 students to be taught on site at any one time.
The program will be located in a 7,983 square foot space within the Village at Shirlington and will be outfitted with two classrooms and two coaching rooms. Hours of operation will be limited to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
The site previously was home to a dry-cleaner. Its use will allow Signature to expand training programs for youth, which have been conducted at the theater’s home above the Shirlington branch library.
The proposal has the support of the Shirlington Village Association.
Quincy Street Control: Board members are expected to petition the Commonwealth Transportation Board to transfer control of two portions of N. Quincy Street adjacent to I-66 to the county government.
The Virginia Department of Transportation in 1965 acquired ownership of the street sections as it prepared to construct I-66 through Arlington. After that project was completed in the 1980s, several other roadways acquired by VDOT for the effort were returned to Arlington control, but two portions were not.
They include:
- N. Quincy Street from 14th Street N. to the southern edge of the I-66 right-of-way.
- N. Quincy Street from the northern edge of the I-66 right-of-way to 17th Street N.
The change in ownership will be largely one of paperwork; Arlington officials already maintain those sections of roadways along with the rest of N. Quincy Street.
But the change could be helpful to county officials for any significant roadwork planned in future, particularly on the southern portion.
That section straddles the Washington-Liberty High School campus to the west and the industrial site where Arlington officials have stored Arlington Transit (ART) buses to the east.
